Economics, innovation, and quality improvement in neurosurgery

Christopher D Witiw; Vinitra Nathan; Mark Bernstein

doi:10.1016/j.nec.2014.11.003

Economics, innovation, and quality improvement in neurosurgery

Neurosurg Clin N Am. 2015 Apr;26(2):197-205, viii. doi: 10.1016/j.nec.2014.11.003. Epub 2014 Nov 6.

Authors

Christopher D Witiw¹, Vinitra Nathan¹, Mark Bernstein²

Affiliations

¹ Division of Neurosurgery, Toronto Western Hospital, University of Toronto, 399 Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario M5T 2S8, Canada.
² Division of Neurosurgery, Toronto Western Hospital, University of Toronto, 399 Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario M5T 2S8, Canada; Joint Centre for Bioethics, University of Toronto, 155 College Street, Suite 754, Toronto, Ontario M5T 1P8, Canada. Electronic address: Mark.Bernstein@uhn.ca.

PMID: 25771275
DOI: 10.1016/j.nec.2014.11.003

Abstract

Innovation to improve patient care quality is a priority of the neurosurgical specialty since its beginnings. As the strain on health care resources increases, the cost of these quality improvements is becoming increasingly important. The aims of this article are to review the available tools for assessing the cost of quality improvement along with the willingness to pay and to provide a conceptual framework for the assessment of innovations in terms of quality and economic metrics and provide examples from the neurosurgical literature.

Keywords: Cost effectiveness; Cost utility; Economics; Innovation; Neurosurgery; Quality improvement; Willingness to pay.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Humans
Neurosurgical Procedures / economics*
Neurosurgical Procedures / trends*
Quality Improvement / economics*
Quality Improvement / trends*