Thus QALY estimates are able to integrate both psycho-social and biomedical aspects of the burden of a disease.

The Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQL) value used in the QALY calculation is not linked to any particular disease and it takes into account five dimensions: This is the cost of prescribing a drug to provide 1 year of the best quality of life available and it is expressed as '£ per QALY' or '$ per QALY' etc. QALYs can also be used to evaluate the cost effectiveness of a treatment that is, how much the drug or treatment costs per QALY. For instance, the QALY permits comparison of a new cancer therapy with the health effect of a new Parkinson's medication. QALYs can also be used to compare the health benefit of a new treatment for one condition with the health benefit of a new treatment for a different condition. new medication) compared to the current treatment for a particular condition. QALYs are used to quantify the effectiveness of a new treatment (e.g. 1 Year of Life x 0.5 Utility Value = 0.5 QALYįunction/Uses of QALYs If an individual lives for 1 year in a situation with 0.5 utility (half of perfect health) that individual will have 0.5 QALY 0.5 Years of Life x 1 Utility Value = 0.5 QALYģ. If an individual lives in perfect health but only for half a year, that individual will have 0.5 QALY.

1 Year of Life x 1 Utility Value = 1 QALYĢ. If an individual has perfect health for a period of 1 year, they will be said to have 1 QALY. To calculate the QALY, the following formula can be used this assumes a utility value (quality of life) between 1 = perfect health and 0 = dead.ġ. QALY gives an idea of how many extra months or years of life of a reasonable quality a person might gain as a result of treatment (particularly important when considering treatments for chronic conditions).Ĭalculation of QALY

The QALY is an attempt to combine these two attributes into a single figure/number.

Health is defined as a function of two components: It is used to guide / inform health policy and is accepted as an outcome measure in health economics. The Quality-Adjusted Life Year (QALY) is a measure of the value and benefit of health outcomes.

Quality of life