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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: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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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Bray JW, Thornburg BD, Gebreselassie AW, LaButte CA, Barbosa C, Wittenberg E. Estimating Joint Health State Utility Algorithms Under Partial Information. Value Health 2023; 26:742-749. [PMID: 36307281 PMCID: PMC10126182 DOI: 10.1016/j.jval.2022.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We explored the performance of existing joint health state utility estimators when data are not available on utilities that isolate single-condition health states excluding any co-occurring condition. METHODS Using data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III, we defined 2 information sets: (1) a full-information set that includes the narrowly defined health state utilities used in most studies that test the performance of joint health state utility estimators, and (2) a limited information set that includes only the more broadly defined health state utilities more commonly available to researchers. We used an example of alcohol use disorder co-occurring with cirrhosis of the liver, depressive disorder, or nicotine use disorder to illustrate our analysis. RESULTS We found that the performance of joint health state utility estimators is appreciably different under limited information than under full information. Full-information estimators typically overestimate the joint state utility, whereas limited-information estimators underestimate the joint state utility, except for the minimum estimator, which is overestimated in all cases. CONCLUSIONS Researchers using joint health state utility estimators should understand the information set available to them and use methodological guidance appropriate for that information set. We recommend the minimum estimator under limited information based on its ease of use, consistency (and therefore a predictable direction of bias), and lower root mean squared error.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy W Bray
- Department of Economics, UNC Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | - Eve Wittenberg
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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Prosser LA, Wagner AL, Wittenberg E, Zikmund-Fisher BJ, Rose AM, Pike J. A Discrete Choice Analysis Comparing COVID-19 Vaccination Decisions for Children and Adults. JAMA Netw Open 2023; 6:e2253582. [PMID: 36716030 PMCID: PMC9887501 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.53582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE COVID-19 vaccination rates in the US remain below optimal levels. Patient preferences for different attributes of vaccine products and the vaccination experience can be important in determining vaccine uptake decisions. OBJECTIVE To assess preferences for attributes of adult and pediatric COVID-19 vaccination among US adults. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS An online survey of a national panel of 1040 US adults was conducted in May and June 2021. A discrete choice analysis was used to measure the relative value of each attribute in the decision to choose a COVID-19 vaccination option for adults or children. Six attributes were used to described hypothetical vaccination options: vaccine effectiveness, mild side effects, rare adverse events, number of doses, time required for vaccination, and regulatory approval. Respondents chose between hypothetical vaccination profiles or no vaccination. Additional survey questions asked about vaccination beliefs, COVID-19 illness experience, COVID-19 risk factors, vaccination status, and opinions about the risk of COVID-19. EXPOSURES Respondents chose which vaccine profile they would prefer to receive for themselves (or no vaccination). Respondents then considered an identical set of profiles for a hypothetical child aged 0 to 17 years. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Relative value of vaccination-related attributes were estimated using Bayesian logit regression. Preference profiles for subgroups were estimated using latent class analyses. RESULTS A total of 1040 adults (610 [59%] female; 379 participants [36%] with an age of 55 years and older years) responded to the survey. When asked about vaccination choices for themselves, participants indicated that vaccine effectiveness (95% vs 60%) was a significant attribute (β, 9.59 [95% CrI, 9.20-10.00] vs β, 0.41 [95% CrI, 0-0.80]). Respondents also preferred fewer rare adverse events (β, 6.35 [95% CrI, 5.74-6.86), fewer mild side effects (β, 5.49; 95% CrI, 5.12-5.87), 1 dose (β, 5.41; 95% CrI, 5.04-5.78), FDA approval (β, 6.01; 95% CrI, 5.64-6.41), and shorter waiting times (β, 5.67; 95% CrI, 4.87-6.48). Results were very similar when framing the question as adult or child vaccination, with slightly stronger preference for fewer rare adverse events for children. Latent class analysis revealed 4 groups of respondents: (1) individuals sensitive to safety and regulatory status, (2) individuals sensitive to convenience, (3) individuals who carefully considered all attributes in making their choices, and (4) individuals who rejected the vaccine. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this survey study of US adults, the identification of 4 distinct preference groups provides new information to guide communications to support vaccine decision making. In particular, the group that prioritize convenience (less time required for vaccination and fewer doses) may present an opportunity to create actionable strategies to increase vaccination uptake for both adult and pediatric populations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Eve Wittenberg
- Harvard Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | | | - Jamison Pike
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
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Wittenberg E, Labutte C, Thornburg B, Gebreselassie A, Barbosa C, Bray JW. Alcohol consumption and health-related quality of life in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic: a US national survey. J Patient Rep Outcomes 2022; 6:106. [PMID: 36217061 PMCID: PMC9550307 DOI: 10.1186/s41687-022-00516-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alcohol consumption has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic yet the impacts on alcohol-related outcomes, and specifically health-related quality of life, are not completely known. Our objective was to assess the association between alcohol consumption and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD We conducted an on-line/telephone survey of three cross-sectional samples of US adults during a nine-month stretch of the pandemic, from August 2020 through April 2021, collecting data on drinking-current quantity/frequency and change since prior to pandemic, HRQOL (using the SF-6D), and perceived impact of the pandemic on respondents' lives-overall impact and disruptions across various dimensions (job loss, school closures, social isolation, loss of income). We pooled the data from the three administrations and applied survey weights to reflect the US population. We described drinking behavior and pandemic impact, and regressed HRQOL on alcohol consumption risk level (per World Health Organization categories), change in drinking since pre-pandemic, and pandemic impact using weighted least squares, controlling for respondents' demographic characteristics. We tested the significance of categorical variables using Wald tests at a p-value of 0.05. RESULTS Among 3,125 respondents, weighted to reflect the US population, 68% reported drinking during the pandemic and 40% reported a change in drinking from pre-pandemic level (either increased or decreased). Mean HRQOL among our sample was 0.721 (SD 0.003). Any change in drinking from pre-pandemic level was independently associated with significantly lower HRQOL compared to never drinking (pre or during pandemic), from - 0.0251 points for decreased/stopped drinking to -0.0406 points for increased drinking (combined levels' Wald test F = 10.62, p < 0.0000). COVID-19 pandemic related impacts/disruptions were associated with HRQOL decrements ranging from - 0.0834 to -0.1340 (Wald test F = 64.34, p < 0.0000). CONCLUSION The US population HRQOL was substantially lower during the pandemic than reported a decade earlier (mean = 0.79 in 2012-13). While pandemic-related impacts and disruptions may explain a large part of this decrement, changes in drinking-and the associated implications of such changes-might also play a role. Both individuals who reduced their drinking during the pandemic and those who increased consumption may be at risk of poor HRQOL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve Wittenberg
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, 718 Huntington Avenue, 02115, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Collin Labutte
- grid.266860.c0000 0001 0671 255XBryan School of Business and Economics, University of North Carolina, 462-D Bryan Building, PO Box 26710, 27402-6170 Greensboro, NC USA
| | - Benjamin Thornburg
- grid.21107.350000 0001 2171 9311John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Hampton House, 4th floor, 624 N Broadway, 21205 Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Abraham Gebreselassie
- grid.266860.c0000 0001 0671 255XBryan School of Business and Economics, University of North Carolina, 462-D Bryan Building, PO Box 26710, 27402-6170 Greensboro, NC USA
| | - Carolina Barbosa
- grid.62562.350000000100301493RTI International, 230 West Monroe Street, Suite 2100, 60606 Chicago, IL USA
| | - Jeremy W. Bray
- grid.266860.c0000 0001 0671 255XBryan School of Business and Economics, University of North Carolina, 462-D Bryan Building, PO Box 26710, 27402-6170 Greensboro, NC USA
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Thornburg B, Bray JW, Wittenberg E. Health Utility of Drinkers' Family Members: A Secondary Analysis of a US Population Data Set. MDM Policy Pract 2022; 7:23814683221128507. [PMID: 36187422 PMCID: PMC9520150 DOI: 10.1177/23814683221128507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background. Problematic alcohol use is known to harm individuals surrounding the drinker. This study described the health utility of people who reported having a family member(s) whom they perceived as a "problem drinker."Methods. We conducted a secondary analysis of the US National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions Wave 3 (NESARC-III, 2012-13) data to estimate the independent associations of a family member's problem drinking on the respondent's health utility, also known as health-related quality of life, assessed via the SF-6D. Participants included 29,159 noninstitutionalized adults, of whom 21,808 reported perceiving a family member or members as having a drinking problem at any point in that person's life. Respondent drinking was assessed via self-report and diagnostic interview. We used population-weighted multivariate regression to estimate disutility. Results. After adjusting for the respondent's own alcohol consumption, alcohol use disorder (AUD), family structure, and sociodemographic characteristics, the mean decrement in SF-6D score associated with perceiving a family member as a problem drinker ranged from 0.033 (P < 0.001) for a spouse/partner to 0.023 (P < 0.001) for a grandparent, sibling, aunt, or uncle. The mean decrement in SF-6D score from having AUD oneself was 0.039 (P < 0.001). Conclusions. Perceived problem drinking within one's family is associated with statistically significant losses in health utility, the magnitude of which is dependent on relationship type. The adverse consequences associated with problem drinking in the family may rival having AUD oneself. Implications. Family-oriented approaches to AUD interventions may confer outsize benefits, especially if focused on the spouse or partner. Economic evaluation of alcohol misuse could be made more accurate through the inclusion of family spillover effects. Highlights Spillover effects from problem drinking in the family vary by relationship type.One's perception of their spouse or child as having a drinking problem is associated with a utility decrement of equal magnitude to having alcohol use disorder oneself.Medical decision makers should consider the outsize effects of family spillovers in treatment decisions in the context of alcohol consumption, particularly among spouses and children of problem drinkers.Economic evaluation should consider how to incorporate family spillover effects from problem drinking in alcohol-related models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Thornburg
- Benjamin Thornburg, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205-2103, USA; ()
| | - Jeremy W. Bray
- Bryan School of Business and Economics, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA
| | - Eve Wittenberg
- Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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Smith H, Bonkowski E, Deloge RB, Gutierrez A, Recinos A, Lavelle T, Wittenberg E, Veenstra D, McGuire A, Pereira S. eP515: Family-level utility of pediatric genomic sequencing: A qualitative analysis and attribute framework. Genet Med 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gim.2022.01.547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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Al-Janabi H, Wittenberg E, Donaldson C, Brouwer W. The relative value of carer and patient quality of life: A person trade-off (PTO) study. Soc Sci Med 2021; 292:114556. [PMID: 34823129 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Carer quality of life is increasingly considered alongside patient quality of life in economic evaluation. Important questions remain about how to value carer and patient quality of life effects alongside one another. In this study, we estimated the relative social value of two conceptualisations of carer quality of life (health-related and care-related) compared to patient quality of life. Relative valuations were estimated using a person trade-off (PTO) study with 990 representative members of the UK public. Participants chose between hypothetical services that improved the quality of life of carers and patients, iterating to a point of indifference. Overall 84% of participants completing the task were willing to trade patient and carer quality of life effects. Relative to a reference point of 1 for patient health-related quality of life, we estimated a social value of 0.74 for carer health-related quality of life effects and 0.69 for carer care-related quality of life effects. In conclusion, public preferences appear to support the inclusion of carer quality of life effects within economic evaluation. The results provide a means to value different carer quality of life outcomes in economic evaluation, where such values are needed and deemed appropriate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hareth Al-Janabi
- Health Economics Unit, Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, UK.
