Health economics research into supporting carers of people with dementia: A systematic review of outcome measures

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Advisory bodies, such as the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the UK, advocate using preference based instruments to measure the quality of life (QoL) component of the quality-adjusted life year (QALY). Cost per QALY is used to dete...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jones Carys, Edwards Rhiannon Tudor, Hounsome Barry
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2012-11-01
Series:Health and Quality of Life Outcomes
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.hqlo.com/content/10/1/142
_version_ 1819028689069801472
author Jones Carys
Edwards Rhiannon Tudor
Hounsome Barry
author_facet Jones Carys
Edwards Rhiannon Tudor
Hounsome Barry
author_sort Jones Carys
collection DOAJ
description <p>Abstract</p> <p>Advisory bodies, such as the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the UK, advocate using preference based instruments to measure the quality of life (QoL) component of the quality-adjusted life year (QALY). Cost per QALY is used to determine cost-effectiveness, and hence funding, of interventions. QALYs allow policy makers to compare the effects of different interventions across different patient groups. Generic measures may not be sensitive enough to fully capture the QoL effects for certain populations, such as carers, so there is a need to consider additional outcome measures, which are preference based where possible to enable cost-effectiveness analysis to be undertaken. This paper reviews outcome measures commonly used in health services research and health economics research involving carers of people with dementia. An electronic database search was conducted in PubMed, Medline, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PsycINFO, the National Health Service Economic Evaluation Database (NHS EED), Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE) and Health Technology Assessment database. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they included an outcome measure for carers of people with dementia. 2262 articles were identified. 455 articles describing 361 studies remained after exclusion criteria were applied. 228 outcome measures were extracted from the studies. Measures were categorised into 44 burden measures, 43 mastery measures, 61 mood measures, 32 QoL measures, 27 social support and relationships measures and 21 staff competency and morale measures. The choice of instrument has implications on funding decisions; therefore, researchers need to choose appropriate instruments for the population being measured and the type of intervention undertaken. If an instrument is not sensitive enough to detect changes in certain populations, the effect of an intervention may be underestimated, and hence interventions which may appear to be beneficial to participants are not deemed cost-effective and are not funded. If this is the case, it is essential that additional outcome measures which detect changes in broader QoL are included, whilst still retaining preference based utility measures such as EQ-5D to allow QALY calculation for comparability with other interventions.</p>
first_indexed 2024-12-21T06:02:21Z
format Article
id doaj.art-a3b5afedffba4dc28b8af27b4b51e8e2
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1477-7525
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-21T06:02:21Z
publishDate 2012-11-01
publisher BMC
record_format Article
series Health and Quality of Life Outcomes
spelling doaj.art-a3b5afedffba4dc28b8af27b4b51e8e22022-12-21T19:13:44ZengBMCHealth and Quality of Life Outcomes1477-75252012-11-0110114210.1186/1477-7525-10-142Health economics research into supporting carers of people with dementia: A systematic review of outcome measuresJones CarysEdwards Rhiannon TudorHounsome Barry<p>Abstract</p> <p>Advisory bodies, such as the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the UK, advocate using preference based instruments to measure the quality of life (QoL) component of the quality-adjusted life year (QALY). Cost per QALY is used to determine cost-effectiveness, and hence funding, of interventions. QALYs allow policy makers to compare the effects of different interventions across different patient groups. Generic measures may not be sensitive enough to fully capture the QoL effects for certain populations, such as carers, so there is a need to consider additional outcome measures, which are preference based where possible to enable cost-effectiveness analysis to be undertaken. This paper reviews outcome measures commonly used in health services research and health economics research involving carers of people with dementia. An electronic database search was conducted in PubMed, Medline, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PsycINFO, the National Health Service Economic Evaluation Database (NHS EED), Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE) and Health Technology Assessment database. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they included an outcome measure for carers of people with dementia. 2262 articles were identified. 455 articles describing 361 studies remained after exclusion criteria were applied. 228 outcome measures were extracted from the studies. Measures were categorised into 44 burden measures, 43 mastery measures, 61 mood measures, 32 QoL measures, 27 social support and relationships measures and 21 staff competency and morale measures. The choice of instrument has implications on funding decisions; therefore, researchers need to choose appropriate instruments for the population being measured and the type of intervention undertaken. If an instrument is not sensitive enough to detect changes in certain populations, the effect of an intervention may be underestimated, and hence interventions which may appear to be beneficial to participants are not deemed cost-effective and are not funded. If this is the case, it is essential that additional outcome measures which detect changes in broader QoL are included, whilst still retaining preference based utility measures such as EQ-5D to allow QALY calculation for comparability with other interventions.</p>http://www.hqlo.com/content/10/1/142CarersDementiaQuality of lifeEQ-5DOutcome measures
spellingShingle Jones Carys
Edwards Rhiannon Tudor
Hounsome Barry
Health economics research into supporting carers of people with dementia: A systematic review of outcome measures
Health and Quality of Life Outcomes
Carers
Dementia
Quality of life
EQ-5D
Outcome measures
title Health economics research into supporting carers of people with dementia: A systematic review of outcome measures
title_full Health economics research into supporting carers of people with dementia: A systematic review of outcome measures
title_fullStr Health economics research into supporting carers of people with dementia: A systematic review of outcome measures
title_full_unstemmed Health economics research into supporting carers of people with dementia: A systematic review of outcome measures
title_short Health economics research into supporting carers of people with dementia: A systematic review of outcome measures
title_sort health economics research into supporting carers of people with dementia a systematic review of outcome measures
topic Carers
Dementia
Quality of life
EQ-5D
Outcome measures
url http://www.hqlo.com/content/10/1/142
work_keys_str_mv AT jonescarys healtheconomicsresearchintosupportingcarersofpeoplewithdementiaasystematicreviewofoutcomemeasures
AT edwardsrhiannontudor healtheconomicsresearchintosupportingcarersofpeoplewithdementiaasystematicreviewofoutcomemeasures
AT hounsomebarry healtheconomicsresearchintosupportingcarersofpeoplewithdementiaasystematicreviewofoutcomemeasures