Published: 02-07-2018

We update the heoro.com database every day by running a systematic search of the PubMed database for articles relevant to health economics and outcomes research. In this blog, we add a summary of some of the key papers that were added each day. 

Studies reporting utility values

• A systematic review identified 29 studies that had used the EQ-5D in musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders in Central and Eastern European countries. Zrubka 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Utility values on the EQ-5D, VAS, Time Trade-off and Standard Gamble were significantly better with replantation than amputation of digits on the hand following trauma in patients in Canada. Tessler 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Patients with vertigo or dizziness due to acoustic neuroma report worse SF-36 and Penn Acoustic Neuroma Quality of Life scale scores than those without these symptoms when managed conservatively in France. Oddon 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Islet cell transplantation significantly improved EQ-5D values and Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS) and Hypoglycemic Fear Survey (HFS) scores in US patients with type 1 diabetes. Foster 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Utility values for health states associated with adjuvant treatment for melanoma were determined from the general public in the UK and Australia using standard gamble. Middleton 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review identified four methods of mapping PANSS scores to utility values in people with schizophrenia. Nemeth 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• SF-36 mental scores were lower in people with HIV infection than in those with type 1 or 2 diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis in the Netherlands; physical scores were worst with rheumatoid arthritis. Engelhard 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• SF-36 values were reduced in Chinese patients with hypertension who were older and who had lower educational level, self-management efficacy and health literacy. Wang 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• EQ-5D values were impaired in cancer patients experiencing moderate or severe pain in Spain, but pain and QoL improved after 3 months of usual care. Maximiano 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• SF-36 values were higher in patients with venous leg ulcers in Portugal than those in Brazil; patients in Brazil were younger and had lower income. Torres 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• EQ-5D and MOS-HIV scores were similar in patients in Spain with HIV managed with lopinavir-ritonavir monotherapy versus triple therapy;efficacy and adherence were also similar. Pasquau 2018 Go to paper on PubMed

Studies validating a PRO instrument

• The Hip dysfunction and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS) was validated against the Oxford Hip Score and SF-36 in German patients with hip osteoarthritis undergoing total hip arthroplasty. Arbab 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) was found to be more responsive than the COPD assessment test (CAT) in patients with COPD undergoing pulmonary rehabilitation in Malta. Sciriha 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Udvalg for Kliniske Undersogelser (UKU) short form was validated against the Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) and Personal and Social Performance (PSP) in patients treated with paliperidone for schizophrenia in Taiwan. Chen 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Cancer Behavior Inventory-Brief Version was validated against the EORTC QLQ-C30 and Satisfaction With Life Scale in patients with cancer in Turkey. Iyigun 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Stroke Specific Quality of Life Scale (SS-QoL) was validated against the NIHSS score, Barthel index, HAD, FSS, SF-36, and MMSE in stroke patients in France.  Legris 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Portuguese Skindex-16 was validated against the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) in patients with skin diseases in Brazil. Carcano 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was the best instrument to detect antenatal depression and the Kessler Psychological Distress scale (K-10 and K-6) were the best at detecting antenatal anxiety in pregnant South African women; the Whooley questions was the best ultra-short instrument. van Heyningen 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Child Oral Health Impact Profile - Preschool version was validated in children aged 2-5 years with dental caries, congenital orofacial anomalies, and speech/language deficiencies in the USA. Ruff 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Geriatric Depression Scale scores above 9/30 or 5/15 best predicted low quality of life on the HUI-3 in elderly people in Italy. Laudisio 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson's Disease-Sleep (SCOPA-S) was validated against the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale 2nd version (PDSS-2), Non-motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS), Montgomery Asberg Depression Scale (MADS), 39-item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ39), Neurogenic Orthostatic Hypotension Questionnaire (NOHQ), and Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behaviour Disorder Questionnaire (RBDQ) in Korean patients with Parkinson's disease-related sleep disorders. Sung 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Food Allergy-Quality of Life Questionnaire, Parent Form (FAQLQ-PF) and the Food Allergy Independent Measure (FAIM) were validated in parents of children with IgE-mediated food allergy in Spain. Bartoll 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The minimal clinically important difference in SNOT-22 score was 9.0 in a study of patients in the USA having surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis; correlation with the SF-6D was weak. Chowdhury 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale-29 was validated against the EQ-5D and the Fatigue Severity Scale in patients with multiple sclerosis in Finland. Rosti-Otajarvi 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Afrikaans and Sesotho versions of the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20 (PFDI-20) and the Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire-7 (PFIQ-7) were validated in women with pelvic floor disorders in South Africa. Henn 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Sinhala and Tamil versions of the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Vaginal Symptoms (ICIQ-VS) questionnaire  were validated against the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q) in patients with pelvic floor disorders in Sri Lanka. Ekanayake 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Eating Disorder Quality of Life Scale (EDQLS) was validated in US college women. Akopury 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Gastrointestinal endoscopy satisfaction questionnaire (GESQ) was validated in Korean patients having gastrointestinal endoscopy. Yoon 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Forgotten Joint Score-12 was validated against the Knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS) and WOMAC in patients in Switzerland undergoing ACL reconstruction. Behrend 2017 Go to paper on PubMed

