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Mendoza-Jiménez MJ, van Exel J, Brouwer W. On spillovers in economic evaluations: definition, mapping review and research agenda. THE EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH ECONOMICS : HEPAC : HEALTH ECONOMICS IN PREVENTION AND CARE 2024; 25:1239-1260. [PMID: 38261132 PMCID: PMC11377364 DOI: 10.1007/s10198-023-01658-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
An important issue in economic evaluations is determining whether all relevant impacts are considered, given the perspective chosen for the analysis. Acknowledging that patients are not isolated individuals has important implications in this context. Increasingly, the term "spillovers" is used to label consequences of health interventions on others. However, a clear definition of spillovers is lacking, and as a result, the scope of the concept remains unclear. In this study, we aim to clarify the concept of spillovers by proposing a definition applicable in health economic evaluations. To illustrate the implications of this definition, we highlight the diversity of potential spillovers through an expanded impact inventory and conduct a mapping review that outlines the evidence base for the different types of spillovers. In the context of economic evaluations of health interventions, we define spillovers as all impacts from an intervention on all parties or entities other than the users of the intervention under evaluation. This definition encompasses a broader range of potential costs and effects, beyond informal caregivers and family members. The expanded impact inventory enables a systematic approach to identifying broader impacts of health interventions. The mapping review shows that the relevance of different types of spillovers is context-specific. Some spillovers are regularly included in economic evaluations, although not always recognised as such, while others are not. A consistent use of the term "spillovers", improved measurement of these costs and effects, and increased transparency in reporting them are still necessary. To that end, we propose a research agenda.
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Affiliation(s)
- María J Mendoza-Jiménez
- Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM), Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
- Erasmus Centre for Health Economics Rotterdam (EsCHER), Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
- Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Humanísticas, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL), Guayaquil, Ecuador.
| | - Job van Exel
- Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM), Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Erasmus Centre for Health Economics Rotterdam (EsCHER), Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Werner Brouwer
- Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM), Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Erasmus Centre for Health Economics Rotterdam (EsCHER), Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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Bailey C, Dalziel K, Jones R, Hiscock H, Devlin NJ, Peasgood T. The Validity of the EuroQol Health and Wellbeing Short Version (EQ-HWB-S) Instrument in Parents of Children With and Without Health Conditions. PHARMACOECONOMICS 2024; 42:163-179. [PMID: 38238605 PMCID: PMC11168993 DOI: 10.1007/s40273-024-01351-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The EuroQol Health and Wellbeing Short Version (EQ-HWB-S) instrument has been developed to measure the health and wellbeing of care-recipients and their caregivers for use in economic evaluation.The EQ-HWB-S has nine items, and pilot UK preference weights have now been developed. OBJECTIVE We aimed to investigate the validity of the instrument in parents of children with and without health conditions. METHODS EQ-HWB-S data were sourced from an Australian paediatric multi-instrument comparison study. We analysed the baseline characteristics and response distribution of the EQ-HWB-S items. Assessment of known-group validity was conducted for EQ-HWB-S items, level sum-scores and preference-weighted scores, including partial effects. Known-group analyses included three child health variables and where caregivers reported coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had impacted their wellbeing. We included analyses across gender, controlled for child and parent demographic variables, and compared scores across child health conditions. RESULTS Item responses were distributed as expected, with higher skew for mobility and activities. Parents experienced high levels of exhaustion. We detected significant differences between groups for level sum-scores and preference-weighted scores, as hypothesised; all tests were significant (p < 0.001), with moderate effect sizes (effect sizes were slightly higher for female than male parents). The regression analysis identified significantly different EQ-HWB-S scores for child health samples compared with the general population after controlling for demographic variables. Differences were observed between child health conditions. CONCLUSION The EQ-HWB-S is a useful instrument to measure parent quality of life for economic evaluation in this population. Data were limited to one time point; further research should investigate the instrument's sensitivity to change and test-retest reliability in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cate Bailey
- Melbourne Health Economics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Level 4, 207 Bouverie St, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia.
