EQ-5D-5L Value Set for Slovenia

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this valuation study was to produce a value set to support the use of EQ-5D-5L data in decision making in Slovenia.

METHODS

The study design followed the published EuroQol research protocol, and a quota sample was defined according to age, sex, and region. Overall, 1012 adult respondents completed 10 time trade-off and seven discrete choice experiment tasks in face-to-face interviews. The Tobit model was used to analyse the composite time trade-off (cTTO) data in order to generate values for the 3125 EQ-5D-5L health states.

RESULTS

The data showed logical consistency, with more severe states being given lower values. The greatest disutility was shown in the pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression dimensions. In the EQ-5D-5L value set, the values range from -1.09 to 1. With the exception of UA5 (unable to perform usual activities), all other levels on all health dimensions were statistically different from 0 and from each other. Compared with the existing EQ-5D-3L value set, there is a slightly lower share of 'worse than dead' states (32.1% compared with 33.7%) and the minimum value is lower.

CONCLUSIONS

Results have important implications for users of the EQ-5D-5L in Slovenia and regions. It is a robust and up-to-date value set and should be the preferred value set used in adults in Slovenia and in neighbouring countries without their own value set.

Costs and Quality of Life in Patients With Systemic Arterial Hypertension in Slovenia

OBJECTIVES

Systemic arterial hypertension (SAH) is one of the most critical risk factors for morbidity in chronic noncommunicable diseases. The aim of this study was to estimate the costs incurred by and the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) for a sample of patients with AH aged ≥ 65, in 2019.

METHODS

A sample of 142 patients who were taking medicines for SAH was selected from the urban and rural areas. The patients consented to participate in the study. Patients also reported their out-of-pocket expenditures connected to SAH and their HRQoL. HRQoL was measured using generic 5-level version of EQ-5D (EQ-5D-5L) and the disease-specific MINICHAL questionnaires. Descriptive analysis was used to present the results. Calculations were made using R (v4.01) software.

RESULTS

A sample of 141 patients filled out 17-item MINICHAL and 142 filled out the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire. Patients' MINICHAL mood and somatic domain scores were 5.5 and 3.5, respectively. EQ-5D-5L mean index utility score was 0.7 and the mean EQ VAS was 70.9. Pain/discomfort was the most affected health dimension as 60.6% of patients reported having problems. The 2 HRQoL questionnaires are moderately correlated (-0.215). The average annual costs of SAH treatment amounted to €274.3 per patient. The largest share of costs is represented by pharmacological treatment (30.5%) and out-of-pocket expenses (28.2%).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study is the first study in Slovenia to assess the costs incurred by and HRQoL of patients with SAH using bottom-up approach and societal perspective. It offers important input in a decision-analytic model to assess cost-effectiveness of interventions to reduce the burden of SAH.

Slovenia: Health System Review

This analysis of the Slovene health system reviews recent developments in organization and governance, health financing, health care provision, health reforms and health system performance. Slovenia has a statutory health insurance system with a single public insurer, providing almost universal coverage for a broad benefits package, though some services require relatively high levels of co-insurance (called co-payments in Slovenia). To cover these costs, about 95% of the population liable for cost-sharing purchases complementary, voluntary health insurance. Health expenditure per capita and as a share of GDP has increased slightly, but still trails behind the EU average. Among statutory health insurance countries, Slovenia is rather unique in that it relies almost exclusively on payroll contributions to fund its system, making health sector revenues vulnerable to economic and labour market fluctuations, and population ageing. Important organizational changes are underway or have been implemented, especially in prevention, primary, emergency and long-term care. Access to services is generally good, given wide coverage of statutory health insurance. Further, Slovenia has some of the lowest rates of out-of-pocket and catastrophic spending in the EU, due to extensive uptake of complementary voluntary health insurance. Yet long waiting times for some services are a persistent issue. Though population health has improved in the last decades, health inequalities due to gender, social and economic determinants and geography remain an important challenge. There is variation in health care performance indicators, but Slovenia performs comparatively well for its level of health spending overall. As such, there is clear scope to improve health and efficiency, including balancing population needs when planning health service volumes. Recently, the Slovene health care system was overwhelmed by the demand for COVID-19-related care. The pandemicâs longer-term effects are still unknown, but it has significantly impacted on life expectancy in the short-term and resulted in delayed or forgone consultations and treatments for other health issues, and longer waiting times. Additional challenges, which are necessary to address to ensure long-term sustainability, strengthen resiliency and improve the capacity for service delivery and quality of care of the health system include: 1) health workforce planning; 2) outdated facilities; 3) health system performance assessment; and 4) implementation of current LTC reform.

