PHAR 515 Final Exam 2026 – Study Guide and Practice
Questions
PROs and cost-effectiveness analysis - correct answer ✔✔
health outcomes classifications - correct answer ✔✔ -clinical outcomes
-clinical reported outcomes
-economic outcomes
-patient reported/humanistic outcomes
clinical outcomes examples - correct answer ✔✔ -lab results
-x ray results
clinical reported outcomes examples - correct answer ✔✔ -MD palpation during physical
examination
-RN reporting a vomiting episode
economic outcomes examples - correct answer ✔✔ -total costs spent on cancer treatment
-work days lost due to illness
patient reported outcome examples - correct answer ✔✔ -patient reported
symptoms/functions
-health related quality of life
why are PROs important? - correct answer ✔✔ -some treatment effects are only known to the
patient (pain, smoking cessation, anxiety)
,-traditional assessments made by clinicians or lab values are not sufficient to evaluate patient
preferences
-patient's perspective may not coincide with objective assessments
how are PROs used? - correct answer ✔✔ they are used to measure
-drug effectiveness
-drug safety
-quality
-and help with decision making
2 HRQOL instruments - correct answer ✔✔ -general/generic instruments
-disease or condition specific instruments
general or generic HRQOL instruments - correct answer ✔✔ -broadly applicable to general
population
-summarize range of basic domains
-Ex) SF-36, SF-12, SF-8
disease or condition specific HRQOL instruments - correct answer ✔✔ -relevant to patients with
specific disease or condition
-more sensitive to specific disease effects
-Example: asthma quality of life questionnaire (AQLQ)
health state utility - correct answer ✔✔ measures the patient preference of a specific health
state or health outcomes, higher utility scores are associated with more desirable health states
how are health state utility and HRQOL different? - correct answer ✔✔ -for HRQOL, the scoring
mechanisms differ by the instrument
, -health safety utility is always scored on a scale of 0 (death) to 1 (perfect health)
QALY - correct answer ✔✔ -quality adjusted life years
-capture both quality and quantity of life simultaneously
-QALY = additional life years gained x utility of those life years
four different categories of costs - correct answer ✔✔ -direct medical costs
-direct nonmedical costs
-indirect costs
-intangible costs
direct medical mosts - correct answer ✔✔ -medically related inputs used directly to provide the
treatment
-Ex: drug costs, diagnostic tests, physician costs
direct nonmedical costs - correct answer ✔✔ -costs directly associated with treatment but not
medical in nature
-Ex: cost of traveling to the doctor's office
indirect costs - correct answer ✔✔ -costs tha tresult from the loss of productivity during the
illness
-Ex: cost of missing workdays (wage x missed time)
intangible costs - correct answer ✔✔ costs of pain, suffering, anxiety or fatigue due to illness or
treatment
Professionalism - correct answer ✔✔
Questions
PROs and cost-effectiveness analysis - correct answer ✔✔
health outcomes classifications - correct answer ✔✔ -clinical outcomes
-clinical reported outcomes
-economic outcomes
-patient reported/humanistic outcomes
clinical outcomes examples - correct answer ✔✔ -lab results
-x ray results
clinical reported outcomes examples - correct answer ✔✔ -MD palpation during physical
examination
-RN reporting a vomiting episode
economic outcomes examples - correct answer ✔✔ -total costs spent on cancer treatment
-work days lost due to illness
patient reported outcome examples - correct answer ✔✔ -patient reported
symptoms/functions
-health related quality of life
why are PROs important? - correct answer ✔✔ -some treatment effects are only known to the
patient (pain, smoking cessation, anxiety)
,-traditional assessments made by clinicians or lab values are not sufficient to evaluate patient
preferences
-patient's perspective may not coincide with objective assessments
how are PROs used? - correct answer ✔✔ they are used to measure
-drug effectiveness
-drug safety
-quality
-and help with decision making
2 HRQOL instruments - correct answer ✔✔ -general/generic instruments
-disease or condition specific instruments
general or generic HRQOL instruments - correct answer ✔✔ -broadly applicable to general
population
-summarize range of basic domains
-Ex) SF-36, SF-12, SF-8
disease or condition specific HRQOL instruments - correct answer ✔✔ -relevant to patients with
specific disease or condition
-more sensitive to specific disease effects
-Example: asthma quality of life questionnaire (AQLQ)
health state utility - correct answer ✔✔ measures the patient preference of a specific health
state or health outcomes, higher utility scores are associated with more desirable health states
how are health state utility and HRQOL different? - correct answer ✔✔ -for HRQOL, the scoring
mechanisms differ by the instrument
, -health safety utility is always scored on a scale of 0 (death) to 1 (perfect health)
QALY - correct answer ✔✔ -quality adjusted life years
-capture both quality and quantity of life simultaneously
-QALY = additional life years gained x utility of those life years
four different categories of costs - correct answer ✔✔ -direct medical costs
-direct nonmedical costs
-indirect costs
-intangible costs
direct medical mosts - correct answer ✔✔ -medically related inputs used directly to provide the
treatment
-Ex: drug costs, diagnostic tests, physician costs
direct nonmedical costs - correct answer ✔✔ -costs directly associated with treatment but not
medical in nature
-Ex: cost of traveling to the doctor's office
indirect costs - correct answer ✔✔ -costs tha tresult from the loss of productivity during the
illness
-Ex: cost of missing workdays (wage x missed time)
intangible costs - correct answer ✔✔ costs of pain, suffering, anxiety or fatigue due to illness or
treatment
Professionalism - correct answer ✔✔
