Healthy year equivalents

The most commonly used measure of utility in the health economics literature is the quality-adjusted life year (QALY), which weights longevity by life quality. The most commonly used preference-weighted measure of health-related quality of life in the UK is the EuroQol or EQ-5D (EuroQpl Group, 1990), but there are various other such measures. Utility scores can now be obtained from the 36-item Short Form (SF-36) quality-of-life scale, for example. Also in use are healthy-year equivalents (Mehrez and Gafni, 1989) and disability-adjusted life years (WHO, 2000), although both these measures are different in aim and construction from the QALY and are used less often in evaluations. 

MehrezA, GafniA (1989). Quality adjusted life years, utility theory, and healthy years equivalents. Med Decision Making, 142-9. 

Although the QALY is the most commonly used health outcome summary measure, it is not the only one. Other conceptually equivalentoutcomes include years of healthy lifeiYHl), well years (WYs), health-adjusted person-years (HAPYs), and health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE). An alternative concept called healthy year equivalents (HYEs) has been proposed as theoretically superior to QALYs, but its practi-cai significance has been iimited. 

HIV/AIDS human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome HUI Health Utilities Index HYEs healthy-year equivalents ICC intraclass correlation coefficient KDQOL Kidney Disease Quality of Life instrument MCS mental component summary scale of the SF-36 MOS-HTV Medical Outcomes Study HIV Health Survey MOT Medical Outcomes Trust MSQOL Migraine Specific Quality of Life NHP Nottingham Health Profile PCS physical component summary scale of the SF-36 QALY quahty-adjusted hfe year QOL quahty of life QOLIE Quality of Life in Epilepsy QWB Quality of WeU-Being scale SF-36 MOS 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey SIP Sickness Impact Profile VAS visual analog scale WY well year YHL years of healthy life... 

An 18-year-old woman in her 34th week of pregnancy experienced severe peripheral neuropathy followed by intrauterine death of the fetus after professional application of a 25% solution of podophyllum resin in tincture of benzoin on vulval warts. A total of 7.5 ml (equivalent to 1.88 g podophyllum) was applied. The woman was under general anesthesia at the time of application. After 3 months, the woman was walking without aid and was able to type, but very slowly and clumsily. Complete recovery from neuropathy and a subsequent healthy pregnancy was reported (Chamberlain et al. 1972). 

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