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Lathe J, Silverwood RJ, Hughes AD, Patalay P. Examining how well economic evaluations capture the value of mental health. Lancet Psychiatry 2024; 11:221-230. [PMID: 38281493 DOI: 10.1016/s2215-0366(23)00436-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
Health economics evidence informs health-care decision making, but the field has historically paid insufficient attention to mental health. Economic evaluations in health should define an appropriate scope for benefits and costs and how to value them. This Health Policy provides an overview of these processes and considers to what extent they capture the value of mental health. We suggest that although current practices are both transparent and justifiable, they have distinct limitations from the perspective of mental health. Most social value judgements, such as the exclusion of interindividual outcomes and intersectoral costs, diminish the value of improving mental health, and this reduction in value might be disproportionate compared with other types of health. Economic analyses might have disadvantaged interventions that improve mental health compared with physical health, but research is required to test the size of such differential effects and any subsequent effect on decision-making systems such as health technology assessment systems. Collaboration between health economics and the mental health sciences is crucial for achieving mental-physical health parity in evaluative frameworks and, ultimately, improving population mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Lathe
- MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, Department of Population Science and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Population Health Sciences, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Richard J Silverwood
- Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Social Research Institute, Institute of Education, Faculty of Education and Society, University College London, London, UK
| | - Alun D Hughes
- MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, Department of Population Science and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Population Health Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - Praveetha Patalay
- MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, Department of Population Science and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Population Health Sciences, University College London, London, UK; Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Social Research Institute, Institute of Education, Faculty of Education and Society, University College London, London, UK
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Stanic T, Saygin Avsar T, Gomes M. Economic Evaluations of Digital Health Interventions for Children and Adolescents: Systematic Review. J Med Internet Res 2023; 25:e45958. [PMID: 37921844 PMCID: PMC10656663 DOI: 10.2196/45958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Digital health interventions (DHIs) are defined as digital technologies such as digital health applications and information and communications technology systems (including SMS text messages) implemented to meet health objectives. DHIs implemented using various technologies, ranging from electronic medical records to videoconferencing systems and mobile apps, have experienced substantial growth and uptake in recent years. Although the clinical effectiveness of DHIs for children and adolescents has been relatively well studied, much less is known about the cost-effectiveness of these interventions. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to systematically review economic evaluations of DHIs for pediatric and adolescent populations. This study also reviewed methodological issues specific to economic evaluations of DHIs to inform future research priorities. METHODS We conducted a database search in PubMed from 2011 to 2021 using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) checklist. In total, 2 authors independently screened the titles and abstracts of the search results to identify studies eligible for full-text review. We generated a data abstraction procedure based on recommendations from the Panel on Cost-Effectiveness in Health and Medicine. The types of economic evaluations included in this review were cost-effectiveness analyses (costs per clinical effect), cost-benefit analyses (costs and effects expressed in monetary terms as net benefit), and cost-utility analyses (cost per quality-adjusted life year or disability-adjusted life year). Narrative analysis was used to synthesize the quantitative data because of heterogeneity across the studies. We extracted methodological issues related to study design, analysis framework, cost and outcome measurement, and methodological assumptions regarding the health economic evaluation. RESULTS We included 22 articles assessing the cost-effectiveness of DHI interventions for children and adolescents. Most articles (14/22, 64%) evaluated interventions delivered through web-based portals or SMS text messaging, most frequently within the health care specialties of mental health and maternal, newborn, and child health. In 82% (18/22) of the studies, DHIs were found to be cost-effective or cost saving compared with the nondigital standard of care. The key drivers of cost-effectiveness included population coverage, cost components, intervention effect size and scale-up, and study perspective. The most frequently identified methodological challenges were related to study design (17/22, 77%), costing (11/22, 50%), and economic modeling (9/22, 41%). CONCLUSIONS This is the first systematic review of economic evaluations of DHIs targeting pediatric and adolescent populations. We found that most DHIs (18/22, 82%) for children and adolescents were cost-effective or cost saving compared with the nondigital standard of care. In addition, this review identified key methodological challenges directly related to the conduct of economic evaluations of DHIs and highlighted areas where further methodological research is required to address these challenges. These included the need for measurement of user involvement and indirect effects of DHIs and the development of children-specific, generic quality-of-life outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tijana Stanic
