Published: 03-12-2018

The heoro.com database is a collection of studies relevant to health economics and outcomes research, based on a daily search of the PubMed database. 

Here, we summarise some of the key abstracts added in December 2018.

Studies reporting utility values

•  The Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale-Eight Dimensions-Patient Version (MSIS-8D-P) was developed from a time trade-off survey to derive health state values in multiple sclerosis in the UK. Goodwin 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R) was mapped to the EQ-5D-5L in patients with motor neurone disease in the UK. Moore 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Wording and perspective alter utility values derived from the EQ-5D-3L and the EQ-5D-Y; the EQ-5D-3L should not be used to assign values to EQ-5D-Y health states in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK. Kreimeier 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mean utility values in the general adult population in Spain were 0.87 (SD 0.25) with EQ-5D-3L and 0.89 (0.22) with the EQ-5D-5L; the proportion of individuals with the best health state was 61.8% using EQ-5D-3L to 60.8% using EQ-5D-5L. Marti-Pastor 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review of utility values in non-communicable diseases in China found mean values of 0.79 to 0.94 for diabetes, 0.78 to 0.93 for hypertension, 0.75 to 0.90 for coronary heart disease, 0.64 to 0.80 for COPD, 0.83 to 0.87 for epilepsy, 0.51 to 0.75 for cerebral infarction and 0.44 for cerebral palsy. Zhou 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• EQ-5D-5L norms for the urban Chinese population ranged from EQ-VAS: 88.3 for males 70yr) to 0.971 (females 30-39yr). Yang 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• SF-12 PCS scores were significantly lower in US adults with back pain and arthritis who were taking opioids compared with non-opioid users after 1 year, MCS scores were not significantly different. Hayes 2018 Go to paper on PubMed

PRO validation studies

• The Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Activity Questionnaire (SLAQ) was validated against the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) and the European Consensus Lupus Measurement (ECLAM) in patients with SLE in Italy. Tani 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Quality of Life - Alzheimer's Disease Scale (QoL-AD) was validated against the Bristol Activities of Daily Living Scale (BADLS-CZ), the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) in patients in the Czech Republic with early dementia. Kisvetrova 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20) was validated against a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) in patients attending outpatient clinics in Korea with fatigue. Song 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Alberta Infant Motor Scale was validated against the Bayley Scale motor subscale as an assessment of motor development in children with HIV infection in Brazil. Siegle 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Audit of Diabetes Dependent Quality of Life questionnaire (ADDQOL-19) was validated in Lithuanian adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Visockiene 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Electronic Quality of Life questionnaire (EQOL) was validated in patients with disabilities in Denmark. Jespersen 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The PHQ-9 and TBI-QOL correlated strongly for depression scores in patients with traumatic brain injury in the US; between 9% and 38% screened positive. Cohen 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The caregiver-administered Children's acceptance tool (CareCAT) was validated as a measure of oral medicine acceptance in infants and toddlers in Norway. Blume 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The WHOQOL-BREF, WHOQOL-DIS and WHOQOL-AGE were validated as measures of quality of life in adults in Singapore. Suarez 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Banff Patellar Instability Instrument (BPII) was validated in an adolescent population in Canada. Lafave 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A brief four-component questionnaire was developed from the Rhinoplasty Outcome Evaluation (ROE) questionnaire, the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) scale, and the Utrecht Questionnaire for Outcome Assessment in Aesthetic Rhinoplasty (OAR) in patients receiving functional rhinoplasty in Germany. Spiekermann 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The CONTEST and PEST questionnaires had similar performance as screening tests for psoriatic arthritis in patients in the UK with psoriasis. Coates 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review identified 60 PRO tools used in spondyloarthritis; the ankylosing spondylitis quality of life (ASQoL) and bath ankylosing spondylitis functional index (BASFI) were the most extensively assessed tools for ankylosing spondylitis, and the psoriatic arthritis quality of life questionnaire (VITACORA-19) for psoriatic arthritis. Png 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Berlin Questionnaire was translated and partly validated for adults with sleep apnoea in Denmark. Lauritzen 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The PSC PRO was validated against the SF-36, CLDQ, PBC-40 and 5D-Itch in patients in the USA with primary sclerosing cholangitis. Younossi 2018 Go to paper on PubMed

Other PRO studies

• Analysis of data from the World Health Survey of 240,820 adults in 45 low- and middle-income countries found that 26% reported mild pain, 16.2% moderate pain, 9.1% severe pain and 2.2% extreme pain; 7.8% reported severe sleep problems, which was associated with more severe pain. Stubbs 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Patients with type 2 diabetes in Australia were willing to pay AUD$22.35 per month for a once-weekly rather than twice-daily injection. Fifer 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found limited evidence that mindfulness-based stress reduction  may improve depression and anxiety in caregivers of people with dementia. Liu 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Quality of life on the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory was impaired in 53% of children with inflammatory brain diseases at diagnosis, with mean PedsQL scores of 68.4. Liu 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found that the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory was the most commonly-used tool to assess quality of life in children with spinal muscular atrophy; no disease-specific tool was identified. Vaidya 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found 12 unmet need domains among cancer patients and seven among informal caregivers; the most commonly-used tools to assess unmet needs were the Supportive Care Needs Survey and Problems and Needs in Palliative Care questionnaire. Wang 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Adults in Spain with actinic keratitis who were more concerned about the diagnosis had a lower AKQoL score and were more adherent to treatment than those with fewer concerns. Longo 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Quality of life, on the MacNew Quality of Life after Myocardial Infarction Questionnaire, significantly improved in the 3 months after myocardial infarction in adults in South Korea. Kang 2018 Go to paper on PubMed

