Question

1- define QALYs

2-Advantages and disadvantages of using QALYs as a measure of health outcomes in economic evaluation in the health sector.

3- the main purpose of economics evaluation

Answer 1

1) Define QALYs : it is quality adjusted life year it is generic measure of disease burden including both the quanlity and quantity of life lived. it is used in economic evaluation to assess the value for money of medical intervention. 2)advantages and disadvantage of QALYs :QALYs are atype of health status index, based on population level information that measure health gains to allow for economic evaluation of different health interventions,it offers consistency and limits budgetary waste, allowing for the greatest good to be achieved for the greatest number , and it also allows for direct comparison of interventions in a common currency regardless of clinical discipline this is because the cost per QALY does not confer the price of treatment but the price of the outcome that results may that be in years or quality gained or lost, the QALYs is very useful in priority setting, the lack of consideration for baselines health status and whether QALYs perpetuates the issue of health ineualities, the us of QALYs implicity assumes that there are no other objectives to health care than health maximization, QALYs is considerably crude measurements, this QALY model favour those with more treatable conditions and those with greater potential for health be it in terms of functioning or longevity. 3)The main purpose of economic evaluation: a) a means of assessing whether changes in resouirces allocation are potentially efficient, b) increasing health care expenditure, c)to overcome rregional variations in access.etc.