Author Description

This volume examines a problem endemic to advanced medicine - the difficulties of economic appraisal of new technologies. Focusing on the European Community, the authors consider the problems and potential of using economic appraisal in guiding the development, diffusion, and use of health technologies. The first section details the methodology of economic appraisal and the ways in which it might be used in the biomedical engineering field, in clinical and epidemiological research, and in planning and budgetary management for health technologies. The second section details the state of the art in individual countries.