Published: 01-03-2018

Every day, we add new abstracts to the heoro.com database from our systematic search of PubMed. In this blog, we summarise some of the key papers relevant to patient-reported outcomes, economic evaluations, costs and resource use and mortality that have been added to the database in March 2018.

Studies reporting utility values

• A systematic review and meta-analysis found that utility values for people with unipolar depression were mild = 0.56 to  0.69, moderate = 0.45 to 0.52, and severe = 0.25 to 0.27, with lower values elicited using the EQ-5D than the standard gamble. Mohiuddin 2014 Go to paper on PubMed
• Utility values determined using a VAS or Time trade-off and Voice Handicap Index scores were similar in patients with stage T1-2 glottic laryngeal cancer who had laser surgery or radiotherapy in the Netherlands. van Loon 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• SF-6D values were determined for the Australian population using discrete choice experiments. Norman 2014 Go to paper on PubMed
• 74% of patients over 50 years old in the Netherlands had significant pain and 26% severe pain after herpes zoster and 39% had significant itch; pain reduced EQ-5D values by 18% but itch had little impact on quality of life.  van Wijck 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• SF-36 mental scores were lower and physical scores were higher in caregivers of patients with late-stage cancers managed in hospices compared with active treatment settings in Italy. Spatuzzi 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• SF-36 values increased over the 5 months from admission in adults with coronary artery disease in Iceland; illness perceptions also changed over time. Sigurdardottir 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• SF-12 values improved in obese patients in Germany after bariatric surgery to be comparable to values of a control group; HADS depression scores were similar in pre-operative obese patients and inpatients with mental disorders. Osterhues 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found heterogeneity in EQ-5D utility values associated across cervical cancer health states. Ó Céilleachair  2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• EQ-5D-3L values were established for the Chinese general population; chronic disease reduced utilities by a mean of 0.098. Si 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review and meta-analysis found that SF-36 values were lower in patients with autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease than a reference population; mean PCS values were 45.7 and MCS values were 47.8 vs. 50.0 points each in controls. Neijenhuis 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• SF-36 values were significantly lower in caregivers of children with thalassaemia in India than caregivers of other children; PedsQL scores were lower in the affected children than in controls. Sharma 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• In Japanese patients with psoriasis, the EQ-5D correlated poorly with PASI but had moderate correlation with the DLQI. Masaki 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Patients who required an interpreter after a stroke or transient ischaemic attack in Australia had lower EQ-5D values than patients who could speak fluent English. Kilkenny 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Patients in Spain with substance abuse and comorbid schizophrenia had worse SF-36 subscale scores than those with comorbid bipolar disorder or major depression but all had values lower than the reference population. Adan 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• EQ-5D and SF-12 mental health scores were lower in Dutch survivors of cardiac arrest probably due to ventricular fibrillation who had an implanted defibrillator than in patients with an implanted defibrillator for other reasons or the general public. Visser 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review of reviews found 9 generic quality  of life scales, including the EQ-5D,, SF-12, SF-36 and HUI, and 7 HIV-specific tools that had been used in patients with HIV. Copper 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• EQ-5D values improved by a mean of 0.203 in patients treated with community-based physiotherapy for musculoskeletal disorders in the UK; changes were above the minimum clinically-important difference in 68% of patients. Caplan 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mean utility value in US males with haemophilia A was 0.71 using the EQ-5D and 0.78 using the SF-6D; joint disease independently predicted utility values. Soucie 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• High-dose vitamin D was no better than placebo at improving EQ-5D values in post-menopausal women with osteoporosis in Norway. Grimnes 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Soluble diclofenac improved SF-36 values and WOMAC scores  after 12 weeks compared with placebo in US patients with osteoarthritis. Strand 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• EQ-5D values and Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire scores were significantly better with vericiguat  than placebo in patients with heart failure. Filippatos 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mean utility values on the EQ-5D were 0.11 lower in patients with heart disease and 0.06 lower in patients with cancer than the general population in Singapore, but were largely non-significantly different after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. Gandhi 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• SF-36 values were lower in patients with restrictive respiratory disease than those with obstructive disease or the general population, after adjusting for demographic characteristics and smoking status in European adults. Guerra 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mean EQ-5D utility values were 0.604 in children hospitalised with diarrhoea in Thailand; utility was 0.593 for those hospitalised with rotavirus infection and their caregiver utility was 0.620. Rochanathimoke 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Renal transcatheter arterial embolisation significantly improved SF-36 scores in Japanese patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease on haemodialysis; SF-36 PCS improved from 38.21 to 42.0 and MCS from 48.45 to  51.25 1 year after embolisation. Suwabe 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• SF-36 MCS values improve with fluoxetine therapy for depression in Taiwan, but Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17) showed a greater responsiveness to therapy. Yang 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Internet CBT with weekly minimal therapist support was as effective as usual care for improving EQ-5D quality of life, GHQ-12 psychological distress or BDI-II depression scores in Swedish patients with depression over 12 months. Eriksson 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Occupational therapy that included adjusting the  challenge-skill balance improved EQ-5D and SF-8 scores more than standard occupational therapy in elderly adults in Japan. Yoshida 2018 Go to paper on PubMed

