The social value of vaccination programs: beyond cost-effectiveness

Luyten, Jeroen and Beutels, Philippe (2016) The social value of vaccination programs: beyond cost-effectiveness. Health Affairs, 35 (2). pp. 212-218. ISSN 0278-2715

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Abstract

In the current global environment of increased strain on health care budgets, all medical interventions have to compete for funding. Cost-effectiveness analysis has become a standard method to use in estimating how much value an intervention offers relative to its costs, and it has become an influential element in decision making. However, the application of cost-effectiveness analysis to vaccination programs fails to capture the full contribution such a program offers to the community. Recent literature has highlighted how cost-effectiveness analysis can neglect the broader economic impact of vaccines. In this article we also argue that socioethical contributions such as effects on health equity, sustaining the public good of herd immunity, and social integration of minority groups are neglected in cost-effectiveness analysis. Evaluations of vaccination programs require broad and multidimensional perspectives that can account for their social, ethical, and economic impact as well as their cost-effectiveness.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	http://www.healthaffairs.org/
Additional Information:	© 2016 Project HOPE
Divisions:	Social Policy
Subjects:	R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
Date Deposited:	17 Feb 2016 09:46
Last Modified:	25 Apr 2024 01:15
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/65382

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