Measuring and Valuing Health for Children

Canada’s Drug Agency has received questions as to whether research in the area of methods to measure and value health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children have substantially moved forward since the release of the 2017 Guidelines for the Economic Evaluation of Health Technologies: Canada. To inform whether additional guidance can be provided in this area, we reviewed the current state of evidence related to the measurement and valuation of generic preference-based instruments and value sets for children; the comparison of health state preferences between adults and children; and the impact of including spillover effects on family and/or caregiver HRQoL in economic evaluations. The optimal methods for measuring and valuing HRQoL in children are unclear despite ongoing research in this area. While there is insufficient information to inform best practices at this time, recommendations for future research and implications for economic evaluations in children are provided.