Is Meta-Analysis for Utility Values Appropriate Given the Potential Impact Different Elicitation Methods Have on...

Area of Science:

• Health Economics
• Decision Science
• Biostatistics

Background:

• Meta-analyses and meta-regressions of health state utility values (HSUVs) are increasingly used for decision-analytic models.
• Pooling HSUVs is complex due to variations in valuation methods and preference-based measures (PBMs).
• Existing meta-analyses show high heterogeneity, with elicitation methods significantly impacting HSUV estimates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the challenges in pooling HSUVs from diverse sources.
• To emphasize the need for methodological consistency in HSUV research.
• To explore potential solutions for improving the reliability of HSUV data synthesis.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing meta-analyses and meta-regressions on HSUVs.
• Identification of factors contributing to heterogeneity in HSUV estimates.
• Discussion of mapping between different PBMs and valuation methods.

Main Results:

• Significant impact of elicitation methods on HSUV estimates identified.
• Challenges in meta-regression due to limited data and broad inclusion criteria noted.
• Potential for mapping between PBMs to improve data pooling.

Conclusions:

• Greater understanding of methodological differences in HSUV elicitation is crucial.
• Increased consistency in HSUV methodology is required for reliable evidence synthesis.
• Researchers must incorporate all high-quality evidence, necessitating improved HSUV pooling methods.