Teaching health economics: some guidelines arising from a WHO workshop

This paper provides some guidelines for the teaching of health economics particularly but not exclusively to non-economist personnel in the health care sector. It arose from a workshop, sponsored by WHO (Regional Office for Europe) in Copenhagen in 1982, for training a few health service personnel from various European countries in the economics of health care. The material in the guidelines is organised under eight topic headings, each followed by the main themes of each topic and some possible teaching/learning problems. Organised in this way, it would be possible to use the outline as an eight-day course on health economics or eight weekly sessions in a traditional university undergraduate or postgraduate course. The eight topics covered include: (i) What is economics? (ii) Health measurement and valuation; (iii) The patient as demander; (iv) Supply and financing of health care; (v) Setting health priorities; (vi) Assessing the costs and benefits of alternatives; (vii) Strategies for efficiency in health care; and (viii) Equity in health and health care. At a time when there is an increasing demand for economic skills and trained economists with a knowledge of the health care sector, the article emphasises that it would be unfortunate if the view were to become widespread that economics is something that only economists do. Many decision-makers in health care make decisions every day to which the principles of economics can, and should be, applied. It is with a view to introducing more of these decision-makers to the principles of economic analysis that the authors have written this article. However, while some may gain directly, the article aims to stimulate and assist those who might contribute to this process by providing ideas on how economics of health care might be taught.