- Department of Applied Health Research, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Tuba Saygin Avsar
- Department of Applied Health Research, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Manuel Gomes
- Department of Applied Health Research, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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Thai TTH, Engel L, Perez JK, Tan EJ, Eades S, Sanci L, Mihalopoulos C. A systematic review of health state utility values and psychometric performance of generic preference-based instruments for children and adolescents with mental health problems. Qual Life Res 2023; 32:3005-3026. [PMID: 37237136 PMCID: PMC10522744 DOI: 10.1007/s11136-023-03441-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
AIMS This paper aims to systematically identify reported health state utility values (HSUVs) in children and adolescents with mental health problems (MHPs) aged less than 25 years; to summarise the techniques used to elicit HSUVs; and to examine the psychometric performance of the identified multi-attribute utility instruments (MAUIs) used in this space. METHODS A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Peer-reviewed studies published in English, reporting HSUVs for children and adolescents with MHPs using direct or indirect valuation methods were searched in six databases. RESULTS We found 38 studies reporting HSUVs for 12 types of MHPs across 12 countries between 2005 and October 2021. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression are the most explored MHPs. Disruptive Behaviour Disorder was associated with the lowest reported HSUVs of 0.06 while cannabis use disorder was associated with the highest HSUVs of 0.88. Indirect valuation method through the use of MAUIs (95% of included studies) was the most frequently used approach, while direct valuation methods (Standard Gamble, Time Trade-Off) were only used to derive HSUVs in ADHD. This review found limited evidence of the psychometric performance of MAUIs used in children and adolescents with MHPs. CONCLUSION This review provides an overview of HSUVs of various MHPs, the current practice to generate HSUVs, and the psychometric performance of MAUIs used in children and adolescents with MHPs. It highlights the need for more rigorous and extensive psychometric assessments to produce evidence on the suitability of MAUIs used in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thao T H Thai
- Monash University Health Economics Group, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Level 4, 553 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia.
| | - Lidia Engel
- Monash University Health Economics Group, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Level 4, 553 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia
| | - Joahna Kevin Perez
- Monash University Health Economics Group, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Level 4, 553 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia
| | - Eng Joo Tan
- Monash University Health Economics Group, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Level 4, 553 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia
| | - Sandra Eades
- Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Population and Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, 780 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
| | - Lena Sanci
- Department of General Practice, Melbourne Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, 780 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
| | - Cathrine Mihalopoulos
- Monash University Health Economics Group, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Level 4, 553 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia
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Victory E, Rhiannon ET, Girvan B, Pauline A, Cynthia PM. Cost-effectiveness Analysis of the Dental RECUR Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial: Evaluating a Goal-oriented Talking Intervention to Prevent Reoccurrence of Dental Caries in Children. APPLIED HEALTH ECONOMICS AND HEALTH POLICY 2022; 20:431-445. [PMID: 35298778 PMCID: PMC9021113 DOI: 10.1007/s40258-022-00720-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The formation of dental caries is the most common chronic disease in children, and is preventable. The oral health-related quality of life has an immense impact on an individual's daily functioning, well-being or overall quality of life. OBJECTIVES This study aims to investigate the cost effectiveness of the Dental RECUR Brief Negotiated Interview for Oral Health (DR-BNI). This 30-minute therapeutic "talk" by a dental nurse with a parent/guardian was compared with a placebo-controlled intervention in preventing reoccurrence of dental caries in children who have had a primary tooth extracted. METHODS An economic model was developed to simulate the clinical progression of