OBJECTIVES: Cost utility analysis (CUA) is a common economic evaluation method adopted for allocation of healthcare resources. Outcomes in CUA are measured using Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALY), a metric that combines both length and quality of life (QoL). The quality aspect of QALY is estimated using a preference-based measures (PBMs), that usually focus on health related QoL (HRQoL). However, there has been work conducted to extend the QALY into areas such as social care related QoL. This scoping review aims to explore the use of mapping (or cross-walking) to estimate utility values derived from HRQoL and broader QoL instruments.

METHODS: The scoping review was conducted using the Arksey and O’Malley framework and aligned with the checklist of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). A search of three electronic databases (MEDLINE®, Web of Science and CINHAL) was conducted to identify studies that mapped from adult QoL instruments to target PBMs using statistical regression techniques. Data extracted from the literature included mapping studies that mapped to one of these PBMs – EQ-5D, SF-6D, AQoL, ASCOT and ICECAP.

RESULTS: In total, 1217 studies were screened, and 1163 studies were excluded. Data extraction was done for the remaining 54 studies. Most of the studies had EQ-5D (3L/5L) as one of the target PBMs (n= 49), while the other target PBMs in the studies were SF-6D (n=7), AQoL (n=1) and ICECAP (n=1). Source instruments that measure broader QoL were mapped in only 2 studies. Majority source instruments were health condition specific, the most common being EORTC QLQ-C30 (n=9). Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) was the most common regression method used for mapping between instruments.

CONCLUSIONS: There is limited mapping work that explores the feasibility of mapping between health related QoL and broader QoL instruments.