Willingness-to-Pay for One Quality-Adjusted Life-Year: A Population-Based Study from Iran.

OBJECTIVE

This study was aimed at estimating the value of the general population's willingness-to-pay (WTP) for one quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) in Iran.

METHODS

Using multistage randomized cluster sampling, we recruited and interviewed 651 adult residents of Shiraz, south Iran. The mean age of the interviewees was 43.9 ± 16.3 years, and 326 (50.1%) of them were male. To each interviewee, we presented one of the hypothetical health scenarios that were used in the European value of a QALY project. Questionnaires, which were validated for the Persian language, were administered in digitally-assisted format, and a gray block questionnaire was used for special cases. The data were then analyzed using STATA and SPSS.

RESULTS

The overall mean value of payment for one QALY of respondents who expressed WTP was US$2847, which is equal to 0.57 of the GDP per capita of Iran's population. Under the end-of-life (terminal illness) scenario, this value was 13% higher than health-gain scenarios. WTP was also associated with high educational level, household income, and household expenditure.

CONCLUSION

Our results provided a threshold range of WTP and insights into rigorous scientific decision making about healthcare technology for the future.