2023 Volume 60 Issue 2 Pages 62-72
Backgrounds: The costs considered in health technology assessment, including cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) may vary depending on the healthcare systems in countries and regions (hereinafter collectively referred to as “countries”). This study aimed to investigate the differences in analysis perspectives and considerations of productivity losses in each country.
Methods: We conducted a qualitative review of the guidelines relevant to CEA in European and Asian countries to investigate the recommended perspectives of guidelines and the descriptions of productivity losses.
Results: A total of 33 countries were surveyed. Fourteen countries (42.4%) recommended at least one of the societal and other perspectives. In these countries, all (100.0%) mentioned patients’ productivity losses, of which 9 (64.3%) also addressed caregivers’ productivity losses.
Conclusions: About 40% of the surveyed countries allowed the inclusion of productivity losses in the base analysis. Since the subjects to be considered for productivity loss and the calculation methods differ among countries, it is necessary to be careful in the intercomparison of the analysis results.
