TY - JOUR
T1 - The relative value of different QALY types
AU - Lancsar, Emily
AU - Gu, Yuanyuan
AU - Gyrd-Hansen, Dorte
AU - Butler, Jim
AU - Ratcliffe, Julie
AU - Bulfone, Liliana
AU - Donaldson, Cam
N1 - cc logo
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
PY - 2020/3
Y1 - 2020/3
N2 - The oft-applied assumption in the use of Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) in economic evaluation, that all QALYs are valued equally, has been questioned from the outset. The literature has focused on differential values of a QALY based on equity considerations such as the characteristics of the beneficiaries of the QALYs. However, a key characteristic which may affect the value of a QALY is the type of QALY itself. QALY gains can be generated purely by gains in survival, purely by improvements in quality of life, or by changes in both. Using a discrete choice experiment and a new methodological approach to the derivation of relative weights, we undertake the first direct and systematic exploration of the relative weight accorded different QALY types and do so in the presence of equity considerations; age and severity. Results provide new evidence against the normative starting point that all QALYs are valued equally.
AB - The oft-applied assumption in the use of Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) in economic evaluation, that all QALYs are valued equally, has been questioned from the outset. The literature has focused on differential values of a QALY based on equity considerations such as the characteristics of the beneficiaries of the QALYs. However, a key characteristic which may affect the value of a QALY is the type of QALY itself. QALY gains can be generated purely by gains in survival, purely by improvements in quality of life, or by changes in both. Using a discrete choice experiment and a new methodological approach to the derivation of relative weights, we undertake the first direct and systematic exploration of the relative weight accorded different QALY types and do so in the presence of equity considerations; age and severity. Results provide new evidence against the normative starting point that all QALYs are valued equally.
KW - Discrete choice experiments
KW - Equity
KW - Priority setting
KW - QALY types
KW - QALYs
KW - Relative weights
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85079283888&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/APP1047788
U2 - 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2020.102303
DO - 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2020.102303
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85079283888
SN - 0167-6296
VL - 70
JO - Journal of Health Economics
JF - Journal of Health Economics
M1 - 102303
ER -
