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One thousand health-related quality-of-life estimates
1Department of Urban and Regional Planning, School of Social Ecology, University of California, Irvine, 92697-7075, USA. tengs@uci.edu
Medical Care
|June 8, 2000
Summary
This study compiled 1,000 quality-of-life (QOL) estimates from existing documents to create a national repository. This aims to improve consistency and comparability in cost-effectiveness analyses by standardizing QOL weight usage.
Area of Science:
- Health Economics
- Outcomes Research
- Public Health
Background:
- Cost-effectiveness analyses (CEA) often lack original quality-of-life (QOL) weight data.
- Variability in QOL weights for identical health states hinders CEA comparability.
- A national repository of QOL weights is needed to support analysts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To amass existing health-related QOL estimates from publicly available sources.
- To develop a national repository of QOL weights for cost-effectiveness analysts.
- To facilitate more consistent and comparable CEA through meta-analytic approaches.
Main Methods:
- Searched databases and reviewed bibliographies of articles, books, and reports.
- Extracted data on health state, QOL weight, assessment method, respondents, and scale bounds.
- Followed detailed guidelines for consistent data extraction.
Main Results:
- Identified 154 documents yielding 1,000 original QOL weights.
- Observed considerable variation in QOL weights for the same health state.
- Documented diverse assessment methods: direct elicitation (51%), expert estimation (32%), and health status instruments (17%).
Conclusions:
- This comprehensive review of QOL data promotes consistent QOL weight utilization.
- Aims to enhance the comparability of cost-effectiveness analyses.
- Provides a foundation for a national repository to aid health economic evaluations.