Changes in the level of knowledge of diabetes among elderly with diabetes in Slovenia in the period 2011-2020

AIMS

To achieve better treatment decisions, type 2 diabetes patients need to be empowered also through knowledge increase. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the level of knowledge and overall perceptions of type 2 diabetes within the elderly diabetic patients before and after the National Diabetes Prevention and Care Development Programme 2010-2020.

METHODS

Diabetes knowledge test was used in two cross-sectional studies in 2011 and 2020 where the samples of type 2 diabetes patients 65+ were surveyed. Besides descriptive statistics, non-parametric tests and general linear model were used to compare the level of knowledge.

RESULTS

The comparison reveals that in the last decade the general knowledge about diabetes has not significantly changed (U = 16942, p = 0.809). The average scores in 2011 and 2020 were 7.98 ± 2.41 and 7.96 ± 2.36 respectively. The average level of knowledge has slightly worsened for patients in the age group 80+, while it remained approximately the same in the other three age groups (65-69, 70-74, 75-79).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study has shown that despite the National Diabetes Prevention and Care Development Programme the knowledge of elderly diabetic patients in Slovenia remained at the same level or worsened.

Comparison of Adult and Adolescent Preferences Toward EQ-5D-Y-3L Health States

OBJECTIVES

The international EQ-5D-Y-3L valuation protocol suggests obtaining preferences for EQ-5D-Y-3L health states from a sample of the general adult population. There is discussion around involving children and adolescents in the processes of preference elicitation and decision making. The objective of this study was to compare the preferences for EQ-5D-Y-3L obtained from adolescents for themselves to those of adults considering a hypothetical 10-year-old child in Germany, Slovenia, and Spain.

METHODS

A sample of a minimum of 700 adolescents and 1000 adults in each country was recruited through online panels. An online discrete choice experiment was used to obtain health-state preferences. For the purposes of comparison, all coefficients were rescaled to a 1 (best) to 0 (worst) scale. The differences between preferences in both samples were analyzed via the relative attribute importance of health dimensions from the mixed logit models.

RESULTS

Statistically significant differences between the preferences for EQ-5D-Y-3L states given by the 2 samples were observed in all 3 countries. The overall relative attribute importance was similar between adolescents and adults; adolescents usually gave more importance to mobility and self-care, and less to anxiety/depression. The rank-order of the dimension levels between adults and adolescents differs in all 3 countries.

CONCLUSIONS

Preferences toward EQ-5D-Y-3L states differ if estimated by adults taking the perspective of a child or by the adolescents themselves. Although it seems possible to obtain adolescents' preferences for inclusion in EQ-5D-Y-3L value sets, the desirability and acceptance of their preferences by researchers and decision makers need to be explored further.

Standard set of patient-reported outcomes for personality disorder

PURPOSE

The purpose of the article is to present standard set of outcomes for people with personality disorder (PD), in order to facilitate patient outcome measurement worldwide.

METHODS

The International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) gathered a multidisciplinary international working group, consisting of 16 experts, including clinicians, nurses, psychologists, methodologists and patient representatives, to develop a standard set of outcome measures for people with PD. The Delphi method was used to reach consensus on the scope of the set, outcome domains, outcome measures, case-mix variables and time points for measuring outcomes in service users. For each phase, a project team prepared materials based on systematic literature reviews and consultations with experts.

RESULTS

The working group decided to include PD, as defined by International Classification of Diseases 11th revision (ICD-11). Eleven core outcomes and three optional outcomes across four health domains (mental health, behaviour, functioning and recovery) were defined as those relevant for people with PD. Validated measures for the selected outcomes were selected, some covering more than one outcome. Case-mix variables were aligned to other ICHOM mental health standard sets and consisted of demographic factors and those related to the treatment that people received. The group recommended that most outcomes are measured at baseline and annually.

