Cost-Effectiveness of Humidified High-Flow Therapy (HHFT) for COPD Patients on Long-Term Oxygen Therapy.

Purpose: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of mortality, and is associated with significant respiratory impairment, decreased quality of life, and high health care costs. Recent evidence indicates significant clinical benefit results from adding humidified high-flow therapy (HHFT) to standard long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) as a home-based therapy in persons with severe COPD. The objective was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of adding HHFT to standard treatment of COPD patients using LTOT with US healthcare cost estimates.

Cost-effectiveness of Yoga for Chronic Low Back Pain in Veterans.

Background: Yoga interventions can improve function and reduce pain in persons with chronic low back pain (cLBP).

Objective: Using data from a recent trial of yoga for military veterans with cLBP, we analyzed the incremental cost-effectiveness of yoga compared with usual care.

Methods: Participants (n=150) were randomized to either 2× weekly, 60-minute yoga sessions for 12 weeks, or to delayed treatment (DT).

Cost-Effectiveness of a Pharmacogenetic Test to Guide Treatment for Major Depressive Disorder.

Background: Recent clinical trials indicate that pharmacogenetic-guided treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) results in higher treatment response rates by genetically matching patients to medications and avoiding a trial-and-error process.

Objective: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a pharmacogenetic test (IDGx) that has demonstrated effectiveness compared with standard of care (SOC) medication management among patients with varied MDD severity.

Methods: Data from a large prospective, randomized controlled trial of treatment-naive patients or patients with inadequately controlled MDD in general practice and psychiatric treatment settings were used to build a Markov state-transition probability model.

Patient-Reported Spectacle Independence Questionnaire (PRSIQ): Development and Validation.

Purpose: To develop a questionnaire quantifying spectacle independence following cataract surgery.

Design: Questionnaire design and validation study.

Methods: A literature review, expert clinical interviews, and patient interviews were undertaken to develop a patient-reported questionnaire assessing spectacle independence.

Gender differences in adapting driving behavior to accommodate visual health limitations.

This study investigated whether men and women are equally likely to adapt their driving behaviors in response to visual limitations. Participants were 376 (222 women and 154 men) pre-surgical cataract patients from the Shiley Eye Center in La Jolla, California. All participants completed the National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire, which assesses self-reported visual symptoms, functional limitations, and behaviors including driving during the day, at night, or in difficult conditions.

Development and validation of a mental health subscale from the Quality of Well-Being Self-Administered.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to create and validate a mental health subscale for the Quality of Well-Being Self-Administered (QWB-SA).

Methods: The QWB-SA and other measures such as the Profile of Mood States (POMS), Medical Outcomes Study 36 Item Short Form (SF-36), EuroQOL 5D (EQ-5D), and Health Utilities Index Mark 2 (HUI) were administered to three samples: a general population (N = 3,844), a non-psychiatric medical population (N = 535), and a psychiatric population (N = 915). Independent expert ratings of which items represented the construct of mental health were used along with psychometric methods to develop and validate a 10-item QWB-SA mental health scale.

Measuring the impact of cataract surgery on generic and vision-specific quality of life.

Purpose: Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide and cause visual impairment for millions of adults in the United States. We compared the sensitivity of a vision-specific health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measure to that of multiple generic measures of HRQOL before and at 2 time points after cataract surgery.

Methods: Participants completed 1 vision-specific and 5 generic quality of life measures before cataract surgery, and again 1 and 6 months after surgery.

Evaluating a measure of social health derived from two mental health recovery measures: the California Quality of Life (CA-QOL) and Mental Health Statistics Improvement Program Consumer Survey (MHSIP).

Social health is important to measure when assessing outcomes in community mental health. Our objective was to validate social health scales using items from two broader commonly used measures that assess mental health outcomes. Participants were 609 adults receiving psychological treatment services.

Evaluation of an internet-based disease trajectory decision tool for prostate cancer screening.

Objective: To evaluate the application of a chronic disease model (CDM) for prostate cancer to visual analog scale (VAS) and time trade-off (TTO) decision tools.

Methods: A total of 138 men (mean age 58 years) viewed a CDM module for prostate cancer with and without prostate specific antigen (PSA) screening. Participants rated their hypothetical quality of life with potential prostate cancer treatment complications using a CDM-based VAS decision tool.