Consider a hypothetical example in which a patient has a condition in which she can expect to live only 2 more years on medications, with her quality of life reduced to 50% during those 2 years. With successful surgery as an alternative, she can expect instead to live 3 years with a better quality of life, 90%. Surgical mortality rate is 1% and the surgery is successful half the time. Using a 5% time discount rate, a student in health economics class correctly sets up the analysis.
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-If the patient decides to have the surgery (compared to the baseline option of taking medications instead), the quality adjusted life expectancy (number of QALYs) after accounting for both probability of success and surgical mortality is
A) 2.58.
B) 1.77.
C) 0.98.
D) 0.79.
E) 0.48.

Question

Consider a hypothetical example in which a patient has a condition in which she can expect to live only 2 more years on medications, with her quality of life reduced to 50% during those 2 years. With successful surgery as an alternative, she can expect instead to live 3 years with a better quality of life, 90%. Surgical mortality rate is 1% and the surgery is successful half the time. Using a 5% time discount rate, a student in health economics class correctly sets up the analysis.
‪ 
-If the patient decides to have the surgery (compared to the baseline option of taking medications instead), the quality adjusted life expectancy (number of QALYs) after accounting for both probability of success and surgical mortality is
A) 2.58. 
B) 1.77. 
C) 0.98. 
D) 0.79. 
E) 0.48.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The quality adjusted life expectancy with surgery is the probability weighted sum of (a), (b) and (c).
0.01 x 0.00 + 0.49 x 0.98 + 0.50 x (0.90 + 0.86 + 0.82) = 1.77

Consider a Hypothetical Example in Which a Patient Has a Condition