The PROMIS of QALYs

Area of Science:

• Health Outcomes Research
• Psychometrics
• Health Economics

Background:

• Accurate measurement of health and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is crucial for monitoring individual and population health.
• Generic HRQoL measures, including profile and utility measures, facilitate comparisons across diverse health conditions.
• Item response theory has advanced health profile measurement, leading to systems like the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS®).

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a methodological roadmap for developing a utility scoring system for PROMIS®.
• To enable the simultaneous estimation of both health profile and utility scores using a single measure.
• To integrate multi-attribute utility theory with PROMIS® for comprehensive health outcome assessment.

Main Methods:

• The study proposes a roadmap based on established principles of multi-attribute utility theory.
• It outlines the necessary methodological steps to bridge health profile measurement (PROMIS®) and utility scoring.
• The approach leverages item response theory foundations of PROMIS®.

Main Results:

• The paper details the procedural steps required to construct a PROMIS®-based utility scoring system.
• This development aims to allow for the concurrent calculation of health profile and utility scores.
• The proposed system will provide a single, preference-based score reflecting overall health outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Developing a utility score for PROMIS® will enhance its utility for decision and cost-effectiveness analyses.
• This integrated approach offers a more efficient and comprehensive method for valuing health states.
• The roadmap facilitates the creation of a valuable tool for health outcome research and application.