| | - Eve Wittenberg
- Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, United States
| | - Cam Donaldson
- Yunus Centre for Social Business and Health, Glasgow Caledonian University, UK
| | - Werner Brouwer
- Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands
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Lin JL, Lipstein EA, Wittenberg E, Tay D, Lundstrom R, Lundstrom GL, Sediqzadah S, Wright DR. Intergenerational Decision Making: The Role of Family Relationships in Medical Decision Making. MDM Policy Pract 2021; 6:23814683211039468. [PMID: 34734118 PMCID: PMC8559218 DOI: 10.1177/23814683211039468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A symposium held at the 42nd annual Society for Medical Decision Making conference on October 26, 2020, focused on intergenerational decision making. The symposium covered existing research and clinical experiences using formal presentations and moderated discussion and was attended by 43 people. Presentations focused on the roles of pediatric patients in decision making, caregiver decision making for a child with complex medical needs, caregiver involvement in advanced care planning, and the inclusion of spillover effects in economic evaluations. The moderated discussion, summarized in this article, highlighted existing resources and gaps in intergenerational decision making in four areas: decision aids, economic evaluation, participant perspectives, and measures. Intergenerational decision making is an understudied and poorly understood aspect of medical decision making that requires particular attention as our society ages and technological advances provide new innovations for life-sustaining measures across all stages of the lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jody L Lin
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | - Ellen A Lipstein
- James M. Anderson Center for Health Systems Excellence, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Eve Wittenberg
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Djin Tay
- College of Nursing, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
| | | | | | - Saadia Sediqzadah
- Department of Psychiatry, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Davene R Wright
- Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
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Dhanji N, Brouwer W, Donaldson C, Wittenberg E, Al-Janabi H. Estimating an exchange-rate between care-related and health-related quality of life outcomes for economic evaluation: An application of the wellbeing valuation method. Health Econ 2021; 30:2847-2857. [PMID: 34455657 DOI: 10.1002/hec.4411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2020] [Revised: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Quality of life outcomes for family carers and patients may be measured in different ways within the same economic evaluation. We used the wellbeing valuation method to calculate "exchange rates" between care-related outcomes (the Carer Experience Scale and CarerQoL-7D) and health-related (the EQ-5D-5L) outcomes. Data on quality of life outcomes were collected through a postal quality of life survey in the UK. A random effects model was used to estimate carers' wellbeing as a function of their EQ-5D-5L, Carer Experience Scale (or CarerQoL-7D) and a set of control variables. When life satisfaction was used as the measure of wellbeing, a one-point gain in the Carer Experience Scale (0-100 scale) was equivalent (in wellbeing terms) to a 0.014 gain in EQ-5D-5L value; and a one point gain in the CarerQoL-7D (0-100 scale) was equivalent to a 0.033 gain in EQ-5D-5L. The exchange rate values were reduced when capability was used as the measure of wellbeing. The exchange rates estimated in this study offer a means to place carer and patient outcomes, measured via different quality of life instruments, on a common scale, although there are important issues to consider in operationalising the technique.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nishit Dhanji
- Health Economics Unit, Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Werner Brouwer
- Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Cam Donaldson
- Yunus Centre for Social Business, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK
| | - Eve Wittenberg
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Hareth Al-Janabi
- Health Economics Unit, Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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Barbosa C, Bray JW, Dowd WN, Barnosky A, Wittenberg E. SF-6D utility scores for alcohol use disorder status and alcohol consumption risk levels in the US population. Addiction 2021; 116:1034-1042. [PMID: 33448504 PMCID: PMC7882636 DOI: 10.1111/add.15224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2020] [Revised: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
AIMS To estimate US population health utilities for subgroups defined by alcohol use disorder (AUD) status and consumption level. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey. SETTING Community settings in the United States (i.e. excluding institutional settings). PARTICIPANTS A total of 36,042 adults (age 18+) in non-institutional settings in the United States. MEASUREMENTS We used 12-item Short Form Survey (SF-12) data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III to calculate mean Short Form-6 dimension (SF-6D) utility scores across World Health Organization alcohol consumption risk levels-very high risk, high risk, medium risk, low risk and an additional abstinent level-for three groups: (1) the general population (n = 36,042), (2) individuals with life-time AUD (n = 9925) and (3) individuals with current AUD (n = 5083), and assessed minimally important differences (MIDs) between consumption levels. Each group is a subset of the previous group. FINDINGS The general population's mean SF-6D utility was higher than that of individuals with life-time or current AUD across all consumption risk levels (0.79 versus 0.76 for both AUD groups). For all groups, SF-6D utilities increased as consumption risk level decreased to non-abstinent levels, and reducing consumption from very high risk to any lower level was associated with a statistically significant and meaningful improvement in utility. For individuals with life-time or current AUD, becoming abstinent from high-, medium- and low-risk levels was associated with significantly and meaningfully worse utilities. CONCLUSIONS Higher alcohol consumption risk levels appear to be associated with lower health index scores for the general population and individuals with a history of alcohol use disorder, meaning that higher alcohol consumption is associated with worse health-related quality of life.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jeremy W Bray
- Bryan School of Business and Economics, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, NC, USA
| | | | | | - Eve Wittenberg
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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11
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Wittenberg E, Barbosa C, Hein R, Hudson E, Thornburg B, Bray JW. Health-related quality of life of alcohol use disorder with co-occurring conditions in the US population. Drug Alcohol Depend 2021; 221:108558. [PMID: 33556660 PMCID: PMC8026697 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.108558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Revised: 12/27/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alcohol use disorder (AUD) commonly co-occurs with other health conditions or other substance use, complicating our understanding of the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of AUD. We described the HRQoL of alcohol use disorder in the presence of co-occurring conditions and identified the contribution of each. METHODS Secondary analysis of National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions III data, consisting of 36,309 non-institutionalized US adults; descriptive and regression analysis. HRQoL measured via the SF-6D; AUD via the Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule (AUDADIS-5); physical, mental health, and substance use disorders/conditions as reported or assessed via AUDADIS-5. RESULTS AUD was independently associated with lower HRQoL for individuals experiencing co-occurring conditions. Compared to no AUD, past year AUD reduced SF-6D score by 0.0304 (SE = 0.0027) and prior-to-past-year AUD reduced SF-6D by 0.0163 (SE = 0.0023). AUD's co-occurring conditions were independently associated with lower HRQoL, beyond the reduction from AUD: any co-occurring physical health condition was associated with a 0.062 point reduction in SF-6D score (SE = 0.0023), any mental health condition with a 0.084 point reduction (SE = 0.0025), and any substance use disorder with a 0.038 point reduction (SE = 0.0023). CONCLUSIONS AUD's association with diminished HRQoL may be explained in large part by the presence of co-occurring conditions among individuals reporting AUD, as these co-occurring conditions are associated with substantial decrements in HRQoL-often eclipsing the magnitude of the decrements associated with AUD alone. Alcohol use interventions endeavoring to improve HRQoL should consider the entirety of an individual to design patient-centered care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve Wittenberg
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, 718 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - Carolina Barbosa
- RTI International, 230 West Monroe Street, Suite 2100, Chicago, IL, 60606, USA.
| | - Riley Hein
- Bryan School of Business and Economics, University of North Carolina Greensboro, 462 Bryan Building, PO Box 26170, Greensboro NC 27402, USA.
| | - Emma Hudson
- Bryan School of Business and Economics, University of North Carolina Greensboro, 462 Bryan Building, PO Box 26170, Greensboro NC 27402, USA.
| | - Benjamin Thornburg
- Bryan School of Business and Economics, University of North Carolina Greensboro, 462 Bryan Building, PO Box 26170, Greensboro NC 27402, USA.
| | - Jeremy W Bray
- Bryan School of Business and Economics, University of North Carolina Greensboro, 462 Bryan Building, PO Box 26170, Greensboro NC 27402, USA.
