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Using the Online Elicitation of Personal Utility Functions Approach to Derive a Patient-Based 5-Level Version of
Paul Schneider1, Katharina Blankart2, John Brazier3
1ScHARR, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England, UK; CINCH, University of Duisburg/Essen, Essen, Germany; Valorem Health, Bochum, Germany.
Summary
The Online elicitation of Personal Utility Functions (OPUF) method successfully derived an EQ-5D-5L value set from a small sample of rheumatic disease patients. This novel approach offers a promising alternative to traditional preference elicitation techniques requiring larger participant groups.
Area of Science:
- Health Economics
- Patient-Reported Outcomes
- Preference Elicitation
Background:
- Traditional preference elicitation methods (e.g., discrete choice experiments, time trade-off) necessitate large sample sizes, posing challenges in patient populations.
- Recruiting sufficient participants for preference elicitation studies can be difficult, limiting the application of traditional methods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the Online elicitation of Personal Utility Functions (OPUF) approach for deriving an EQ-5D-5L value set.
- To assess the feasibility of OPUF with a small sample of patients diagnosed with rheumatic diseases.
Main Methods:
- The OPUF approach utilizes compositional preference elicitation techniques through an online survey.
- Key steps include dimension weighting, level rating, and anchoring to construct personal utility functions.
- Group-level value sets are derived by aggregating model coefficients from individual responses.
Main Results:
- 122 patients with rheumatic disease in Germany completed the OPUF survey.
- The OPUF survey was well-received, with most participants completing it in under 20 minutes.
- A complete EQ-5D-5L value set was successfully derived, demonstrating high precision of mean coefficients despite the small sample size.
Conclusions:
- The OPUF method is effective in deriving an EQ-5D-5L value set from a small patient sample.
- OPUF shows potential as a valuable preference elicitation tool, complementing traditional methods.
- Further development of OPUF could enhance its utility in various research and clinical applications.