Studies validating a PRO instrument

• A questionnaire was developed and validated to measure satisfaction with upper limb reconstructive surgery in patients with tetraplegia in Sweden.  Bunketorp-Käll 2-017 Go to paper on PubMed
• An updated European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Head and Neck Module EORTC QLQ-H&N43 was validated against the EORTC QLQ-C30 in Serbian patients after laryngectomy. Trivic 2016 Go to paper on Pubmed
• An updated version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-LC13, the QLQ-LC29, was validated in patients with lung cancer in 9 countries. Koller 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The SF-36 was validated in patients with pacemakers in Indonesia. Salim 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Indonesian Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Quality of Life (GERD-QOL) Questionnaire was validated against the SF-36 in patients with GERD in Indonesia. Siahaan 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Unified Wilson's Disease Rating Scale (UWDRS) and the Global Assessment Scale for Wilson's disease (GAS for WD) were validated in patients with Wilson's disease in Germany. Volpert 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Finnish Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS) was validated in patients having surgery for musculoskeletal disorders of the foot and ankle in Finland. Repo 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Taiwanese Burn-Specific Health Scale-Brief questionnaire was validated against the SF-36 in burns outpatients in Taiwan. Hwang 2016 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Specific Questionnaire for Condyloma Acuminata CECA10 was validated against the EQ-5D in Chinese patients with condyloma acuminata. Guo 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Optimal cutoff points for the Brief Pain Inventory in US patients with cancer were 5 or 6 for severe interference. Shi 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The German Economic Quality of Life Scale was validated as a measure of the influence of economic factors on quality of life in patients with spinal diseases. Gecht 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Differences in pain  reduction from epidural analgesia in labour varied by up to 30% comparing visual analogue scales, numeric rating scales and patient-reported percentage pain reduction in women in France. Pratici 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Multidimensional Daily Diary of Fatigue-Fibromyalgia-17 instrument (MDF-Fibro-17) was validated against the Global Fatigue Index(GFI), Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) and SF-36 in US patients with fibromyalgia. Li 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• An electronic version of the BREAST-Q was validated against the Impact of Cancer Survey and PTSD Checklist in women with breast cancer surgery in the USA. Fuzesi 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Endometriosis Health Profile-5 (EHP-5) was more responsive to medical treatment of endometriosis than the EQ-5D, but both were responsive overall in French women. Aubry 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The INTERMED Self-Assessment questionnaire (IMSA) was validated against the SF-36, EQ-5D, HADS and Cumulative Illness Rating Scale to assess biospychosocial complexity and healthcare needs in patients in 5 European countries.  van Reedt Dortland 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Dutch-Flemish Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Physical Function item bank (PROMIS-PF) was validated against the SF-36 and HAQ-DI in patients receiving physical therapy in the Netherlands. Crins 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire was translated and validated against the EQ-5D in Malaysian adults with chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis. Khairullah 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found that SF-36, FACT-C, EORTC QLQ-C30 and Brief Pain Inventory scores were low after pelvic exenteration for advanced and recurrent rectal cancer, but scores tend to improve by 9 months after surgery. Rausa 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Chronic Otitis Media Questionnaire 12 (COMQ - 12) was validated against the SF-36 in Serbian adults with chronic otitis media. Bukurov 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Infantile Hemangioma Quality of Life score (IH-QOL) was validated against the PedsQL 4 in children with infantile haemangioma in China. Wang 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Migraine Physical Function Impact Diary (MPFID) was validated in patients with migraine in the USA. Hareendran 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Oxford Hip Score was validated in Spanish patients with hip osteoarthritis compared with the EQ-5D and WOMAC. Martin-Fernandez 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Arabic WHOQOL-BREF was validated in caregivers of patients with mental disorders in Jordan. Dalky 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found that the best-performing PRO tools for haemophilia were the CHO-KLAT in children and the Haemophilia Well-Being Index and HAEMO-QoL-A in adults. Limperg 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The PROMISFatigue Short Form was validated in people living with HIV in the USA. Gibbons 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Cardiff Wound Impact Schedule was validated in Brazilian patients with chronic wounds of the lower limb. Augusto 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Severe Respiratory Insufficiency (SRI) Questionnaire and the Maugeri Respiratory Failure (MRF) Questionnaire were validated against the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire in Japanese patients receiving home noninvasive ventilation