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12
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Smith HS, McGuire AL, Wittenberg E, Lavelle TA. Family-level impact of genetic testing: integrating health economics and ethical, legal, and social implications. Per Med 2021; 18:209-212. [PMID: 33728981 DOI: 10.2217/pme-2021-0016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Tweetable abstract Health economics and ELSI can be better integrated to consider the family impacts of genetic and genomic testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadley Stevens Smith
- Center for Medical Ethics & Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Amy L McGuire
- Center for Medical Ethics & Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Eve Wittenberg
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Tara A Lavelle
- Center for the Evaluation of Value & Risk in Health (CEVR), Institute for Clinical Research & Health Policy Studies, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA 02111, USA
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13
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Fischman V, Wittenberg E, Song SA, Huston MN, Franco RA, Song PC, Naunheim MR. How Patients Choose a Laryngologist: A Pilot Stated Preference Study. OTO Open 2021; 5:2473974X21999601. [PMID: 33796810 PMCID: PMC7968048 DOI: 10.1177/2473974x21999601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective Patients consider many factors when deciding how to receive medical care. This study used best-worst scaling (BWS), a technique novel to otolaryngology, to quantitatively examine preferences among patients choosing a laryngologist. Our objective was to quantify in a pilot cohort the relative importance patients place on a variety of attributes when seeking a laryngologist. Study Design BWS survey. Setting Academic voice clinic. Methods New patients were recruited to take a computerized BWS survey developed using attributes derived from patient input, expert opinion, and literature review. Attributes were grouped into 4 categories: physician reputation, physician qualifications, hospital-related factors, and other nonclinical factors. Responses were analyzed using multinomial logit regression to determine importance scores and associations with other variables. Results Eighty-seven of 93 patients recruited participated (93.5% response rate). Physician qualifications were the most important attributes to patients, with specialty laryngology training receiving the highest importance score (20.8; 95% CI, 20.2 to 21.5; P < .0001). Recommendations from referring physicians (15.6; 95% CI, 14.3 to 16.9) and use of cutting-edge technology (11.9; 95% CI, 10.7 to 13.1) were the second and third most important, respectively. Least important were nonclinical factors, including wait time to get an appointment (4.3; 95% CI, 2.8 to 5.8) and convenience of office location (1.5; 95% CI, 0.9 to 2.1). Just over half of patients (51.2%) reported willingness to wait 4 weeks for an appointment with a laryngologist. Older patients were less concerned with convenience-related factors. Conclusion Nonclinical factors were less important to patients than clinical factors, and laryngology-specific training was paramount. Stated preference methodologies can elucidate underlying preferences and help providers make care more patient centered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Fischman
- Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Eve Wittenberg
- Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sungjin A Song
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Molly N Huston
- Department of Otolaryngology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Ramon A Franco
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Phillip C Song
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Matthew R Naunheim
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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14
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Greenzang KA, Al-Sayegh H, Ma C, Najafzadeh M, Wittenberg E, Mack JW. Parental Considerations Regarding Cure and Late Effects for Children With Cancer. Pediatrics 2020; 145:peds.2019-3552. [PMID: 32284427 PMCID: PMC7193979 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2019-3552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND More than 80% of children with cancer become long-term survivors, yet most survivors experience late effects of treatment. Little is known about how parents and physicians consider late-effects risks against a potential survival benefit when making treatment decisions. METHODS We used a discrete choice experiment to assess the importance of late effects on treatment decision-making and acceptable trade-offs between late-effects risks and survival benefit. We surveyed 95 parents of children with cancer and 41 physicians at Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center to assess preferences for 5 late effects of treatment: neurocognitive impairment, infertility, cardiac toxicity, second malignancies, and impaired growth and development. RESULTS Each late effect had a statistically significant association with treatment choice, as did survival benefit (P < .001). Avoidance of severe cognitive impairment was the most important treatment consideration to parents and physicians. Parents also valued cure and decreased risk of second malignancies; physician decision-making was driven by avoidance of second malignancies and infertility. Both parents and physicians accepted a high risk of infertility (parents, a 137% increased risk; physicians, an 80% increased risk) in exchange for a 10% greater chance of cure. CONCLUSIONS Avoidance of severe neurocognitive impairment was the predominant driver of parent and physician treatment preferences, even over an increased chance of cure. This highlights the importance of exploring parental late-effects priorities when discussing treatment options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie A. Greenzang
- Division of Population Sciences and,Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Boston, Massachusetts;,Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Boston
Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Hasan Al-Sayegh
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Boston, Massachusetts;,Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Boston
Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Mehdi Najafzadeh
- Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and
Pharmacoeconomics, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts;
and
| | - Eve Wittenberg
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard T.H. Chan
School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jennifer W. Mack
- Division of Population Sciences and,Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Boston, Massachusetts;,Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Boston
Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
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15
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DeVore EK, Shrime MG, Wittenberg E, Franco RA, Song PC, Naunheim MR. The health utility of mild and severe dysphonia. Laryngoscope 2019; 130:1256-1262. [DOI: 10.1002/lary.28216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Revised: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elliana K. DeVore
- Department of OtolaryngologyHarvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts
- Department of OtolaryngologyMassachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Boston Massachusetts
| | - Mark G. Shrime
- Department of OtolaryngologyHarvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts
- Department of OtolaryngologyMassachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Boston Massachusetts
- Center for Global Surgery EvaluationMassachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Boston Massachusetts
| | - Eve Wittenberg
- Center for Health Decision ScienceHarvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health Boston Massachusetts U.S.A
| | - Ramon A. Franco
- Department of OtolaryngologyHarvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts
- Department of OtolaryngologyMassachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Boston Massachusetts
| | - Phillip C. Song
- Department of OtolaryngologyHarvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts
- Department of OtolaryngologyMassachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Boston Massachusetts
| | - Matthew R. Naunheim
- Department of OtolaryngologyHarvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts
- Department of OtolaryngologyMassachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Boston Massachusetts
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16
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Wittenberg E, James LP, Prosser LA. Spillover Effects on Caregivers' and Family Members' Utility: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Pharmacoeconomics 2019; 37:475-499. [PMID: 30887469 DOI: 10.1007/s40273-019-00768-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A growing body of research has identified health-related quality-of-life effects for caregivers and family members of ill patients (i.e. 'spillover effects'), yet these are rarely considered in cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs). OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to catalog spillover-related health utilities to facilitate their consideration in CEAs. METHODS We systematically reviewed the medical and economic literatures (MEDLINE, EMBASE, and EconLit, from inception through 3 April 2018) to identify articles that reported preference-based measures of spillover effects. We used keywords for utility measures combined with caregivers, family members, and burden. RESULTS Of 3695 articles identified, 80 remained after screening: 8 (10%) reported spillover utility per se, as utility or disutility (i.e. utility loss); 25 (30%) reported a comparison group, either population values (n = 9) or matched, non-caregiver/family member or unaffected individuals' utilities (n = 16; 3 reported both spillover and a comparison group); and 50 (63%) reported caregiver/family member utilities only. Alzheimer's disease/dementia was the most commonly studied disease/condition, and the EQ-5D was the most commonly used measurement instrument. CONCLUSIONS This comprehensive catalog of utilities showcases the spectrum of diseases and conditions for which caregiver and family members' spillover effects have been measured, and the variation in measurement methods used. In general, utilities indicated a loss in quality of life associated with being a caregiver or family member of an ill relative. Most studies reported caregiver/family member utility without any comparator, limiting the ability to infer spillover effects. Nevertheless, these values provide a starting point for considering spillover effects in the context of CEA, opening the door for more comprehensive analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve Wittenberg
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Lyndon P James
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lisa A Prosser
- Susan B. Meister Child Health Evaluation and Research Center, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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17
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa A Prosser
- Department of Pediatrics, Susan B. Meister Child Health Evaluation and Research Center, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, USA.
- Department of Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, USA.
