Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

This article reports the application of a recently described approach to modeling health state valuation data and the impact of the respondent characteristics on health state valuations. The approach applies a nonparametric model to estimate a Bayesian Health Utilities Index Mark 2 (HUI 2) health state valuation algorithm. The data set is the UK HUI 2 valuation study where a sample of 51 states defined by the HUI 2 was valued by a sample of the UK general population using standard gamble. The article reports the application of the nonparametric model and compares it to the original model estimated using a conventional parametric random effects model. Advantages of the nonparametric model are that it can be used to predict scores in populations with different distributions of characteristics than observed in the survey sample and that it allows for the impact of respondent characteristics to vary by health state. The results suggest an important age effect with sex, having some effect, but the remaining covariates having no discernable effect. The article discusses the implications of these results for future applications of the HUI 2 and further work in this field.

Keywords

preference-based health measure HUI 2 covariates nonparametric Bayesian methods.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Brooks R. EuroQol: the current state of play. Health Policy . 1996;37:53-72.

Torrance GW , Feeny DH , Furlong WJ , Barr RD , Zhang Y. , Wang QA Multi-attribute utility function for a comprehensive health status classification system. Health Utilities Index Mark 2. Medical Care. 1996;34(7):702-22.

Feeny DH , Furlong WJ , Torrance GW , et al. Multi-attribute and single-attribute utility function for the Health Utility Index Mark 3 system. Med Care. 2002;40(20):113-28.

Sintonen H. The 15D-measure of health-related quality of life. I. Reliability, validity and sensitivity of its health state descriptive system. National Center for Health Program Evaluation. 1994; Working Paper 41, Melbourne.

Sintonen H. The 15D-measure of health-related quality of life. II. Feasibility, reliability and validity of its valuation system. National Center for Health Program Evaluation. 1995; Working Paper 42, Melbourne.

Hawthorne G. , Richardson G. , Atherton Day N. A comparison of the Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL) with four other generic utility instruments . Ann Med. 2001;33:358-70.

Kaplan RM , Anderson JP A general health policy model: update and application. Health Serv Res. 1988;23:203-35.

Brazier JE , Roberts J. , Deverill M. The estimation of a preference-based measure of health from the SF-36 . J Health Econ. 2002;21: 271-92.

Dolan P. Modeling valuation for Euroqol health states. Med Care. 1997;35:351-63.

10.

McCabe C. , Stevens K. , Roberts J. , Brazier JE Health state values for the HUI2 descriptive system: results from a UK Survey. Health Econ. 2005;14:231-44.

11.

Kharroubi SA , O'Hagan A. , Brazier JE Estimating utilities from individual health state preference data: a nonparametric Bayesian approach. Appl Stat. 2005;54:879-95.

12.

Kharroubi SA , Brazier J. , O'Hagan A. , Roberts J. Modelling SF-6D health state preference data using a nonparametric Bayesian method. J Health Econ. 2007;26:597-612.

13.

McCabe C. , Stevens K. , Brazier JE Utility scores for the Health Utilities Index Mark 2: an empirical assessment of alternative mapping functions. Med Care. 2005;43:627-35.

14.

Furlong WJ , Feeny DH , Torrance GW , Bar R. , Horsman J. Guide to design and development of health state utility instrumentation . 1990; CHEPA Working Paper #90-9, McMaster University Hamilton, Ontario.

15.

Center for Bayesian Statistics in Health Economics. Available at: http://www.shef.ac.uk/chebs. Accessed January 29, 2008.

16.

The UK Office for National Statistics , Governments departments and devolved administrations. Available at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census. Accessed January 29, 2008 .

17.

Kharroubi SA , Brazier J. , O'Hagan A. , Roberts J. Modelling covariates for the SF-6D standard gamble health state preference data using a nonparametric Bayesian method . Soc Sci Med. 2007;64:1242-52.

18.

Dolan P. The effect of age on health state valuations. J Health Serv Res Pol. 2000;5:17-21.

19.

The UK Office for National Statistics. Available at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?ID=949. Accessed January 29, 2008.

Modeling HUI 2 Health State Preference Data Using a Nonparametric Bayesian Method

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References