for chronic respiratory failure. Oga 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Persian Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool (CAIT) was validated against a VAS and the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) in patients with and without ankle sprain in Iran. Hadidi 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Portuguese Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire was validated in women with fibromyalgia in Brazil. Lupi 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review concluded that the EORTC QLQ-C30 and SF-36 were most commonly used tools to assess physical function in patients with cancer, and fulfilled most FDA requirements, and the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System physical function short form may also be useful. Atkinson 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Bronchiectasis Health Questionnaire (BHQ) was validated against the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire in patients with bronchiectasis. Spinou 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A Farsi version of the Attitudes to Aging Questionnaire  was validated against the SF-36 and WHOQOL-BREF in elderly Iranian adults. Rejeh 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review concluded that the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale-29 and the Leeds Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life  were the most reliable tools to assess quality of life in multiple sclerosis. Khurana 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Chinese Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC-26) and the Clinical Practice Version (EPIC-CP) were validated in men with prostate cancer in China. Lam 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Spanish Quality of Dying and Death Questionnaire (QODD-ESP) and the QODD-ESP-12 were validated in caregivers of patients who had died of cancer in Chile. Perez-Cruz 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Norwegian Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire (DASH) was validated in patients with subacromial pain syndrome receiving physiotherapy. Rysstad 2017 Go to paper on PubMed

Other PRO studies

• Quality of life, measured with the Modified Manchester Health Questionnaire, Fecal Incontinence Severity Index, Bristol Stool Scale, Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory, and the Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire, was lower in women with faecal incontinence and irritable bowel syndrome than those with equivalent severity faecal incontinence but no IBS in the USA. Markland 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Quality of life on the WHOQOL-BREF was worse in working age adults in Germany with visual impairments than those with normal sight. Schliermann 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Quality of life, measured with the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) and Patient Neurotoxicity Questionnaire (PNQ), was better at 12 months in patients with recurrent or metastatic breast cancer who received S1 compared with taxanes in Japan. Kawahara 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A change of 7 points in low-contrast letter acuity is clinically meaningful in people with multiple sclerosis, correlating with changes in the Expanded Disability Status Score (EDSS) and Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (MSFC) in the USA. Balcer 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• St George's Respiratory Questionnaire scores were significantly better in patients with severe eosinophilic asthma who received mepolizumab than those who had placebo. Chupp 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Coping styles affected psychosocial variables but not overall quality of life in patients in the UK with retinitis pigmentosa, measured using the Coping Strategies Inventory - Short Form, the National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire 25, Marylands Trait Depression Scale, the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale and the Subjective Happiness Scale. Anil 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found that use of rescue medication was correlated with St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) score but not with Transition Dyspnoea Index (TDI) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Punekar 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Quality of life on the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), and mood, measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), improved after 2 pulmonary rehabilitation sessions but there was no additional benefit after 3 sessions in patients with COPD in Australia. Sandoz 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• VEINES-QOL/Sym scores improved more in patients in the US receiving polidocanol endovenous microfoam injections for varicose veins than those receiving placebo. Lal 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Oral health related quality of life, measured using the OHIP-49, was worse in pregnant women in India than non-pregnant controls. Geevarghese 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Quality of life, measured on the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being (FACIT-Sp-12) scale, the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire (MQOL), and the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scale, were similar in Japanese patients with COPD and those with inoperable lung cancer. Hasegawa 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Quality of life on the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5), International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer-Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30-item questionnaire (EORTC-QLQ-C30) was better in men having orthotopic neobladder reconstruction after prostate-sparing cystectomy and conventional radical cystoprostatectomy in Taiwan. Chen 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Prevalence of depression, on the Harvard Department of Psychiatry / National Depression Screening Day Scale, was 66.5% in patients with type 2 diabetes in Kosovo; depression was not associated with worse self-care. Sopjani 2016 Go to paper on PubMed
