Published: 01-02-2019

The heoro.com database is updated daily from a systematic search of PubMed for studies relevant to health economics and outcomes research. Here, we summarise some of the key papers added each day during February 2019.

Studies reporting utility values

• EQ-5D values were lower in Korean patients with left-sided facial palsy than right-sided, after adjusting for confounding variables. Kim 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The random effects model with interaction model was the most reliable way of modelling SF-6D health state data derived from the UK general population using the standard gamble technique. Kharroubi 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The MACBETH (Measuring Attractiveness by a Categorical Based Evaluation Technique) non-numerical preference elicitation approach correlated better with Time Trade-Off measures of EQ-5D-3L health states in members of the Portuguese general population who had higher numeracy skills. Oliveira 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mean EQ-5D utility values were 57 in women with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction compared with 61 in men (p = 0.01) but similar Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) scores. Faxen 2018 Go to paper on PubMed 
• EQ-5D-5L population norms in US adults were determined on a QALY scale that ranged from -0.287 to 0.992. Craig 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found that utility values in children with cerebral palsy varied from -0.013 to 0.88 depending on the instrument used and the source of utility values (parent, clinician, patient). Tonmukayakul 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• EQ-5D utility values fell from a mean 0.542 at baseline to 0.050 when French inpatients acquired Clostridium difficile infection; associated QALY loss was 0.028 before integrating mortality loss. Barbut 2019 Go to paper on PubMed 

Studies validating a PRO instrument

• The Early childhood oral health impact scale (ECOHIS) was validated against the PedsQL Generic Core and Oral Health scales in parents of children with dental caries, malocclusion and tooth injury in Chile. Zaror 2018 Go to paper on PubMed 
• The Gopen-Yang Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence Questionnaire was developed and validated in patients undergoing surgical repair of superior semicircular canal dehiscence in the USA. Voth 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Questionnaire (GERDQ) and Quality of Life in Reflux and Dyspepsia Questionnaire (QOLRAD) were validated against the SF-36 in people with dyspepsia and GERD in Malaysia. Vadivelu 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Disease Burden Morbidity Assessment was validated against Rasch analysis in older adults in Spain. Wijers 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Headache-Attributed Restriction, Disability, Social Handicap and Impaired Participation (HARDSHIP) questionnaire and its HRQoL scale the Headache-Related Quality of Life were validated in children in Lithuania. Genc 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The KINDL-R diabetes module was validated in Tunisian children with type 1 diabetes.Essaddam 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The EORTC QLQ-TC26 module was validated against the EORTC QLQ-C30 in European men with testicular cancer. Sztankay 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The once-daily Urticaria Activity Score (UAS) was validated against the EQ-5D and Chronic Urticaria Quality of Life scale (CU-QoL) in adults with chronic spontaneous urticaria in Spain. Jauregui 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Amharic version of European Organization for Research and Treatment of cervical Cancer module EORTC QLQ-CX24 was validated against the EORTC QLQ-C30 in women with cervical cancer in Ethiopia. Araya 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The HeartQol was validated in patients who had had a myocardial infarction in Iran. Ranjandish 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The DISABKIDS-37 was validated in Colombian children with chronic diseases. Reina-Gambva 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Emotional State Instrument for Dialysis Patients (ES-D) was validated against the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Brief Resilience Scale in patients receiving haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis in Spain. Rodriguez-Rey 2019 Go to paper on PubMed

Other PRO studies

•  A systematic review concluded that there was no consistent improvement in quality of life in patients with type 1 diabetes who were taking insulin glargine compared with NPH insulin. Almeida 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Achieving Hidradenitis Suppurativa Response Score (HiSCR) response after adalimumab or placebo was associated with improved DLQI, pain, hidradenitis suppurativa quality of life and work performance. Kimball 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Depression, measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale, was reported by 33% of single mothers in South Korea and 8% of married mothers, and was linked with higher stress, lower income and alcohol-related problems. Kim 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Kidney Disease Quality of Life-Short Form 36 questionnaire scores were lower in patients undergoing haemodialysis with a reusable dialyser compared with single-use dialyser in Indonesia. Bawazier 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Peer support reduced hospitalisation rates in adults with type 2 diabetes in the USA who had mild depression scores initially but made no significant difference in patients without depression. Cherrington 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Continuous glucose monitoring reduced Hypoglycemia Fear Survey scores in parents of children with type 1 diabetes in Australia compared with conventional monitoring. Buckhardt 2018 Go to paper on PubMed