| | - Eve Wittenberg
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA
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18
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Simon NJ, Richardson J, Ahmad A, Rose A, Wittenberg E, D'Cruz B, Prosser LA. Health utilities and parental quality of life effects for three rare conditions tested in newborns. J Patient Rep Outcomes 2019; 3:4. [PMID: 30671727 PMCID: PMC6342747 DOI: 10.1186/s41687-019-0093-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2018] [Accepted: 01/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Measurement of health utilities is required for economic evaluations. Few studies have evaluated health utilities for rare conditions; even fewer have incorporated disutility that may be experienced by caregivers. This study aimed to (1) estimate health utilities for three rare conditions currently recommended for newborn screening at the state or federal level, and (2) estimate the disutility, or spillover, experienced by parents of patients diagnosed with a rare, heritable disorder. METHODS A stated-preference survey using a time trade-off approach elicited health utilities for Krabbe disease, phenylketonuria, and Pompe disease at varying stages (mild, moderate, severe) and onset of disease symptoms (infancy, childhood, and adulthood). We recruited respondents from a nationally representative community sample (n = 862). Respondents valued disease specific health states in three consecutive question frames: (1) adult health state (> = 18 years of age), (2) child health state (< 18 years of age), and (3) as a parent of a child with a condition (parent spillover state). Corresponding mean utilities were calculated for plausible disease states in adulthood and childhood. Mean disutility was estimated for parental spillover. Predictors of utilities were evaluated using a negative binomial regression model. RESULTS More severe conditions and infant health states received lower estimated utility and greater estimated disutility among parents. Conditions with the lowest estimated health utilities were severe infantile Pompe disease (0.40, CI: 0.34-0.46) and infantile Krabbe disease (0.37, CI: 0.32-0.43). Disutility was evident for all conditions evaluated (range: 0.07-0.19). CONCLUSIONS Rare childhood conditions are associated with substantial estimated losses in quality of life. Evidence of disutility among parents further warrants the inclusion of spillover effects in cost-effectiveness analyses. Continued research is needed to assess and measure the effects of childhood disease from a family perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norma-Jean Simon
- Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, 225 East Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA
| | - John Richardson
- RTI International, 3040 East Cornwallis Road, P.O. Box 12194, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27709-2194, USA
| | - Ayesha Ahmad
- Division of Pediatric Genetics, Metabolism and Genomic Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, The University of Michigan Medical School, 4810 Jackson Road, Ann Arbor, MI, 48103, USA
| | - Angela Rose
- Child Health Evaluation and Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, 300 North Ingalls Building, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Eve Wittenberg
- Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Brittany D'Cruz
- Center for the Evaluation of Value & Risk in Health, Tufts Medical Center, 800 Washington Street, Boston, MA, 02111, USA
| | - Lisa A Prosser
- Child Health Evaluation and Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, 300 North Ingalls Building, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA. .,Health Management and Policy, The University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
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19
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Adams AS, Schmittdiel JA, Altschuler A, Bayliss EA, Neugebauer R, Ma L, Dyer W, Clark J, Cook B, Willyoung D, Jaffe M, Young JD, Kim E, Boggs JM, Prosser L, Wittenberg E, Callaghan B, Shainline M, Hippler RM, Grant RW. Automated symptom and treatment side effect monitoring for improved quality of life among adults with diabetic peripheral neuropathy in primary care: a pragmatic, cluster, randomized, controlled trial. Diabet Med 2019; 36:52-61. [PMID: 30343489 PMCID: PMC7236318 DOI: 10.1111/dme.13840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
AIMS To evaluate the effectiveness of automated symptom and side effect monitoring on quality of life among individuals with symptomatic diabetic peripheral neuropathy. METHODS We conducted a pragmatic, cluster randomized controlled trial (July 2014 to July 2016) within a large healthcare system. We randomized 1834 primary care physicians and prospectively recruited from their lists 1270 individuals with neuropathy who were newly prescribed medications for their symptoms. Intervention participants received automated telephone-based symptom and side effect monitoring with physician feedback over 6 months. The control group received usual care plus three non-interactive diabetes educational calls. Our primary outcomes were quality of life (EQ-5D) and select symptoms (e.g. pain) measured 4-8 weeks after starting medication and again 8 months after baseline. Process outcomes included receiving a clinically effective dose and communication between individuals with neuropathy and their primary care provider over 12 months. Interviewers collecting outcome data were blinded to intervention assignment. RESULTS Some 1252 participants completed the baseline measures [mean age (sd): 67 (11.7), 53% female, 57% white, 8% Asian, 13% black, 20% Hispanic]. In total, 1179 participants (93%) completed follow-up (619 control, 560 intervention). Quality of life scores (intervention: 0.658 ± 0.094; control: 0.653 ± 0.092) and symptom severity were similar at baseline. The intervention had no effect on primary [EQ-5D: -0.002 (95% CI -0.01, 0.01), P = 0.623; pain: 0.295 (-0.75, 1.34), P = 0.579; sleep disruption: 0.342 (-0.18, 0.86), P = 0.196; lower extremity functioning: -0.079 (-1.27, 1.11), P = 0.896; depression: -0.462 (-1.24, 0.32); P = 0.247] or process outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Automated telephone monitoring and feedback alone were not effective at improving quality of life or symptoms for people with symptomatic diabetic peripheral neuropathy. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02056431).
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyce S. Adams
- Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, Oakland, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Elizabeth A. Bayliss
- Kaiser Permanente Colorado Institute for Health Research, Denver, CO, USA
- University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, CO, USA
| | | | - Lin Ma
- Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, Oakland, CA, USA
| | - Wendy Dyer
- Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, Oakland, CA, USA
| | - Joel Clark
- Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, Oakland, CA, USA
| | - Bonieta Cook
- Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, Oakland, CA, USA
| | | | - Marc Jaffe
- Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco Medical Center, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Eileen Kim
- Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center, Oakland, CA, USA
| | - Jennifer M. Boggs
- Kaiser Permanente Colorado Institute for Health Research, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Lisa Prosser
- University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | | | - Brian Callaghan
- University of Michigan, Michigan Medicine, Neurology Clinic, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Michael Shainline
- Kaiser Permanente Colorado Institute for Health Research, Denver, CO, USA
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20
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Wittenberg E. Instrument Development in Choice Experiments. Commentary on: "Applying a Framework for Instrument Development of a Choice Experiment to Measure Treatment Preferences in Type 2 Diabetes". Patient 2017; 9:379-81. [PMID: 27406173 DOI: 10.1007/s40271-016-0186-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eve Wittenberg
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
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21
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R. Naunheim
- Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston2Department of Otolaryngology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Eve Wittenberg
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Mark G. Shrime
- Department of Otolaryngology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts4Program in Global Surgery and Social Change, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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Abstract
Few national studies have asked parents how to improve the childhood vaccination process. We surveyed a nationally representative online panel of parents on how to improve this process, rationales for nonstandard approaches, and alternatives to the standard schedule. Twelve percent of the 1222 respondents reported using nonstandard approaches: 3.2% used a specific schedule, 6.0% had no specific schedule, and 2.5% declined all vaccinations. The most common rationales were that too many vaccines are given at once, and discomfort with vaccine ingredients. Regarding how to improve the process, parents using the standard schedule most often said nothing could be improved (51%), or better vaccine information (22%). Those using nonstandard approaches most often would have liked more choice (40%) or better vaccine information (26%). Parents' experiences with the vaccination process could be improved by offering information prior to visits, giving more information about side effects, and allowing more flexibility about vaccine scheduling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracy A Lieu
- 1 Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA, USA
| | - Brian J Zikmund-Fisher
- 2 Deaprtment of Health Behavior and Health Education, Department of Medicine, and Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Cathy Chou
- 1 Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA, USA
| | - G Thomas Ray
- 1 Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA, USA
| | - Eve Wittenberg
- 3 Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
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23
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Wittenberg E, Bray JW, Gebremariam A, Aden B, Nosyk B, Schackman BR. Joint Utility Estimators in Substance Use Disorders. Value Health 2017; 20:458-465. [PMID: 28292491 PMCID: PMC5356490 DOI: 10.1016/j.jval.2016.09.2404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2016] [Revised: 09/14/2016] [Accepted: 09/19/2016] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although co-occurring conditions are common with substance use disorders (SUDs), estimation methods for joint health state utilities have not yet been tested in this context. OBJECTIVES To compare joint health state utility estimators in SUD to inform economic evaluation. METHODS We conducted two Internet-based surveys of US adults to collect community perspective standard gamble utilities for SUD and common co-occurring conditions. We evaluated six conditions as they occur individually and four combinations of these as they occur in tandem. We applied joint utility estimators using the six individual conditions' utilities to compare their performance relative to the observed combination states' utilities. We assessed performance with bias (estimated utility minus observed utility) and root mean square error (RMSE). RESULTS Using 3892 utilities from 1502 respondents, the minimum estimator was statistically unbiased (i.e., the 95% confidence interval included 0) for all combination states that we measured. The maximum estimator was unbiased for two states and the linear index and adjusted decrement estimators were unbiased for one state. The maximum estimator had the smallest RMSE for two combination states (back pain and prescription opioid misuse [0.0004] and injection crack and injection opioid use [0.0007]); the linear index and minimum estimators had the smallest RMSE for one combination state each. The additive and multiplicative estimators had the largest RMSE for all states. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate the usefulness of the minimum estimator in this context, and confirm the inadequacy of the additive and multiplicative estimators. Further research is needed to extend these results to other SUD states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve Wittenberg
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Jeremy W Bray
- Department of Economics, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA
| | | | - Brandon Aden
- Department of Healthcare Policy & Research and Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Bohdan Nosyk
- BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Bruce R Schackman
- Department of Healthcare Policy & Research and Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
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24
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Bray JW, Aden B, Eggman AA, Hellerstein L, Wittenberg E, Nosyk B, Stribling JC, Schackman BR. Quality of life as an outcome of opioid use disorder treatment: A systematic review. J Subst Abuse Treat 2017; 76:88-93. [PMID: 28190543 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsat.2017.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2016] [Revised: 01/30/2017] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS The recent opioid epidemic has prompted renewed interest in opioid use disorder treatment, but there is little evidence regarding health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) outcomes in treatment programs. Measuring HRQoL represents an opportunity to consider outcomes of opioid use disorder treatment that are more patient-centered and more relevant to overall health than abstinence alone. We conducted a systematic literature review to explore the extent to which the collection of HRQoL by opioid treatment programs is documented in the treatment program literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS We searched PubMed, Embase PsycINFO and Web of Science for papers published between 1965 and 2015 that reported HRQoL outcome measures from substance abuse treatment programs. RESULTS Of the 3014 unduplicated articles initially identified for screening, 99 articles met criteria for further review. Of those articles, 7 were unavailable in English; therefore 92 articles were reviewed. Of these articles, 44 included any quality-of-life measure, 17 of which included validated HRQoL measures, and 10 supported derivation of quality-adjusted life year utility weights. The most frequently used validated measure was the Addiction Severity Index (ASI). Non-U.S. and more recent studies were more likely to include a measure of HRQoL. CONCLUSIONS HRQoL measures are rarely used as outcomes in opioid treatment programs. The field should incorporate HRQoL measures as standard practice, especially measures that can be used to derive utility weights, such as the SF-12 or EQ-5D. These instruments provide policy makers with evidence on the impact of programs on patients' lives and with data to quantify the value of investing in opioid use disorder treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy W Bray
- Department of Economics, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, PO Box 26170, Greensboro, NC 27402, United States.
| | - Brandon Aden
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, 409 E 60th Street, New York, NY 10022, United States; Department of Healthcare Policy & Research, Weill Cornell Medical College, 425 E 61st Street, New York, NY 10065, United States.
| | - Ashley A Eggman
- Department of Healthcare Policy & Research, Weill Cornell Medical College, 425 E 61st Street, New York, NY 10065, United States.
| | - Leah Hellerstein
- Department of Healthcare Policy & Research, Weill Cornell Medical College, 425 E 61st Street, New York, NY 10065, United States.
| | - Eve Wittenberg
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 718 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, United States.
| | - Bohdan Nosyk
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, 608-1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6Z 1Y6, Canada; Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, B.C. V5A 1S6, Canada.
| | - Judy C Stribling
- Samuel J. Wood Library, Weill Cornell Medical College, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, United States.
| | - Bruce R Schackman
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, 409 E 60th Street, New York, NY 10022, United States; Department of Healthcare Policy & Research, Weill Cornell Medical College, 425 E 61st Street, New York, NY 10065, United States.
