Conclusion
In conclusion, there were clear differences between patient and layperson responses to the utility questionnaire.
However, the preference ordering of these health states was similar, with stable schizophrenia having the lowest impact on quality of life and relapse and EPS the greatest impact on quality of life, indicating as clear an understanding by patients of the health states and their impact on quality of life as by laypersons. In a disease such as schizophrenia, chronic side-effects of treatment such as weight gain and diabetes may have just as large an impact on QALYs as the acute symptoms of the condition itself.