Costs and resource use studies

• HPV-based screening for cervical cancer in community clinics in Kenya was cheaper per person than clinic-based screening, costing $21.84 per patient in clinics and $17.48 in community health centres. Shen 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Antimicrobial prescribing was significantly lower in children in Iceland who were eligible for pneumococcal vaccination than in cohorts before the vaccine was available, with a 21.8% reduction in prescribing for acute otitis media. Eythorsson 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Patients with lower Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine-Short Form (REALM-SF) scores were three times as likely to have postoperative hospital visits after bariatric surgery than those with higher health literacy in the US. Mahoney 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Oral corticosteroids were prescribed for 85% and oral antibiotics for 72% of patients with acute exacerbation of COPD in teaching hospitals in the US, compared with 8.9% and 33% in non-teaching hospitals; length of stay was significantly lower in teaching hospitals. Adwani 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• 50 to 67% of regional variation in healthcare resource use in Sweden is unexplained by socioeconomic and supply-side factors or population health, as measured by regional mortality. Johansson 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A comprehensive care plan significantly reduced 30-day all-cause readmission rates, 30-day mortality and 90-day COPD-related readmissions compared with usual care in patients with COPD in the USA. Ohar 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Patients with multiple myeloma in the US who received oral chemotherapy missed 87 days of work in the year after diagnosis compared with 110 days for those on injectable therapy; cost difference was $3886. Merola 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• 62.8% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors in France returned to work after a mean 714 days, 10.6% reduced their activity.  Descatha 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Use of PPIs in China increased from 2007 to 2016 to 722,943 DDDs from outpatient prescriptions, mainly oral preparations and rabeprazole, and to 827,747 DDDs for inpatients, mainly injection formulations and omeprazole. Luo 2018 Go to paper on PubMed

Economic evaluations

• The copper intrauterine device was more cost-effective as emergency contraception in the USA than ulipristal acetate, oral levonorgestrel or oral levonorgestrel plus same-day levonorgestrel IUD, with an ICER of $1957 per additional pregnancy prevented compared with ulipristal acetate. Bellows 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found that telemedicine was cost-effective for screening for retinopathy in patients with diabetes, with an ICER between $113 and £3328/QALY. Lee 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Investing $1.50 per head per year for prevention in countries with highest non-communicable disease rates could have benefit-cost ratio of 5.6 for economic returns, 10.9 for social returns. Bertram 2018 Go to paper on PubMed 
• A polypill with aspirin, statin and two antihypertensives is cost-effective in India for secondary prevention of CVD, either cost-saving or costing $75 per 10% increase in adherence. Singh 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Combined mifepristone and misoprostol is likely to be more cost-effective for second trimester induced abortion than misoprostol alone in South Africa, costing $298 per complete abortion. Lince-Deroche 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Oral antiviral drugs can be cost-saving and increase QALYs in patients with hepatitis C infection in Japan by preventing liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Younossi 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found sparse evidence that suggested that the benefits of integrated vector management in urban settings outweigh the costs for dengue, leishmaniasis and malaria. Marcos-Marcos 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Real-time continuous blood glucose monitoring is not cost-effective in type 1 or 2 diabetes in Spain, with an ICER of €180,552/QALY gained compared with standard self-monitoring. Garcia-Lorenzo 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Combined insulin degludec and liraglutide (IDegLira) increased QALYs and reduced costs compared with insulin glargine U100 plus insulin aspart in patients in the US with type 2 diabetes not meeting targets on basal insulin. Dempsey 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Increased use of oral eliglustat to 44% of the market for Gaucher disease type 1 in the US would lead to cost savings per member per month of $0.025. Nalysnyk 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Cognitive behavioural therapy is cost-effective for psychosis in schizophrenia when delivered by non-physician therapists in Canada, with an ICER of $21,520/QALY gained compared with usual care alone; CBT from physicians was dominated as it was no more effective and more costly. Health Quality Ontario 2018 Go to paper on PubMed

Studies reporting mortality

• Survival to discharge after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest was 8.6% in children under 17 years of age in 7 Asian countries in 2009-2012. Tham 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• All-cause mortality after acute heart failure in Spain was 7.8% during admission, 10.2% at 30 days and 30.3% at 1 year, mean length of admission was 9.3 days. Llorens 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• An international study found 2-year, risk-adjusted mortality rates between 5.1% and 10.5% after non-STE acute coronary syndrome, with wide variations in use of angiography, PCI, CABG and dual antiplatelet therapy. Bueno 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mortality and serious adverse events associated with prescription opioid use in the USA was mainly explained by relative potency, highest with hydromorphone (8.02 events per 100 mg equivalent morphine) lowest with tapentadol (0.27 events/100 mg morphine equivalent). Murphy 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Hospital mortality after resuscitated out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in acute coronary syndrome in the UK ranged from 10.7% to 66.3% with a mean value of 28.7% in 2003-2015; early reperfusion after STEMI was the key  modifiable factor. Couper 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• All-cause mortality was similar in patients with COPD in the ECLIPSE cohort assessed with the 2011 vs the 2017 GOLD criteria: 16% in group B, 18% in group D. Faner 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• After propensity score matching, men aged less than 50 years having radical prostatectomy for locally advanced prostate cancer in the USA had significantly higher cancer-specific mortality than older men. Sheng 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Case fatality in patients admitted to ICU in Saudi Arabia with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) was 75%, with high comorbidity rates from diabetes (52%), hypertension (46%) and chronic renal disease (21%). Garout 2018 Go to paper on PubMed