Using Patient Preferences in Health Technology Assessment: Evaluating Quality-Adjusted Survival Equivalents (QASE) for the Quantification of Non-health Benefits.

Interest in using patient preference (PP) data alongside traditional economic models in health technology assessment (HTA) is growing, including using PP data to quantify non-health benefits. However, this is limited by a lack of standardised methods. In this article, we describe a method for using discrete choice experiment (DCE) data to estimate the value of non-health benefits in terms of quality-adjusted survival equivalence (QASE), which is consistent with the concept of value prevalent among HTA agencies.

Cost-Effectiveness of Oral Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir in Patients at High Risk for Progression to Severe COVID-19 in the United States.

Objectives: Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (NMV/r) is an orally administered antiviral indicated for the outpatient treatment of patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 at high risk for disease progression to severe illness. We estimated the cost-effectiveness of NMV/r versus best supportive care for patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 at high risk for progression to severe illness from a US health sector perspective.

Methods: A cost-effectiveness model was developed using a short-term decision-tree (1 year) followed by a lifetime 2-state Markov model (alive and dead).

Incidence of Lyme Borreliosis in Germany: Exploring Observed Trends Over Time Using Public Surveillance Data, 2016-2020.

Public surveillance of Lyme borreliosis (LB) occurs in 9 out of 16 federal states of Germany and remains a critical facet of disease epidemiology and trends. We describe the incidence, time trends, seasonality, and geographic distribution of LB in Germany using publicly reported surveillance data. We obtained LB cases and incidence (2016-2020) from the online platform SurvStat@RKI 2.

Concern about addiction is associated with lower quality of life in patients with osteoarthritis: an exploratory, real-world data analysis.

Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between self-reported concerns about becoming addicted to a medication and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: This real-world study used patient-level cross-sectional survey data collected from the US Adelphi Disease Specific Programme (DSP). The DSP for OA selected 153 physicians who collected de-identified data on their next nine adult patients with OA.

Pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions to improve symptom control, functional exercise capacity and quality of life in interstitial lung disease: an evidence synthesis.

We assessed efficacy and effectiveness of pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions in improving symptom control, functional exercise capacity and quality of life (QoL) in people living with fibrotic interstitial lung disease (ILD). We summarised evidence from three previous reviews (to June 2014) and conducted an updated search of nine databases and grey literature (2011-2019) (registration: CRD42017065933) for prospective studies of interventions aimed to alleviate symptoms, improve QoL or functional exercise capacity in fibrotic ILD. Data were synthesised through narrative synthesis or meta-analysed as appropriate.

Developing a short-form version of the HIV Disability Questionnaire (SF-HDQ) for use in clinical practice: a Rasch analysis.

Background: Disability is an increasingly important health-related outcome to consider as more individuals are now aging with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and multimorbidity. The HIV Disability Questionnaire (HDQ) is a patient-reported outcome measure (PROM), developed to measure the presence, severity and episodic nature of disability among adults living with HIV. The 69-item HDQ includes six domains: physical, cognitive, mental-emotional symptoms and impairments, uncertainty and worrying about the future, difficulties with day-to-day activities, and challenges to social inclusion.

Establishing key criteria to define and compare models of specialist palliative care: A mixed-methods study using qualitative interviews and Delphi survey.

Background: Specialist palliative care services have various configurations of staff, processes and interventions, which determine how care is delivered. Currently, there is no consistent way to define and distinguish these different models of care.

Aim: To identify the core components that characterise and differentiate existing models of specialist palliative care in the United Kingdom.

Estimated Life-Time Savings in the Cost of Ongoing Care Following Specialist Rehabilitation for Severe Traumatic Brain Injury in the United Kingdom.

Objectives: To evaluate cost-efficiency of rehabilitation following severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and estimate the life-time savings in costs of care.

Setting/participants: TBI patients (n = 3578/6043) admitted to all 75 specialist rehabilitation services in England 2010-2018.

