September 2023
Guest editor: Charlotte Ashton | Director
How can health economists engage in the push for a more sustainable, healthier future?
We were delighted to invite Professor Elizabeth Robinson, Director of the Grantham Research Institute at the LSE, to deliver our 2023 Annual Lecture earlier this month. Not least because it gave her the opportunity to put out a rallying cry to health
economists. We need more bright minds to engage on the questions that still need answering at the intersection of health and our changing climate.
A lot of vital work has already been done and Professor Robinson shared insights from the landmark Lancet Countdown report which tracks and analyses the links between climate hazards, exposures, and vulnerabilities through to outcomes. Showing, for example, that a 1% temperature increase results in approximately 30 million additional food-insecure people.
In the lecture, a summary of which is now available, along with a full recording of Professor Robinson's presentation, she observed that there has been an uptick in political awareness of the interwoven nature of global health and climate change. But coverage in mainstream economics and health journals is lagging behind.
There is growing evidence of the health co-benefits of climate mitigation. The adoption of low-carbon, plant-based diets is a great example where agricultural emissions are reduced at the same time as dietary risks from non-communicable diseases.
In Professor Robinson's view, we need more focus on describing and quantifying the wide range of costs and benefits of implementing such changes. Greater levels of evidence will help engage policymakers in cultivating a pathway to a greener future.
Working together, environmental and health economists can accelerate the transition to net zero and healthier lives.
NEW FROM OHE
In this report, we explore the potential impact of the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) decision outcomes on healthcare decision-making in 12 countries across five continents using quantitative and qualitative approaches.
Evidence suggests that NICE decisions have some impact in most countries considered. However, the nature of the influence varies significantly.
In this report, we explore the extent to which previous OHE recommendations for HTA of gene therapies are being achieved in nine European countries, Australia, and Canada.
We identify variations both between countries and across recommendations within countries. We also draw out best practices to demonstrate that progress is achievable.
In this Insights series we have paired members of the OHE team with an external collaborator to shed some light and share some insights on HTA around the world.
In our fifth edition, Dalia Dawoud, Pillar Pinilla-Dominguez, and Caroline Bregman from NICE and Hania El Banhawi from OHE take us to Egypt.
The antimicrobials market faces major challenges that could be addressed through subscription models, as seen in the NHS-NICE ARM pilot.
This article in Health Policy considers the effectiveness of the STEDI framework in determining antibiotic value in such models.
In this article for the Progress Educational Trust, we explore the potential of outcome-based agreements for gene therapies.
Such solutions will become increasingly important as gene therapies for more prevalent conditions, such as haemophilia, receive approval.
In the second blog of a two-part series, we consider how the demand for healthcare services has evolved and shaped the role of the NHS.
Two factors are explored: changing disease patterns and changing attitudes towards health.
EVENTS
On demand
Professor Elizabeth Robinson, Director of the Grantham Research Institute at LSE, delivered our Annual Lecture.
In it, she demonstrated the importance of a one health perspective when exploring the integral steps needed to transition to a climate-resilient future.
Reframing the economics of health and healthcare in a changing climate, she outlined how a healthier environment, livelihood, and life can contribute.
11-12 October 2023 | London
Join our colleagues, Graham Cookson and Grace Hampson, who are taking to the stage at an Economist Impact event on building a sustainable, inclusive and digital health system.
The Future of Health Europe will convene public, private and civil sectors across health and technology to build towards universally excellent healthcare outcomes.
On demand
We recently delivered a webinar on health system innovation and improvement.
In it, participants gave an overview of the role of innovation in health system efficiency and barriers to its adoption.
The panel also provided real-world examples of multistakeholder partnerships, which can help address the barriers to the adoption of innovation.