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The quality of QALYs...
Journal article

The quality of QALYs (quality-adjusted-life-years): do QALYs measure what they at least intend to measure?

Abstract

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).

Authors

Gafni A

Journal

Health Policy, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 81–83

Publisher

Elsevier

Publication Date

October 1989

DOI

10.1016/0168-8510(89)90112-7

ISSN

0168-8510