Calculation of QALY loss and healthcare costs associated with each patient who experiences an adverse event
| Health states | Proportion of patients with adverse events in each state (a) | Average duration in state (years) (b) | Disutility of state* (c) | Cost per adverse event (€) (d) | QALY loss (a×b×c) | Cost (€) (a×d) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Death | 0.05 | 10 | 1 | 5045 | 0.5 | 252 |
| Permanent >50% | 0.02 | 10 | 0.69 | 8755 | 0.138 | 175 |
| Permanent ≤50% | 0.03 | 10 | 0.36 | 7865 | 0.108 | 236 |
| Moderate impairment, recovery >6 months | 0.10 | 1 | 0.19 | 3923 | 0.019 | 392 |
| Moderate impairment, recovery >1 to 6 months | 0.30 | 0.25 | 0.12 | 82† | 0.009 | 25 |
| Minimal impairment, recovery <1 month | 0.50 | 0.08 | 0.05 | 0 | 0.002 | 0 |
| Expected total per person with adverse event | 0.775 | 1080 |
*From table 2.
†Assuming 44% of patients incurred a visit to the emergency department (costed at €151 per visit) and in 56% of patients it involved a visit to their primary care physician (costed at €28 per visit). Based on data from Forster et al,13 and cost estimates from Tan et al.31
QALY, Quality Adjusted Life Year 2012.