dental caries among children who have previously had a primary tooth extracted. The analysis was conducted using the UK NHS perspective. The main outcome was the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) based on the quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Estimates of costs and probabilities were obtained from the DR-BNI multicentre randomised controlled trial (RCT), while QALY values were obtained from published literature. Univariate and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the uncertainty of the result and robustness of the model. Affordability and risk-aversion of the intervention were investigated to help decision makers make the best possible choices. RESULTS With an intervention cost of £6.47, the results from the RCT showed the healthcare cost for the DR-BNI intervention was £115.90 per child while the control had a healthcare cost of £119.46 per child. The QALYs gained for the prevention of reoccurrence of dental caries was higher in the DR-BNI intervention arm by 0.023 QALYs; thus, the DR-BNI was the dominant intervention. At willingness to pay threshold of £3500/QALY gained, a maximum probability of being cost effectiveness is achieved at 86%. The secondary analysis showed a cost-savings of £20.94 per participant for the prevention of at least one filling or extraction. Affordability results showed that the DR-BNI programme is affordable to the UK health system at a moderately low budget. CONCLUSIONS This study shows the proactive talking intervention to have a very moderate cost and to be effective in providing better health related quality-of-life gains. The intervention is cost savings with a dominant ICER even with a 200% increase in the cost of intervention. The NHS will be providing better oral health for children at a better net monetary benefit-to-risk ratio by adopting the DR-BNI intervention in preventing the reoccurrence of dental fillings and extractions for each participant. TRIAL REGISTRATION This trial was registered prospectively on 27th September 2013 with the trial registration number ISRCTN 24958829.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ezeofor Victory
- Centre for Health Economics and Medicines Evaluations, Bangor University, Bangor, UK.
| | - Edwards T Rhiannon
- Centre for Health Economics and Medicines Evaluations, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
| | - Burnside Girvan
- Department of Health Data Science, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Adair Pauline
- School of Psychology, Queen's University, Belfast, UK
| | - Pine M Cynthia
- School of Psychology, Queen's University, Belfast, UK
- Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, Salford, England
- Kippax Design Ltd, Colchester, Essex, UK
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Bachmann CJ, Beecham J, O'Connor TG, Briskman J, Scott S. A good investment: longer-term cost savings of sensitive parenting in childhood. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2022; 63:78-87. [PMID: 34187093 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Good quality parenting in early childhood is reliably associated with positive mental and physical health over the lifespan. The hypothesis that early parenting quality has significant long-term financial benefits has not been previously tested. METHODS Design: Longitudinal study with follow-up from 2012 to 2016. SETTING UK multicentre study cohort (London, South-East England). PARTICIPANTS 174 young people drawn from 2 samples, one at moderate risk of poor outcomes and one at high risk, assessed aged 4-6 years then followed up in early adolescence (mean age 12.1 years). MEASURES The primary outcome was total costs: health, social care, extra school support, out-of-home placements and family-born expenditure, determined through semistructured economic interviews. Early parenting quality was independently assessed through direct observation of parent-child interaction. RESULTS Costs were lower for youths exposed to more sensitive parenting (most sensitive quartile mean £1,619, least sensitive quartile mean £21,763; p < .001). Costs were spread across personal family expenditure and education, health, social and justice services. The cost difference remained significant after controlling for several potential confounders. These included demographic variables (family poverty, parental education); exposure to child abuse; and child/young person variables including level of antisocial behaviour in both childhood and adolescence, IQ and attachment security. CONCLUSIONS This study is the first showing that more sensitive early parental care predicts lower costs to society many years later, independent of poverty, child and youth antisocial behaviour levels and IQ. Savings are likely to increase as individuals grow older since early parenting quality predicts health, behavioural and occupational outcomes in adulthood. The findings provide novel evidence for the public health impact of early caregiving quality and likely financial benefits of improving it.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jennifer Beecham
- London School of Economics and Personal Social Services Research Unit, Cornwallis Central, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, UK
| | - Thomas G O'Connor
- Departments of Psychiatry, Psychology, Neuroscience, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wynne Center for Family Research, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Jackie Briskman
- National Academy for Parenting Research, King's College London, London, UK.,Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Stephen Scott
