Theoretical foundation of patient v. population preferences in calculating QALYs.
The cost-effectiveness of health care interventions is often evaluated using quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) as a measure of outcome. There is a debate on whether QALYs should use patient preferences as opposed to community preferences. This article shows that patient preferences have a theoretical foundation in preference-utilitarian theory and welfare economics. In contrast, this study found no compelling theoretical basis for community preferences. There is a need for further development of a normative framework to inform the choice of preference source.
Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808, USA. afschin.gandjour@pbrc.edu
Afschin
A
Gandjour
D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D057240:Patient Preference; D019057:Quality-Adjusted Life Years