Economic evaluations of occupational therapy approaches for people with cognitive and/or functional decline: A systematic review

With the ageing of the world's population comes significant implications for nearly all sectors of society, including health and aged care spending. Health and aged care systems need to respond to the increasing need for services for older people. Occupational therapy is concerned with maintaining a person's functional independence and well‐being from preventative and treatment perspectives. The aim of this systematic review was to identify the costs and outcomes of occupational therapy for people with cognitive and/or functional decline. The searches for this review were conducted on 23 September 2016 and updated on 20 April 2017. Full economic evaluation studies, partial economic evaluations, randomised trials reporting estimates of resource use or costs associated with intervention(s) and comparator(s) and studies with pre‐ and post‐intervention cost comparators were included. Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria. The type and duration of occupational therapy intervention in the included studies varied, ranging from one‐off assessments through to systematic multicomponent programmes. Results suggested that structured occupational therapy interventions which comprised of multiple consultations and engaged caregivers delivered better functional and economic outcomes.     

The (cost‐)effectiveness of preventive,integrated care for community‐dwelling frail older people: A systematic review

Integrated care is increasingly promoted as an effective and cost‐effective way to organise care for community‐dwelling frail older people with complex problems but the question remains whether high expectations are justified. Our study aims to systematically review the empirical evidence for the effectiveness and cost‐effectiveness of preventive, integrated care for community‐dwelling frail older people and close attention is paid to the elements and levels of integration of the interventions. We searched nine databases for eligible studies until May 2016 with a comparison group and reporting at least one outcome regarding effectiveness or cost‐effectiveness. We identified 2,998 unique records and, after exclusions, selected 46 studies on 29 interventions. We assessed the quality of the included studies with the Effective Practice and Organization of Care risk‐of‐bias tool. The interventions were described following Rainbow Model of Integrated Care framework by Valentijn. Our systematic review reveals that the majority of the reported outcomes in the studies on preventive, integrated care show no effects. In terms of health outcomes, effectiveness is demonstrated most often for seldom‐reported outcomes such as well‐being. Outcomes regarding informal caregivers and professionals are rarely considered and negligible. Most promising are the care process outcomes that did improve for preventive, integrated care interventions as compared to usual care. Healthcare utilisation was the most reported outcome but we found mixed results. Evidence for cost‐effectiveness is limited. High expectations should be tempered given this limited and fragmented evidence for the effectiveness and cost‐effectiveness of preventive, integrated care for frail older people. Future research should focus on unravelling the heterogeneity of frailty and on exploring what outcomes among frail older people may realistically be expected.     

The effectiveness of inter‐professional working for older people living in the community: a systematic review

Health and social care policy in the UK advocates inter‐professional working (IPW) to support older people with complex and multiple needs. Whilst there is a growing understanding of what supports IPW, there is a lack of evidence linking IPW to explicit outcomes for older people living in the community. This review aimed to identify the models of IPW that provide the strongest evidence base for practice with community dwelling older people. We searched electronic databases from 1 January 1990–31 March 2008. In December 2010 we updated the findings from relevant systematic reviews identified since 2008. We selected papers describing interventions that involved IPW for community dwelling older people and randomised controlled trials (RCT) reporting user‐relevant outcomes. Included studies were classified by IPW models (Case Management, Collaboration and Integrated Team) and assessed for risk of bias. We conducted a narrative synthesis of the evidence according to the type of care (interventions delivering acute, chronic, palliative and preventive care) identified within each model of IPW. We retrieved 3211 records and included 37 RCTs which were mapped onto the IPW models: Overall, there is weak evidence of effectiveness and cost‐effectiveness for IPW, although well‐integrated and shared care models improved processes of care and have the potential to reduce hospital or nursing/care home use. Study quality varied considerably and high quality evaluations as well as observational studies are needed to identify the key components of effective IPW in relation to user‐defined outcomes. Differences in local contexts raise questions about the applicability of the findings and their implications for practice. We need more information on the outcomes of the process of IPW and evaluations of the effectiveness of different configurations of health and social care professionals for the care of community dwelling older people.     

