Economics and Health: ¿What must we measure?

Abstract

The subject of measurement of health and health care is reviewed from the standpoint of economics. First of all, the reasons for measuring, what to measure and how. Among the contents to be measured we analyze the kind of help that health economic accounts can provide to people´s health; the self perception of health status; the degree of user satisfaction; the inequalities and their relationships with social protection. The need for indicators and the way of constructing them are also dealt with.