Other PRO studies

•  A systematic review found that the most common PRO instruments used in survivors of endometrial cancer were the EORTC QLQ-C30, SF-36, FACT-G and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Shisler 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Depression severity on the PHQ-9 was the strongest predictor of poor quality of life on the EORTC QLQ-C30 in patients with advanced cancer in Norway, accounting for 5.8% of the variance.  Grotmol 2017 Go to paper on PubMed

Studies reporting costs and resource use

• Societal costs of micronutrient deficiencies in children under 5 years of age are estimated to be 1.44% of the GDP in Pakistan and to account for 4.45% of DALYs incurred in 2013. Wieser 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• The introduction of biosimilar etanercept and infliximab resulted in cumulative cost savings for rheumatoid arthritis of £38.8 million over 2 years in the UK despite an increase in use of other branded biologicals. Aladul 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mean healthcare costs for vaginal cancer were $86,995 in year 1 and $51,107 in year 2 in women in the USA, 2011-14. The year 1 and year 2 costs for vulvar cancer were $37,657 and $19,139. Fu 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The costs of hospitalisation for wheezing in preschool children in Thailand were estimated at 759 million THB per year in 2014-15; patient costs were 3,020 THB, provider costs were 18,126 THB and societal costs were 20,269 THB per admission.  Sritipsukho 2016 Go to paper on PubMed
• Hypertension was found in 35% of US adults overall, in 78% of those with diabetes and 30% of those without diabetes; hypertension increased adjusted annual medical costs by $2,565 overall, $4,434 in adults with diabetes, and $2,276 in those without diabetes. Wang 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• 42% of Israeli women were fully adherent to mammography screening recommendations, 43% were partially adherent and 15% were non-adherent in 2008-2014. Katz 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mean costs of hospitalisations for  severe hypoglycaemia in patients with type 2 diabetes in the UK was £1351 per admission, with a mean length of 6.3 days; the risk was greatest with sulfonylureas and insulin and lowest with DPP-4 inhibitors. Holbrook 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found that the costs of relapse in schizophrenia were $6033 to $32,753 over 12-15 months in the USA and $8665 to $18,676 in Europe over 6-12 months. Pennington 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Clinical outcomes were better and costs lower in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in China receiving nurse-led care compared with rheumatologist-led care. Wang 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found weak and contradictory evidence on whether mobile phone interventions increase adherence to medication for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Palmer 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• 10.6% of hospitalised adults in Canada develop stage 1 acute kidney injury, 2% stage 2, 1% stage 3 without dialysis and 0.3% need dialysis; additional costs of AKI are CAN$2912 to $8563 at 3-12 months after admission. Collister 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Pharmacist-led group educational sessions significantly reduced costs while maintaining SF-36 quality of life scores and UKPDS risk scores compared with usual care in patients in the USA with type 2 diabetes.  Wu 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Use of biological therapies including monoclonal antibodies and tyrosine kinase inhibitors for cancer doubled in Italy between 2010 and 2014; costs increased from €6.6 to €13.6 million and are likely to reach €25million by 2020. Lucchesi 2018 Go to paper on PubMed 