Design: A multicenter cohort analysis of prospectively collated clinical data from the UK Rehabilitation Outcomes Collaborative national clinical database.

Symptom prevalence of patients with fibrotic interstitial lung disease: a systematic literature review.

Background: Those affected by advanced fibrotic interstitial lung diseases have limited treatment options and in the terminal stages, the focus of care is on symptom management. However, quantitatively, little is known about symptom prevalence. We aimed to determine the prevalence of symptoms in Progressive Idiopathic Fibrotic Interstitial Lung Disease (PIF-ILD).

Development and validation of a casemix classification to predict costs of specialist palliative care provision across inpatient hospice, hospital and community settings in the UK: a study protocol.

Introduction: Provision of palliative care is inequitable with wide variations across conditions and settings in the UK. Lack of a standard way to classify by case complexity is one of the principle obstacles to addressing this. We aim to develop and validate a casemix classification to support the prediction of costs of specialist palliative care provision.

Does the EQ-5D capture the concerns measured by the Palliative care Outcome Scale? Mapping the Palliative care Outcome Scale onto the EQ-5D using statistical methods.

Background: The main measure to generate utility data for economic evaluations is the EQ-5D, but no study has tested whether or how to map from palliative care measures to the EQ-5D.

Aims: To assess the level of conceptual overlap between palliative outcomes and the EQ-5D, and the feasibility of mapping between them to obtain utilities for the Palliative care Outcome Scale.

Design: A cross-sectional secondary analysis of data from three studies.

Development of a Patient-Reported Palliative Care-Specific Health Classification System: The POS-E.

Background: Generic preference-based measures are commonly used to estimate quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) to inform resource-allocation decisions. However, concerns have been raised that generic measures may be inappropriate in palliative care.

Objective: Our objective was to derive a health-state classification system that is amenable to valuation from the ten-item Palliative Care Outcome Scale (POS), a widely used patient-reported outcome measure in palliative care.

Variations in the cost of formal and informal health care for patients with advanced chronic disease and refractory breathlessness: A cross-sectional secondary analysis.

Background: Refractory breathlessness in advanced chronic disease leads to high levels of disability, anxiety and social isolation. These result in high health-resource use, although this is not quantified.

Aims: To measure the cost of care for patients with advanced disease and refractory breathlessness and to identify factors associated with high costs.

Measures to assess commonly experienced symptoms for people with dementia in long-term care settings: a systematic review.

Background: High symptom burden is common in long-term care residents with dementia and results in distress and behavioral challenges if undetected. Physicians may have limited time to regularly examine all residents, particularly those unable to self-report, and may rely on reports from caregivers who are frequently in a good position to detect symptoms quickly. We aimed to identify proxy-completed assessment measures of symptoms experienced by people with dementia, and critically appraise the psychometric properties and applicability for use in long-term care settings by caregivers.

Public health and palliative care in 2015.

Palliative care is a public health concern, because the problems faced by patients and their families represent a substantial burden of illness and cost to the society that is likely to increase markedly in the future as the world's population continues to age. There are also inequities in access to palliative care and continued unmet need. There is evidence to support palliative care services, but not yet enough information on the cost-effectiveness of many specific treatments/interventions.

An integrated palliative and respiratory care service for patients with advanced disease and refractory breathlessness: a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Breathlessness is a common and distressing symptom, which increases in many diseases as they progress and is difficult to manage. We assessed the effectiveness of early palliative care integrated with respiratory services for patients with advanced disease and refractory breathlessness.

Methods: In this single-blind randomised trial, we enrolled consecutive adults with refractory breathlessness and advanced disease from three large teaching hospitals and via general practitioners in South London.

Patient self-assessment of hospital pain, mood and health-related quality of life in adults with sickle cell disease.

Introduction: Acute pain is a hallmark of sickle cell disease (SCD) for which frequent hospital admissions may be required, affecting the quality of life of patients.

Objectives: To characterise the relationship between adult patient self-reported sickle cell pain, mood and quality of life during and after hospital admissions.

Design: Longitudinal study across three time-points.