CONCLUSION

The international minimum standard set of outcomes has the potential to improve clinical decision making through systematic measurement and comparability. This will be key in improving the standard of health care for people with PD across the world.

EQ-5D-Y Value Set for Slovenia

BACKGROUND

A value set for the EuroQoL 5-Dimensions (EQ-5D)-Y in Slovenia is not yet available, making the calculation of quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) for children and adolescents using this generic instrument impossible.

OBJECTIVE

The main objective of our study was to obtain adult preferences towards EQ-5D-Y health states in Slovenia, following the EQ-5D-Y-3L international valuation protocol. The adults were asked to take the perspective of a hypothetical 10-year-old child.

METHOD

A sample of 1074 adults in Slovenia completed an online discrete-choice experiment (DCE) survey on EQ-5D-Y health states. The latent scale issue was addressed by obtaining the value of the anchor (33333) with 200 composite time trade-off (cTTO) interviews. A mixed (random coefficients) logit model was used to estimate the value set.

RESULTS

All the estimated coefficients of the mixed logit model were statistically significant at the 1% level and had an expected negative sign. The most important health dimension in EQ-5D-Y is pain/discomfort, followed by anxiety/depression, usual activities, and mobility, with self-care being the least important health dimension.

CONCLUSIONS

The study addresses an important research gap and presents the EQ-5D-Y value set for Slovenia. At the time of writing, no published value sets are available for the EQ-5D-Y-3L appropriate for use in QALY calculations, making this value set the first EQ-5D-Y value set in the world.

Health related QoL in celiac disease patients in Slovenia

BACKGROUND

Measurements of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among celiac disease patients using a validated questionnaire have been lacking in Slovenia. This study aims to measure HRQoL in celiac disease (CD) patients using EQ-5D internationally validated questionnaire and comparing it to the HRQoL of the general population.

METHODS

In this cross sectional analysis all of the approximately 2000 members of the Slovenian Celiac Society were invited to take part. We used a 3 step approach for recruitment and data collection. HRQoL was evaluated through the EuroQoL EQ-5D-5L instrument (Slovenian version) and analysed using the ordinal logistic regression.

RESULTS

Out of 321 patients who gave their consent, 247 celiac patients were included in the study (77%). 68% of the participants were female and 53% of them lived in an urban setting. Most patients originated from North-East Slovenia, whereas approximately 30% of patients came from other Slovenian regions. The EQ-5D respondents' self-reported health status at the time of the study show that most patients have slight or no problems when living with CD. The duration of the gluten-free diet, academic education and rare (< 1 × year) doctor visits affect EQ-5D in a positive way. On the other hand, higher age and chronic rheumatic disease were negatively associated with EQ-5D also when compared to the general population.

CONCLUSION

This is the first Slovenian study to measure the HRQoL of Slovenian CD patients, using an internationally validated questionnaire. The results of our study show that HRQoL is slightly impaired among Slovenian patients with CD. Clinical characteristics are better determinants of their HRQoL than socio-demographic factors. Greater awareness of the impact of CD on patients' HRQoL would improve the holistic management of CD patients.

EQ-5D-5L Slovenian population norms

BACKGROUND

The study aims to present Slovenian EQ-5D-5L population norms for different age and gender subgroups that can be used as reference values in future studies concerning health status. The secondary aim is to compare those norms with population norms from some other countries in Europe and elsewhere.

METHODS

The cross-sectional survey was conducted between November 2019 and February 2020 via online panel. 1071 adults aged 18+ were included in the survey. The general population was sampled using quota sampling in terms of age, gender, and NUTS2 region. In the study, the EQ-5D-5L Slovenian online version was used. Descriptive statistics was used to present health status by age groups and genders for the EQ-5D-5L descriptive system, EQ VAS and the EQ-5D-5L index score. The latter was derived from Slovenian EQ-3D-3L tariff, transformed to five levels using the crosswalk methodology.

RESULTS

The mean EQ VAS score in the Slovenian population was 79.9, mean utility index was 0.808. 28.2% of the population did not have problems on any dimension and 3.9% of the population had problems on all dimensions. Persons residing in Western Slovenia had, on average, 0.016 higher utility score, compared to Eastern Slovenia. Effect of gender was not significant. Age was negatively associated with both utility index and EQ VAS score. Education was positively correlated to health status. Problems on dimensions were generally increasing with age, except for anxiety/depression dimension, where youngest group (ages 18-29) reported more anxiety/depression compared to older counterparts. Self-reported anxiety/depression was more pronounced in women.

