Complementary medicine often claims to offer therapies that are cheap, but hard evidence is still awaited. The methods of economic evaluation, which comprise cost-minimisation, cost-effectiveness, cost-utility and cost-benefit studies are considered in this article. This methodology has only recently evolved, and therefore there are few studies in complementary medicine which include any rigorous economic evaluation. An analysis is presented of treatment costs and some potential outcome measures for complementary medicine, and certain difficulties are outlined particularly in measuring quality of life and assessing its financial value. Complementary therapies have shown promise for certain indications, mostly in retrospective studies. It is concluded that more work needs to be done before we can be sure of the economic impact of complementary medicine, and that it is important to incorporate an economic evaluation more widely in future clinical trials.

Journal Section:
Übersichtsarbeit – Review Article
Keywords:
Economic evaluation, Cost-effectiveness, Cost-benefit
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© 1996 S. Karger AG, Basel
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1996
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