- National Academy for Parenting Research, King's College London, London, UK.,Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
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Barbot B. Transition & Development. New Dir Child Adolesc Dev 2020; 2020:7-10. [PMID: 33017093 DOI: 10.1002/cad.20373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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van IJzendoorn MH, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ. Problematic cost-utility analysis of interventions for behavior problems in children and adolescents. New Dir Child Adolesc Dev 2020; 2020:89-102. [PMID: 32909695 PMCID: PMC7590126 DOI: 10.1002/cad.20360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Cost–utility analyses are slowly becoming part of randomized control trials evaluating physical and mental health treatments and (preventive) interventions in child and adolescent development. The British National Institute of Health and Care Excellence, for example, insists on the use of gains in Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) to compute the “value for money” of interventions. But what counts as a gain in quality of life? For one of the most widely used instruments, the EuroQol 5 Dimensions scale (EQ‐5D), QALYs are estimated by healthy individuals who provide utility scores for specific health states, assuming that the best life is a life without self‐experienced problems in five domains: mobility, self‐care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. The worst imaginable outcome is defined as “a lot of problems” in each of these five domains. The impact of the individual's problems on the social network is not weighted, and important social–developmental domains (externalizing problems, social competence) are missing. Current cost–utility computations based on EQ‐5D favor physical health over mental health, and they rely on adult weights for child and adolescent quality of life. Thus, a level playing field is absent, and developmental expertise is sorely missing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marinus H van IJzendoorn
- Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.,University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Barbot B, Hein S, Trentacosta C, Beckmann JF, Bick J, Crocetti E, Liu Y, Rao SF, Liew J, Overbeek G, Ponguta LA, Scheithauer H, Super C, Arnett J, Bukowski W, Cook TD, Côté J, Eccles JS, Eid M, Hiraki K, Johnson M, Juang L, Landi N, Leckman J, McCardle P, Mulvey KL, Piquero AR, Preiss DD, Siegler R, Soenens B, Yousafzai AK, Bornstein MH, Cooper CR, Goossens L, Harkness S, van IJzendoorn MH. Manifesto for new directions in developmental science. New Dir Child Adolesc Dev 2020; 2020:135-149. [PMID: 32960503 DOI: 10.1002/cad.20359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Although developmental science has always been evolving, these times of fast-paced and profound social and scientific changes easily lead to disorienting fragmentation rather than coherent scientific advances. What directions should developmental science pursue to meaningfully address real-world problems that impact human development throughout the lifespan? What conceptual or policy shifts are needed to steer the field in these directions? The present manifesto is proposed by a group of scholars from various disciplines and perspectives within developmental science to spark conversations and action plans in response to these questions. After highlighting four critical content domains that merit concentrated and often urgent research efforts, two issues regarding "how" we do developmental science and "what for" are outlined. This manifesto concludes with five proposals, calling for integrative, inclusive, transdisciplinary, transparent, and actionable developmental science. Specific recommendations, prospects, pitfalls, and challenges to reach this goal are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baptiste Barbot
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute, UCLouvain, Belgium & Yale Child Study Center, Yale University, USA
| | | | | | | | - Johanna Bick
- Department of Psychology, University of Houston, USA
| | | | | | | | - Jeffrey Liew
- Department of Educational Psychology, Texas A&M University, USA
| | | | | | | | - Charles Super
- Department of Human Development and Family Sciences & Center for the Study of Culture, Health, and Human Development, University of Connecticut, USA
| | | | | | - Thomas D Cook
- GW Institute of Public Policy, George Washington University & Northwestern University, USA
| | - James Côté
- Department of Sociology, University of Western Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Michael Eid
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
| | - Kazuo Hiraki
- Department of General Systems Studies, University of Tokyo, Japan
| | | | | | - Nicole Landi
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, USA
| | | | - Peggy McCardle
- Haskins Laboratories & Peggy McCardle Consulting, LLC, USA
| | | | | | - David D Preiss
- Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Chile
| | | | - Bart Soenens
- Department of Developmental, Personality, and Social Psychology, Ghent University, Belgium
| | - Aisha Khizar Yousafzai
- Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, USA
| | | | | | - Luc Goossens
- School Psychology and Development, KU Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sara Harkness
- Center for the Study of Culture, Health, and Human Development and Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Connecticut, USA
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