• Quality of life scores on the EORTC QLQ-C30, QLQ-HN35 and University of Washington Quality of Life Questionnaire (UW-QOL) were similar in patients in Brazil with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, pharynx and larynx. Iriya 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• 49% of patients waiting for liver transplant in the Netherlands had clinically significant anxiety scores on the STAI and 34% had clinical depression on the CES-D. Annema 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found no good evidence that psychosocial interventions improved quality of life in adults with neuromuscular disorders including ALS, muscular dystrophies, myasthenia gravis or post-polio syndrome. Walklet 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A web-based tailored support intervention for cancer survivors in the Netherlands improved quality of life scores on the EORTC QLQ-C30, HADS depression scores and CIS fatigue scores at 6 months compared with a waiting-list control. Willems 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Switching to a second aromatase inhibitor reduced adverse events without impairing quality of life, pain or other outcomes in postmenopausal women with early breast cancer experiencing toxicity to first-line therapy in the USA. Kadakia 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Sadness and anhedonia scores on the QIDS-16-SR were similar and highly correlated in patients with major depression and bipolar disorder in the USA. Gao 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review concluded that mindfulness training improved depression, stress and quality of life in caregivers of people with dementia but did not improve caregiver burden or anxiety. Liu 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review concluded that quality of life, on the EORTC QLQ-C30, improved with first-line treatments for multiple myeloma but that quality of life did not improve with subsequent lines of therapy. Nielsen 2017 Go to paper on PubMed

Studies reporting costs and resource use

• The market share by prescription volume and costs of targeted therapies for cancers increased almost 2-fold (1.84-1.90) and 1.5-fold (1.26-1.61) respectively in Taiwan between 2009 and 2012. Hsu 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found that the economic cost of Duchenne muscular dystrophy increases as much as 5.7 fold from the early ambulatory phase to the non-ambulatory phase; treatment patterns varied geographically. Ryder 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Healthcare resource use and costs were similar with glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) and rapid-active insulin treatment intensification in type 2 diabetes in the USA. Levin 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The use of biological drugs in rheumatic disorders increased by 1,784% and costs increased by 2,089%  in Australia between 2004 and 2014, especially etanercept and adalimumab, compared with a 55% increase in use and 45.2% decrease in costs of conventional DMARDs, especially methotrexate. Donges 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Costs per skin graft donor patient were lower and satisfaction higher with an epidermal graft-harvesting system than conventional split skin grafts in the UK. Smith 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Overweight and obese adults in China were 15% and 36% more likely to incur healthcare costs than those of normal BMI, and total healthcare costs were 14% higher. Shi 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Total healthcare costs were lower for women in the USA having tubal ligation sterilisation via hysteroscopy than laparoscopy. Carney 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A behavioural intervention increased adherence to tacrolimus by 16% compared with no intervention in patients at least 1 year after heart, liver or lung transplantation. Dobbels 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Switching patients with HIV in Spain to dolutegravir plus rilpivirine dual therapy increases adherence and reduces annual treatment costs, with similar efficacy to previous HAART therapy.  Revuelta-Herrero 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The mean per-patient cost of managing extrahepatic manifestations of hepatitis C infection in France are €1117 to €3296 per year, with a total annual cost in France of €215 million. Cacoub 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mean costs of allergic rhinitis in Spain are €554 direct costs and €1773 indirect costs per year. Colas 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Medical resource use increased significantly in children and adolescents with Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome in the USA between 2008 and 2014 with no increase in pain or disability, suggesting increasing medicalisation. Kaufman 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mean direct 1-year costs were $5737 higher in US adults with rheumatoid arthritis who failed to respond to TNF inhibitor therapy than responders, despite higher pharmacy costs due to increased adherence. Grabner 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Laparoscopic hernia repair shortens operative time and length of stay compared with open herniorrhaphy in Italy, with no increase in morbidity or mortality. Soliani 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Total costs were lower after total disk replacement than spinal fusion for German patients with cervical degenerative disk disease, with similar clinical outcomes. Wiedenhofer 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Total hospital costs were lower with single site compared with multiport robotic laparoscopic hysterectomy plus sentinel lymph node mapping with similar clinical outcomes, in US women with endometrial cancer. Moukarzel 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review of real-world studies found that rivaroxaban reduced hospital length of stay and costs compared with warfarin in patients with pulmonary embolism. Kohn 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• In elderly patients with atrial fibrillation in the USA, apixaban and rivaroxaban led to lower costs for stroke and systemic embolism than warfarin, and apixaban and dabigatran led to lower costs of haemorrhage than warfarin or rivaroxaban. Amin 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Hand sanitisers and education about hand hygiene significantly reduced worker absenteeism and healthcare claims and improved wellbeing in the USA. Arbogast 2016 Go to paper on PubMed
