Quality-adjusted life-years and other health indices: a comparative analysis

This article provides a descriptive overview of both unadjusted and adjusted health indices that are being applied in the current health-services research literature. We describe, give examples, and discuss a variety of the better-known health indices. Summary tables that compare health indices across dimensions, such as level of analysis, weighting methodology, preference measurement, and longevity measurement, are also included. Our goal is to provide information about similarities among and differences between health indices and enhance understanding of comparative health-outcome measurement. An extensive list of references is included to guide the reader toward additional discussions of metrics and methodologies. Given the multitude of health indices reported in the literature, this descriptive and comparative overview provides a framework for understanding these metrics in the context of health-outcomes research.