MEANING
The extent to which an activity produces useful results in relation to the money spent.
Use it for
comparing the results achieved for a given cost; distinguishing low price from good value; evaluating alternative interventions against the same outcome; questioning whether an added benefit justifies an added costEvaluates outcomes in relation to costs rather than equating the cheapest option with the best value. Academic functions: Research / Methodology, Comparison / Contrast, Significance / Scope.
Words that belong together
- cost-effectiveness analysis
- assess cost-effectiveness
- cost-effectiveness of an intervention
On the page
The evaluation compares the programs’ cost-effectiveness using the same outcome and the same period of follow-up.
The less expensive intervention need not offer greater cost-effectiveness if it produces substantially smaller benefits.
Word forms
- Base
- cost-effectiveness
Usage notes
Normally uncountable: the cost-effectiveness of a program; cost-effectiveness analysis. Retain the established hyphenation; no routine plural is needed. Register: technical. Commonness: moderately common (qualitative editorial estimate, informed by dictionaries/corpus).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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