• Unit costs were determined for patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention in Malaysia; mean hospital costs were US$3186 to $4018. Lee 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Contact with a Workers' compensation loss prevention representative reduced the risk of long-term injuries in construction firm employees by 27% after one contact, 41% after two contacts and 28% after three contacts in the USA. Schofield 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Patients with mitochondrial diseases had a mean 1.1 hospitalisations with an estimated total cost of $113 million per year in the USA in 2012; in-hospital mortality rates were 2.4% for children and 3.0% for adults. McCormack 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Early transfer of extremely low birth weight infants to kangaroo ward care is cost-saving in India compared with later transfer from intensive care, saving US$452 per infant with comparable growth. Sharma 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Changing the model of care for patients with HIV in Nigeria increased adherence with doctors' appointments from 34% to 93%. Aderemi-Williams 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Higher outpatient visits and inpatient resource use were associated with African American ethnicity and no college education in US adults with gout. Singh 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Use of carperitide was associated with higher hospital costs in patients with acute heart failure in Japan compared with no carperitide. Mizuno 2017 Go to paper on PubMed 
• Patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in the USA and 2-3 modifiable risk factors (MRFs) such as hypertension, hyperlipidaemia and diabetes incurred  mean medication costs that were $1184 higher than those with 0-1 MRFs, and those with 4 or more MRFs incurred $2823 higher medication costs. Salami 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• 40% of Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome survivors in the USA had at least one readmission in the 12 months after discharge, with median costs of $18,756. Ruhl 2017 Go to paper on PubMed

Economic evaluations

• Directly-observed HAART is unlikely to be cost-effective in sub-Saharan Africa at costs above $200 per patient; the ICER was $8,400/QALY gained, which is above the $5,096 willingness to pay threshold for that region. Uthman 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Integrated community case management was more cost-effective than community-based health planning and services for the treatment of malaria, diarrhoea and suspected pneumonia in caregivers of children under 5 years in Ghana. Escribano Ferrer 23017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Rotavirus vaccination is cost-effective in Libyan children, with an ICER of US$ 8,972/QALY gained from the healthcare perspective, and a saving of US$16 per child from a societal perspective. Alkoshi 2014 Go to paper on PubMed
• Computerised CBT and guided self-help was as effective as intensive CBT for obsessive-compulsive disorder over 12 months and was likely to be cost-effective from a healthcare and societal perspective in the UK. Lovell 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Faecal immunochemical testing is cost-effective as a triage tool for colorectal cancer in UK patients presenting with abdominal symptoms compared with no triage before colonoscopy or guaiac faecal occult blood tests. Westwood 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Lightweight fibreglass heel casts are not cost-effective in managing heel ulcers in patients with type 1 diabetes in the UK compared with usual care. Jeffcoate 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Combined CEA testing and CT surveillance of patients with surgically resected stage A-C colorectal cancer in the UK was more costly and generated fewer QALYs than no surveillance, with a negative ICER of -£208,347. Mant 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Insulin pump therapy was not cost-effective compared with multiple injections during flexible intensive insulin therapy for type 1 diabetes in the UK. Heller 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Novel oral anticoagulants such as apixaban and edoxaban have advantages over warfarin in atrial fibrillation but are unlikely to be more cost-effective in the UK. Sterne 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Autologous chondrocyte implantation is likely to be cost-effective compared with microfractures for cartilage disorders of the knee in the UK. Mistry 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Canagliflozin, dapagliflozin and empagliflozin may be cost-effective as monotherapy in UK patients with type 2 diabetes who are intolerant of metformin compared with sitagliptin, but are not cost-effective compared with pioglitazone or gliclazide. Johnston 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The cost-benefit ratio is better for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) than cancer antigen (CA) 19-9 or CA125 to predict recurrence and metastases in colorectal, gastric or oesophageal cancer in the UK. Acharya 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Hysteroscopic polypectomy is cost-effective in women with endometrial polyps prior to intrauterine insemination or in vitro fertilisation/ intracytoplasmic sperm injection, saving up to €15,854 per ongoing pregnancy compared with no polypectomy. Mouhayar 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Aprepitant reduces the costs of management of chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting compared with no aprepritant in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or multiple myeloma  preparing for stem cell transplant in Japan, giving it a positive cost-benefit ratio. Nakamura 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A review of systematic reviews concluded that targeted therapy with bevacizumab, erlotinib or crizotinib was likely to be cost-effective in lung cancer, but lung cancer screening was less cost-effective. Azar 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• An occupational early intervention for depression involving case management increases productivity and leads to a positive cost-benefit ratio in Australia. Callander 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Real-time pulmonary artery pressure monitoring to guide treatment is cost-effective for patients with heart failure in the UK, with an ICER of up to £25,464/QALY gained compared with no monitoring. Cowie 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A cost-benefit analysis concluded that routine intraoperative parathyroid hormone assay