Clinical and economic assessment of different general population strategies of pertussis vaccine booster regarding number of doses and age of application for reducing whooping cough disease burden: a systematic review

Pertussis continues to be an important cause of morbidity and mortality in children too young to be fully protected despite high vaccination coverage. This has been attributed to waning immunity in older people, leading to the development of strategies to increase levels of immunity. A systematic review was conducted to assess the clinical and cost effectiveness of four population-based strategies for pertussis booster vaccination: single booster at 12-24 months old, single pre-school booster, single adolescent booster and multiple boosters in adulthood every 10 years. Electronic databases and Internet resources were searched to June 2006. Nine observational studies, four mathematical models and eight economic evaluations were included, evaluating four different strategies. Strong evidence to recommend any of these strategies was not found.     

Interventions to improve the oral health of people with dementia or cognitive impairment: A review of the literature

Objective

Oral diseases and conditions are prevalent among older people with dementia and cognitive impairment. While many interventions have been advocated for use in this population, evidence for their effectiveness is unclear. Our objective was to review systematically the content and effectiveness of interventions and implementation strategies used to improve or maintain the oral health of people with dementia or cognitive impairment.

Methods

Original studies published in English at any time until January 2015 were identified through electronic searches of the Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus and Cochrane databases and hand searches of eligible studies and relevant reviews. Two investigators independently abstracted study characteristics and assessed the methodological quality of eligible studies. Results were presented as a narrative review because significant heterogeneity among included studies precluded a meta-analysis.

Results

The 18 included studies varied considerably in terms of size, scope and focus. Only two studies were identified that had been designed specifically for and examined exclusively in people with dementia or cognitive impairment. All studies were in residential care; none was population-based. While several studies reported positive effects, a number of methodological weaknesses were identified and the overall quality of included studies was poor. The specific outcomes targeted varied across studies but most studies focused almost exclusively on proximal clinical oral health outcomes such as levels of dental or denture plaque. Attempts to measure intervention integrity were limited and there was usually little or no effort to evaluate intervention effects over a sustained period.

Conclusion

There is a lack of high quality evidence to support the effectiveness of oral health interventions and implementation strategies for older people with dementia or cognitive impairment. More rigorous, large scale research is needed in this area. Recommendations are provided to improve the overall quality of evaluation in this area. Emphasis must be placed on developing evidence-based, achievable and sustainable oral health strategies if the needs of people with dementia and cognitive impairment are to be met into the future.

     

Non‐pharmacological interventions to prevent hospital or nursing home admissions among community‐dwelling older people with dementia: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Older people with dementia more frequently experience episodes of hospital care, transferal to nursing home and adverse events when they are in these environments. This study synthesised the available evidence examining non‐pharmacological interventions to prevent hospital or nursing home admissions for community‐dwelling older people with dementia. Seven health science databases of all dates were searched up to 2 December 2019. Randomised controlled trials and comparative studies investigating non‐pharmacological interventions for older people with dementia who lived in the community were included. Meta‐analyses using a random‐effect model of randomised controlled trials were used to assess the effectiveness of interventions using measures taken as close to 12 months into follow‐up as reported. Outcomes were risk and rate of hospital and nursing home admissions. Risk ratio (RR) or rate ratios (RaR) with 95% confidence interval were used to pool results for hospital and nursing home admission outcomes. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to include pooling of results from non‐randomised trails. Twenty studies were included in the review. Community care coordination reduced rate of nursing home admissions [(2 studies, n = 303 people with dementia and 86 patient–caregiver dyads), pooled RaR = 0.66, 95% CI (0.45, 0.97), I² = 0%, p = .45]. Single interventions of psychoeducation and multifactorial interventions comprising of treatment and assessment clinics indicated no effect on hospital or nursing home admissions. The preliminary evidence of community care coordination on reducing the rate of nursing home admissions may be considered with caution when planning for community services or care for older people living with dementia.     

