title: Measuring utility values for QALYs: two methodological issues.
abstract: Two methodological concerns in utility estimation, the development of health state descriptions (scenarios) and the interpretation of interval scale anchor points, are examined in the context of disease-specific cost utility analyses (CUA). It is contended that results in CUA can be fundamentally biased by: (i) how the information presented in a scenario is generated; and (ii) the researcher's 'definition' of anchor points, when these are used as bounds to the interval scale. A number of recommendations are made, in particular for a more explicit reporting of these issues in CUA, to facilitate greater consistency in the application of utility measurement techniques.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, University of Sydney, Westmead Hospital, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dobson
mesh_terms: D017281:Cost of Illness; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D011788:Quality of Life; D026712:Value of Life