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Preference-based measures in economic evaluation in health care
P J Neumann1, S J Goldie, M C Weinstein
1Program on the Economic Evaluation of Medical Technology, Center for Risk Analysis, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. pneumann@hsph.harvard.edu
Annual Review of Public Health
|July 8, 2000
Summary
Preference-based measures estimate health outcome values for cost-effectiveness analysis. Challenges remain in measurement techniques and consensus for widespread acceptance of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs).
Area of Science:
- Health Economics
- Decision Science
- Public Health
Background:
- Preference-based measures are crucial for economic evaluations in healthcare.
- These measures incorporate values for health outcomes, aiding resource allocation decisions.
- Cost-utility analysis, particularly quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), is a key application.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review issues and controversies in using preference-based measures for economic evaluation.
- To emphasize cost-utility analysis and QALY estimation.
- To discuss challenges and future directions for the field.
Main Methods:
- Review of techniques for measuring health preferences.
- Examination of preference-based classification systems.
- Analysis of methods for obtaining utilities from clinical trials and mapping health status.
Main Results:
- Discussion of the relationship between patient and community preferences.
- Exploration of "off-the-shelf" preference weights and alternatives to QALYs.
- Consideration of cost-utility analyses applications in public health interventions.
Conclusions:
- Widespread acceptance of preference-based methodology requires consensus on measurement techniques.
- Educational efforts are needed to promote understanding of these approaches in medical and public health communities.
- Despite popularity, significant challenges persist in the field of health preference estimation.