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25
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Zikmund-Fisher BJ, Wittenberg E, Lieu TA. Parental weighting of seizure risks vs. fever risks in vaccination tradeoff decisions. Vaccine 2016; 34:6123-6125. [PMID: 27817959 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2016.10.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2016] [Revised: 10/07/2016] [Accepted: 10/10/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
As part of a survey of about vaccination beliefs, a nationally representative sample of parents of young children answered a series of tradeoff questions that asked them to choose between two vaccination approaches that differed in terms of risks of vaccine complications, number of injections, and/or vaccine effectiveness. Most parents were willing to have their children endure more injections, and many were willing to forgo disease protection, in order to reduce the rare chance of febrile seizures. Yet, most parents were unwilling to trade disease protection to reduce the risk of fever alone, even though this is correlated with the risk of febrile seizures. Vaccine risk communications need to address the heightened emotional weight that parents give to febrile seizure risk, even when the rarity of such events is explicit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian J Zikmund-Fisher
- Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States; Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States; Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
| | - Eve Wittenberg
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Tracy A Lieu
- Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA, United States
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Abstract
Objective . To evaluate differences in risk attitude across the domains of health and money for 2 types of respondents, patients and community members. Methods . Two groups of respondents, patients with multiple sclerosis (n = 56) and members of the general community (n = 57), completed a survey that collected information on risk attitudes and socioeconomic and clinical variables (e.g., disability level). Risk attitude was measured using 2 standard-gamble questions on money and 1 standard-gamble question on health outcomes. Multivariate regression was used to evaluate the relationship between risk attitude and respondent type (patient v. community), adjusting for covariates that could affect risk attitude. Results . The median certainty equivalents for money gambles were significantly different from and less than the expected value of the gamble for both types of respondents. Median certainty equivalents for the health gamble were not significantly different from the expected value for either group of respondents. For all 3 gambles, there was no difference in median certainty equivalents between the 2 types of respondents in both unadjusted and adjusted analyses. Conclusions . Risk attitude varied across domains but not by respondent type. Patients and community members were predominantly risk neutral with respect to health outcomes and risk averse with respect to money. Research on risk preferences on money outcomes may not be an appropriate proxy for risk preferences regarding health outcomes. Risk preferences may depend more on characteristics of the choice than on respondent type.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa A Prosser
- Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.
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Morain SR, Concannon TW, Wittenberg E. HIV, breast cancer and vaccines: what do high-profile cases reveal about stakeholder engagement in research? J Comp Eff Res 2016; 6:43-49. [PMID: 27586693 DOI: 10.2217/cer-2016-0035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Substantially engaging stakeholders in research involves making extensive changes to the full life cycle of research, from the initial stage of selecting research priorities to the final stages of dissemination and implementation. Recent scholarship has explored logistical and methodological challenges, including the time, training and resources required for engagement. However, inadequate attention has been given to the intended ends or goals of engagement - what do we want engagement to achieve? An examination of historical case studies can yield important insights regarding engagement and its intended ends. Using historical perspective methods, we explore how clarity about the ends of engagement can inform the design of engagement efforts and lead to better outcomes. We present several lessons for improving stakeholder-engaged research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie R Morain
- Center for Medical Ethics & Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Suite 310D, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Thomas W Concannon
- The RAND Corporation, 20 Park Plaza, Suite 20, Boston, MA 02116, USA.,Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.,Tufts Clinical & Translational Science Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Eve Wittenberg
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 718 Huntington Avenue, 2nd Floor, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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Wittenberg E, Bharel M, Bridges JFP, Ward Z, Weinreb L. Using Best-Worst Scaling to Understand Patient Priorities: A Case Example of Papanicolaou Tests for Homeless Women. Ann Fam Med 2016; 14:359-64. [PMID: 27401425 PMCID: PMC4940467 DOI: 10.1370/afm.1937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2015] [Accepted: 02/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Best-worst scaling (BWS) is a survey method for assessing individuals' priorities. It identifies the extremes-best and worst items, most and least important factors, biggest and smallest influences-among sets. In this article, we demonstrate an application of BWS in a primary care setting to illustrate its use in identifying patient priorities for services. METHODS We conducted a BWS survey in 2014 in Boston, Massachusetts, to assess the relative importance of 10 previously identified attributes of Papanicolaou (Pap) testing services among women experiencing homelessness. Women were asked to evaluate 11 sets of 5 attributes of Pap services, and identify which attribute among each set would have the biggest and smallest influence on promoting uptake. We show how frequency analysis can be used to analyze results. RESULTS In all, 165 women participated, a response rate of 72%. We identified the most and least salient influences on encouraging Pap screening based on their frequency of report among our sample, with possible standardized scores ranging from+1.0 (biggest influence) to -1.0 (smallest influence). Most important was the availability of support for issues beyond health (+0.39), while least important was the availability of accommodations for personal hygiene (-0.27). CONCLUSIONS BWS quantifies patient priorities in a manner that is transparent and accessible. It is easily comprehendible by patients and relatively easy to administer. Our application illustrates its use in a vulnerable population, showing that factors beyond those typically provided in health care settings are highly important to women in seeking Pap screening. This approach can be applied to other health care services where prioritization is helpful to guide decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve Wittenberg
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Monica Bharel
- The Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, and Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts; currently: Department of Public Health, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - John F P Bridges
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Zachary Ward
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Linda Weinreb
- Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts
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Wittenberg E, Bharel M, Saada A, Santiago E, Bridges JFP, Weinreb L. Measuring the Preferences of Homeless Women for Cervical Cancer Screening Interventions: Development of a Best-Worst Scaling Survey. Patient 2016; 8:455-67. [PMID: 25586646 DOI: 10.1007/s40271-014-0110-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Despite having multiple risk factors, women experiencing homelessness are screened for cervical cancer at a lower rate than women in the general US population. We report on the design of a stated preference study to assess homeless women's preferences for cervical cancer screening interventions, to inform efforts to overcome this disparity. METHODS We conducted focus groups with homeless women (n = 8) on cervical cancer screening decisions and analyzed the data using thematic analysis. We applied inclusion criteria to select factors for a stated preference survey: importance to women, relevance to providers, feasibility, and consistency with clinical experience. We conducted pretests (n = 35) to assess survey procedures (functionality, recruitment, administration) and content (understanding, comprehension, wording/language, length). RESULTS We chose best-worst scaling (BWS)-also known as object scaling-to identify decision-relevant screening intervention factors. We chose an experimental design with 11 "objects" (i.e., factors relevant to women's screening decision) presented in 11 subsets of five objects each. Of 25 objects initially identified, we selected 11 for the BWS instrument: provider-related factors: attitude, familiarity, and gender; setting-related factors: acceptance and cost; procedure-related factors: explanation during visit and timing/convenience of visit; personal fears and barriers: concerns about hygiene, addiction, and delivery/fear of results; and a general factor of feeling overwhelmed. CONCLUSION Good practices for the development of stated preference surveys include considered assessment of the experimental design that is used and the preference factors that are included, and pretesting of the presentation format. We demonstrate the development of a BWS study of homeless women's cervical cancer screening intervention preferences. Subsequent research will identify screening priorities to inform intervention design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve Wittenberg
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard School of Public Health, 718 Huntington Avenue, 2nd Floor, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - Monica Bharel
- Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Adrianna Saada
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard School of Public Health, 718 Huntington Avenue, 2nd Floor, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Emely Santiago
- Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, Boston, MA, USA
| | - John F P Bridges
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Linda Weinreb
- Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve Wittenberg
- From the Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston (E.W.); and the Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit, Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, and the Department of Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (L.A.P.)
| | - Lisa A Prosser
- From the Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston (E.W.); and the Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit, Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, and the Department of Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (L.A.P.)
