Open AccessMeasuring the Value of Public Health Systems: The Disconnect Between Health Economists and Public Health Practitioners
Author(s) -
Peter J. Neumann,
Peter Jacobson,
Jennifer A. Palmer
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.2007.127134
Subject(s) - public health , public relations , value (mathematics) , health policy , qualitative research , international health , public value , sociology , business , medicine , political science , environmental health , nursing , social science , computer science , machine learning
We investigated ways of defining and measuring the value of services provided by governmental public health systems. Our data sources included literature syntheses and qualitative interviews of public health professionals. Our examination of the health economic literature revealed growing attempts to measure value of public health services explicitly, but few studies have addressed systems or infrastructure. Interview responses demonstrated no consensus on metrics and no connection to the academic literature. Key challenges for practitioners include developing rigorous, data-driven methods and skilled staff; being politically willing to base allocation decisions on economic evaluation; and developing metrics to capture "intangibles" (e.g., social justice and reassurance value). Academic researchers evaluating the economics of public health investments should increase focus on the working needs of public health professionals.