quality-adjusted life years (QALYs)

Quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) are a way to measure the value of health outcomes. One QALY represents one year of life in perfect health. If a health condition reduces quality of life, like living with pain or disability, you might have less than one QALY for that year. For example, if living with a condition gives you the equivalent of 0.5 years of perfect health each year, you would accumulate 0.5 QALYs. This metric helps healthcare decision-makers compare the effectiveness of different treatments by accounting for both length and quality of life.