Validating generic preference-base measures of health in mental health populations and estimating mapping functions

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The NHS has to make some tough choices about what services to provide. One way to make these choices is to examine the value for money of services by looking at the costs and benefits they provide. A major problem for the NHS is how to measure the benefits of a service. One measure of benefit that is becoming increasingly used is the quality adjusted life year (QALYs), which measures the gain in the quality of life experienced by the users of services. The calculation of QALYs requires some means of valuing the quality of life of people in receipt of services. Current ?generic? measures of health have been developed mainly for people with physical problems. This proposal aims to critically review two leading measures for calculating QALYs. It includes interviews with service users about their quality of life and how well these measures cover those aspects of their life. This study will also look at how well these measures have performed in statistical terms in previous studies. This study hopes to help improve the methods used by researchers in assessing the effectiveness of treatments.