Crowdsourcing utility estimation for spina bifida in the general population

Area of Science:

• Health Economics
• Patient-Reported Outcomes
• Disability Studies

Background:

• Cost-utility analyses (CUA) rely on health state utility values, which are crucial for preference-sensitive conditions such as spina bifida (SB).
• Traditional methods for gathering SB utility values involve time-consuming face-to-face interviews.
• Online crowdsourcing presents a potentially more efficient and cost-effective alternative for utility estimation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the utility value of a generic spina bifida (SB) health state using a validated online crowdsourcing tool.
• To assess the feasibility and comparability of online crowdsourcing for utility value estimation in SB.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey was conducted using the time-trade-off (TTO) method via Amazon's Mechanical Turk (mTurk).
• Participants (n=503) evaluated hypothetical health state utility values from a child-parent dyad perspective.
• Demographic data, prior SB knowledge, and utility estimates were collected and analyzed.

Main Results:

• The mean utility value for the SB health state was estimated at 0.85 (±0.20) compared to a perfect health state of 1.0.
• A significant proportion of participants (66%) indicated trading longevity from their own lives in a dyadic interaction.
• Few respondents reported prior knowledge or experience with spina bifida.

Conclusions:

• Online crowdsourcing is a feasible method for estimating health utility values for spina bifida (SB).
• The utility values obtained via crowdsourcing are comparable to those derived from traditional methods.
• Individuals perceive the SB health state as inferior to perfect health.