Cognitive Scaffold

Preparing your thinking workspace

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MENTAL MODEL · M0909

QALY

QALY
DecideHigh supportDecision Science
Included
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

Quality-Adjusted Life Year. 1 QALY = one year in perfect health. Living in a vegetative state for a year might be valued at only 0.1 QALY.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Life quality decisions. Do not just pursue 'being alive' (longevity); calculate QALY. If a decision gives you 5 more years but with extreme suffering (low QALY), it may be worse than a decision that gives you 3 happy years.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

The quality-adjusted life year (QALY) combines survival time and quality of life into a single metric: 1 QALY equals one year in perfect health. It is used to compare the cost-effectiveness of different medical interventions and to aid resource allocation.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Practice this model in one real situation:

Check to track your progress (stored locally)
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Source support: Explicit

  • link
    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quality-adjusted_life_yearZH · Explicit
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