Determining and defining value in health care is a persistent challenge in every country. To some extent, what constitutes value depends on perspective, e.g. a pharmaceutical company may view value somewhat differently than a doctor or a hospital administrator.

Appropriate measurement, essential to understanding value, thus requires that the right things be targeted using the right measures. A critical issue is ensuring that, as much as possible, measures allow valid comparisons across diseases. This seminar includes discussion of that, with examples of what works and what does not. It also provides examples of an approach, which focuses on the patient’s needs, including how disease may affect identity and the ability to function day to day.