The Role of Patient Preferences in Economic Evaluations: Barriers and Opportunities for a Patient-Based QALY

Speaker(s)

Moderator: Paul Schneider, PhD, MD, MSc, Valorem Health, Bochum, NW, Germany
Panelists: Anja Schwalm, Dr., Dept. Health Care and Health Economics, Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG), Cologne, Germany; Ben A Van Hout, PhD, ScHARR, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK; Martin Henriksson, PhD, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden

Presentation Documents

ISSUE: Practically everyone agrees that patient engagement is an essential component of health technology assessment (HTA): Obviously, the patient's perspective needs to be at the centre of health policy decision making! A patient-based QALY – i.e. QALYs that reflect the preferences of patients, rather than members of the general public – could provide valuable insight and enrich the evidence base for HTA, by quantifying the value of new technologies from the patient’s perspective. However, there are considerable uncertainties around what methods to use to elicit preferences, and how to incorporate them into economic evaluations and decision making. The lack of guidance on these issues may partly explain the significant gap between the theoretical potential of patient preference data and its real-world implementation.

In this session, we will discuss the potential of a patient-based QALY, and the challenges and opportunities associated with the use of patient preference data. The panellists, together with the audience, will explore what steps need to be taken to ensure that patient preferences are incorporated into HTA in an effective and meaningful way. The panel will cover diverse perspectives, including academic, HTA body, and industry.

OVERVIEW: This session will explore the role of patient preferences in economic evaluations and policy decision making. The moderator, Dr Paul Schneider, will introduce the topic and outline the historical context of patient-based QALYs. Then each speaker will have 10 minutes to present their views on the issue, followed by a 20-minute audience discussion and debate.

The session will be of interest to a wide range of stakeholders including academics, patient organisations, and decision makers. It will provide a platform for an informed debate on the potential of patient preference data and the challenges and opportunities associated with its practical implementation in economic evaluations.

Code

105

Topic

Patient-Centered Research