CONCLUSIONS

Similarly to other countries, the health generally deteriorates with age, except for the anxiety/depression dimension where the share of respondents reporting no problems was lowest in the youngest age group. The open question for the future remains, whether population norms from this online sample differ significantly from the actual EQ-5D-5L health status data of the Slovenian general population.

Crosswalk EQ-5D-5L Value Set for Slovenia

INTRODUCTION

Due to the availability of the EQ-5D-5L instrument official translation into Slovenian its use is widespread in Slovenia. However, the health profiles obtained in many studies cannot be ascribed their appropriate values as the EQ-5D-5L value set does not yet exist in Slovenia. Our aim was to estimate an interim EQ-5D-5L value set for Slovenia using the crosswalk methodology developed by the EuroQol Group on the basis of the EQ-5D-3L Slovenian TTO value set. Our secondary aim was to compare the interim values obtained with the EQ-5D-3L Slovenian values.

METHODS

To obtain a Slovenian interim EQ-5D-5L value set, we applied the crosswalk methodology developed by the EuroQol Group to the Slovenian EQ-5D-3L TTO value set. We examined the differences between values by comparing the mean 3L and 5L value scores and the distribution of values across all respondents.

RESULTS

By definition, 3-level and 5-level versions have the same range (from 1 to -0.495) and a health state coded 22222 in the 3-level version corresponds to 33333 in the 5-level version. While the addition of a "slight" severity level (22222) in the 5-level version has a low informational value, the addition of a "severe" health state (44444) covers larger range of the scale. The 5-level version results in fewer health states being valued below 0 and above 0.8.

CONCLUSION

The EQ-5D-5L value set, based on the crosswalk methodology, should be used until a value set for the EQ-5D-5L is derived from preferences elicited directly from a representative sample of the Slovenian general population.

Development of Population Tariffs for the CarerQol Instrument for Hungary, Poland and Slovenia: A Discrete Choice Experiment Study to Measure the Burden of Informal Caregiving

BACKGROUND

The CarerQol instrument can be used in economic evaluations to measure the care-related quality of life of informal caregivers. Tariff sets are available for Australia, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, the UK, and the USA.

OBJECTIVE

Our objective was to develop tariff sets for the CarerQol instrument for Hungary, Poland and Slovenia and to compare these with the existing value sets.

METHODS

Discrete-choice experiments were carried out in Hungary, Poland and Slovenia. Data were collected through an online survey between November 2018 and January 2019, using representative samples of 1000 respondents per country. Tariffs were calculated from coefficient estimates from panel mixed multinomial logit models with random parameters.

RESULTS

All seven CarerQol domains contributed significantly to the utility associated with different caregiving situations. Attributes valued highest were 'physical health' (tariffs for no problems were 15.6-21.8), 'mental health' (18.1-18.9) and 'fulfilment' (16.3-22.9). Value sets were comparable across the countries, although in Poland 'a lot of fulfilment' was valued higher (22.9) than in Hungary (16.3) and Slovenia (17.1). Compared with existing value sets, in the three Central European countries, 'fulfilment' was more important, whereas 'financial problems' were less important.

CONCLUSION

For the first time in the Central and Eastern European region, country-specific tariffs are now available for the Hungarian, Polish and Slovenian versions of the CarerQol instrument. This facilitates inclusion of the impact of informal care in economic evaluations. Our results can be used to develop and evaluate country-specific health policy strategies to support informal caregivers. The differences found in informal care preferences highlight the limited transferability of CarerQol tariffs across European regions.

Valuation of EQ-5D-3l Health States in Slovenia: VAS Based and TTO Based Value Sets

INTRODUCTION

The two primary objectives of this paper were (a) to develop first logically consistent TTO based EQ-5D-3L value sets for Slovenia and (b) to revisit earlier developed VAS based EQ-5D-3L value sets.