for patients in Italy having parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism was not cost-effective. Badii 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Bupropion, venlafaxine and sertraline had similar cost-benefits in US patients with depression who had failed citalopram therapy. Singh 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Granisetron is more cost-effective than palonosetron or ondansetron at preventing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in China. Du 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Laparoscopic appendectomy is not cost-effective in US children with uncomplicated acute appendicitis compared with non-operative management, with an ICER of $910,800/QALY. Wu 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Endovascular procedures may be cost-effective in US adults with severe ischaemic stroke, with an ICER of $97,303/QALY gained, but are not cost-effective for less severe strokes. Simpson 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The value of cure of chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 in the USA was $55 billion with second-generation triple antiviral therapy and $111 billion with all-oral regimens. Younossi 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Adding bronchial thermoplasty to optimal asthma therapy is not cost-effective for patients with severe asthma in Singapore, with a societal ICER of US$138,889/QALY and healthcare ICER of US$139,041/QALY.  Nguyen 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Peginterferon beta-1a was more cost-effective than IM or SC interferon or glatiramer in preventing relapse in US patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and was less effective but less expensive than fingolimod, natalizumab and dimethyl fumarate; alemtuzumab had an ICER of $25,276 per relapse avoided compared with interferon. Dashputre 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Nivolumab monotherapy was more cost-effective than nivolumab-ipilimumab combination therapy or ipilimumab monotherapy as first-line treatment of metastatic melanoma in the USA. Oh 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review concluded that routine viral load monitoring for HIV can be cost-saving in low and moderate income countries if low-cost methods are used to assess viral load, the results are acted on, and treatment is simplified in patients with viral suppression. Barnabas 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found no economic evaluations of genetic testing for autistic spectrum disorder. Ziegler 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Training primary care physicians in the USA to recognise restless legs syndrome is cost-effective compared with no training, with an ICER of $4539/QALY gained. Padula 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Prophylactic defibrotide was not cost-effective at preventing hepatic veno-occlusive disease in children who had allogenic stem cell transplantation in Germany. Pichler 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Prophylactic radiotherapy is unlikely to be cost-effective compared with symptom-based radiotherapy in UK patients with mesothelioma after pleural interventions, with similar costs and QALYs. Stewart 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Early prenatal food and multiple micronutrient interventions for pregnant women in Bangladesh were highly cost-effective at reducing 5-year mortality in their children despite an increased risk of stunting, with an ICER of US$24/DALY averted. Svefors 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Supplementary measles vaccination in New Zealand is likely to be cost-effective even though childhood immunisation rates are high, with a positive societal cost-benefit ratio until costs of vaccination exceed US$66 to 1877 per person. Hayman 2017 Go to paper on PubMed 
• A catch-up HPV vaccination programme in young men who have sex with men in Australia is cost-effective at reducing anal cancer, with an ICER of AU$6788/QALY gained. Zhang 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A rotavirus vaccine programme with GAVI subsidy would be highly cost-effective in Bangladesh from a societal perspective, with an ICER of $58 to 142/DALY averted; without a subsidy the ICER would be up to $1514/DALY averted. Pecenka 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Offering children and adults a choice of a needle-free influenza vaccine could be cost-saving in the USA. DePasse 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Incorporating a second measles vaccine dose into the routine immunisation schedule is the most cost-effective way of reducing measles mortality in the Democratic Republic of Congo compared with single dose vaccination. Doshi 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A pentavalent streptococcal vaccine could be cost-effective in pregnant women in the USA if its efficacy was at least 70%; screening plus intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis has an ICER of $70,275/QALY from a healthcare perspective and $51,249/QALY from a societal perspective compared wth no prevention.  Kim 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A ketogenic diet had an ICER of €46,564 per responder in children with intractable epilepsy in the Netherlands compared with usual care, but with little gain in QALYs. Wijnen 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found 20 economic evaluations of vaccines in Brazil, mainly for pneumococcal and HPV vaccines. Sartori 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Trivalent and quadrivalent influenza vaccination strategies may be cost-effective in high-risk US adults aged 50-64 years compared with no vaccination, with ICERs of $37,700/QALY gained for quadrivalent vaccines. Raviotta 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Therapist-guided internet cognitive behavioural therapy is cost-effective for children with obsessive-compulsive disorder in the USA, saving $145 per patient and costing $78 per additional responder compared with a waiting list control. Lenhard 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Telemedicine is unlikely to be cost-effective when used routinely in Danish adults with COPD compared with usual care, with an ICER of €55,327/QALY gained. Witt Udsen 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Herpes zoster vaccination of adults aged 65-79 years is cost-effective for preventing shingles and postherpetic neuralgia in Switzerland, with an ICER of CHF 29,814/QALY gained. Blank 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Single fresh embryo transfer plus additional frozen-thawed embryo if available was more effective and cost-saving compared with dual embryo transfer in Dutch women under 32 years of age undergoing IVF; in women above 32 years, dual fresh embryo transfer was more cost-effective. van Loendersloot 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The addition of bevacizumab to first-line chemotherapy is not cost-effective in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, with ICERs of US$ 351,000 to $358,000/QALY in the UK, Canada and Israel, $571,000/QALY in the USA, and $277,000 in Australia. Goldstein 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• An integrated care model was not cost-effective for patients with multimorbidity in Spain, with lower QALYs and higher costs than usual care. Lanzeta 2016 Go to paper on PubMed
