Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40108571›Full record

ReviewBMC medical education2025

Understanding healthcare efficiency-an AI-supported narrative review of diverse terminologies used.

Lotte A Bock, Sanne Vaassen, Walther N K A van Mook, Cindy Y G Noben

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in BMC medical education, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Lotte A BockAcademy of Postgraduate Medical Education, Maastricht University Medical Centre, P.O. Box 5800, Maastricht, AZ, 6202, the Netherlands. lotte.bock@mumc.nl.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5249-4522
Sanne VaassenDepartment of Pediatrics, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6695-0813
Walther N K A van MookAcademy of Postgraduate Medical Education, Maastricht University Medical Centre, P.O. Box 5800, Maastricht, AZ, 6202, the Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2398-8878
Cindy Y G NobenAcademy of Postgraduate Medical Education, Maastricht University Medical Centre, P.O. Box 5800, Maastricht, AZ, 6202, the Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2766-8057

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPhysicians have become more responsible for pursuing healthcare efficiency. However, contemporary literature uses multiple terminologies to describe healthcare efficiency. To identify which term is best suitable for medical education to equip physicians to contribute to healthcare efficiency delivery in clinical practice, we performed a narrative review to elucidate these terms' meanings, commonalities, and differences.

methodsThe PubMed-database was searched for articles published in 2019-2024 describing healthcare efficiency terminology. Eligible articles conceptually described and applied relevant terminologies for physicians, while empirical studies and practice-specific articles were excluded. The screening was supported by an open-source artificial intelligence tool (ASReview), which prioritizes articles through machine learning. Two reviewers independently screened the resulting articles, resolving disagreements by consensus. Final eligibility was determined through predefined inclusion criteria.

resultsOut of 3,655 articles identified, 26 met the inclusion criteria. Key terminologies: cost-effectiveness, high-value care, low-value care, and value-based healthcare, were identified, and explored into more depth. 'Value' is central in all terms, but our findings reveal that the perspectives herein differ on what constitutes value. Within cost-effectiveness, resource allocation to the population's needs drives decision-making-maximizing value at population-level. Within value-based healthcare, patient-centricity guides decision-making-maximizing value at individual patient-level. High-value and low-value care are somewhat ambiguous, depending solely on cost-effectiveness results or patient preferences to determine whether care is considered as low or high value.

conclusionsCost-effectiveness may be too rigid for patient-physician interactions, while value-based healthcare might not ensure sustainable care. As physicians are both stewards of finite societal resources and advocates of individual patients, integrating cost-effectiveness (resource allocation for population needs) and value-based healthcare (individualized care plans) seems necessary. Both terms emphasize delivering high-value care and avoiding low-value care. We suggest that medical education: (1) train (future) physicians to apply healthcare efficiency principles through case-based discussion, (2) use the cost-effectiveness plane to evaluate treatments, (3) deepen knowledge of diagnostic and treatment procedures' costs within evidence-based guidelines, and (4) enhance communication skills supporting a healthcare efficiency-driven open shared decision-making with patients.

Indexed as

Artificial IntelligenceDelivery of Health CareEfficiency, OrganizationalTerminology as TopicCost-Benefit AnalysisHumansCost-effectivenessHealthcare efficiencyHigh-value careLow-value careOveruseValue-based healthcare

Identifiers

PMID40108571
PMCPMC11924740

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.