Nonpharmacologic Management of Orthostatic Hypotension in Older People: A Systematic Review. The SENATOR ONTOP Series

ObjectivesNonpharmacologic therapies are often recommended as a first-line treatment for orthostatic hypotension (OH). However, the true effect of nonpharmacologic therapy remains unclear, particularly in the older population. We undertook a systematic review evaluating the efficacy of nonpharmacologic interventions in older people with OH to provide evidence-based recommendations.DesignSystematic review of systematic reviews.Setting and ParticipantsMEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CINHAL, and PsycINFO were searched up to June 2018. Two reviewers identified eligible systematic reviews from which primary studies were selected. We included both randomized and nonrandomized studies that evaluated any type of nonpharmacologic intervention and reported outcomes of change in postural drop in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and/or orthostatic symptoms measured using any validated instrument. The Cochrane risk of bias tool was used, with recommendations based on the GRADE approach.ResultsEleven trials were included. Meta-analysis of lower limb compression showed a reduction in the postural drop in SBP of 9.83 mmHg [95% confidence interval (CI) −12.56, −7.11], whereas abdominal compression showed a larger reduction in postural drop in SBP of 12.30 mmHg (95% CI –18.20, −6.39). Compression therapy was also beneficial in reducing OH symptoms. However, the quality of the evidence for compression therapy was very poor. One study each was identified for sleeping with head-up (SHU), home-based resistance training (HBRT), and multicomponent intervention but did not significantly reduce postural SBP drop. Bolus water drinking was effective in 1 study but the study was of low quality.Conclusions/ImplicationsThere is no high-quality evidence to recommend any of the nonpharmacologic therapies for the management of OH in older people. Yet, we make a weak recommendation for lower limb and abdominal compression therapy based on very low quality evidence. Large-scale trials are warranted in older people to substantiate the efficacy of nonpharmacologic therapies in OH.     

Systematic reviews of economic evaluations: utility or futility?

Systematic reviews of studies of effectiveness are the centrepiece of evidence‐based medicine and policy making. Increasingly, systematic reviews of economic evaluations are also an expected input into much evidence‐based policy making, with some health economists even calling for ‘an economics approach to systematic review’. This paper questions the value of conducting systematic reviews of economic evaluations to inform decision making in health care. It argues that the value of systematic reviews of economic evaluations is usually undermined by three things. Firstly, compared with effectiveness studies, there is a much wider range of factors that limit the generalisability of cost–effectiveness results, over time and between health systems and service settings, including the context‐dependency of resource use and opportunity costs, and different decision contexts and budget constraints. Secondly, because economic evaluations are more explicitly intended to be decision‐informing, the requirements for generalisability take primacy, and considerations of internal validity become more secondary. Thirdly, since one of the two main forms of economic evaluation – decision analytic modelling – is itself a well‐developed method of evidence synthesis, in most cases the need for a comprehensive systematic review of previous economic evaluations of a particular health technology or policy choice is unwarranted. I conclude that apparent ‘meta‐analytic expectations’ for clear and widely applicable cost–effectiveness conclusions from systematic reviews of economic evaluations are optimistic and generally futile. For more useful insights and knowledge from previous economic studies in evidence‐based policy making, a more limited range of reasons for conducting systematic reviews of health economic studies is proposed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Specialist nursing and community support for the carers of people with dementia living at home: an evidence synthesis

