Economic Evaluation is Essential in Healthcare for the ElderlyA Viewpoint

The aging population is considered to be one of the major factors driving the cost of healthcare upward in industrialised countries. However, several analyses show that expenditure has increased mainly because of other factors. Expenditure is expected to increase when an aging population is combined with technical progress. In addition, the growing proportion of the population who are elderly means that there is an increasing proportion of people who do not work, creating further problems in the financing of healthcare. These problems make it imperative to provide medical care to the elderly in an efficient way.