• Aftercare services including telemedicine and caregiver education is cost-effective for patients with severe mental disorders in Iran, with an ICER of US$8399/ QALY gained and lower direct health costs compared with usual care. Moradi-Lakeh 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Negative pressure wound therapy may be cost-effective in obese women having Caesarian sections in Australia, with an ICER of AU$1347 per surgical site infection averted and AU$42,340 per QALY gained compared with usual care. Heard 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Replacing the pneumococcal 23 valent vaccine with a 13 valent vaccine is cost-effective in elderly Australians, with an ICER of A$35,300 per QALY gained; however, it was only cost-effective compared with no vaccine if priced at <A$46/dose. Dirmesropian 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Following the 2013 WHO guidelines for management of child pneumonia in 74 Countdown countries would reduce costs by 39.5% compared with the 2005 guidelines, and is very cost-effective, with an ICER of US$26.6/DALY averted. Zhang 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Craniotomy is cost-effective for traumatic epidural haematoma where neurosurgeons are available in Cambodia compared with no craniotomy, with an ICER of $575/QALY gained. Moran 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Bariatric surgery was cost-effective over 10 years compared with medical management in Germany, with an ICER of €2,457/QALY gained, and was cost-saving over a lifetime. Borisenko 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Use of candesartan or ramipril in prehypertension was cost-effective in Chinese adults compared with placebo, with an ICER of $12,994/QALY gained. Chen 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Pertuzumab combined with trastuzumab and docetaxel (TDP) is unlikely to be cost-effective first-line therapy in HER-2 positive metastatic breast cancer compared with trastuzumab plus docetaxel (TD) in Taiwan, with an ICER of  US$593,741/QALY gained at current pricing levels. Leung 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Basiliximab induction followed by tacrolimus plus mycophenolate mofetil maintenance is the most cost-effective immunosuppression regimen for uncomplicated adult kidney transplantation in the UK. Snowsill 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Consuming recommended levels of dairy produce in France is cost-effective compared with no consumption for preventing osteoporostic fractures in adults aged 60 and older, with an ICER of €58,244/QALY gained in 2015 and €42,616/QALY in 2060. Hiligsmann 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Bystander CPR was cost-effective for people having out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the USA between 2001-2010, with an ICER of $48,044/QALY gained; 18.5% of patients were discharged alive and 12.1% were still alive after 5 years. Geri 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Urine circulating-tumor DNA detection of acquired EGFR mutation and targeted therapy with TKIs is cost-effective in non-small cell lung cancer in the US, saving $1243-1680 per patient compared with a tissue-testing strategy. Sands 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Adding bevacizumab to pemetrexed plus cisplatin therapy for malignant mesothelioma is not cost-effective in China, with an ICER of $727,202/QALY. Zhan 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Low-dose CT scan screening for lung cancer is cost-effective in high-risk smokers in Taiwan, with an ICER of US$19,683/QALY gained. Yang 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review of economic evaluations concluded that seasonal influenza vaccination in the elderly is likely to be cost-effective in Europe; ICERs ranged from cost-saving to €459,350/life-year saved. Shields 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Supervised injection facilities for intravenous opioid users would generate $7.8 million per year in savings per facility in the USA. Irwin 2017 Go to paper on PubMed

Studies reporting mortality rates and trends

• Long-term survival after traumatic spinal injury in the UK increased from the 1950s to 1980s, plateaued until 2010 but has increased slightly since then; estimated current life expectancy, compared with the general British population, ranged from 18.1 to 88.4%.  Savic 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Out-of-hospital coronary death rates declined substantially in Norway during 1995 to 2009, but remained lower in those with greater educational attainment. Sulo 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Patients in China with acutely decompensated liver cirrhosis due to bacterial infections had a higher mortality than those without infections, with mortality rates of 29.2% at 90 days, 44.6% at 1 year, 52.3% at 2 years. Zhao 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Excess mortality has increased in heroin users in Italy since 2010, with SMRs of 21.5 in women and 12.1 in men; deaths from AIDS are now less common but deaths from liver disease and cancers have increased since 1975. Pavarin 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mortality was significantly lower in patients with Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis who received cyclosporine than supportive care in India. Mohanty 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• In-hospital mortality rates for patients in Japan with acute myocardial infarction in 2011 to 2015 were higher for those admitted during weekend daytime, 7.6%, compared with those admitted at other times of the week: weekday daytime: 6.8%; weekday night-time: 6.5%; weekend night-time: 6.6%; P < 0.001, after adjusting for covariates. Mizuno 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• 90-day mortality was 48% in patients who had associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) for cholangiocarcoinoma, and median overall survival was 6 months, compared with 13% 90-day mortality and median OS of 27 months in patients who had major liver resection without ALPPS. Olthof 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A model to predict mortality and hospitalisation in European patients with heart failure showed that the strongest predictors of mortality were more advanced age, higher blood urea nitrogen and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, lower haemoglobin, and failure to prescribe a beta-blocker. Voors 2017 Go to paper on PubMed 