Specialist nurses are one way of providing support for family carers of people with dementia, but relatively little is known about what these roles achieve, or if they are more effective than roles that do not require a clinical qualification. The aim of this review was to synthesise the literature on the scope and effectiveness of specialist nurses, known as Admiral Nurses, and set this evidence in the context of other community‐based initiatives to support family carers of people with dementia. We undertook a systematic review of the literature relating to the scope and effectiveness of Admiral Nurses and a review of reviews of interventions to support the family carers of people with dementia. To identify studies, we searched electronic databases, undertook lateral searches and contacted experts. Searches were undertaken in November 2012. Results are reported narratively with key themes relating to Admiral Nurses identified using thematic synthesis. We included 33 items relating to Admiral Nurses (10 classified as research) and 11 reviews evaluating community‐based support for carers of people with dementia. There has been little work to evaluate specific interventions provided by Admiral Nurses, but three overarching thematic categories were identified: (i) relational support, (ii) co‐ordinating and personalising support and (iii) challenges and threats to the provision of services by Admiral Nurses. There was an absence of clearly articulated goals and service delivery was subject to needs of the host organisation and the local area. The reviews of community‐based support for carers of people with dementia included 155 studies but, in general, evidence that interventions reduced caregiver depression or burden was weak, although psychosocial and educational interventions may reduce depression in carers. Community support for carers of people with dementia, such as that provided by Admiral Nurses, is valued by family carers, but the impact of such initiatives is not clearly established.     

Characterising community exercise programmes delivered by fitness instructors for people with neurological conditions: a scoping review

A scoping review was conducted to characterise evaluations of community‐based exercise programmes (CBEPs) delivered by fitness instructors to people with neurological conditions. Literature published from 1946 to April 2014 in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and the grey literature were searched. Search terms included community, programme, exercise, adult, brain disease and spinal cord disease. Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts for inclusion. One author reviewed full‐text articles to evaluate eligibility. Studies were included if the study objective was to evaluate an exercise programme, the programme was community‐based and delivered by fitness instructors, exercise participants were ≥18 years of age and had a neurological condition, and a full‐text article was available and written in English. After reviewing 1785 titles and abstracts, 18 (1.01%) articles describing 15 studies were included in the review. One author completed data abstraction from the included studies. A second reviewer independently verified the extracted data for accuracy. Exercise programmes most commonly included people with stroke (47%) and Parkinson's disease (40%), incorporated a stand‐alone (80%), multi‐component (20%), group (67%), individual (20%) and combined format (13%), strength training (40%) and functional/task‐oriented training (40%), reported a minimum walking requirement (67%), and involved a healthcare professional (HCP) with various roles (53%), including training (27%), advising and supporting (33%). The most commonly examined participant outcomes were health‐related quality of life (60%) and functional balance (47%). More research is needed to develop CBEPs targeting individuals with low ambulatory function and multiple neurological conditions, to develop recommendations for the involvement of HCPs in CBEPs and document their involvement, and to evaluate system‐level outcomes such as cost, healthcare utilisation and impact on caregivers. The findings support a number of considerations to guide future research into CBEPs delivered by fitness instructors for individuals with neurological conditions.     

Good practice in social care for disabled adults and older people with severe and complex needs: evidence from a scoping review

This article reports findings from a scoping review of the literature on good practice in social care for disabled adults and older people with severe and complex needs. Scoping reviews differ from systematic reviews, in that they aim to rapidly map relevant literature across an area of interest. This review formed part of a larger study to identify social care service models with characteristics desired by people with severe and complex needs and scope the evidence of effectiveness. Systematic database searches were conducted for literature published between January 1997 and February 2011 on good practice in UK social care services for three exemplar groups: young adults with life‐limiting conditions; adults who had suffered a brain injury or spinal injury and had severe or complex needs; and older people with dementia and complex needs. Five thousand and ninety‐eight potentially relevant records were identified through electronic searching and 51 by hand. Eighty‐six papers were selected for inclusion, from which 29 studies of specific services were identified. However, only four of these evaluated a service model against a comparison group and only six reported any evidence of costs. Thirty‐five papers advocated person‐centred support for people with complex needs, but no well‐supported evaluation evidence was found in favour of any particular approach to delivering this. The strongest evaluation evidence indicated the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary specialist team for young adults; intensive case management for older people with advanced dementia; a specialist social worker with a budget for domiciliary care working with psycho‐geriatric inpatients; and interprofessional training for community mental health professionals. The dearth of robust evaluation evidence identified through this review points to an urgent need for more rigorous evaluation of models of social care for disabled adults and older people with severe and complex needs.     