METHODS

Between September 2005 and April 2006, face-to-face interviews with 225 individuals in Slovenia were conducted. Protocols from the Measurement and Value of Health study were followed closely. Each respondent valued 15 health states out of a total of 23. Model selection was informed by the criteria monotonicity/logical consistency. Predictive accuracy was assessed in terms of mean square difference between out-of-sample predictions and corresponding observed means, as well as Lin's Concordance Correlation Coefficient.

RESULTS

Modelling was based on 2,717 VAS and 2,831 TTO values elicited from 225 respondents. A 6-parameter constrained regression model with a supplementary power term was selected for VAS and TTO value sets, as it produces monotonic values, and proved superior in terms of out-of-sample predictive accuracy over the tested alternatives.

CONCLUSION

This is the first EQ-5D-3L TTO based value set in Slovenia and the second in Central and Eastern Europe (besides Poland). It is also the first monotonic and logically consistent VAS value set in Central and Eastern Europe. Comparisons with Polish and UK TTO values show considerable differences, mostly due to mobility with having a substantially greater weight in Slovenia. The UK value set generally produces lower values and the Polish value set higher values for mild states.

Factors affecting dental services accessibility

Introduction: Access to dental services is a basic right included in the compulsory health insurance for patients and thus an important part of the healthcare system in Slovenia. The purpose of this research was to identify and explore the factors that have the greatest impact on the accessibility of dental services from the perspective of the system stakeholders in Slovenia.Methods: A qualitative study was conducted based on the focus group method. The focus group consisted of relevant system stakeholders, namely two representatives of the regulator, provider and payer, a total of six participants. A thematic analysis was carried out in order to identify the patterns and themes within thequalitative data obtained.Results: The results of the focus group revealed the views of system stakeholder on the accessibility of dental services in Slovenia. According to the system stakeholders' perspective, accessibility of dental services in Slovenia is not optimal and significant changes in terms of financing and organisation are required.Discussion and conclusion: We found that the lack of adequate human resources, insufficient health insurance and payment for services are the crucial factors in providing adequate access to dental health in Slovenia. In order to increase its accessibility, the dental programme needs to be expanded and the number of teams for its implementation increased.

EQ-5D studies in nervous system diseases in eight Central and East European countries: a systematic literature review

BACKROUND

Guidelines for economic analyses of health care technologies require local input data for reimbursement decisions in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The aim of this study was to systematically review and analyse the available empirical studies using the EQ-5D instrument as a measure of the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with neurological diseases.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was performed up to 1st April 2018 to identify relevant studies in eight selected CEE countries. Original articles reporting on studies of neurological diseases using the EQ-5D instrument were analysed.

RESULTS

Thirty-six articles, describing the results of 38 samples of patients and a total of 13,005 patients were included in the review. Most studies were from Hungary (44.4%) and none from Romania or Slovakia. EQ-5D utility scores were reported in 33 (91.7%) articles. In multiple sclerosis (MS) being the most represented disease, the average utility scores ranged from 0.49 in Austria to 0.80 in Poland with a weighted average of 0.69. EQ VAS scores for MS ranged from 39 in Czech Republic to 72.0 in Poland, with weighted average of 59.1. MS patients, together with epilepsy and essential tremor patients, estimated their HRQoL among the highest.

CONCLUSIONS

EQ-5D research activity in neurology has been increasing through the years in studied CEE countries. There are clinical areas with the significant social burden, such as a migraine or meningitis, that are completely lacking data, other areas, such as stroke or epilepsy, with very scarce data.

Five year trends (2008-2012) in cardiac implantable electrical device utilization in five European nations: a case study in cross-country comparisons using administrative databases

Aims

Common methodologies for analysis of analogous data sets are needed for international comparisons of treatment and outcomes. This study tests using administrative hospital discharge (HD) databases in five European countries to investigate variation/trends in pacemaker (PM) and implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implant rates in terms of patient characteristics/management, device subtype, and initial implantation vs. replacement, and compares findings with existing literature and European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) reports.

