Racial and ethnic differences in preferences for health states and the implications for cost-utility analysis.

Aims: Cost-utility analysis is an economic evaluation technique that takes into consideration individual preferences for health outcomes. It is crucial to determine whether racial and ethnic groups differ in preferences for health states because then we need to determine which group's utility score should be used to conduct a cost-utility analysis that yields equitable results to all members of society.

Methods: A PubMed search was conducted to identify the relevant studies.

Patterns of reporting health-related quality of life across racial and ethnic groups.

The National Institute of Health and the US FDA have regulations on the inclusion of minorities in research, and guidelines on how to conduct and report subgroup analyses among each racial and ethnic group. Although health-related quality of life (HRQL) has enjoyed increased popularity as an important end point in clinical research, the literature lacks a comprehensive review on whether or not racial and ethnic groups report HRQL differently, particularly among patients with specific disease states. HRQL is different from most other end points in clinical research in that it is reported by patients and thus is affected by patients' racial and ethnic background in a special way.