Economic decision analysis in the diagnosis and treatment of low back pain. A methodologic primer.

This article outlines basic principles for the economic analysis of clinical decisions. Using a hypothetical scenario involving a patient with low back pain, the specific application of cost-benefit analysis (CBA) and cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) is illustrated; and the two methodologies are compared. Cost-benefit analysis is advanced in the "gold standard" among the two approaches because it forces decision makers to explicitly value both the cost and health consequences of alternative clinical actions.