Comparative Effectiveness of 3 Settings of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy on Cognition and Quality of Life for People With Dementia: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis

ObjectiveTo compare and rank the effectiveness of group cognitive stimulation therapy (group CST), maintenance cognitive stimulation therapy (MCST), and individual cognitive stimulation therapy (iCST) on cognition and quality of life (QoL) in people with dementia.DesignSystematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA).Setting and ParticipantsAll published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared the differences among 3 different settings of CST or a control group in treating people with dementia.MethodsRelevant electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library for clinical trials, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang Data were systematically searched from inception to March 2021. RCTs that compared the differences among 3 different settings of CST or a control group in treating people with dementia were included. Then, a pairwise and network meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the relative effects and rank probability of different CST settings. PRISMA guidelines were used for abstracting data, and the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool was used to assess data quality.ResultsIn total, 17 studies were included, which enrolled 1680 participants. Compared with the control group, MSCT [standardized mean difference (SMD) = 1.39, 95% CI 0.86, 1.91; low-quality evidence] and group CST (SMD 0.62, 95% CI 0.39, 0.84; very low-quality evidence) could significantly improve cognitive function. MCST (SMD 1.00, 95% CI 0.16, 1.85; low-quality evidence) and group CST (SMD 0.53, 95% CI 0.13, 0.92; low-quality evidence) demonstrated a statistically significant effect in improving the QoL, whereas iCST was not significantly inferior to the control condition. None of the treatments were significantly different from each other with respect to acceptability.Conclusions and ImplicationsFor people with dementia, group CST and MCST seems to promote more consistent benefits in terms of cognition and QoL than the iCST, and MCST was likely to be the most effective CST setting. Further RCTs with respect to the MCST and iCST efficacy are needed.     

Rapid evidence assessment of approaches to community neurological nursing care for people with neurological conditions post‐discharge from acute care hospital

Neurological conditions represent leading causes of non‐fatal burden of disease that will consume a large proportion of projected healthcare expenditure. Inconsistent access to integrated healthcare and other services for people with long‐term neurological conditions stresses acute care services. The purpose of this rapid evidence assessment, conducted February–June 2016, was to review the evidence supporting community neurological nursing approaches for patients with neurological conditions post‐discharge from acute care hospitals. CINAHL Plus with Full Text and MEDLINE were searched for English‐language studies published January 2000 to June 2016. Data were extracted using a purpose‐designed protocol. Studies describing community neurological nursing care services post‐discharge for adults with stroke, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis or motor neurone disease were included and their quality was assessed. Two qualitative and three quantitative studies were reviewed. Two themes were identified in the narrative summary of findings: (i) continuity of care and self‐management and (ii) variable impact on clinical or impairment outcomes. There was low quality evidence of patient satisfaction, improved patient social activity, depression scores, stroke knowledge and lifestyle modification associated with post‐discharge care by neurological nurses as an intervention. There were few studies and weak evidence supporting the use of neurology‐generalist nurses to promote continuity of care for people with long‐term or progressive, long‐term neurological conditions post‐discharge from acute care hospital. Further research is needed to provide role clarity to facilitate comparative studies and evaluations of the effectiveness of community neurological nursing models of care.     

Supporting Informal Caregivers of People With Dementia in Cost-Effective Ways: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

