Testing a single item screener to support family doctors in identifying patients with limited health literacy: convergent validity of the SILS and the HLS-EU-Q16.

Background: Low health literacy (HL) is associated with reduced disease self-management skills, worse health outcomes, an increased number of hospitalizations, more frequent use of the emergency room and less utilization of preventive services. To support patients with low HL it is crucial to identify affected patients. HL is a multidimensional construct, which covers different skills and abilities to make informed health decisions.

A cross-sectional analysis of health literacy: patient- versus family doctor-reported and associations with self-efficacy and chronic disease.

Background: Adequate health literacy (HL) levels contribute to good health outcomes and successful disease self-management in patients with chronic disease. Hence, it is essential that family doctors recognize patients with inadequate HL in need of additional support. This study had two aims: (1) to assess and compare patient self-reported versus family doctor-rated HL estimates, and (2) to explore associations between patient-reported HL, self-efficacy and chronic diseases.

Cost-Effectiveness of Targeted Genetic Testing for Breast and Ovarian Cancer: A Systematic Review.

Background: Targeted genetic testing is a tool to identify women at increased risk of gynaecological cancer.

Objective: This systematic review evaluates the results and quality of cost-effectiveness modeling studies that assessed targeted genetic-based screen-and-treat strategies to prevent breast and ovarian cancer.

Methods: Using MEDLINE and databases of the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, we searched for health economic modeling evaluations of targeted genetic-based screen-and-treat strategies to prevent inheritable breast and ovarian cancer (until August 2020).

Effect of early palliative care for patients with glioblastoma (EPCOG): a randomised phase III clinical trial protocol.

​INTRODUCTION: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have shown a positive effect of early integration of palliative care (EIPC) in various advanced cancer entities regarding patients' quality of life (QoL), survival, mood, caregiver burden and reduction of aggressiveness of treatment near the end of life. However, RCTs investigating the positive effect of EIPC for patients suffering from glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) are lacking. After modelling work identifying the specific needs of GBM patients and their caregivers, the aim of this study is to investigate the impact of EIPC in this particular patient group.

Patients' preferences in periodontal disease treatment elicited alongside an IQWiG benefit assessment: a feasibility study.

Background And Purpose: The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) previously tested two preference elicitation methods in pilot projects and regarded them as generally feasible for prioritizing outcome-specific results of benefit assessment. The present study aimed to investigate the feasibility of completing a discrete choice experiment (DCE) within 3 months and to determine the relative importance of attributes of periodontal disease and its treatment.

Patients And Methods: This preference elicitation was conducted alongside the IQWiG benefit assessment of systematic treatments of periodontal diseases.

Applying GRADE Criteria to Clinical Inputs to Cost-Effectiveness Modeling Studies.

Background: Concerns have been raised about the use of clinical data in cost-effectiveness models. The aim of this analysis was to evaluate the appropriate use of data on clinical effectiveness in cost-effectiveness modeling studies that were published between 2001 and 2015.

Methods: Assessors rated 72 modeling studies obtained from three therapeutic areas by applying criteria defined by the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation group for assessing the quality of clinical evidence: selection of clinical data (publication bias), imprecision, indirectness, inconsistency (i.

Patients' Preferences for Outcome, Process and Cost Attributes in Cancer Treatment: A Systematic Review of Discrete Choice Experiments.

Introduction: As several studies have been conducted to elicit patients' preferences for cancer treatment, it is important to provide an overview and synthesis of these studies. This study aimed to systematically review discrete choice experiments (DCEs) about patients' preferences for cancer treatment and assessed the relative importance of outcome, process and cost attributes.

Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted using PubMed and EMBASE to identify all DCEs investigating patients' preferences for cancer treatment between January 2010 and April 2016.

[Disability Pension and Productivity Loss in Schizophrenia - An Empirical Analysis of the Financial Burden in Germany].

Quantification of the economic burden for society and the German Statutory Pension Insurance due to early retirement in schizophrenia. Based on empirical data of the German Statutory Pension Insurance, productivity losses were calculated using the human capital approach. The total expenditures of the German Statutory Pension Insurance due to pension payments for schizophrenic insurants amounted to € 450 million.

Parental views on acute otitis media (AOM) and its therapy in children--results of an exploratory survey in German childcare facilities.

Background: Acute otitis media (AOM) is one of the main reasons for medical consultation and antibiotic use during childhood. Although 80% of AOM cases are self-limiting, antibiotic prescription is still high, either for physician- or for parent-related factors. This study aims to identify parental knowledge about, beliefs and attitudes towards, and experiences with AOM and its therapy and thus to gain insights into parents' perspectives within the German health care system.

Cost-effectiveness of rituximab in addition to fludarabine and cyclophosphamide (R-FC) for the first-line treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

The cost-effectiveness of rituximab in combination with fludarabine/cyclophosphamide (R-FC) for the first line treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) was evaluated. Based on long-term clinical data (follow-up of 5.9 years) from the CLL8-trial, a Markov-model with three health states (Free from disease progression, Progressive disease, Death) was used to evaluate the cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) and cost per life years gained (LYG) of R-FC from the perspective of the German statutory health insurance (SHI).

Osteoporosis in German men: a cost-of-illness study.

Costs of male osteoporosis may have increased due to population aging and change of treatment patterns. This cost-of-illness study provides a current estimate of the economic burden of male osteoporosis in Germany. Routine claims data from six German sickness funds were analyzed and extrapolated to the German statutory health insurance (SHI).

Sex differences in treatment patterns of six chronic diseases: an analysis from the German statutory health insurance.

Objective: The goal of this study was to investigate gender-specific differences in prevalence, healthcare costs, and treatment patterns in the German Statutory Health Insurance (SHI).

Methods: The study analyzed administrative claims data of over 26 million insured with respect to prevalence and cost of illness of six chronic diseases. Insured were identified using the ATC code for medication prescription and ICD-9 code for diagnosis.