Methods and results

HD databases from 2008 to 2012 in Austria, England, Germany, Italy and Slovenia were interrogated to extract admissions (without patient identification) associated with PM and ICD implants and replacements, using direct cross-referencing of procedure codes and common methodology to compare aggregate data. 1 338 199 records revealed 212 952 PM and 62 567 ICD procedures/year on average for a 204.4 million combined population, a crude implant rate of about 104/100 000 inhabitants for PMs and 30.6 for ICDs. The first implant/replacement rate ratios were 81/24 (PMs) and 25/7 (ICDs). Rates have increased, with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) subtypes for both devices rising dramatically. Significant between- and within-country variation persists in lengths of stay and rates (Germany highest, Slovenia lowest). Adjusting for age lessened differences for PM rates, scarcely affected ICDs. Male/female ratios remained stable at 56/44% (PMs) and 79/21% (ICDs). About 90% of patients were discharged to home; 85-100% were inpatient admissions.

Conclusion

To aid in policymaking and track outcomes, HD administrative data provides a reliable, relatively cheap, methodology for tracking implant rates for PMs and ICDs across countries, as comparisons to EHRA data and the literature indicated.

EQ-5D studies in musculoskeletal and connective tissue diseases in eight Central and Eastern European countries: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis

EQ-5D is becoming the preferred instrument to measure health-state utilities involved in health technology assessment. The objective of this study is to assess the state of EQ-5D research in musculoskeletal disorders in 8 Central and Eastern European countries and to provide a meta-analysis of EQ-5D index scores. Original research articles published in any language between Jan 2000 and Sept 2016 were included, if they reported any EQ-5D outcome from at least two musculoskeletal patients from Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, or Slovenia. Risk of bias was assessed with the Cochrane Collaboration's tool. Twenty-nine articles (5992 patients) were included on rheumatoid arthritis (n = 7), osteoporosis (n = 5), chronic pain (n = 5), osteoarthritis (n = 4), ankylosing spondylitis (n = 2), psoriatic arthritis (n = 2), total hip replacement (n = 2), and scleroderma (n = 2). Low back pain was under-represented, while studies in neck pain, systemic lupus erythematosus, gout, and childhood disorders were lacking. EQ-5D index scores were reported in 24 studies, while the version of the instrument and the value-set was not specified in 41% and 46% of the articles, respectively. Meta-analysis was performed on 24 disease states involving 6876 observation points. Intervention effect was reported in 22 subgroups, out of which risk of bias was low in 41%. This review provides recommendations to improve reporting standards of EQ-5D results and highlights potential areas for future research. Coordinated research in conditions with greatest public health impact as well as a development of a regional value-set could provide locally relevant health-state utilities that are transferable among countries within the region.

Questioning the differences between general public vs. patient based preferences towards EQ-5D-5L defined hypothetical health states

The purpose of this article is to explore whether any differences exist between the general population and patient based preferences towards EQ-5D-5L defined hypothetical health states. The article discusses the role of adaptation and self-interest in valuing health states and it also contributes rigorous empirical evidence to the scientific debate on the differences between the patient and general population preferences towards hypothetical health states. Patient preferences were elicited in 2015 with the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire using time trade-off and discrete choice experiment design and compared to the Spanish general population preferences, which were elicited using identical methods. Patients were chosen on a voluntary basis according to their willingness to participate in the survey. They were recruited from patient organisations and a hospital in Madrid, Spain. 282 metastatic breast cancer patients and 333 rheumatoid arthritis patients were included in the sample. The analysis revealed differences in preferences between the general population and patient groups. Based on the results of our analysis, it is suggested that the differences in preferences stem from patients being more able to accurately imagine "non-tangible" dimensions of health states (anxiety or depression, and pain or discomfort) than the general population with less experience in various health states. However, this does not mean that general public values should not be reflected in utilities derived for coverage decision making.

