公元2000年世界健康報告採用失能調整人年（DALYs）及失能調整平均餘命（DALE）為評估健康績效之單位，此指標是一種健康綜合測量（SMPH）。健康綜合測量是以同一測量單位表示致死性及非致死性健康成果，此單位具有比較、分解及評估各類不同傷病之功能。健康綜合測量種類繁多，不同測量指數、有不同的失能定義、不同的測量方法、不同的價值判斷及不同結果。本文簡介健康綜合測量的概念、種類、目的、道德（價值觀）、技術面及應用此技術時，當注意事項及限制。

　　　　　The World Health Report 2000 adopted DALYs and DALE to measure the performance of the health system. DALYs and DALE are two kinds of Summary Measures of Population Health (SMPH). SMPH combines information on fatal and non-fatal health outcomes into a single numerical index. This index can be used to compare, decompose and evaluate the health status of the population. Several kinds of SMPH have been developed, which have different methods to obtain a complex of social and personal attributes that represent the health status. Different approaches of SMPH lead to different results. This paper introduces fundamental theories, typology, purposes, key ethics and issues and the technical methodology of SMPH.