Dictionary
The Dictionary provides concise definitions of health economics terms, arranged alphabetically for quick reference. Use it to understand unfamiliar terminology or confirm the meaning of a specific term.
B
- BioethicsTermHealth Care Ethics, Medical Ethics
- In health economics, the study of ethical issues in health care, research and resource allocation, providing the normative grounding for priority setting and rationing.
O
- OptimisationTermOptimization, Objective Maximisation
- In health economics, the selection of the resource allocation or treatment decision that maximises health outcomes or net benefit subject to budget and capacity constraints, applied in decision-analytic modelling and priority setting.
P
- Priority SettingTermPrioritisation, Rationing Decisions
- The systematic process of deciding how to allocate limited health resources across competing needs, informed by cost-effectiveness and equity.
- Priority Setting CoverageTermCoverage Prioritisation, Priority-Based Coverage
- The process by which a payer determines which services are included within a covered benefits package, informed by cost-effectiveness and evidence.
- Priority Setting MethodTermPrioritisation Method, Priority-Setting Technique
- A systematic approach to deciding how to allocate limited health system resources across competing programmes or services.
R
- Research PrioritisationTermResearch Priority Setting, Study Prioritisation
- The process of deciding which research studies to fund first, given limited resources, informed by formal value of information methods.
- Resource ReallocationTermResource Shifting, Fund Redeployment
- The process of shifting resources from lower-value to higher-value uses, informed by comparative cost-effectiveness evidence, the core of priority setting.