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Wittenberg E, Bray JW, Aden B, Gebremariam A, Nosyk B, Schackman BR. Measuring benefits of opioid misuse treatment for economic evaluation: health-related quality of life of opioid-dependent individuals and their spouses as assessed by a sample of the US population. Addiction 2016; 111:675-84. [PMID: 26498740 PMCID: PMC5034732 DOI: 10.1111/add.13219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2015] [Revised: 07/16/2015] [Accepted: 09/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
AIMS To understand how the general public views the quality of life effects of opioid misuse and opioid use disorder on an individual and his/her spouse, measured in terms used in economic evaluations. DESIGN Cross-sectional internet survey of a US population-representative respondent panel conducted December 2013-January 2014. SETTING United States. PARTICIPANTS A total of 2054 randomly selected adults; 51.1% male (before weighting). MEASUREMENTS Mean (95% confidence interval) and median health 'utility' for six opioid misuse and treatment outcomes: active injection misuse; active prescription misuse; methadone maintenance therapy at initiation and when stabilized in treatment; and buprenorphine therapy at initiation and when stabilized. Utility is a numerical representation of health-related quality of life used in economic evaluations to 'adjust' estimated survival to include peoples' preferences for health states. Utilities are determined by surveying the general population to estimate the value they assign to particular health states on a scale where 0 = the value of being dead and 1.0 = the value of being in perfect health. Spouse spillover utility is assigned to a spouse of an individual who is in a particular health state. FINDINGS Mean individual utility ranged from 0.574 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.538, 0.611] for active injection opioid misuse to 0.766 for stabilized buprenorphine therapy (95% CI = 0.738, 0.795), with other states in between. Female respondents assigned higher utility to the active prescription misuse and buprenorphine therapy at initiation states than did males (P < 0.05); all other states did not differ by respondent gender. Mean spousal utilities were significantly lower than 1.0 but mostly higher than individual utility, and were similar between male and female respondents. CONCLUSIONS In the opinion of the US public, injection opioid misuse results in worse health-related quality of life than prescription misuse, and methadone therapy results in worse health-related quality of life than buprenorphine therapy. Spouses are negatively affected by their partner's opioid misuse and early treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve Wittenberg
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jeremy W. Bray
- Department of Economics, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA
| | - Brandon Aden
- Department of Healthcare Policy and Research and Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Bohdan Nosyk
- BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada,Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Bruce R. Schackman
- Department of Healthcare Policy and Research and Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
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Nosyk B, Bray JW, Wittenberg E, Aden B, Eggman AA, Weiss RD, Potter J, Ang A, Y-I H, Ling W, Schackman BR. Short term health-related quality of life improvement during opioid agonist treatment. Drug Alcohol Depend 2015; 157:121-8. [PMID: 26511766 PMCID: PMC4778423 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2015] [Revised: 10/06/2015] [Accepted: 10/06/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Opioid dependence is associated with high levels of morbidity, yet sparse data exists regarding the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of individuals with opioid dependence, particularly following treatment initiation. To inform cost-effectiveness analyses of treatment modalities, this study investigates short-term changes in HRQoL following enrollment into opioid agonist treatment (OAT), across treatment modalities and patient subgroups. METHODS Data was analyzed from the Starting Treatment with Agonist Replacement Therapies (START) and Prescription Opioid Addiction Treatment Studies (POATS) randomized controlled trials. Participants included individuals dependent on prescription opioids (POs) or heroin, receiving limited-term or time-unlimited treatment. PO- or heroin-users in START received buprenorphine/naloxone (BUP/NX) or methadone (MET) over 24 weeks. PO-users in POATS received psychosocial care and short-term (4-week) taper with BUP/NX, with non-responders offered subsequent extended (12-week) stabilization and taper. HRQoL was assessed using the short-form SF-6D while in and out of OAT, with distinction between MMT and BUP/NX in START. Linear mixed effects regression models were fitted to determine the independent effects of OAT on HRQoL and characterize HRQoL trajectories. RESULTS Treatment had a similar immediate and modest positive association with HRQoL in each patient subgroup. The association of OAT on HRQoL was statistically significant in each model, with effect sizes between 0.039 (heroin-users receiving BUP/NX) and 0.071 (PO-users receiving MET). After initial improvement, HRQoL decreased slightly, or increased at a diminished rate. CONCLUSIONS OAT, whether delivered in time-limited or unlimited form, using BUP/NX or MET, is associated with modest immediate HRQoL improvements, with diminishing benefits thereafter.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Nosyk
- BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada.
| | - JW Bray
- University of North Carolina, Greensboro,Research Triangle International
| | | | - B Aden
- Department of Healthcare Policy and Research, Weill Cornell Medical College
| | - AA Eggman
- Department of Healthcare Policy and Research, Weill Cornell Medical College
| | - RD Weiss
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA,McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA
| | - J Potter
- Departments of Psychiatry and Anesthesiology (Pain Medicine), Faculty of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX
| | - A Ang
- UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs, Los Angeles CA
| | - Hser Y-I
- UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs, Los Angeles CA
| | - W Ling
- UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs, Los Angeles CA
| | - BR Schackman
- Department of Healthcare Policy and Research, Weill Cornell Medical College
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Jamé S, Wittenberg E, Potter MB, Fleischmann KE. The new lipid guidelines: what do primary care clinicians think? Am J Med 2015; 128:914.e5-914.e10. [PMID: 25837518 PMCID: PMC4664185 DOI: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2015.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2014] [Revised: 02/18/2015] [Accepted: 02/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Little is known about the opinions of primary care clinicians regarding the newly released 2013 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) Guidelines for the Prevention of Primary and Secondary Atherosclerotic Disease. This survey was created to assess the awareness, attitudes, and practices of primary care clinicians on adoption of the new guidelines and to explore obstacles to implementation and suggestions for improving shared decision-making. METHODS Six hundred practicing clinicians within the San Francisco Bay Area Collaborative Research Network were invited to participate in this cross-sectional, Internet-based pilot survey of primary care clinicians. These survey data were collected in March 2014, approximately 4 months after the release of the new guidelines and 1 month after the release of the ACC/AHA risk estimator application. RESULTS One hundred eighty-three clinicians responded to the survey. Of those respondents, 176 (96%) were aware of the guidelines. The majority (64%) reported implementing the new guidelines with at least some of their patients, while a minority (25%) reported adopting the guidelines for many of their patients. Disagreeing with the guidelines was the main hindrance to adoption. CONCLUSIONS While many primary care clinicians are aware of the new guidelines, a substantial proportion has yet to implement them into their clinical practice, and obstacles remain for full adoption. Further understanding of clinicians' views, opinions, and needs is necessary to optimize the approach to lipid management and ensure integration into current practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sina Jamé
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco
| | - Eve Wittenberg
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Mass
| | - Michael B Potter
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, UCSF, San Francisco
| | - Kirsten E Fleischmann
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco; Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, UCSF, San Francisco.
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Saada A, Lieu TA, Morain SR, Zikmund-Fisher BJ, Wittenberg E. Parents' choices and rationales for alternative vaccination schedules: a qualitative study. Clin Pediatr (Phila) 2015; 54:236-43. [PMID: 25200366 DOI: 10.1177/0009922814548838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A growing number of parents adopt alternative vaccination schedules for their children. A better understanding of parents' rationales for these choices is needed to guide vaccine decision making. METHODS We conducted 24 semistructured telephone interviews with parents of 12- to 36-month-olds and analyzed data using an inductive approach. RESULTS We identified 5 alternative vaccination approaches: "Dr Sears" schedule, shot-limiting approach, selective delay or decline, visit-by-visit decisions, and refusal of all vaccines. Parents who adopted alternative approaches expressed a desire for more control of exposure to vaccine ingredients; vaccine safety, immune system burden, and perceived disease risk were articulated as concerns. CONCLUSIONS Parents who adopt alternative vaccination schedules can be classified in defined subgroups based on their decision-making approaches, and many describe considered reasons to support their actions. Communications that acknowledge and address those reasons may be better able to engage parents and ultimately enhance the process of decision making about vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrianna Saada
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tracy A Lieu
- Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA, USA
| | - Stephanie R Morain
- Berman Institute of Bioethics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Brian J Zikmund-Fisher
- Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Eve Wittenberg
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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Abstract
Background. Applications of cost-effectiveness analysis do not typically incorporate effects on caregiver quality of life despite increasing evidence that these effects are measurable. Methods. Using a national sample of US adults, we conducted 2 cross-sectional surveys during December 2011 and January 2012. One version asked respondents to value their own experience as the family member of a person with a chronic illness (experienced sample), and the other version asked respondents to value hypothetical scenarios describing the experience of having a family member with a chronic illness (community sample). Conditions included Alzheimer’s disease/dementia, arthritis, cancer, and depression. Using standard gamble questions, respondents were asked to value the spillover effects of a family member’s illness. We used regression analysis to evaluate the disutility (loss in health-related quality of life) of having a family member with a chronic illness by condition and relationship type, controlling for the respondent’s own conditions and sociodemographic characteristics. Results. For the experienced sample (n = 1389), regression analyses suggested that greater spillover was associated with certain conditions (arthritis, depression) compared with other conditions (Alzheimer’s disease, cancer). For the community sample (n = 1205), regression analyses indicated that lower spillover was associated with condition (cancer) but not the type of relationship with the ill family member (parent, child, spouse). Conclusions. The effects of illness extend beyond the individual patient to include effects on caregivers of patients, parents of ill children, spouses, and other close family and household members. Cost-effectiveness analyses should consider the inclusion of health-related quality of life spillover effects in addition to caregiving time costs incurred by family members of ill individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa A Prosser
- Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit, Division of General Pediatrics, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI (LAP, KL, AG),School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (LAP)
| | - Kara Lamarand
- Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit, Division of General Pediatrics, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI (LAP, KL, AG)
| | - Acham Gebremariam
- Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit, Division of General Pediatrics, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI (LAP, KL, AG)
| | - Eve Wittenberg
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (EW)
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Lavelle TA, Wittenberg E, Lamarand K, Prosser LA. Variation in the spillover effects of illness on parents, spouses, and children of the chronically ill. Appl Health Econ Health Policy 2014; 12:117-24. [PMID: 24590611 PMCID: PMC4307398 DOI: 10.1007/s40258-014-0079-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Given the broad scope of the spillover effects of illness, it is important to characterize the variability in these outcomes to identify relationship types in which secondary impacts of illness are particularly important to include in health economic evaluations. PURPOSE To examine heterogeneity in spillover effects of chronic conditions on family members by type of familial relationship with patient. METHODS Adults (aged ≥18 years) and adolescents (aged 13-17 years) who had a parent, spouse, or child in their household with a chronic condition (Alzheimer's disease/dementia, arthritis, cancer, or depression) were recruited from a US national panel to participate in an on-line survey. Respondents were asked to rate the spillover effect of their family member's illness on their own health on a 0-100 scale, with lower scores indicating greater spillover. Regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between rating scale scores and relationship with an ill family member (ill parent, child, or spouse) for each illness separately, controlling for caregiving responsibility and the health status of the ill family member. RESULTS 1,267 adults and 102 adolescents met inclusion criteria. In adjusted analyses, having a sick child was significantly (p < 0.05) associated with lower rating scale scores compared with having a spouse with the same condition (cancer: -24.2; depression -9.7). Having a non-elderly or elderly adult parent with a condition, compared with a spouse, was significantly associated with lower rating scale scores for arthritis (-3.8) and depression (-5.3), but not for Alzheimer's disease/dementia or cancer. CONCLUSIONS The impact of illness on family members, measured with a rating scale, varies by relationship type for certain illnesses. Having a child with cancer, a parent with arthritis, or either with depression, is significantly associated with greater spillover, compared with having a spouse with one of these conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara A Lavelle
- University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA,
