The ability of a particular medical action to alter the natural history of a particular disease for the better, under actual conditions of practice and use.
Community effectiveness is the benefit of using a technology for a particular problem under general or routine conditions; the achieved benefit is what works in day-to-day clinical practice.
World Health Organization. European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. Glossary. 2009.
Community effectiveness is the ability of an intervention to reduce the burden of illness when applied in the community.
It is determined by five factors: efficacy, screening and diagnostic accuracy, health provider compliance, patient compliance, and coverage. Community effectiveness provides health care providers and policymakers important information for health services decision-making.