ObjectivesCaring for persons with dementia is a heavy burden for informal caregivers. This study aimed to appraise the economic evidence of interventions supporting informal caregivers of people with dementia.MethodsLiterature was searched, and trial-based studies evaluating the costs and effects of interventions supporting informal caregivers of people with dementia were included. Cost data were analyzed from both healthcare and societal perspectives. Random-effects models were used to synthesize cost and effect data, based on mean differences (MDs) or standardized MDs.ResultsOf 33 eligible studies identified from 48 588 records, 14 (42.4%) showed net savings in total cost regardless of analytical perspectives. Among 22 studies included in meta-analyses, caregiver-focused psychosocial interventions showed improvements in caregivers’ psychological health (n = 4; standardized MD 0.240; 95% confidence interval 0.094-0.387); nevertheless, the increases in societal cost were significant (n = 5; MD 3144; 95% confidence interval 922-5366). Psychological intervention and behavioral management engaging patient-caregiver dyads showed positive effects on caregivers’ subjective burden, also with increases in total cost. Subgroup analyses indicated that the inclusion of different intervention components, the caregiver characteristics, and the follow-up periods could affect the costs and effects of interventions supporting informal caregivers.ConclusionsPsychosocial interventions directed at informal caregivers and dyad-based psychological and behavioral interventions are effective but also expensive. The use of these interventions depends on the society’s willingness to pay. More comprehensive economic evidence of interventions supporting informal caregivers is required, and the design of intervention should focus more on different intervention components, characteristics of patients and caregivers, and healthcare systems.     

The environment and falls prevention: Do environmental modifications make a difference?

Background and Aims:  Environmental modification is a strategy widely recommended in many falls prevention programs. However the effectiveness of such a strategy has not been well established. This study aimed to evaluate published research related to falls prevention and environmental modification for older people.
Method:  A review of research conducted between 1993 and 2004 was undertaken. Ageline, Cinahl and OvidMedline databases were searched using falls prevention, home modifications, environmental modifications and occupational therapy as key words.
Results:  Eighteen articles were found relating to community and institutional dwellings and the relevance of environmental modifications.
Conclusion:  There is some evidence to support the use of environmental modification as a strategy in falls prevention for older people particularly in association with multidisciplinary/multifactorial programs targeted to those people with a history of falls.     

Systematic review of rotavirus vaccination cost-effectiveness in high income settings utilising dynamic transmission modelling techniques

PurposeThis systematic review presents cost-effectiveness studies of rotavirus vaccination in high-income settings based on dynamic transmission modelling to inform policy decisions about implementing rotavirus vaccination programmes.MethodsWe searched CEA Registry, MEDLINE, Embase, Health Technology Assessment Database, Scopus, and the National Health Service Economic Evaluation Database for studies published since 2002. Full economic evaluation studies based on dynamic transmission models, focusing on high-income countries, live oral rotavirus vaccine and children ≤ 5 years of age were eligible for inclusion. Included studies were appraised for quality and risk of bias using the Consensus on Health Economic Criteria (CHEC) list and the Philips checklist. The review protocol was prospectively registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020208406).ResultsA total of four economic evaluations were identified. Study settings included England and Wales, France, Norway, and the United States. All studies compared either pentavalent or monovalent rotavirus vaccines to no intervention. All studies were cost-utility analyses that reported incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained. Included studies consistently concluded that rotavirus vaccination is cost-effective compared with no vaccination relative to the respective country’s willingness to pay threshold when herd protection benefits are incorporated in the modelling framework.ConclusionsRotavirus vaccination was found to be cost-effective in all identified studies that used dynamic transmission models in high-income settings where child mortality rates due to rotavirus gastroenteritis are close to zero. Previous systematic reviews of economic evaluations considered mostly static models and had less conclusive findings than the current study. This review suggests that modelling choices influence cost-effectiveness results for rotavirus vaccination. Specifically, the review suggests that dynamic transmission models are more likely to account for the full impact of rotavirus vaccination than static models in cost-effectiveness analyses.     

A systematic narrative review of consumer‐directed care for older people: implications for model development

