Concept of health and disease: quality-adjusted life year: practice question

A PSM question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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PSM · Concept of health and disease: quality-adjusted life year

Sample item

A new therapy gives a patient 6 additional years of life at a health-related quality weight of 0.7, where 1 is full health and 0 is death. How many quality-adjusted life years does the patient gain?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

D. 4.2

A QALY is the number of years lived multiplied by the utility or quality weight for those years. Here 6 years at 0.7 gives 4.2 QALYs. It combines length and quality of life in one number for comparing interventions.

Option by option

  • A. 6.7

    This adds the 6 years and the 0.7 weight, which is not how QALYs are calculated.

  • B. 8.6

    This comes from dividing 6 by 0.7 instead of multiplying.

  • C. 1.8

    This is 6 multiplied by 0.3, the quality lost rather than the quality gained.

  • D. 4.2 (correct)

    Correct. 6 years multiplied by 0.7 gives 4.2 QALYs.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this PSM question

What is the answer to this PSM question?

The best answer is D, 4.2. A QALY is the number of years lived multiplied by the utility or quality weight for those years.

Why is "6.7" not the answer?

This adds the 6 years and the 0.7 weight, which is not how QALYs are calculated.

Why is "8.6" not the answer?

This comes from dividing 6 by 0.7 instead of multiplying.

Why is "1.8" not the answer?

This is 6 multiplied by 0.3, the quality lost rather than the quality gained.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Concept of health and disease: quality-adjusted life year in PSM. Here 6 years at 0.7 gives 4.2 QALYs. It combines length and quality of life in one number for comparing interventions.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Concept of health and disease: quality-adjusted life year?

Practise biostatistics with small calculations until sensitivity, predictive values and risk measures are automatic. Then use the flashcards and the other PSM questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.