Social indicators for health planning and policy analysis

✍ Scribed by Milton M. Chen; J. W. Bush; Donald L. Patrick

• Publisher: Springer US
• Year: 1975
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 1007 KB
• Volume: 6
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0032-2687
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00186756

✦ Synopsis

The concept of health involves two dimensions: The level of function at a point in time and the probability of transition to other levels at future times. By applying measured social values to the distribution of the population among a set of levels, a Function Status Index aptly summarizes the Level-of-Well-Being of a population at a point in time. By incorporating empirically determined transition probabilities into a simple stochastic model, a Quality-Adjusted Life Expectancy can be computed that approximates a comprehensive social indicator for health. The indicators possess the statistical properties required for time series and interpopulation comparisons, for studying outcomes and quality of medical care, and for health system optimization in planning and policy analysis.