Economic evaluations

• Screening for dementia and mild cognitive impairment in general practice is cost-effective in the UK from a societal perspective, with the General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition (GPCOG) the most cost-effective screening instrument. Tong 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Administering the varicella vaccine to every 1 year-old child in Spain at a cost of €28.59 per dose would have a cost-benefit ratio of 1.24 and would significantly reduce hospitalisations in children aged 3 to 4 years. Peña Blasco 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review concluded that all antihypertensives were cost-effective compared with no treatment for hypertension, and that angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) may be more cost-effective than calcium channel blockers, ACE inhibitors and beta blockers. Park 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Adalimumab is more likely to be cost-effective for ulcerative colitis than golimumab, inflixumab or vedolizumab in Spain, ICERs for the comparison with adalimumab were €45,582 to €2,175,992/QALY. Trigo-Vicente 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Elbasvir-grazoprevir is cost-effective for hepatitis C genotype 1 infection in stage 4-5 chronic renal failure in France, with an ICER of €15,212/QALY gained compared with no treatment. Maunoury 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Nivolumab is cost-effective compared with cetuximab, with an ICER of $89,786/QALY, but not compared with methotrexate or docetaxel in metastatic head and neck cancer in the USA. Ward 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• 12 circuit training sessions over 6 weeks was cost-effective at improving depression in adolescents in the UK, costing £61 per point increase in the Children's Depression Inventory-2 (CDI-2), but did not improve QALYs compared with usual care. Turner 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review concluded that it is not clear whether rapid diagnostic tests for dengue are cost-effective compared with empiric antibiotics for febrile illness. Lim 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• A retinal prosthesis system that allows users to perceive light and dark and shape outlines has an ICER of $97,429/QALY compared with usual care in Canadian patients with retinitis pigmentosa. Health Quality Ontario 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• None of fingolimod, teriflunomide, dimethyl fumarate, or interferon (IFN)-b1a were cost-effective as first-line therapy in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in Saudi Arabia, with ICERs above $100,000/QALY. Alsaqa'aby 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Adding a CSF test for Alzheimer's disease biomarkers in people with mild cognitive impairment to improve prediction of disease progression was cost-effective in the Netherlands, with an ICER of €9416/QALY gained. Handels 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Bevacizumab is unlikely to be cost-effective as first- or second-line therapy in ovarian cancer in Belgium, with ICERs of €150,000 to €587000/QALY; the most favourable scenario was for stage IV disease, with an ICER of €52,000/QALY. Neyt 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Psychotherapy for major depression is most cost-effective in Canada when delivered by non-physicians as group CBT, with an ICER of $3715/QALY, and least cost-effective when delivered as individual CBT by physicians, with an ICER of $43,443/QALY. Health Quality Ontario 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Daclatasvir plus asunaprevir is cost-effective for treatment-naive chronic hepatitis C in China compared with peginterferon and ribavirin, with greater QALYs and life-years and US$5096 lower costs. Lu 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• 75% of patients with multidrug-resistant TB were HIV-positive in South Africa; the most cost-effective treatment strategy per successfully-treated patient was via community-based and mobile injection teams compared with hospitalisation. Loveday 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Both costs and QALYs were similar with longer-term versus shorter-term antibiotics for Lyme disease in the Netherlands. Berende 2018 Go to paper on PubMed

Studies reporting mortality rates and trends

•  Overall and progression-free survival was significantly increased in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who received fruquintinib compared with placebo in China, HR for death =0.65 (0.51 to 0.83). Li 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• 30-day mortality after surgery for colorectal cancer in France fell from 7.2% in 1989-1993 to 4.4% in 2010-13, 90-day mortality = 7.2% overall. Manfredi 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• 24% of patients admitted with acute heart failure in Japan died after a mean 513 days; 30% of deaths were for non-cardiovascular causes. Wakabayashi 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Intensive multifactorial prevention in type 2 diabetes did not reduce all-cause mortality or coronary events but did reduce cerebrovascular events in adults in Japan. Ueki 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Weekend admission for burns increased mortality only in adults aged >65 years in the USA; length of stay was longer but overall costs were not higher compared with weekday admissions. Peluso 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mortality in US patients with mesenteric ischaemia was 2.4% after endovascular interventions and 8.7% after open surgery; 70% were treated endovascularly with lower length of stay and direct costs than open surgery. Erben 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Standardised mortality rates from giant cell arteritis in France reached a peak in 1997 and then decreased; deaths were also associated with other cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and some infectious diseases. Aouba 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Prevalence of congenital heart disease in Korean adults increased from 35.8/100,000 in 2006 to 65.6/100,000 in 2015; mortality decreased from 3.061/100,000 in 2007 to 0.551/100,000 in 2015. Jang 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Women in Sweden had a similar all-cause mortality to men after myocardial infarction but a higher CVD mortality at 1 and 5 years, which was attenuated after adjustment for use of guideline-based interventions. Alabas 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• 20% of women having coronary angiography for ischaemia died within a 9.5-year follow-up period in the USA; 62% of deaths were from cardiovascular events and 31% of these occurred in women with <50% coronary artery occlusion. Kenkre 2017 Go to paper on PubMed
• 22% of patients with traumatic cardiac arrest in hospital in Taiwan survive to discharge; odds of survival were higher with ventricular fibrillation and more intensive care beds and lower with multiorgan failure. Lai 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• 23% of middle-aged and older patients on maintenance haemodialysis in Japan died over 5 years. Nagai 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Overall mortality among children waiting for heart transplant in the USA between 1993 and 2009 was 17% at 6 months but improved significantly over time; 69% received a transplant. Zakaria 2017 Go to paper on PubMed