| | - Kim Dalziel
- Melbourne Health Economics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Level 4, 207 Bouverie St, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia
| | - Renee Jones
- Melbourne Health Economics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Level 4, 207 Bouverie St, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia
| | - Harriet Hiscock
- Health Services and Economics, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Health Services Research Unit, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Nancy J Devlin
- Melbourne Health Economics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Level 4, 207 Bouverie St, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia
| | - Tessa Peasgood
- Melbourne Health Economics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Level 4, 207 Bouverie St, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia
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Henry E, Cullinan J. Addressing the distributional consequences of spillovers in health economic evaluation: A prioritarian approach. HEALTH ECONOMICS 2024; 33:764-778. [PMID: 38185789 DOI: 10.1002/hec.4796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
Health spillovers arise when an individual's serious illness affects those close to them emotionally, psychologically, and/or physically. As a result, healthcare interventions that improve the lives of patients may also confer wider health benefits. However, contrary to widespread calls for health spillovers to be included in health economic evaluation, others have argued this could have adverse distributional consequences and equity implications. This paper presents a novel approach to spillover inclusion in health economic evaluation using a 'prioritarian transformation' of health gains that allows these equity concerns to be addressed. Affording greater weight to the incremental change in patient outcomes when incorporating carer/family health spillovers into resource allocation decisions, the method provides a feasible means of moderating the distributional impact of spillover inclusion. It also introduces a normative, theoretical perspective to a largely empirical extant literature and, as such, its axiomatic basis is examined. Finally, an illustrative example of the approach is presented to demonstrate its application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward Henry
- J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - John Cullinan
- J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
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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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Henry E, Al-Janabi H, Brouwer W, Cullinan J, Engel L, Griffin S, Hulme C, Kingkaew P, Lloyd A, Payakachat N, Pennington B, Peña-Longobardo LM, Prosser LA, Shah K, Ungar WJ, Wilkinson T, Wittenberg E. Recommendations for Emerging Good Practice and Future Research in Relation to Family and Caregiver Health Spillovers in Health Economic Evaluations: A Report of the SHEER Task Force. PHARMACOECONOMICS 2024; 42:343-362. [PMID: 38041698 PMCID: PMC10861630 DOI: 10.1007/s40273-023-01321-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Omission of family and caregiver health spillovers from the economic evaluation of healthcare interventions remains common practice. When reported, a high degree of methodological inconsistency in incorporating spillovers has been observed. AIM To promote emerging good practice, this paper from the Spillovers in Health Economic Evaluation and Research (SHEER) task force aims to provide guidance on the incorporation of family and caregiver health spillovers in cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analysis. SHEER also seeks to inform the basis for a spillover research agenda and future practice. METHODS A modified nominal group technique was used to reach consensus on a set of recommendations, representative of the views of participating subject-matter experts. Through the structured discussions of the group, as well as on the basis of evidence identified during a review process, recommendations were proposed and voted upon, with voting being held over two rounds. RESULTS This report describes 11 consensus recommendations for emerging good practice. SHEER advocates for the incorporation of health spillovers into analyses conducted from a healthcare/health payer perspective, and more generally inclusive perspectives such as a societal perspective. Where possible, spillovers related to displaced/foregone activities should be considered, as should the distributional consequences of inclusion. Time horizons ought to be sufficient to capture all relevant impacts. Currently, the collection of primary spillover data is preferred and clear justification should be provided when using secondary data. Transparency and consistency when reporting on the incorporation of health spillovers are crucial. In addition, given that the evidence base relating to health spillovers remains limited and requires much development, 12 avenues for future research are proposed. CONCLUSIONS Consideration of health spillovers in economic evaluations has been called for by researchers and policymakers alike. Accordingly, it is hoped that the consensus recommendations of SHEER will motivate more widespread incorporation of health spillovers into analyses. The developing nature of spillover research necessitates that this guidance be viewed as an initial roadmap, rather than a strict checklist. Moreover, there is a need for balance between consistency in approach, where valuable in a decision making context, and variation in application, to reflect differing decision maker perspectives and to support innovation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward Henry
- J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland.
| | - Hareth Al-Janabi
- Health Economics Unit, Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Werner Brouwer
- Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - John Cullinan
- J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Lidia Engel
- Monash University Health Economics Group, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Susan Griffin
- Centre for Health Economics, University of York, York, UK
| | - Claire Hulme
- Institute of Health Research, University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, UK
| | - Pritaporn Kingkaew
- Health Intervention and Technology Assessment Program (HITAP), Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | | | - Nalin Payakachat
- Division of Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Policy, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Becky Pennington
- School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | | | - Lisa A Prosser
- Susan B. Meister Child Health Evaluation and Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Koonal Shah
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, London, UK
| | - Wendy J Ungar
- The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute/University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Thomas Wilkinson
- Health Economics Unit, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Eve Wittenberg
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
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Desrosiers A, Schafer C, Bond L, Akinsulure-Smith A, Hinton M, Vandi A, Betancourt TS. Exploring potential mental health spillover effects among caregivers and partners of youth in Sierra Leone: A qualitative study. Glob Ment Health (Camb) 2023; 10:e40. [PMID: 37854398 PMCID: PMC10579673 DOI: 10.1017/gmh.2023.36] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Given the large mental health treatment gap in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly in post-conflict settings like Sierra Leone, and the limited healthcare infrastructure, understanding the wider benefits of evidence-based mental health interventions within households is critical. This study explored potential mental health spillover effects - the phenomenon of beneficial effects among nonparticipants - among cohabitating caregivers and partners of youth who participated in an evidence-based mental health intervention in Sierra Leone. We recruited a sub-sample of cohabitating caregivers and partners (N = 20) of youth intervention participants; caregivers had enrolled in a larger study investigating indirect benefits of the evidence-based intervention in Sierra Leone (MH117359). Qualitative interviews were conducted at two time points to explore the following: (a) potential mental health spillover effects and (b) through which mechanisms spillover may have occurred. Two trained coders reviewed transcripts and analyzed qualitative data, assisted by MaxQDA. Qualitative findings suggested that spillover effects likely occurred and supported three potential mechanisms: decreased caregiving burden, behavior changes among Youth Readiness Intervention participants and improved interpersonal relationships. Mental health spillover effects may occur following youth intervention participation in a post-conflict LMIC. Investing in evidence-based services may offer indirect benefits that extend beyond those directly receiving services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alethea Desrosiers
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Carolyn Schafer
- Institute for Public Health and Medicine, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Laura Bond
- Boston College School of Social Work, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Alpha Vandi
- Caritas Sierra Leone, Freetown, Sierra Leone
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