Stefan Felder

This textbook offers a comprehensive analysis of medical decision-making under uncertainty by combining test information theory with expected utility theory. The authors show how the parameters of Bayes’ theorem can be combined with a value function of health states in order to arrive at informed test and treatment decisions in the face of diagnostic and therapeutic risks. Distinguishing between risk-neutral, risk-averse, and prudent decision-makers, they demonstrate the effects of risk preferences on medical decisions. Furthermore, they analyze individual and multiple tests as well as diagnostic models in which the decision-maker chooses the test outcome. The consequences of test and treatment decisions for the patient are encompassed by quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and the standard economic model, which applies the willingness to pay for health approach. Lastly, non-expected utility models of choice under risk and uncertainty are presented. Although these models can explainsome of the test and treatment decisions observed, they are less suitable for normative analyses aimed at providing guidance on medical decision-making. This third edition provides extensively revised versions of all chapters and reflects recent innovations in medical decision-making such as decision curve analysis. New chapters focus on the health economics of and revealed preferences in medical decisions. The book is intended for students of (health) economics and medicine as well as for medical decision-makers and physicians dealing with uncertainty in their test and treatment decisions.

This textbook offers a comprehensive analysis of medical decision-making under uncertainty by combining test information theory with expected utility theory. The authors show how the parameters of Bayes’ theorem can be combined with a value function of health states in order to arrive at informed test and treatment decisions in the face of diagnostic and therapeutic risks. Distinguishing between risk-neutral, risk-averse, and prudent decision-makers, they demonstrate the effects of risk preferences on medical decisions. Furthermore, they analyze individual and multiple tests as well as diagnostic models in which the decision-maker chooses the test outcome. The consequences of test and treatment decisions for the patient are encompassed by quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and the standard economic model, which applies the willingness to pay for health approach. Lastly, non-expected utility models of choice under risk and uncertainty are presented. Although these models can explainsome of the test and treatment decisions observed, they are less suitable for normative analyses aimed at providing guidance on medical decision-making. This third edition provides extensively revised versions of all chapters and reflects recent innovations in medical decision-making such as decision curve analysis. New chapters focus on the health economics of and revealed preferences in medical decisions. The book is intended for students of (health) economics and medicine as well as for medical decision-makers and physicians dealing with uncertainty in their test and treatment decisions.

Dans un langage accessible, ce livre propose un apercu de ce que l'on sait actuellement sur la fin de vie en Suisse du point de vue scientifique. Les personnes nees dans les annees de forte natalite (generation du baby-boom) atteindront bientot un age avance. Il faut donc s'attendre a ce que se multiplient les voix demandant a la politique de mieux planifier la prise en charge des personnes en fin de vie en Suisse. Des decisions devront etre prises, tant a l'echelon individuel qu'organisationnel ou qu'a celui de la societe dans son ensemble. Les problematiques fondamentales suivantes sont abordees: experiences individuelles, decisions personnelles au sujet de la fin de vie, conditions de prise en charge, couts, reglementations juridiques et ideaux du bien mourir . Les auteures et auteurs representent differentes disciplines scientifiques et sont membres du Comite de direction du Programme national de recherche PNR 67 Fin de vie .

Dieses Buch bietet einen verstandlich formulierten Uberblick uber das, was heute zum Lebensende in der Schweiz aus wissenschaftlicher Sicht bekannt ist. Die geburtenstarken Jahrgange - die sogenannten Babyboomer - werden bald ins hohe Alter kommen. Dadurch wird sich der politische Druck erhohen, die Versorgung der Menschen am Lebensende in der Schweiz besser zu planen. Entscheidungen stehen sowohl auf individueller organisatorischer als auch auf gesamtgesellschaftlicher Ebene an. Behandelt werden Kernthemen wie individuelle Erfahrungen, Entscheidungen uber das eigene Lebensende, Versorgungssituation, Kosten, rechtliche Regelungen sowie Sterbeideale. Die Autorinnen und Autoren vertreten unterschiedliche wissenschaftliche Disziplinen und sind Mitglieder der Leitungsgruppe des Nationalen Forschungsprogramms NFP 67 Lebensende.

This textbook offers a comprehensive analysis of medical decision making under uncertainty by combining Test Information Theory with Expected Utility Theory. The book shows how the parameters of Bayes’ theorem can be combined with a value function of health states to arrive at informed test and treatment decisions. The authors distinguish between risk-neutral, risk-averse and prudent decision makers and demonstrate the effects of risk preferences on physicians’ decisions. They analyze individual tests, multiple tests and endogenous tests where the test outcome is chosen by the decision maker. Moreover, the topic is examined in the context of health economics by introducing a trade-off between enjoying health and consuming other goods, so that the extent of treatment and thus the potential improvement in the patient’s health becomes endogenous. Finally, non-expected utility models of choice under risk and uncertainty (i.e. ambiguity) are presented. While these models can explain observed test and treatment decisions, they are not suitable for normative analyses aimed at providing guidance on medical decision making.

This textbook offers a comprehensive theory of medical decision making under uncertainty, combining informative test theory with the expected utility hypothesis. The book shows how the parameters of Bayes’ theorem can be combined with a value function of health states to arrive at informed test and treatment decisions. The authors distinguish between risk neutral, risk averse and prudent decision makers and demonstrate the effects of risk preferences on physicians’ decisions. They analyze individual tests, multiple tests and endogenous tests where the test result is determined by the decision maker. Finally, the topic is examined in the context of health economics by introducing a trade-off between enjoying health and consuming other goods, so that the extent of treatment and thus the potential improvement in the patient’s health become endogenous.

Im November 2000 fand in OEsterreich die Versteigerung von Frequenzen fur die dritte Mobilfunkgeneration (UMTS) statt. Zuvor waren bei den UMTS-Auktionen in Grossbritannien und Deutschland die hoechsten jemals bei einer Auktion erreichten Erloese erzielt worden. Nicht zuletzt deshalb ruckte die Vergabe von Frequenzen in das oeffentliche Interesse. Die Publikation beschaftigt sich mit einer der Kernfragen der Regulierung in der Telekommunikation: der Vergabe der knappen Ressource Funkfrequenzen. Der Autor untersucht die Voraussetzungen fur eine effiziente Nutzung des Frequenzspektrums sowie unterschiedliche Vergabeverfahren unter oekonomischen Gesichtspunkten, wobei er besonderes Augenmerk auf Frequenzauktionen legt.