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How does the perception of pain determine the selection between different treatments?

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  • Schosser, Stephan
  • Trarbach, Judith N.
  • Vogt, Bodo

Abstract

We test the QALY concept to evaluate the utility of therapies. The QALY is the sum of the duration of each health state a patient faces weighted by the utility the patient obtains from this state. The QALY implies linear utility functions over duration. Corresponding analyses for health-related decisions are problematic as inducing health levels is difficult. In this study, we evaluate both utilities over pain duration for a fixed pain level and over pain intensity for a fixed duration, with real health consequences, using the cold pressor test. We find that, for human decision-makers, utility over pain duration does not increase linearly over time when making health-related decisions. This suggests that the QALY might not capture preferences as intended.

Suggested Citation

  • Schosser, Stephan & Trarbach, Judith N. & Vogt, Bodo, 2016. "How does the perception of pain determine the selection between different treatments?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 131(PB), pages 174-182.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:131:y:2016:i:pb:p:174-182
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2015.08.009
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    2. Arthur E. Attema & Jona J. Frasch & Olivier L’Haridon, 2022. "Multivariate risk preferences in the quality‐adjusted life year model," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(2), pages 382-398, February.
    3. Thomas Neumann & Sabrina Kierspel & Ivo Windrich & Roger Berger & Bodo Vogt, 2018. "How to Split Gains and Losses? Experimental Evidence of Dictator and Ultimatum Games," Games, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-19, October.

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