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- Alwin, Jenny, et al.
(författare)
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Could the choice of patient versus proxy ratings for assessing quality of life in dementia affect resource allocation in health care?
- 2012
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Ingår i: Farmeconomia: Health economics and therapeutic pathways. - : SEEd. - 1721-6915 .- 2240-256X. ; 13:1, s. 25-31
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how the choice of patient versus proxy ratings of patient health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in dementia, for use in cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs), could potentially affect resource allocation in health care.METHODS:A model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) based on cognitive ability was used to assess the consequences of using HRQoL ratings from either patients themselves or proxies if a new treatment was to be introduced. The model was based on previously published data on costs related to AD stages as well as HRQoL ratings from AD patients and from their caregivers as proxy raters.RESULTS:The results show that there can be large differences in the results of the CEAs depending on whether the ratings of patients’ HRQoL were made by the patients themselves or by the proxy. When patient self-ratings of HRQoL were used, the cost/quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained was much higher as compared to the scenario when proxy ratings were used for the same analysis.CONCLUSIONS: The choice of patient self-ratings compared to proxy ratings of patients’ HRQoL can have a substantial effect on the results of CEAs. These differences in results may have an important impact on decision making and, ultimately, on resource allocation. In order to critically appraise the results of CEA studies in dementia we advise that both patient and proxy ratings are used in the CEA. To decide on methodology it is of great importance that focus is directed towards determining the most valid way to measure HRQoL in AD.
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| 4. |
- Bartha, Erzsebet, et al.
(författare)
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Value of information: interim analysis of a randomized, controlled trial of goal-directed hemodynamic treatment for aged patients
- 2013
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Ingår i: Trials. - : BioMed Central. - 1745-6215. ; 14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundA randomized, controlled trial, intended to include 460 patients, is currently studying peroperative goal-directed hemodynamic treatment (GDHT) of aged hip-fracture patients. Interim efficacy analysis performed on the first 100 patients was statistically uncertain; thus, the trial is continuing in accordance with the trial protocol. This raised the present investigation’s main question: Is it reasonable to continue to fund the trial to decrease uncertainty? To answer this question, a previously developed probabilistic cost-effectiveness model was used. That model depicts (1) a choice between routine fluid treatment and GDHT, given uncertainty of current evidence and (2) the monetary value of further data collection to decrease uncertainty. This monetary value, that is, the expected value of perfect information (EVPI), could be used to compare future research costs. Thus, the primary aim of the present investigation was to analyze EVPI of an ongoing trial with interim efficacy observed.MethodsA previously developed probabilistic decision analytic cost-effectiveness model was employed to compare the routine fluid treatment to GDHT. Results from the interim analysis, published trials, the meta-analysis, and the registry data were used as model inputs. EVPI was predicted using (1) combined uncertainty of model inputs; (2) threshold value of society’s willingness to pay for one, quality-adjusted life-year; and (3) estimated number of future patients exposed to choice between GDHT and routine fluid treatment during the expected lifetime of GDHT.ResultsIf a decision to use GDHT were based on cost-effectiveness, then the decision would have a substantial degree of uncertainty. Assuming a 5-year lifetime of GDHT in clinical practice, the number of patients who would be subject to future decisions was 30,400. EVPI per patient would be €204 at a €20,000 threshold value of society’s willingness to pay for one quality-adjusted life-year. Given a future population of 30,400 individuals, total EVPI would be €6.19 million.ConclusionsIf future trial costs are below EVPI, further data collection is potentially cost-effective. When applying a cost-effectiveness model, statements such as ‘further research is needed’ are replaced with ‘further research is cost-effective and ‘further funding of a trial is justified’.
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- Brodtkorb, Thor-Henrik, 1976-
(författare)
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Cost-effectiveness analysis of health technologies when evidence is scarce
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Given the increasing pressures on health care budgets, economic evaluation is used in many countries to assist decision-making regarding the optimal use of competing health care technologies. Although the standard methods of estimating cost-effectiveness underpinning these decisions have gained widespread acceptance, concerns have been raised that many technologies would not be considered for funding, due to scarcity of evidence. However, as long as the amount and quality of evidence used for the analysis are properly characterized, scarce evidence per se should not be seen as a hindrance to perform cost-effectiveness analyses. Characterizing uncertainty appropriately, though, may pose a challenge even when there is a large body of evidence available, and even more so when evidence is scarce. The aims of this thesis are to apply a methodological framework of cost-effectiveness analysis and explore methods for characterising uncertainty when evidence is scarce. Three case studies associated with limited evidence provide economic evaluations on current decision problems, investigate the feasibility of using the framework, and explore methods for characterizing uncertainty when evidence is scarce.The results of the case studies showed that, given current information, providing transfemoral amputees with C-Leg and Airsonett Airshower to patients with perennial allergic asthma could be considered cost-effective whereas screening for hyperthrophic cardiomyopathy among young athletes is unlikely to be cost-effective. In the cases of C-Leg and Airsonett Airshower conducting further research is likely to be cost-effective. The case studies indicate that it is feasible to apply methods of cost-effectiveness in health care for technologies not commonly evaluated due to lack of evidence. The analysis showed that failing to account for individual experts’ might have a substantial effect on the interpretation of the results of cost-effectiveness analysis. Formal expert elicitation is a promising method of characterizing uncertainty when evidence is missing, and thus enable cost-effectiveness and value of further research to be appropriately estimated in such situations.In conclusion, this thesis shows that scarcity of evidence should not preclude the use of cost-effectiveness analysis. On the contrary, in such cases it is probably more important than ever to use a framework that enable us to define key parameters for a decision problem and identify available evidence in order to determine cost-effectiveness given current information and provide guidance on further data collection.
