Open AccessQuality‐adjusted life years: origins, measurements, applications, objections
Author(s) -
Schwartz Steven,
Richardson Jeffrey,
Glasziou Paul P.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
australian journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.946
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1753-6405
pISSN - 1035-7319
DOI - 10.1111/j.1753-6405.1993.tb00149.x
Subject(s) - quality adjusted life year , ethos , quality (philosophy) , quality of life (healthcare) , intervention (counseling) , outcome (game theory) , actuarial science , management science , psychology , medicine , risk analysis (engineering) , cost effectiveness , economics , political science , epistemology , law , nursing , microeconomics , philosophy
Quality‐adjusted life years or QALYs are used to combine, in a single measure, information about the quantity and quality of life produced by a health intervention. They have been used as outcome measures in clinical trials and in cost‐effectiveness analyses. This paper describes how QALYs are assessed and how they are used. Methodological and theoretical problems are discussed as are ethical objections to the utilitarian ethos underlying their use. It is concluded that QALYs are part of a technology that is still in development but, because of the lack of alternatives, they will certainly continue to be used. It is important to resolve the outstanding methodological issues and reach an ethical consensus to ensure that QALYs truly reflect community goals.