Measuring and Valuing Outcomes
We conduct applied and methodological research to identify and understand the outcomes that matter to patients, carers, and/or society, the value they assign to those outcomes, and how best to incorporate these outcomes and values in decision-making.
OHE has a longstanding reputation for leading innovative and theoretically sound research on the measurement and valuation of health outcomes. Our research is global in scope, is published in top peer-reviewed academic journals, and disseminated widely at international conferences.
Our expertise includes:
- Quantitative patient preference studies using discrete choice experiments (DCEs) and best-worst scaling (BWS)
- Qualitative research to explore patient experiences and carer burden via interviews, focus groups, and online bulletin boards
- Societal preference studies exploring public priorities for treatment funding decisions and broader health policies using person trade-off (PTO) and constant-sum paired comparisons (CSPC)
- Patient and carer utility (vignette) studies to inform health economic models using time trade-off (TTO)
- Generating rigorous real-world evidence (RWE) to complement trial data
- Development and validation of EQ-5D bolt-on items
- Patient-reported outcome (PRO) strategy and psychometric analyses
- Mapping between condition-specific and generic measures
- Production of country-specific PRO value sets, including for younger populations
- Methodological research on valuation methods, including novel methods such as the online personal utility functions (OPUF) tool
Key objectives for this research theme:
- To facilitate the measurement and valuation of outcomes for health technology assessment (HTA)
- To understand the preferences of patients, their carers, and clinicians to inform health care decision making
- To understand the preferences of society to inform health policy decisions
Our latest content on this theme
Valuing patient and carer time in HTA: equity and opportunity cost
We address two criticisms of valuing patient and carer time in HTA: that it would displace health outcomes by misallocating a fixed budget, and that it would introduce inequities based on individual productivity or income. We argue that patient and carer time are vital inputs to healthcare, and that ignoring them reduces rather than improves both efficiency and fairness.
The burden of LDL-cholesterol-driven atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases
Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally, and is responsible for substantial health and economic burden to health systems and wider society.
Seven reflections on the UK EQ-5D-5L value set – and what comes next
The long-awaited UK EQ-5D-5L value set has been published, marking a key moment for health technology assessment. Its adoption by NICE is set to shape how health-related quality of life is valued, raising important questions for future HTA decisions.
Why do we expect obesity medicines to work differently?
Weight regain after stopping GLP-1 medicines isn’t a treatment failure — it shows that obesity is a chronic, relapsing condition. Like other long-term therapies, benefits last only while treatment continues. Reframing obesity this way can improve outcomes and reduce stigma.