DALYs can be used in three interrelated areas:

i) for epidemiological surveillance of the total disease burden (number of DALYs)

ii) to measure cost- effectiveness of interventions (cost per avoided DALY)

iii) to decide what should be included in a country's 'core services' (the package of essential health care services). Within a fixed budget, it has been suggested that only the most cost-effective interventions should be included (cost per avoided DALY) .

The concept of DALYs thus provide challenging information for policy makers concerned with international health, the health of developing countries, and national priority setting.