Published: 02-02-2021

We update the heoro.com database every day with new studies relevant to health economics and outcomes research identified from a systematic search of the PubMed database.

This blog summarises a few of the more interesting papers that were added throughout February 2021.

Studies reporting utility values

• SF-36 scores were reduced in people with rheumatoid arthritis in clinical remission who had MRI-assessed wrist or hand damage but not inflammation. Glinatsi 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• Although markers of disease activity have improved over time in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in the UK, mean SF-36 and HAQ scores have not improved substantially. Carpenter 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• The reliability and validity of the 8 domains of the SF-36 were better than those of the SF-12 in adolescents in China. Lin 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• The EQ-5D utility index was validated against the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Assessment Test (CAT) in patients with COPD in South Korea; the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in EQ-5D-3L was 0.028. Bae 2020 Go to paper on PubMed 
• The EQ-5D-5L had better ceiling effects and discriminant activity than the EQ-5D-3L in a general Thai population, but both correlated moderately with the SF-12 and WHOQOL-BREF. Kangwanrattanakul 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found that SF-36 and LupusPRO scores were negatively correlated with disease activity and organ damage in adults with systemic lupus erythematosus. Shi 2021 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found that SF-36 PCS and MCS and Nottingham Health Profile scores improved after coronary artery bypass surgery. Schmidt-RioValle 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mean EQ-5D utility value for HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) was 0.2991 in Brazil and the UK, with values for 130 associated clinical conditions ranging from 0.35 to 0.847. Rosadas 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found no significant improvements in EQ-5D and SF-36 scores from exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation in people with coronary artery disease. McGregor 2020 Go to paper on PubMed

Studies validating a PRO instrument

• The Physician Global Assessment (PGA) has been validated against SLEDAI, SLAM, LAI, BILAG and ECLAM as a marker of quality of life and treatment changes in SLE. Chessa 2020 Go to paper on PubMed 
• The Bladder Cancer Index was validated against the SF-12, EQ-5D, and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General and Bladder (FACT-G and FACT-BL) in patients with bladder cancer in Japan. Osawa 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• International consensus guidelines recommend the Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Obsessive Compulsive Inventory for Children, the Children's Revised Impact of Events Scale, the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale, the KIDSCREEN-10, the Children's Global Assessment Scale, and the Child Anxiety Life Interference Scale as standard outcome measures for child and youth anxiety, depression, OCD and PTSD. Krause 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was validated in patients with cancer in Ethiopia and Germany and compared with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30), and the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory MFI-20. Wondie 2020 Go to paper on PubMed 
• Four crosswalks were developed to allow comparisons between the Oxford Knee Score (OKS), Oxford Hip Score (OHS), Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, Joint Replacement (KOOS JR), and Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, Joint Replacement (HOOS JR) in patients having total knee or hip arthroplasty in the USA. Polascik 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory Observational tool, (CMAI-O, was validated as a  measure of agitation in residents of nursing homes with dementia in the UK. Griffiths 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Spanish Chronic Otitis Media questionnaire (COMQ-12) was validated in adults with chronic otitis media in Colombia. Otoya-Tono 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• The EORTC QLQ-C30 was found to fit a unidimensional scale with adequate discrimination in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer in Cuba. Viada 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review identified 121 PRO instruments for medication adherence and summarised their measurement properties. Kwan 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Activities Scale for Kids-performance was validated after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in adolescents and children in Germany and Austria. Lawitschka 2021 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Side Effects of Peanut Oral Immunotherapy Diary (SEPOD) was developed for use in children with peanut allergy in the USA and their caregivers. Turner-Bowker 2021 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Edmonton-33 functional outcomes questionnaire was validated against the EORTC QLQ-H&N35, Speech Handicap Index and MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory in patients with head and neck cancer in Canada, Finland and the USA. Mendez 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Severe Respiratory Insufficiency Questionnaire (SRI) was validated against the SF-36 in patients receiving long-term home mechanical ventilation in Hungary. Valko 2020 Go to paper on PubMed 
• The Recovery Enhancing Environment (REE) was validated as a measure of recovery and the recovery orientation of mental health services in people with severe mental disorders in Spain. Uriarte 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Ageism scale for dental students was validated in dental students in Romania. Veenstra 2021 Go to paper on PubMed

Other PRO studies

• A scoping review found that cognitive behavioural therapy was effective at improving fatigue in chronic fatigue syndrome, but rehabilitation and activity pacing gave inconsistent results. Mengshoel 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found that the most commonly-used PRO tools for myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukaemia were the EORTC QLQ-C30, FACT-An, SF-36 and EQ-5D. Stauder 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found that patient satisfaction with orthopaedic care was similar in those receiving telemedicine care compared with in-person visits. Chaudhry 2021 Go to paper on PubMed
• EORTC QLQ-C30 scores were not significantly different in patients with cancer in Denmark during COVID-19 pandemic compared with the Danish 'Barometer study', but fears of COVID-19 meant 9% of patients had not sought medical attention. Jeppesen 2021 Go to paper on PubMed
• An umbrella review of reviews concluded that periodontal disease is associated with worse quality of life. Wong 2021 Go to paper on PubMed
• One in four patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in the USA had major depression based on Patient Health Questionnaire 8 scores, which adversely affected PROMIS quality of life scores. Dietz 2021 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review concluded that periodontitis increases Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) scores by 4.2 points overall. Pasnik-Chwalik 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found that cognitive behavioural therapy significantly improved depression scores in pregnant women compared with control groups, with long-term benefits. Shortis 2020 Go to paper on PubMed

