Methods for quality adjustment of life years

doi:10.1016/0277-9536(92)90211-8

Social Science & Medicine

Volume 34, Issue 5, March 1992, Pages 559-569

https://doi.org/10.1016/0277-9536(92)90211-8 Get rights and content

Abstract

Several valuation techniques are in use for quality adjusting life years in cost utility analysis. The paper gives an overview of the variability in results. A close inspection of a number of instruments with respect to their theme, instructions, decision framing and the phrasing of questions make many of the observed differences in results understandable. When judging the validity of the different techniques, three points should be kept in mind. One is that statements about validity should be made with respect to concrete versions rather than broad categories like ‘the rating scale’, ‘time trade-off’ etc. Another point is that a valuation technique that is valid in clinical decision analysis may not be valid in health program evaluation, and vice versa. The third point is that quality weights for life years are empirically more meaningful, in the sense that they are more amenable to empirical testing, if they are interpreted simply as preference weights rather than measures of amounts of well life in the utilitarian tradition. Time trade-off with a moderate time horizon is recommended in clinical decision analysis, while a combination of time trade-off and a variant of person trade-off is recommended in health program evaluation.

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Methods for quality adjustment of life years

Abstract

J. Hlth Econ.

Soc. Sci. Med.

J. Hlth Econ.

Hlth Policy

Soc. Sci. Med.

Soc. Sci. Med.

Socio-Econ. Planning Sci.

J. Chron. Dis.

Soc. Sci. Med.

J. chron. Dis.

Issues of measurement in the design of health indicators: A review

Measurement of values for states of health with linear analog scales

Med. Decision Making

Describing health states

Preferences for health outcomes

Quality-adjusted life years, utility theory and healthy year equivalents

Med. Decision Making

Cost utility analysis: The compatability of measurement techniques and the measurement of utility through time

The framing of decisions and the psychology of choice

Science

The expected utility model: Its variants, purposes, evidence and limitations

J. Econ. Lit.

Do category rating scales produce biased preference weights for a health index?

Med. Care

Measuring the quality of life

Sociology

Comparison of three preference measurement methodologies in the evaluation of a functional status index