Consumer‐directed care is increasingly becoming a mainstream option in community‐based aged care. However, a systematic review describing how the current evaluation research translates into practise has not been published to date. This review aimed to systematically establish an evidence base of user preferences for and satisfaction with services associated with consumer‐directed care programmes for older people. Twelve databases were searched, including MedLine, BioMed Central, Cinahl, Expanded Academic ASAP, PsychInfo, ProQuest, Age Line, Science Direct, Social Citation Index, Sociological Abstracts, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library. Google Scholar and Google were also searched. Eligible studies were those reporting on choice, user preferences and service satisfaction outcomes regarding a programme or model of home‐based care in the United States or United Kingdom. This systematic narrative review retrieved literature published from January 1992 to August 2011. A total of 277 references were identified. Of these 17 met the selection criteria and were reviewed. Findings indicate that older people report varying preferences for consumer‐directed care with some demonstrating limited interest. Clients and carers reported good service satisfaction. However, research comparing user preferences across countries or investigating how ecological factors shape user preferences has received limited attention. Policy‐makers and practitioners need to carefully consider the diverse contexts, needs and preferences of older adults in adopting consumer‐directed care approaches in community aged care. The review calls for the development of consumer‐directed care programmes offering a broad range of options that allow for personalisation and greater control over services without necessarily transferring the responsibility for administrative responsibilities to service users. Review findings suggest that consumer‐directed care approaches have the potential to empower older people.     

Light Therapy to Improve Sleep Quality in Older Adults Living in Residential Long-Term Care: A Systematic Review

ObjectivesBecause light can regulate sleep rhythms, numerous studies have investigated whether light therapy can improve sleep disorders in older people, but its efficacy remains controversial. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to examine and summarize current evidence about the efficacy of light therapy to improve sleep for older people in residential long-term care.DesignSystematic review.Setting and participantsOlder people living in long-term care settings.MethodsSystematic searches were conducted in the databases PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, EMBASE, CINAHL, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Science and Technology Journal Database, WanFang, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and in reference lists within relevant articles. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they evaluated light therapy for older people with sleep disorders in long-term care settings.ResultsThis systematic review includes 21 articles, summarizing light therapy with different durations and intensities. The light intervention was typically administered between 7:00 and 12:00 am for 30-120 minutes. The interventions lasted from 1 week to several months, and the intensity of the light intervention usually ranged from 2500 to 10,000 lux. Short-term exposure (30-60 minutes) with high light levels (≥10,000 lux), relatively long-term exposure (1-2 hours) with moderate light levels (2500-10,000 lux), or long-term exposure (1-4 hours or full day) with low light levels (≤2500 lux) were associated with improved sleep indicators for older people in long-term care settings.Conclusions and implicationsThe efficacy of light therapy in long-term care settings may be affected by the duration of exposure, time and length of intervention, intensity of light, and equipment used to administer the therapy. Further research must be conducted to optimize light therapy parameters. Large, high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to deepen our understanding of the effects of light therapy on sleep in older people living in long-term care settings.     

Clinical and cost-effectiveness of donepezil, rivastigmine and galantamine for Alzheimer's disease: a rapid and systematic review