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Aden B, Nosyk B, Wittenberg E, Schackman BR. Health-Related Quality of Life in HIV-Infected and At-Risk Women: The Impact of Illicit Drug Use and Hepatitis C on a Community Preference Weighted Measure. Med Decis Making 2013; 34:800-8. [PMID: 24106234 DOI: 10.1177/0272989x13507340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2013] [Accepted: 09/06/2013] [Indexed: 12/09/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To assess the impact of illicit drug use and chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in women with HIV or at risk for HIV infection. METHODS Cross-sectional analysis of data from the Women's Interagency Health Study (WIHS) of women with HIV (n = 2508) and at high risk of HIV infection (n = 889) in the US. A Short-Form-6D (SF-6D) HRQoL measure derived from the Medical Outcomes Study-HIV (MOS-HIV) questionnaire, HIV infection status, CD4 cell count (a measure of immune status), antiretroviral treatment, current illicit drug use (heroin and/or cocaine), and HCV status were assessed at a recent study visit. We developed multivariate linear regression models adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, education, and testing for interactions. RESULTS HIV-infected women with ≤200 CD4 cells/µL had lower mean HRQoL scores (0.69) than either HIV-infected women with >200 CD4 cells/µL (0.78) or HIV-uninfected women (0.80) (P < 0.01). In multivariate analysis, illicit drug use, chronic HCV, and low CD4 count were independently associated with lower HRQoL. There was a differential effect of HCV and illicit drug use for HIV-infected women depending on CD4 cell count: HIV-infected women with >200 CD4 cells/µL had a significantly greater reduction in HRQoL associated with illicit drug use (-0.063) and chronic HCV (-0.036) than women with ≤200 CD4 cells/µL (-0.017, -0.005 respectively). CONCLUSIONS Poorly controlled HIV, illicit drug use, and chronic HCV are associated with lower HRQoL. Illicit drug use and chronic HCV have greater HRQoL impacts for HIV-infected women with well-controlled HIV versus those with poorly controlled HIV, which may affect clinical and policy priorities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon Aden
- Department of Public Health, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY (BA, BRS)
| | - Bohdan Nosyk
- British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, BC, Canada (BN),Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada (BN)
| | - Eve Wittenberg
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (EW)
| | - Bruce R Schackman
- Department of Public Health, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY (BA, BRS)
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Caring for an ill or disabled family member imposes a well-documented burden on the caregiver. The benefits of a health intervention may be underestimated if "spillover" effects on family members are not captured, resulting in inaccurate conclusions of economic evaluations. OBJECTIVE To provide an estimate of, and to summarize measurement approaches for, the spillover disutility of illness on family members, relatives, and caregivers, through a systematic review of the literature. METHODS The medical (PubMED), psychology (PsycINFO), and economics (EconLit) literatures were searched from inception through February 2012 for published studies measuring spillover disutility of illness on family members and caregivers. Inclusion criteria were (1) studies using preference-based measures of health-related quality of life, and (2) studies reporting spillover disutility, or (3) studies reporting data from which a spillover disutility could be inferred. RESULTS Fifteen studies were included in this review: seven reported estimates of spillover disutility and eight reported data from which disutility could be inferred. Three studies found no disutility associated with spillover, whereas 12 found measurable effects as large as -0.718 (and two found evidence of positive spillover in subsets of their samples). Generic (indirect) utility instruments were primarily used to measure spillover, including the EQ-5D, QWB, and HUI (n = 13), though two studies used modified versions of the time trade-off technique. Illnesses studied included childhood disorders (e.g., spina bifida, congenital malformations), diseases of the elderly (e.g., Alzheimer's disease and dementia), physically disabling conditions (e.g., arthritis, multiple sclerosis), and medical conditions such as cancer and stroke. The persons affected by spillover included parents, grandparents, spouses/partners, other family caregivers, and household members. CONCLUSIONS There is a limited literature on the spillover disutility of illness on family members and caregivers, providing some specific estimates of a generally small, negative effect for particular conditions and individuals. Measurement methods vary across studies and a consensus approach has not yet been reached. Evidence suggests that the inclusion of spillover effects in economic evaluations would increase the relative effectiveness of interventions that address conditions with spillover compared to those without, though such differential benefits may be limited to such specific circumstances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve Wittenberg
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard School of Public Health, 718 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES The effects of illness extend beyond the individual to caregivers and family members. This study identified evidence of spillover of illness onto household members' health-related quality of life. METHODS Medical Expenditures Panel Survey (MEPS) data from 2000-2003 were analyzed using multivariable regression to identify spillover of household members' chronic conditions onto individuals' health-related quality of life as measured by the EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D) score (N = 24,188). Spillover was assessed by disease category, timing of occurrence (preexisting or new conditions), and age of the household member (adult or child). RESULTS Controlling for an individual's own health conditions and other known predictors of EQ-5D scores, the authors found that the odds of an individual reporting full health (an EQ-5D score of 1.0, relative to <1.0) were lower with the presence of existing mental (odds ratio 0.71; 95% confidence interval, 0.64-0.79), respiratory (0.85; 0.75-0.97), and musculoskeletal (0.83; 0.75-0.93) conditions among adults and with mental (0.72; 0.62-0.82) and respiratory (0.80; 0.81-0.96) conditions among children in the household. The odds of an individual reporting full health were also lower for newly occurring chronic conditions in the household, including adults' mental (0.79; 0.65-0.97), nervous/sensory system (0.76; 0.61-0.96), and musculoskeletal (0.78; 0.65-0.95) conditions and children's mental conditions (0.64; 0.48-0.86). EQ-5D dimensions may be unsuited to fully capture spillover utility among household members, and MEPS lacks condition severity and caregiver status among household members. CONCLUSIONS Evidence from a US sample suggests that individuals who live with chronically ill household members have lower EQ-5D scores than those who live either alone or with healthy household members. Averting spillover effects may confer substantial additional benefit at the population level for interventions that prevent or alleviate conditions that incur such effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve Wittenberg
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (EW)
| | - Grant A Ritter
- Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA(GAR)
| | - Lisa A Prosser
- Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit, Division of General Pediatrics, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI (LAP)
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Halasa YA, Shepard DS, Wittenberg E, Fonseca DM, Farajollahi A, Healy S, Gaugler R, Strickman D, Clark GG. Willingness-to-pay for an area-wide integrated pest management program to control the Asian tiger mosquito in New Jersey. J Am Mosq Control Assoc 2012; 28:225-236. [PMID: 23833903 DOI: 10.2987/12-6243r.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Using contingent valuation we estimated the perceived value of an area-wide integrated pest management program for the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, implemented in Monmouth and Mercer counties, NJ. We estimated residents' maximum willingness-to-pay and perceived monetary benefits (willingness-to-pay excluding residents who protested all types of payments) and payment modality through a telephone survey of 51 randomly selected households. The mean (+/- SE) perceived monetary benefits for an enhanced mosquito abatement program was $9.54 +/- 2.90 per capita per year. Most respondents would have been willing to pay through taxes (35%) or charitable donations (6%) starting then, or through one of these approaches in the future (43%), whereas 16% were completely unwilling to pay any additional costs whatsoever. We projected that the perceived monetary benefits to the counties' 1.01 million residents for an enhanced mosquito control program would be $9.61 million annually. Thus, collectively residents perceived monetary benefits of 3.67 times the combined 2008 annual operating costs of the counties' existing mosquito control programs of $2.61 million.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yara A Halasa
- Brandeis University, Schneider Institutes for Health Policy, The Heller School, PO Box 549110, Waltham, MA 02454-9110, USA
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve Wittenberg
- Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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Soler ZM, Wittenberg E, Schlosser RJ, Mace JC, Smith TL. Health state utility values in patients undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery. Laryngoscope 2011; 121:2672-8. [PMID: 22034223 DOI: 10.1002/lary.21847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 158] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2011] [Accepted: 03/29/2011] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS The primary study goal was to measure health state utility values in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) before and after undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). A secondary goal was to assess the meaning of these values by comparing them with other chronic disease processes and currently available medical or surgical treatments. STUDY DESIGN Prospective, observational cohort study. METHODS Adults with CRS were enrolled after electing ESS and were observed for a 5-year period. Baseline demographic and medical comorbidities were recorded for each patient, as well as findings from computed tomography (CT), endoscopy, olfaction, and disease-specific quality of life scores. Utility values were derived using the Short-Form 6D (SF-6D) at baseline and again after surgery. RESULTS The mean SF-6D utility value for the baseline health state of all patients with CRS (n = 232) was 0.65 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.63-0.66). Baseline utility values correlated with disease-specific quality of life as measured by the Rhinosinusitis Disability Index (r = -0.660; P < .001), but not baseline CT, endoscopy, or olfactory scores. Follow-up utility values (≥ 6 months) after ESS improved by 0.087 (95% CI: 0.06-0.12; P < .001) in patients with no history of sinus surgery and 0.062 (95% CI: 0.04-0.09; P < .001) in those undergoing a revision procedure. CONCLUSIONS Patients with CRS who failed medical therapy and elected to undergo ESS reported health state utility values that were significantly lower than the US population norm. Utility values showed improvement after ESS, which was statistically and clinically significant. These results provide the initial data necessary for formal cost-effectiveness analyses incorporating ESS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary M Soler
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
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Wittenberg E, Prosser LA. Ordering errors, objections and invariance in utility survey responses: a framework for understanding who, why and what to do. Appl Health Econ Health Policy 2011; 9:225-241. [PMID: 21682351 DOI: 10.2165/11590480-000000000-00000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Utilities are the quantification of the perceived quality of life associated with any health state. They are used to calculate QALYs, the outcome measure in cost-utility analysis. Generally measured through surveys of individuals, utilities often contain apparent or unapparent errors that can bias resulting values and QALYs calculated from these values. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to improve direct health utility elicitation methodology through the identification of the types of survey responses that indicate errors and objections, and the reasons underlying them. METHODS We conducted a systematic review of the medical (PubMed), economics (EconLit) and psychology (PsycINFO) literature from 1975 through June 2010 for articles describing the types and frequency of errors and objections in directly elicited utility survey responses, and strategies to address these responses. Primary data were collected through an internet-based utility survey (standard gamble) of community members to identify responses that indicate error or objections. A qualitative telephone survey was conducted among a subset of respondents with these types of responses using an open-ended protocol to elicit rationales for them. RESULTS A total of 11 papers specifically devoted to errors, objections and invariance in utility responses have been published since the mid-1990s. Error/objection responses can be broadly categorized into ordering errors (which include illogical and inconsistent responses) and objections/invariance (which include missing data, protest responses and refusals to trade time or risk in utility questions). Reported frequencies of respondents making ordering errors ranged from 5% to 100%, and up to 35% of respondents have been reported as objecting to the survey or task in some manner. Changes in the design, administration and analysis of surveys can address these potentially problematic responses. Survey data (n = 398) showed that individuals who provided invariant responses (n = 26) reported the lowest level of difficulty with the survey and often identified as religious (23% of invariant responders found the survey difficult vs 63% of all responders, and 77% of invariant responders identified as religious compared with 56% of entire sample; p < 0.05 for both). Respondents who provided illogical responses (n = 50) were less likely to be college educated (56% of illogical responders vs 73% of entire sample; p < 0.05), and less likely to be confident in their responses (62% vs 75% of entire sample; p < 0.05). Qualitative interviews (n = 42) following the survey revealed that the majority of ordering errors were a result of confusion, lack of attention or difficulty in responding to the survey on the part of the respondent, while invariant responses were often considered and thoughtful reactions to the premise of valuing health using the standard gamble task. CONCLUSIONS Rationales for error/objection responses include difficulty in articulating preferences or misunderstanding with a complex survey task, and also thoughtful and considered protestations to the task. Mechanisms to correct unintentional errors may be useful, but cannot address intentional responses to elements of the measurement task. Identification and analysis of the prevalence of errors and objections in responses in utility data sets are essential to understanding the accuracy and precision of utility estimates and analyses that depend thereon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve Wittenberg
- Schneider Institutes for Health Policy, Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454-9110, USA.