Studies reporting costs and resource use

• Average daily pill burden was 22 at 3 months and 23 at 12 months after kidney transplant in Australia. Low 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Cost per one-year survivor was €76,212 for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, with 59% still alive, €144,168 for in-hospital cardiac arrest, with 44% still alive and €239,468 for intensive care cardiac arrests, with 39% still alive, in adults in Finland in 2005 to 2013. Efendijev 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• In adults with moderate to severe psoriasis in the USA, annual medication costs were $21,977 for biologics and $3413 for oral systemic therapy in 2014-15; resource use was highest with phototherapy. Armstrong 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer decreased in number by 44% in the USA from 2012 to 2015; minimally invasive approaches reduced complications but increased median costs. Uppal 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The patient-funded cost of care after unsafe abortion (US$81) was higher than legal termination of pregnancy (US$62) for women in Zambia. Moore 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Achieving health equality for elderly African Americans to bring Herpes zoster vaccination rates up to the level seen in White Americans would avert >$180 million over 20 years in lost productivity and treatment costs. Wingate 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Increasing tobacco taxation in Romania in 2009 to 2011 led to a reduction in hospitalisation rates for smoking-related diseases, especially asthma. Ciobanu 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The societal cost of treating adolescent depression in the Netherlands was estimated to be €37.7million per year. Bodden 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mean healthcare costs of alveolar and cystic echinococcosis were €30,832 for inoperable cases and €62,777 for operable cases per patient from diagnosis to 10-year follow-up in Austria in 2012-14. Lotsch 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review concluded that increasing levels of treatment-resistant depression were associated with increasing direct and indirect costs and worse quality of life.  Johnston 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found that the cost per influenza-related episode was US$19 in Korea to US$323 in Germany, and the cost per laboratory-confirmed case was US$64 to US$73. Federici 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Pharmacogenetic testing to guide management was associated with $1,948 lower healthcare costs per 6 months than not testing in US patients with mood disorders. Perlis 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Total healthcare and staff costs were lower in ICU units that had 24-hour access to physiotherapy services than those with 12-hour access in Brazil, with shorter duration of mechanical ventilation and length of ICU stay. Rotta 2018 Go to paper on PubMed 
• A systematic review found evidence that diabetes has a negative impact on labour market participation but did not clarify the impact of comorbidities. Pedron 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• 66% of patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia in France were working at the time of diagnosis; 65% of them had to make modifications to their professional activity due to the CML or adverse events from treatment. De Barros 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mean total healthcare costs per patient with acute myeloid leukaemia in the USA were $386,077 for those receiving treatment ($21,055 per month) and $79,382 ($4,854 per month) for those with a diagnosis of AML but not receiving treatment. Hagiwara 2018 Go to paper on PubMed

Economic evaluations

• Early whole exome sequencing-based gene panel screening in infants with severe epilepsies of infancy is cost-effective compared with usual care in Australia, increasing diagnostic yield, with lower costs per case diagnosed and dominant cost-effectiveness ratio. Howell 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Brodalumab is cost-effective for moderate-to-severe psoriasis in the USA, with a lower cost per PASI 75, 90 and 100 achieved than adalimumab, ixekizumab, secukinumab and ustekinumab. Wu 2018 Go to ppaer on PubMed
• Vaccinating pregnant women with pertussis vaccine can be cost-effective in Japan from a societal perspective, with an ICER of ¥9,149,317/US$83,176 per QALY gained. Hoshi 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• PCSK9 inhibitors are not cost-effective in coronary artery disease in Australia in people intolerant or refractory to statins, with an ICER of AU$308,558 per QALY gained. Kumar 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Diagnosing HIV at birth in Lesotho would cost $8,060 per infected infant identified, 1 in 199 are positive; early HAART could save 8 infant deaths per year. Tchuenche 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A secondary school-based naloxone kit is cost-effective in Canada if there is one or more opioid overdose per year per school with an ICER of <CA$50,000/QALY and a 40% reduction in  mortality. Cipriano 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A loyalty scheme intervention where employees gain points for exercise taken and trade these for rewards was not cost-effective in Northern Ireland; fewer steps were taken than controls over 6 months but there were 2.97 hours less absenteeism per 4 weeks. Hunter 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A 12-week Fit for Life educational program led to a mean 2.7 kg weight loss at a cost of $73 to $171 per kg lost in US adults. McKnight 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Once-daily umeclidinium bromide/vilanterol 62.5/25 mcg was cost-effective compared with once-daily tiotropium/olodaterol 5/5 mcg in patients in Spain with symptomatic COPD, increasing QALYs at lower cost. Driessen 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Adding rivaroxaban to aspirin is cost-effective in patients with stable cardiovascular disease in Australia, with an ICER of AUD$23,560/ life-year saved and AUD$31,436/QALY compared with aspirin alone. Ademi 2018 Go to paper on PubMed

Studies reporting mortality rates or trends

• Survival to hospital discharge after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest increased from 10.9% in 2011-12 to 11.3% in 2014-15 in adults in North America, but variation in survival across sites ranged from 4.2% to 19.8%. Zive 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A higher waist-hip ratio was associated with a higher mortality risk in Scottish women with heart failure (HR 2.23, 95% CI 1.37-3.63; P =0.001) but not in men. Streng 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mortality from Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever was 3.4% in Turkey in 2011-2017. Karakecili 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Social isolation was associated with increased mortality from myocardial infarction (AMI, HR 1.25, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.51) or stroke (HR 1.32, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.61) after adjusting for other risk factors in UK adults. Hakulinen 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Median Frailty Index score was 0.27 in hospitalised elderly patients in Italy; frailty scores predicted in-hospital (OR 1.61, 95%CI 1.38-1.87) and overall (HR 1.46, 95%CI 1.32-1.62) mortality. Cesari 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review of studies published in 2003-2017 found that the main causes of maternal mortality in Iran were haemorrhage (30.7%), hypertensive disorders (17.1%) and circulatory system diseases (8.1%). Zalvand 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• An age-period-cohort mortality model of colorectal cancer in China found that mortality between 1987 and 2016 increased with age and time period but decreased with birth cohorts; mortality decreased in younger and increased in older patients. Liu 2019 Go to paper on PubMed