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Quality-Adjusted Life Years

Meaning

Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) is a health economics metric used to measure the value of a medical intervention by combining both the quantity and the quality of life lived. One QALY is equivalent to one year of perfect health, and it is calculated by multiplying the years of life gained by a utility weight that reflects the quality of that life. This measure allows clinicians and policymakers to compare the cost-effectiveness of various treatments across different health domains.