• 10-year cardiovascular mortality was 10% in adults in Norway with stable angina and 12.8% had fatal or non-fatal myocardial infarction; risk was higher in those with higher baseline acylcarnitine levels. Strand 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• In-hospital mortality did not differ for patients admitted with ischaemic stroke to US Get With The Guidelines hospitals with different levels of acute stroke care resources. O'Brien 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• 30-day mortality was 13% in elderly patients admitted with sepsis in Spain in 2013. Gonzalez Del Castillo 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Early mortality after living donor liver transplantation in Egypt was 23% and 1-year mortality was 18%; MELD score >20, intraoperative transfusion >8 units of packed RBCs, and ICU stay >9 days independently predicted early mortality. Elkholy 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Anticoagulants linked to significantly increased risk of ischaemic stroke and haemorrhage but decreased all-cause mortality in elderly patients with chronic renal failure and atrial fibrillation in the UK.  Kumar 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Annual all-cause mortality was 1.7% in European patients with mild symptoms of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy after alcohol septal ablation, which was not significantly different from a matched control population. Veselka 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• In women who had mean sitting times of <8hours/day before a myocardial infarction in the USA, every 1 hour increase in post-MI sitting times increased all-cause mortality risk by 9%. Gorczyca 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found no evidence that behavioural and lifestyle interventions for weight loss improve survival or quality of life in women with endometrial cancer. Kitson 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Three-year cancer-specific survival in French women with endometrial cancer was 95% for those aged 65 years and younger, 90% for those aged 65-80 years and 82% for those aged >80 years. Poupon 2017 Go to paper on PubMed 
• A systematic review concluded that more intensive follow-up of women with breast cancer does not reduce 5- or 10-year mortality or recurrences, or affect patient satisfaction, compared with less intensive surveillance. Lafranconi 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Life expectancy at age 40 years in US adults with disabilities who had a college education was  46.6% higher in African American women, 44% higher in White women, 55.2% higher in African American men and 50.4% higher in White men than in those with less than ninth grade education in 1999-2011. Laditka 2016 Go to paper on PubMed
• Adjusted 7.5-year all-cause mortality rates in men with Gleason score 9-10 prostate cancer in the US and Norway in 2000-2013 were 17% after radical prostatectomy, 18% after radiotherapy and 10% after radiotherapy plus brachytherapy. Kishan 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Inpatient mortality in US patients with Stevens-Johnson syndrome is 5%; age >70 years, cirrhosis and metastatic cancer are associated with higher mortality risk. Ezaldein 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Hip fractures were associated with a 21.1% excess risk of death over 10 years in adults aged >50 years in Estonia after adjusting for Charlson index and age. Jurisson 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A high urinary albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR) was associated with an increased risk of mortality in Chinese adults; the adjusted HR was 2.07 (95%CI 1.4 to 3.04) for all-cause mortality and 2.32 (1.31 to 4.12) for CVD mortality with an ACR >300 mg/g compared with ACR Go to paper on PubMed
• Mortality was inversely correlated with BMI in adults with type 2 diabetes admitted to hospital with heart failure in Gulf states, with severe obesity associated with a significantly lower 3- and 12-month mortality than underweight patients. Abi Khalil 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• In US adults aged over 75 years with type 2 diabetes and stable coronary artery disease, insulin therapy is associated with higher mortality than insulin sensitising therapy. Damluji 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• High cost hospitals in the USA were not associated with lower adjusted mortality in children with critical illness. Gupta 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mortality in Australian children after cardiac surgery was 2.3%; fluid overload did not increase mortality but was associate with greater resource use and length of stay. Delpachitra 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• In French patients with advanced or metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma, 37.4% were alive 12 months after starting chemotherapy with gemcitabine. Ploquin 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Use of the Bedside Paediatric Early Warning System did not reduce all-cause mortality in hospitalised children compared with usual care in an international RCT. Parshuram 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• 3-year mortality or CVD event rates were lower in Japanese patients after STEMI than those with Non-STEMI, and were highest in patients with NSTEMI and no increase in creatine kinase.  Ishihara 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mortality in newborn infants with hypoxic respiratory failure in China was 21% overall; mortality rates were 17.9% at gestational age Go to paper on PubMed