From the Guidelines
Person-years is a measurement unit used in epidemiology and medical research to quantify the amount of time individuals are observed in a study while being at risk for a particular outcome, calculated as the sum of the time periods that each participant contributes to a study. This concept is crucial in understanding the incidence rates of diseases or events, as seen in the analysis of malignancy rates in patients receiving pimecrolimus 1. The person-years of exposure, such as 278,842 person-years in one age group, allows researchers to calculate the expected number of cases and compare it to the reported cases, providing valuable insights into the risk of certain outcomes.
Key Points
- Person-years represents the total time individuals are at risk for a particular outcome
- It is calculated by summing the time periods each participant contributes to a study
- This measurement is essential for calculating incidence rates and standardizing risk across different study designs
- Person-years enables researchers to account for varying follow-up times and dropout rates, making it a more accurate representation of risk than simple percentages. For instance, in the context of the provided study 1, person-years of exposure is used to analyze the malignancy rates in patients receiving pimecrolimus, demonstrating the importance of this measurement unit in epidemiological research.
From the Research
Definition of Person-Years (PY)
There are no research papers provided that directly define person-years (PY).
Related Concepts
However, some studies mention related concepts such as:
- Person-centered care, which is emphasized in the Nursing and Midwifery Council's 2018 Future Nurse proficiency standards 2
- Person-context co-construction, which is considered to contribute to the emergence, maintenance, and disengagement from healthy aging relevant goals in adulthood and old age 3
- Person-centered interventions, which have been utilized to enhance health-related outcomes and ensure the quality of care delivered to persons living with dementia 4
Lack of Direct Evidence
Since none of the provided studies directly address the definition of person-years (PY), it is not possible to provide a clear definition based on the available evidence 5, 6, 2, 4, 3