Health economics as an aspect of health outcome: basic principles and application in rheumatoid arthritis.

Health economic evaluation comprises the systematic appraisal of the costs, the benefits and the relative economic efficiency of different medical interventions. The first section of this paper outlines the techniques of economic analysis and how they relate to the efficient use of health resources. This is followed by a review of the health economics of rheumatoid arthritis as a model for the wider application of health economics in the field of rheumatology.