Impact of community mask mandates on SARS-CoV-2 transmission in Ontario after adjustment for differential testing by age and sex | PNAS Nexus | Oxford Academic https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/3/2/pgae065/7606553 “The prevented fraction associated with #MaskMandates was 46% (95% CI 41–51%), with 290,000 clinical #cases, 3,008 #deaths, and loss of 29,038 quality-adjusted life years (#QALY) averted from 2020 June to December, representing $CDN 610 million in economic wealth. (1/2)

The #neoliberals are winning over all parties. If [UK] #Labour see “#health and #workinprogress as two sides of the same coin" they are valuing people only by #economic activity. As inhumane as the #Conservative party.

Valuing people as economic input, and #disabled people as worth less, opens up greater abuse when health and social resources are determined by #QALY and #DALY (quality / disability adjusted life years) measures.

People are not economic property.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/nov/20/labour-would-treat-health-and-work-as-two-sides-of-same-coin-says-liz-kendall

October issue of Quality of Life Research #ISOQOL
https://link.springer.com/journal/11136/volumes-and-issues/32-10

Opens w a #ScopingReview of the use of the visual analogue scale for valuing #HealthStates, arguing that inconsistent design makes comparisons across studies challenging:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11136-023-03411-3
#Psychometrics #HealthEconomics #QALY

Or read about the #EvidenceGap map for interventions for improving clinical outcomes and #HRQL for people living with skeletal dysplasias
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11136-023-03431-z

Last week "Quality of Life Research" published 4 articles, for example:

#QALY estimation in #MentalHealth trials w #PHQ9, #GAD7 to #ReQoL, EQ5D:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11136-023-03443-9
#HTA #HealthEconomics

Experiences of adults after late repair of tetralogy of fallot in a low-middle income country (Pakistan):
https://rdcu.be/deQ1y
#HRQL #LMIC

Online first articles:
https://link.springer.com/journal/11136/online-first
#ISOQOL

It feels great to stumble upon an #ACX post validating your own idea:

“I’m disappointed that no one has ever tried expanding the #QALY concept to things outside health care before. It’s not that I think it will work. It’s that I think it will fail to work in a different way than our naive opinions fail to work, and we might learn something from it.”

https://slatestarcodex.com/2013/05/02/if-its-worth-doing-its-worth-doing-with-made-up-statistics/

#ScottAlexander #SSC

Ultimately, everything you do, don’t do, consume, use, avoid or covet should work towards that goal of maximising your #wellbeing or the well-being of others, right? What better unit than “QALY” for that?

“Currency” carries too much psychological and ideological baggage, and it keeps the spotlight in one very specific dimension (ie, money).

“Time” is better, but it ignores the vital distinction between time spent and time well spent (remember: it’s “live long and prosper” not just “live long”).

I know it sounds far-fetched right now, but a much more refined definition of #QALY could be used to estimate the expected value of all products, habits and public policies — and to measure their impact in hindsight.