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia and is characterised by an insidious onset and slow deterioration. The estimated prevalence of Alzheimer's disease for a standard health authority (500,000 people) is about 3330. Current service involves a wide range of agencies, and drug therapy for some patients. OBJECTIVES: To provide a rapid and systematic review of the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of donepezil, rivastigmine and galantamine in the symptomatic treatment of people suffering from Alzheimer's disease. METHODS: A systematic review of the literature was undertaken. METHODS - DATA SOURCES: Searches were made of electronic databases, including MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness, NHS Economic Evaluation Database, National Research Register, Science Citation Index, BIOSIS, EconLit, MRC Trials database, Early Warning System, Current Controlled Trials, TOXLINE, Index of Scientific and Technical Proceedings, and Getting Easier Access to Reviews. All sources were searched over the period covered by the databases up to March/July 2000. Bibliographies of related papers were assessed for relevant studies and experts were contacted for advice and peer review, and to identify additional published and unpublished references. Manufacturer submissions to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) were reviewed. METHODS - STUDY SELECTION: Studies were included if they fulfilled the following criteria: (1) Intervention: donepezil, rivastigmine or galantamine used to treat Alzheimer's disease. (2) Participants: people diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease who meet the criteria for treatment with donepezil, rivastigmine and galantamine. (3) Outcomes: measures assessing changes in cognition, function, behaviour and mood, quality of life (including studies assessing carer well-being and carer-input), and time to institutionalisation. (4) Design: systematic reviews of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and RCTs comparing donepezil, rivastigmine or galantamine with placebo or each other or non-drug comparators were included in the review of effectiveness. Economic studies of donepezil, rivastigmine or galantamine used to treat Alzheimer's disease that included a comparator (or placebo) and both the costs and consequence (outcomes) of treatment were included in the review of cost-effectiveness. Studies in non-English language, and abstracts and conference poster presentations of systematic reviews, RCTs and economic evaluations were excluded. Two reviewers identified studies by independently screening study titles and abstracts, and then by examining the full text of selected studies to decide inclusion. METHODS - DATA EXTRACTION AND QUALITY ASSESSMENT: Data extraction and quality assessment were undertaken by one reviewer and checked by a second reviewer, with any disagreements resolved through discussion. The quality of RCTs was assessed using the Jadad scale and the quality of systematic reviews was assessed using criteria developed by the NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination. The quality of economic evaluation studies was assessed by their internal validity (i.e. the methods used) using a standard checklist, and external validity (i.e. the generalisability of the economic study to the population of interest) using a series of relevant questions. METHODS - DATA SYNTHESIS: The clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of donepezil, rivastigmine and galantamine were synthesised through a narrative review with full tabulation of results of all included studies. In the economic evaluation, the reviewers assessed whether adjustments could be made to existing models to reflect the current situation in England and Wales. RESULTS - CLINICAL EFFECTIVENESS: (1) Donepezil--three systematic reviews and five RCTs (plus four studies from industry (unpublished data, submitted as commercial in confidence)) were found. Results suggest that donepezil is beneficial when assessed using global and cognitive outcome measures. (2) Rivastigmine--three systematic reviews and five RCTs (plus two studies from industry (unpublished data, submitted as commercial in confidence)) were found. Results suggest that rivastigmine is beneficial in terms of global outcome measures. (3) Galantamine--one systematic review and three RCTs (plus three studies from industry (unpublished data, submitted as commercial in confidence)) were found. Results suggest that galantamine is beneficial in terms of global, cognitive and functional scales. RESULTS - SUMMARY OF BENEFITS: It is difficult to quantify benefits from the evidence available in the literature. Statistically significant improvements in tests such as ADAS-cog (Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale cognitive subscale) may not be reflected in changes in daily life. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)     

The Cost Effectiveness of Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators: A Systematic Review of Economic Evaluations

Background

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the most common cause of death in developed countries, with more than 3 million people dying yearly. Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are considered to be an effective treatment in the primary and secondary prevention of SCD; however, their cost is considerable and this poses questions regarding whether they are worth the investment relative to less expensive pharmacotherapy.

Objective

The aim of this systematic review is to investigate existing evidence regarding the cost effectiveness of ICD therapy and to identify the key drivers of cost effectiveness, for the purpose of informing interested policy and decision makers.

Methodology

A systematic review of the literature concerning the cost effectiveness of ICDs was undertaken. Electronic databases, including PubMed, Cochrane and Health Economic Evaluations Database were searched based on appropriate terms and their combinations. Economic evaluation studies that examined the cost effectiveness of ICDs were selected and 34 were included for evaluation.

Results

Findings from the present analysis show that ICD therapy, in properly selected patients who are at high risk of sudden cardiac death, is associated with similar or better cost-effectiveness ratios compared with other well accepted conventional treatments. The cost effectiveness of ICDs is influenced by several factors, including ICD efficacy and safety, impact on patient quality of life, device original implantation cost, frequency and cost of battery replacement, patient demographics and risk profile and analysis time horizon.

Conclusion

ICDs may represent a cost-effective option relative to pharmacotherapy in appropriately selected patient groups. The cost-effectiveness ratios appear to be at acceptable and comparable levels to other established treatments in cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular diseases. However, cost effectiveness is highly related to several factors and hence economic efficiency is highly dependent on conditions that need to be fulfilled for each individual case in medical practice. The aforementioned factors and technological advances imply that to ensure cost-effective use of ICD therapy, continuous research is needed.