Capturing Disutility from Waiting Time

Excerpt

In many industrialized and developing countries, waiting times for medical tests and procedures are a major public concern. Hence, process disutility resulting from waiting times deserves to be considered in resource allocation decisions. The review by Brennan and Dixon [1] on the methods and results of incorporating process (dis)utility in quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) is therefore a much welcomed and timely contribution.¹ Yet, in my opinion it is important to consider where process disutility from waiting time is coming from as it affects the type of elicitation procedure to be recommended. Process disutility associated with waiting times can be divided into two distinct sources: impatience and anxiety. Other sources of disutility from waiting time exist (e.g. stress and fatigue) but are associated both with impatience and anxiety. That is, they do not represent a distinct category. But waiting time may also cause a utility gain because some individuals may feel positive tension and hope (e.g. when a procedure is expected to provide relief). …