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Wittenberg E. The effect of time of onset on community preferences for health states: an exploratory study. Health Qual Life Outcomes 2011; 9:6. [PMID: 21251291 PMCID: PMC3031192 DOI: 10.1186/1477-7525-9-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2010] [Accepted: 01/20/2011] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Health state descriptions used to describe hypothetical scenarios in community-perspective utility surveys commonly omit detail on the time of onset of a condition, despite our knowledge that among patients who have a condition, experience affects the value assigned to that condition. The debate regarding whose values to use in cost utility analysis is based in part on this observed difference between values depending on the perspective from which they are measured. This research explores the effect on community preferences for hypothetical health states of including the time of onset of a health condition in the health state description, to investigate whether this information induces community respondents to provide values closer to those of patients with experience with a condition. The goal of the research is to bridge the gap between patient and community preferences. METHODS A survey of community-perspective preferences for hypothetical health states was conducted among a convenience sample of healthy adults recruited from a hospital consortium's research volunteer pool. Standard gambles for three hypothetical health states of varying severity were compared across three frames describing time of onset: six months prior onset, current onset, and no onset specified in the description. Results were compared within health state across times of onset, controlling for respondent characteristics known to affect utility scores. Sub-analyses were conducted to confirm results on values meeting inclusion criteria indicating a minimum level of understanding and compliance with the valuation task. RESULTS Standard gamble scores from 368 completed surveys were not significantly different across times of onset described in the health state descriptions regardless of health condition severity and controlling for respondent characteristics. Similar results were found in the subset of 292 responses that excluded illogical and invariant responses. CONCLUSIONS The inclusion of information on the time of onset of a health condition in community-perspective utility survey health state descriptions may not be salient to or may not induce expression of preferences related to disease onset among respondents. Further research is required to understand community preferences regarding condition onset, and how such information might be integrated into health state descriptions to optimize the validity of utility data. Improved understanding of how the design and presentation of health state descriptions affect responses will be useful to eliciting valid preferences for incorporation into decision making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve Wittenberg
- Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA.
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Abstract
AIMS Cervical cancer is a preventable disease through screening and early treatment. Rates of cervical cancer are higher in impoverished women, including homeless women. This study assessed the acceptance of free and accessible Pap smears offered to homeless women in a respite care setting. METHODS A convenience sample of 205 adult women receiving respite care at a facility for homeless people in Boston, Massachusetts, between 2004 and 2007 were offered screening for cervical cancer during routine encounters with the medical staff during their stay. Rates of acceptance of screening as well as medical and sociodemographic information were collected on the women. RESULTS Of 205 women enrolled in the study, 129 (63%) were in need of screening and offered a Pap smear; 80 (62%) accepted and 49 (38%) declined. Of those who agreed to be tested, 56 (70%) had a Pap smear performed, resulting in 10 (18%) atypical results (atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance [ASCUS] or low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion [LGSIL]) and 15 (27%) benign findings needing follow-up (e.g., vaginitis without evidence of malignancy). CONCLUSIONS A large proportion of homeless women receiving respite care decline a free Pap smear despite being in medical need of cervical cancer screening. Access and cost may not be the only barriers to screening among homeless women, and new and innovative approaches to screening in vulnerable populations need to be investigated in order to close the disparity gap.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Bharel
- Boston Health Care for the Homeless, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, USA.
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate prevention decision making among women at high risk for breast cancer, including patient preferences for preventive interventions, patient understanding of disease risk, and patient preferences for risk communication methods, and the corresponding physician understanding of these factors. A prospective interview and survey study was conducted of consecutive new patients seen at a cancer risk and prevention clinic and their physicians. One hundred and forty-six of 217 eligible patients participated and completed all components of the study (67%), and they were seen by a four physicians. Women's preferences for prevention intervention varied widely across women but were stable across time. Physicians were very often unable to predict their patients' preferences for prevention efforts. Patients overestimated their risk of disease, and physicians overestimated the decrease in perceived risk resulting from counseling (p < 0.001). As risk stratification for breast cancer improves, and prevention options become more tolerable, it becomes increasingly important to appropriately counsel women considering such options. This study provides insight into the decision making process of women at high risk for breast cancer and highlights the importance of addressing patient preferences for interventions and risk perception during risk assessment and counseling consultations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elissa M Ozanne
- Institute for Technology Assessment, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA.
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Abstract
A variety of methods are available to measure preferences for temporary health states for cost-utility analyses. The objectives of this review were to summarize the available temporary health-state valuation methods, identify advantages and disadvantages of each, and identify areas for future research. We describe the key aspects of each method and summarize advantages and disadvantages of each method in terms of consistency with QALY theory, relevance to temporary health-state-specific domains, ease of use, time preference, and performance in validation studies. Two broad categories of methods were identified: traditional and adapted. Traditional methods were health status instruments, time trade-off (TTO), and the standard gamble (SG). Methods adapted specifically for temporary health-state valuation were TTO with specified duration of the health state, TTO with a lifespan modification, waiting trade-off, chained approaches for TTO and SG, and sleep trade-off. Advantages and disadvantages vary by method and no 'gold standard' method emerged. Selection of a method to value temporary health states will depend on the relative importance of the following considerations: ability to accurately capture the unique characteristics of the temporary health state, level of respondent burden and cognition, theoretical consistency of elicited preference values with the overall purpose of the study, and resources available for study development and data collection. Further research should focus on evaluating validity, reliability and feasibility of temporary health-state valuation methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davene R Wright
- Preferences Working Group, Center for Health Decision Science, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Sher DJ, Wittenberg E, Suh WW, Taghian AG, Punglia RS. Partial-breast irradiation versus whole-breast irradiation for early-stage breast cancer: a cost-effectiveness analysis. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2008; 74:440-6. [PMID: 18963542 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2008.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2008] [Revised: 08/14/2008] [Accepted: 08/15/2008] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Accelerated partial-breast irradiation (PBI) is a new treatment paradigm for patients with early-stage breast cancer. Although PBI may lead to greater local recurrence rates, it may be cost-effective because of better tolerability and lower cost. We aim to determine the incremental cost-effectiveness of PBI compared with whole-breast radiation therapy (WBRT) for estrogen receptor-positive postmenopausal women treated for early-stage breast cancer. METHODS AND MATERIALS We developed a Markov model to describe health states in the 15 years after radiotherapy for early-stage breast cancer. External beam (EB) and MammoSite (MS) PBI were considered and assumed to be equally effective, but carried different costs. Patients received tamoxifen, but not chemotherapy. Utilities, recurrence risks, and costs were adapted from the literature; the baseline utility for no disease after radiotherapy was set at 0.92. Probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to model uncertainty in the PBI hazard ratio, recurrence pattern, and patient utilities. Costs (in 2004 US dollars) and quality-adjusted life-years were discounted at 3%/y. RESULTS The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for WBRT compared with EB-PBI was $630,000/quality-adjusted life-year; WBRT strongly dominated MS-PBI. One-way sensitivity analysis found that results were sensitive to PBI hazard ratio, recurrence pattern, baseline recurrence risk, and no evidence of disease PBI utility values. Probabilistic sensitivity showed that EB-PBI was the most cost-effective technique over a wide range of assumptions and societal willingness-to-pay values. CONCLUSIONS EB-PBI was the most cost-effective strategy for postmenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer. Unless the quality of life after MS-PBI proves to be superior, it is unlikely to be cost-effective.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Sher
- Harvard Radiation Oncology Program, Boston, MA, USA
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