Improving the Methods for the Economic Evaluation of Medical Devices

Medical devices (MDs) have distinctive features, such as incremental innovation, dynamic pricing, the learning curve and organisational impact, that need to be considered when they are evaluated. This paper investigates how MDs have been assessed in practice, in order to identify methodological gaps that need to be addressed to improve the decision-making process for their adoption. We used the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) checklist supplemented by some additional categories to assess the quality of reporting and consideration of the distinctive features of MDs. Two case studies were considered: transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) representing an emerging technology and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) representing a mature technology. Economic evaluation studies published as journal articles or within Health Technology Assessment reports were identified through a systematic literature review. A total of 19 studies on TAVI and 41 studies on ICDs were analysed. Learning curve was considered in only 16% of studies on TAVI. Incremental innovation was more frequently mentioned in the studies of ICDs, but its impact was considered in only 34% of the cases. Dynamic pricing was the most recognised feature but was empirically tested in less than half of studies of TAVI and only 32% of studies on ICDs. Finally, organisational impact was considered in only one study of ICDs and in almost all studies on TAVI, but none of them estimated its impact. By their very nature, most of the distinctive features of MDs cannot be fully assessed at market entry. However, their potential impact could be modelled, based on the experience with previous MDs, in order to make a preliminary recommendation. Then, well-designed post-market studies could help in reducing uncertainties and make policymakers more confident to achieve conclusive recommendations. © 2017 The Authors. Health Economics published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Health care reforms

In large systems, such as health care, reforms are underway constantly. The article presents a definition of health care reform and factors that influence its success. The factors being discussed range from knowledgeable personnel, the role of involvement of international experts and all stakeholders in the country, the importance of electoral mandate and governmental support, leadership and clear and transparent communication. The goals set need to be clear, and it is helpful to have good data and analytical support in the process. Despite all debates and experiences, it is impossible to clearly define the best approach to tackle health care reform due to a different configuration of governance structure, political will and state of the economy in a country.

EQ-5D in Central and Eastern Europe: 2000-2015

OBJECTIVE

Cost per quality-adjusted life year data are required for reimbursement decisions in many Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. EQ-5D is by far the most commonly used instrument to generate utility values in CEE. This study aims to systematically review the literature on EQ-5D from eight CEE countries.

METHODS

An electronic database search was performed up to 1 July 2015 to identify original EQ-5D studies from the countries of interest. We analysed the use of EQ-5D with respect to clinical areas, methodological rigor, population norms and value sets.

RESULTS

We identified 143 studies providing 152 country-specific results with a total sample size of 81,619: Austria (n = 11), Bulgaria (n = 6), Czech Republic (n = 18), Hungary (n = 47), Poland (n = 51), Romania (n = 2), Slovakia (n = 3) and Slovenia (n = 14). Cardiovascular (21 %), neurologic (17 %), musculoskeletal (15 %) and endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (13 %) were the most frequently studied clinical areas. Overall, 112 (78 %) of the studies reported EQ VAS results and 86 (60 %) EQ-5D index scores, of which 27 (31 %) did not specify the applied tariff. Hungary, Poland and Slovenia have population norms. Poland and Slovenia also have a national value set.

CONCLUSIONS

Increasing use of EQ-5D is observed throughout CEE. The spread of health technology assessment activities in countries seems to be reflected in the number of EQ-5D studies. However, improvement in informed use and methodological quality of reporting is needed. In jurisdictions where no national value set is available, in order to ensure comparability we recommend to apply the most frequently used UK tariff. Regional collaboration between CEE countries should be strengthened.

Is There a European View on Health Economic Evaluations? Results from a Synopsis of Methodological Guidelines Used in the EUnetHTA Partner Countries

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this study were to review current methodological guidelines for economic evaluations of all types of technologies in the 33 countries with organizations involved in the European Network for Health Technology Assessment (EUnetHTA), and to provide a general framework for economic evaluation at a European level.

METHODS

Methodological guidelines for health economic evaluations used by EUnetHTA partners were collected through a survey. Information from each guideline was extracted using a pre-tested extraction template. On the basis of the extracted information, a summary describing the methods used by the EUnetHTA countries was written for each methodological item. General recommendations were formulated for methodological issues where the guidelines of the EUnetHTA partners were in agreement or where the usefulness of economic evaluations may be increased by presenting the results in a specific way.

RESULTS

At least one contact person from all 33 EUnetHTA countries (100 %) responded to the survey. In total, the review included 51 guidelines, representing 25 countries (eight countries had no methodological guideline for health economic evaluations). On the basis of the results of the extracted information from all 51 guidelines, EUnetHTA issued ten main recommendations for health economic evaluations.

CONCLUSIONS

The presented review of methodological guidelines for health economic evaluations and the consequent recommendations will hopefully improve the comparability, transferability and overall usefulness of economic evaluations performed within EUnetHTA. Nevertheless, there are still methodological issues that need to be investigated further.