The quality of QALYs (quality-adjusted-life-years): do QALYs measure what they at least intend to measure?
This note alerts the readers to the fact that QALYs (quality-adjusted-life-years) do not stem directly from the individual's utility function and thus, at best, only partly reflect an individual's true preferences. This might lead to the choice of the non-preferred alternative due to the misrepresentation of the individual's preference. This is illustrated by using a simple example from Mehrez and Gafni (1989).
D004467:Economics; D006302:Health Services Research; D011788:Quality of Life; D012107:Research Design; D026712:Value of Life