When One Size Doesn’t Fit All: Incorporating the Child’s Perspective in Health Technology Assessment in North America

ISSUE: There are methodological and normative issues associated with valuing health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children and adolescents. The objective of this panel is to explore both the similarities and differences in how to approach child health valuation using the EQ-5D-Y in Canada and the USA, and the implications for health technology assessment. Attendees will gain understanding of the current state of measuring and valuing child health, which will be of interest to HEOR researchers, payers, and manufacturers. OVERVIEW: Dr Feng Xie will moderate the panel. He will provide the audience with a 15-minute overview of methodological and normative challenges in measuring and valuing child health. He will also highlight the unique North American perspective within the context of global research being conducted for the EQ-5D-Y. Dr Simon Pickard will present the program of research related to valuation of the EQ-5D-Y valuation study in the USA. The US study was the first to engage patient, clinical, and policy stakeholders and subsequently reengaged them after the study regarding decisions around source, framing, and modeling of preferences. Dr Brittany Humphries will follow by discussing the research program for the EQ-5D-Y valuation in Canada. This includes stakeholder engagement and the collection of both qualitative and quantitative data on eliciting preferences directly from children and adolescents. Dr Jesse Elliot will then discuss how these recent developments in the measurement and valuation of child health affect health technology assessment and what this means for incorporating the child’s perspective in reimbursement recommendations. At the end of the discussion, the audience will have 15 minutes to ask questions.