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
- Best Interest StandardTermBest Interests Principle, Patient Best-Interest Test
- A decision-making principle for a surrogate acting for a patient lacking capacity, choosing the option that would most benefit their overall wellbeing.
C
- Caregiver Quality of LifeTermCarer Quality of Life, Caregiver Wellbeing
- A measure of the overall wellbeing of an informal carer, capturing caregiving's impact on their own physical health, emotions, and social functioning.
D
- Disease-Specific QoLTermDisease-Specific Quality of Life, Condition-Specific QoL
- A quality of life measure capturing aspects of wellbeing most affected by a particular disease, such as its specific symptom burden.
E
- Emotional WellbeingTermEmotional Well-Being, Psychological Wellbeing
- A broader construct than emotional function, covering a person's overall sense of psychological and emotional health within a quality of life assessment.
- Ethical StandardsTermEthics Standards, Professional Ethical Principles
- The specific principles governing appropriate professional conduct within a field, intended to protect the interests and wellbeing of those affected.
H
- HealthTermState of Wellbeing, Complete Physical-Mental State
- A state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
- Health StatusTermHealth State Overall, Overall Health Condition
- An individual's overall condition of physical, mental, and social wellbeing at a given point in time, commonly assessed using standardised instruments.
- Health-Related Quality of LifeConceptHRQoL, HRQL
- A multidimensional concept covering the physical, psychological, and social aspects of wellbeing affected by a person's health status or its treatment.
- Human Subjects ProtectionTermHuman Participant Protection, Research Participant Protection
- The comprehensive set of ethical principles and oversight mechanisms designed to safeguard the rights, safety, and wellbeing of research participants.
M
- Maximin CriterionConceptRawlsian Criterion, Maximin Rule
- A social welfare decision rule judging an allocation by the wellbeing of the worst-off group, seeking to maximise that minimum level.
- Monetary ValuationConceptMonetisation, Money-Metric Valuation
- Monetary valuation expresses a health outcome or other non-market good in money terms, using stated preference, revealed preference or wellbeing methods.
P
- Perceived HealthTermSubjective Wellbeing, General Health Perception
- A patient's own subjective rating of overall health status, shown to independently predict future health outcomes and healthcare use beyond clinical measures alone.
Q
- Quality of DeathTermQuality of Dying, End-of-Life Experience Quality
- A concept describing the overall experience of dying, including physical comfort, psychological wellbeing, and alignment with a patient's values during life's final period.
- Quality of LifeTermQoL, Life Quality
- A broad concept covering a person's overall wellbeing, including physical, psychological, social, and material aspects, of which health is one part.
- Quality of Life OutcomeTermQoL Outcome, HRQoL Endpoint
- A measure capturing a health condition or treatment's overall impact on a patient's wellbeing across physical, psychological, and social dimensions.
S
- Sexual FunctionTermSexual Functioning, Sexual Wellbeing
- A dimension of health-related quality of life capturing an individual's sexual health and functioning, affected by a range of conditions and treatments.
- SF-36TermShort Form 36, RAND-36
- A widely used generic health status questionnaire measuring functioning and wellbeing across eight domains, producing a profile rather than a single utility score.
- Social WelfareTermSocietal Welfare, Aggregate Wellbeing
- The overall wellbeing of a society, treated as some aggregation of the wellbeing of its individual members under a specified welfare function.
- Social Welfare FunctionConceptSWF, Welfare Aggregation Function
- A mathematical representation of how individual wellbeing combines into overall social welfare, embodying explicit judgements about equality versus total welfare.
U
- UtilityConceptPreference Satisfaction, Wellbeing Measure
- A numerical representation of the satisfaction, wellbeing, or preference an individual derives from a particular outcome, state, or good.
W
- WellbeingTermWell-Being, Life Satisfaction
- A broad concept covering an individual's overall state of comfort, health, and happiness, of which health-related quality of life is one part.