The planning of health care systems is currently being carried out under conditions of uncertainty and economic constraint in Europe, and full integration of health projections into the decision making and planning processes at the highest levels is therefore essential. A study of work on projections of the future health situation in Europe was initiated in 1980. The study identified the methods that existed in the countries of the European Region and other similar countries for the projection of health problems. The bringing together of this collection of studies of projection methods and their application in health planning is an important step in stimulating the further use of health projections as an integral component of the health planning and decision making process. It is only by the much wider application of such methods that experience with these relatively new planning tools can be accumulated, and the true potential of these methods as a fundamental aid in health planning realized. (JD)