Studies reporting costs and resource use

• Over a  mean 4.4 years, 34% of home-dwelling adults with dementia in Norway were admitted to nursing homes and 53% died; median time from diagnosis to nursing home admission was 2.28 years. Mjorud 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• Total long-term Medicare spending was similar in people with type 2 diabetes in the USA who received an intensive lifestyle intervention compared with usual care Huckfeldt 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• Adopting Avapritinib for unresectable gastrointestinal stromal tumours in the USA would cost $0.010 per member per month overall over 3 years. Proudman 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• In patients with subacromial pain syndrome, healthcare resource use and costs were not associated with improvement in Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) score after 1 year. Clewley 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• In New Zealand in 2016, 24% of inpatient admissions involved a major infection risking sepsis, with a median cost of $10,381 per episode and up to 26% 30-day readmission rate. Huggan 2021 Go to paper on PubMed
• Healthcare costs for pregnant women in Nigeria ranged from US$494 for normal vaginal delivery with mild COVID-19 to US$4553 for emergency Caesarian delivery with severe COVID-19; costs were 2 to 3-times higher than before the pandemic. Banke-Thomas 2021 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found the global medical costs of back pain were $365bn, osteoarthritis was $460bn and stroke was $28bn. Lo 2021 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mean annual direct and indirect costs of glioma in the UK and Netherlands were €20,587 for patients (higher with increasing depression), and €5581 for caregivers (higher with increasing fatigue). Boele 2020 Go to paper on PubMed 
• Total costs associated with heart failure were €15,373 per person between 2015 to 2019 in Spain, 75.8% of which was due to CVD hospitalisations and 7% to medication. Escobar 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• Direct costs of treatment for mucosal leishmaniasis in Brazil were US$167.66 per patient with outpatient meglumine antimoniate, US$259.92 with outpatient miltefosine and US$715.35 with inpatient amphotericin B. Carvalho 2021 Go to paper on PubMed
• The proportion of workers who reported having been adversely affected by having to cover for colleagues or being involved in occupational accidents due to their colleague's drinking ranged from 1% in New Zealand to 16% in Thailand. Laslett 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found estimates of annual direct costs per patient with bipolar disorder to be between $881 and $27,617, and indirect costs ranged from $1,568 to $116,062. Kraiss 2020 Go to paper on PubMed

Economic evaluations

• Surgery for advanced laryngeal cancer was cost-effective in the Netherlands compared with organ preservation chemoradiotherapy, with an ICER of €42,383/QALY gained. Beck 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• Two-duct ligation is more cost-effective than botulinum toxin A in children and adolescents with drooling due to cerebral palsy and other neurological disorders in the Netherlands, with an ICER of €34 per 1% gain in treatment success. Bekkers 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• Purchasing additional intensive care supply for hospitalised patients with COVID-19 is not cost-effective in South Africa, with an ICER of ZAR 73,091/DALY averted. Cleary 2021 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Medly telemonitoring system is cost-effective as part of standard care for ambulatory patients with heart failure in Canada, with an ICER of Can$8850/QALY compared with usual care alone. Boodoo 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• Trifluridine/Tipiracil is more cost-effective than regorafenib for third-line or later treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer in Japan, with ICERs of 14,550,577 JPY/QALY and 47,773,791 JPY/QALY. Kashiwa 2020 Go to paper on PubMed

Studies reporting mortality rates or trends

• An international study found older males with comorbidities comprised 55% of COVID-19 deaths in China, 63% in Europe and 47% in North America. Li 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• There will be an estimated 484,429 fatal opioid overdoses in the USA in 2020 to 2029; this could be reduced by 0.3% with 5% decrease in opioid prescribing, 15.4% with more naloxone use and 25.3% with greater treatment of opioid abuse. Ballreich 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• Attributable mortality was higher from postoperative bleeding than from postoperative venous thromboembolism after adjusting for confounding variables in the USA in 2006 to 2017. Bellomy 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mortality from breast, colorectal and lung cancer significantly decreased in states in the USA with Medicaid expansion, but not in those without expansion, with the difference in people diagnosed with non-metastatic cancer, implying earlier diagnosis due to greater screening. Lam 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• The introduction of helmet laws in Vietnam is estimated to have reduced potential years of life lost to traffic mortality by 18/100,000 persons. Phung 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• Crude national mortality rate from COVID-19 in Europe by the end of August 2020 was highest in Belgium (86.3/100,000); standardised mortality rates per 100,000 were 61.6 in Sweden, 50.2 in Italy, 41.4 in the Netherlands, 15.9 in Portugal and 10.1 in Germany. Villani 2020 Go to paper on PubMed 
• Standardised mortality ratios were 1.63 for all patients with SLE in Hungary and 2.09 for those treated for SLE, with more haematological and infection-related deaths but fewer cancer deaths than controls. Kedves 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mortality was 5.2% among children with biliary atresia in the USA awaiting liver transplant in 2002 to 2018; risks increased with bilirubin level, portal vein thrombosis and ventilator dependence. Ziogas 2021 Go to paper on PubMed
• COVID-19 case fatality rates in Chile in March to August 2020 were 4.16% in men and 3.26% in women overall, 56.82% for men aged 80+ years and 41.1% in women 80+ years. Undurraga 2021 Go to paper on PubMed
• Between 1990 and 2017, wars increased age-standardised mortality in civilians by 81.5/100,000 population globally, or 29.4 million deaths; there were 21 million more deaths from communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional diseases, 6 million more non-communicable disease deaths and 2.4 million more deaths from injuries. Jawad 2020 Go to paper on PubMed
• An international RCT of 11,330 hospitalised adults with COVID-19 found no significant reduction in mortality, need for ventilation and length of hospitalisation with remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir, or interferon beta-1a compared with controls. WHO Solidarity Trial Consortium 2020 Go to paper on PubMed