New resource use measures added

Monday 27 February 2017

European study adds new resource use measures

Inter-sectoral costs and benefits (ICBs), i.e. costs and benefits of healthcare interventions outside the healthcare sector, can be an important cost component in economic evaluations from the societal perspective. Pivotal to their estimation is the existence of sound resource use measurement (RUM) instruments. However, RUM instruments for ICBs in the education or criminal justice sector have not yet been systematically collated or their psychometric quality assessed. Based on a recent systematic literature review of instruments cited in published economic evaluations and cost-of-illness studies, conducted by researchers from the Medical University of Vienna and Maastricht University, the first three of the identified instruments have now been included in DIRUM. We are particularly grateful to Assistant Professor Susanne Mayer from the Medical University of Vienna for providing these.

Among the instruments was a Cambodian RUM developed by the country's Pasteur Institute. Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in Asia with 90% of total health expenditures estimated to be out-of-pocket. Severe illness can put a considerable financial strain on families which is something this particular RUM takes into account. Another instrument measuring family hardships due to infectious disease is The Tool used in Africa and added to DIRUM last year. 

The DIRUM database team are particularly interested in RUMs from around the world and if you wish to include your own instruments on the site, please do not hesitate to contact us on info@dirum.org or use the database submissions tab. 

 

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