title: Development, feasibility, and validity of a computer-based utility assessment tool for measuring asthma-specific health utilities in Malaysia using the standard gamble method.
abstract: To develop and test the feasibility and validity of a computer-based utility assessment tool that used standard gamble (SG) method for measuring asthma-specific health utilities.
  
  
  
  A computer-based SG (CBSG) tool was developed using Microsoft® PowerPoint 2007 to value asthma-specific health states in Malaysia. Eight hypothetical health states were considered, including two anchor states (healthy and dead), three chronic (C) states and three temporary (T) states (each numbered 1 through 3, with increasing severity) in addition to the subject's current health state. Twenty adult asthma patients completed the CBSG tool in addition to paper-based Asthma Control Test, three health status measures (EQ-5D, EQ-VAS, and Mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (MiniAQLQ)), and VAS utility assessment tool. Patients and interviewers rated the difficulty of the VAS and CBSG tools. Correlations between current health state values derived from the various measures were determined.
  
  
  
  The SG and the VAS received similar difficulty ratings. 17 patients completed the CBSG tool within 30 minutes. The mean utilities determined by the CBSG tool for the T1-T3 asthma health states met the expected logical order of 1>2>3, but those for the C1-C3 states did not. Correlation between current health state values derived from the CBSG tool and other measurement tools was poor.
  
  
  
  The CBSG tool developed for measuring utilities of asthma health states showed acceptable feasibility and overall validity.
authors.affiliation: a Discipline of Social & Administrative Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia , Penang , Malaysia.|b Pharmaceutical Services Division, Ministry of Health Malaysia , Petaling Jaya , Malaysia.
authors.forename: Yee Vern
authors.initials: YV
authors.lastname: Yong
authors.affiliation: a Discipline of Social & Administrative Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia , Penang , Malaysia.
authors.forename: Asrul Akmal
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Shafie
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012984:Software; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D064232:Visual Analog Scale; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: EQ-5D; EQ-VAS; MiniAQLQ; Visual analogue scale; standard gamble; utilities