Table 1.

Types of decision analysis and economic evaluations

Type	Measurement of resource use	Measurement of health benefits	Description of health benefits
Decision analysis	None	Health outcomes, including QALYs	Clinical end points or QALYs
Cost-effectiveness analysis	Dollars	Health outcomes	Clinical end points, such as cases averted, hospitalizations averted, or deaths averted
Cost–utility analysis	Dollars	QALYs	QALYs incorporate morbidity and mortality effects into a single metric
Cost–benefit analysis	Dollars	Dollars	Dollars (typically measured via willingness-to-pay survey questions)

QALYs, quality-adjusted life years.