Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #103343

Shawna Grosskopf, PhD, Department of Economics, Oregon State University, Ballard Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331, 541 737 8185, shawna.grosskopf@oregonstate.edu, Mats Lundstrom, MD, Department Ophthalmology, Blekinge Hospital, Karlskrona, Sweden, Pontus Roos, PhD, Applied Economics, PO Box 20015, Malmo, Sweden, and Rolf Fare, Docent, Economics, Oregon State University, Ballard Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331.

The latest findings from the European Cataract Outcome Study (ECOS) indicate that the visual outcomes for patients treated at the centres adopting modern techniques have improved. Previous studies have focused on the medical outcomes and benchmarks have been treated solely using the medical model. However, by implementing the tenets of productivity theory, matching of surgical procedures with outcomes given the use of resources would permit a new type of benchmark. Specifically, this benchmark would include both quality and cost control in a single index.

The specific question facing surgeons who perform and patients who receive cataract surgeries is whether it is optimal to operate on one eye at a time or both eyes at once? In essence, this research question embodies the concept of optimality in terms of both resource use and patient welfare. Data are used from a sample of patients in Sweden, where patient welfare is monitored in terms of lost days of post-surgical productivity and care giver costs. This study will add to the research debate as to how to measure medical care productivity from both a provider and patient stand point.

Learning Objectives:

• Develop models of both economic and medical efficiency
• Apply concepts of optimality to cataract surgery
• Evaluate issues of cataract care from both provider and patient perspectives.

Keywords: Cost-Effectiveness, Vision Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation