The Social Impact of Health (SIoH) Framework: Capturing How Health-Driven Productivity Shapes National Development
Author(s)
Karla Hernandez-Villafuerte, PhD1, Diego Hernandez, PhD1, Foteini Tsotra, MSc2, Jasper Ubels, PhD1, Maike Schmitt, PhD1, Malina Müller, BA, MA, PhD1, Dennis Alexander Ostwald, PhD1.
1WifOR Institute, Darmstadt, Germany, 2WifOR Institute, Athens, Greece.
1WifOR Institute, Darmstadt, Germany, 2WifOR Institute, Athens, Greece.
OBJECTIVES: Health is a fundamental driver of national welfare. When individuals cannot reach their full productive potential due to illness, both economic output and societal well-being suffer. However, health investments are often viewed by policymakers as costs rather than drivers of long-term, cross-sector economic growth. This misperception is largely due to the difficulty of quantifying health-related productivity improvements compared to more tangible sectors like infrastructure.
METHODS: To address this gap, we developed the Social Impact of Health (SIoH) Framework, a methodology that redefines healthcare costs as economic investments, The framework measures the social and economic impact of health interventions by evaluating changes in a country's economic capacity, defined as total productivity from paid and unpaid work. It quantifies how the burden of disease translates into productivity losses from premature mortality and morbidity and measures the productivity potential when comparing a new intervention to an appropriate comparator. The framework uses a socioeconomic perspective (which captures the dual focus on social and macroeconomic dimensions), integrating real-world labor dynamics and demographic factors to reflect the broader societal value of interventions. Productivity is value using Gross Value Added, offering a broader, more accurate measure of illness-related economic impact.
RESULTS: The framework has been applied in several studies. For example, in Germany, the use of erenumab for patients with migraine was projected to save 13.1 billion Euros in productivity losses between 2020 and 2027. Likewise, adopting obinutuzumab for follicular lymphoma from 2017-2030 could save 188 million Euros in paid and 536 million Euros in unpaid productivity losses.
CONCLUSIONS: Although the framework has been applied in prior analyses, it has not yet been fully published. This is the first formal presentation of the complete SIoH Framework, a structured, evidence-based tool for assessing the broader economic and social value of health interventions and supporting more informed health policy decisions.
METHODS: To address this gap, we developed the Social Impact of Health (SIoH) Framework, a methodology that redefines healthcare costs as economic investments, The framework measures the social and economic impact of health interventions by evaluating changes in a country's economic capacity, defined as total productivity from paid and unpaid work. It quantifies how the burden of disease translates into productivity losses from premature mortality and morbidity and measures the productivity potential when comparing a new intervention to an appropriate comparator. The framework uses a socioeconomic perspective (which captures the dual focus on social and macroeconomic dimensions), integrating real-world labor dynamics and demographic factors to reflect the broader societal value of interventions. Productivity is value using Gross Value Added, offering a broader, more accurate measure of illness-related economic impact.
RESULTS: The framework has been applied in several studies. For example, in Germany, the use of erenumab for patients with migraine was projected to save 13.1 billion Euros in productivity losses between 2020 and 2027. Likewise, adopting obinutuzumab for follicular lymphoma from 2017-2030 could save 188 million Euros in paid and 536 million Euros in unpaid productivity losses.
CONCLUSIONS: Although the framework has been applied in prior analyses, it has not yet been fully published. This is the first formal presentation of the complete SIoH Framework, a structured, evidence-based tool for assessing the broader economic and social value of health interventions and supporting more informed health policy decisions.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2025-11, ISPOR Europe 2025, Glasgow, Scotland
Value in Health, Volume 28, Issue S2
Code
P60
Topic
Economic Evaluation, Health Policy & Regulatory, Health Technology Assessment
Topic Subcategory
Novel & Social Elements of Value
Disease
No Additional Disease & Conditions/Specialized Treatment Areas