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| 7. |
- Brodtkorb, Thor-Henrik, et al.
(författare)
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Cost-effectiveness of C-Leg compared to non microprocessor controlled knees: a modeling approach
- 2008
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Ingår i: Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. - : Institutionen för medicin och hälsa. - 0003-9993 .- 1532-821X. ; 89:1, s. 24-30
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: To estimate the costs and health outcomes of C-Leg and non–microprocessor-controlled (NMC) knees using a decision-analytic model. Design: Data on costs, rates and duration of problems, knee survival, and health-related quality of life were obtained from interviews with patients and prosthetists with experience of both C-Leg and NMC knees. Interview data were assessed in a decision-analytic Markov model to estimate cost-effectiveness from a health care perspective. Setting: Outpatient. Participants: A population sample of 20 patients currently using the C-Leg and prior experience of nonmicroprocessor knees, and 5 prosthetists. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measure: Incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY). Results: The mean incremental cost (in 2006 Euros) and QALYs for the C-Leg was €7657 and 2.38, respectively, yielding a cost per QALY gained of €3218. Conclusions: It is important to provide decision-makers with relevant information on costs and health outcomes of different treatment strategies on actual decision problems despite limited evidence. The results of the study, taking into account both costs and a broadly defined health outcome in terms of QALY, show that given existing albeit limited evidence the C-Leg appears to yield positive health outcomes at an acceptable cost.
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| 8. |
- Brodtkorb, Thor-Henrik, et al.
(författare)
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Cost-effectiveness of clean air administered to the breathing zone in allergic asthma
- 2010
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Ingår i: CLINICAL RESPIRATORY JOURNAL. - 1752-6981. ; 4:2, s. 104-110
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: Airsonett Airshower (AA) is a novel non-pharmaceutical treatment for patients with perennial allergic asthma that uses a laminar airflow directed to the breathing zone of patients during sleep. It has been shown that AA treatment in addition to optimized standard therapy significantly increases asthma-related quality of life among adolescent asthmatics. However, the cost-effectiveness of AA treatment has not yet been assessed. As reimbursement decisions are increasingly guided by results from the cost-effectiveness analysis, such information is valuable for health-care policy-makers. Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate the cost-effectiveness of adding AA treatment with allergen-free air during night sleep to optimized standard therapy for adolescents with perennial allergic asthma compared with placebo. Materials and Methods: A probabilistic Markov model was developed to estimate costs and health outcomes over a 5-year period. Costs and effects are presented from a Swedish health-care perspective (QALYs). The main outcome of interest was cost per QALY gained. Results: The Airshower strategy resulted in a mean gain of 0.25 QALYs per patient, thus yielding a cost per QALY gained of under 35 000 as long as the cost of Airshower is below 8200. Conclusions: Adding AA treatment to optimized standard therapy for adolescents with perennial allergic asthma compared with placebo is generating additional QALYs at a reasonable cost. However, further studies taking more detailed resource use and events such as exacerbations into account would be needed to fully evaluate the cost-effectiveness of AA treatment. Please cite this paper as: Brodtkorb T-H, Zetterstrom O and Tinghog G. Cost-effectiveness of clean air administered to the breathing zone in allergic asthma.
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| 10. |
- Brodtkorb, Thor-Henrik, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
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Eliciting priors to characterize uncertainties in decision analytic models
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Expert opinions are often used in decision models when evidence is scarce. This study describes the details of a formal elicitation exercise to estimate parameter values and their associated uncertainty and compares the results in term of cost-effectiveness and value of information with results from only eliciting mean values from experts. Methods: Elicited distributions for 11 unknown parameters where incorporated into a previously developed cost-effectiveness model for prosthetic knees for amputees. The original model included elicited mean values for the missing values, thus ignoring any uncertainty across experts’ beliefs. Results: The incremental cost-effective ratio (ICER) for the analysis based on the current elicited distributions was substantially higher (€13 625) than the ICER in the original analysis (€3 258). Even decision uncertainty, at a €35 000 threshold, increased significantly, increasing the value of further research from €355 100 in the original analysis, to €5 987 444 for the current elicited values. Conclusions: Failing to account for the individual expert’s uncertainty might have a considerable impact on the result of cost-effectiveness analyses. Formal expert elicitation offers a plausible method to generate prior distributions representing the experts’ uncertainty and thereby more appropriately account for the true uncertainty of the decision.
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