Cost-effectiveness in health: consolidated research and contemporary challenges

Abstract The need to develop alternatives to improve health assistance access and qualification was emergent and urgent even before the advent of Covid-19. Such demand is necessary in regard to both public and private systems. In this context, the theme of cost and effectiveness is technically adequate and viable to analyze these alternatives. Analyzing the history of research development on the topic and identifying its gaps is thus an essential step in facing this challenge. Therefore, the objective of this study was to modestly contribute to a bibliometric examination of scientific production based on the theme of cost-effectiveness to guide future research, despite the maturity of the theme, and as well as its future challenges. As a result, several essential aspects of the theoretical approach to the theme were observed, such as its conceptualization, purpose, and objective within public and private institutions, identifying its main authors, universities, reference countries, and funding institutions, authors’ relationship networks, and related themes. One of the most important factors identified is the absence of the theme applied to contemporary topics in health, such as telemedicine, telehealth, robotics, artificial intelligence, new drugs and medicines, and new healthcare protocols