A systematic review of the methodological quality of economic evaluations in genetic screening and testing for monogenic disorders

PurposeUnderstanding the value of genetic screening and testing for monogenic disorders requires high-quality, methodologically robust economic evaluations. This systematic review sought to assess the methodological quality among such studies and examined opportunities for improvement.MethodsWe searched PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, and Web of Science for economic evaluations of genetic screening/testing (2013-2019). Methodological rigor and adherence to best practices were systematically assessed using the British Medical Journal checklist.ResultsAcross the 47 identified studies, there were substantial variations in modeling approaches, reporting detail, and sophistication. Models ranged from simple decision trees to individual-level microsimulations that compared between 2 and >20 alternative interventions. Many studies failed to report sufficient detail to enable replication or did not justify modeling assumptions, especially for costing methods and utility values. Meta-analyses, systematic reviews, or calibration were rarely used to derive parameter estimates. Nearly all studies conducted some sensitivity analysis, and more sophisticated studies implemented probabilistic sensitivity/uncertainty analysis, threshold analysis, and value of information analysis.ConclusionWe describe a heterogeneous body of work and present recommendations and exemplar studies across the methodological domains of (1) perspective, scope, and parameter selection; (2) use of uncertainty/sensitivity analyses; and (3) reporting transparency for improvement in the economic evaluation of genetic screening/testing.     

Economic Status and Mortality in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease in Japan: The Longevity Improvement and Fair Evidence Study

ObjectivesAs more countries are implementing measures to address Alzheimer’s disease (AD), it is essential to update the available knowledge on the relationship between economic status and mortality in patients with AD. This study examined the influence of economic status on mortality in Japanese individuals with AD using a medical claims dataset.DesignThis was a retrospective cohort study.Setting and ParticipantsMedical claims data from April 2014 to March 2019 were obtained from 13 local cities participating in the Longevity Improvement and Fair Evidence study. The inclusion criteria were patients aged 65 years and older who were newly diagnosed with AD during the study period.MethodsThe outcome was death during the follow-up period. We assessed economic status by household income (middle to high income and low income); data were obtained from the use of the Medical Expenditure Ceiling Application and Standard Copayment Reduction Card (fee reduction card) when receiving an AD diagnosis, as an indicator of low-income status. We performed multivariate Cox proportional hazards analyses to examine the relationship between economic status and mortality; the model was adjusted for age, sex, the Charlson comorbidity index, and antidementia drug use.ResultsWe identified 39,081 newly diagnosed patients with AD from the Longevity Improvement and Fair Evidence study database (mean age, 83.6 years; female, 67.1%). Of these, 3189 individuals were identified as having a low-income status. After adjusting for possible confounders, low-income status was associated with mortality (hazard ratio, 1.95; 95% confidence interval, 1.84–2.07).Conclusions and ImplicationsLow-income status was associated with substantially poorer prognoses in new AD cases, indicating a need for a thorough examination of medical and nursing care services utilized by low-income individuals with AD and to explore improvement strategies.     

Characteristics of drowning deaths in an inner city river

A study was undertaken of all drowning deaths that occurred over a 30-year period from 1988 to 2017 in the urban section of the River Torrens, Adelaide, South Australia, an augmented waterway that runs through the central business district. Autopsy records from Forensic Science South Australia (FSSA) were reviewed. There were 34 drownings (0–5 cases/yr) with 28 males and 6 females (M;F = 4.6:1), with an age range for males of 18-76yrs (mean 42.0; SD 18.0) and for females of 20-84yrs (mean 69.3; SD 24.5). There were 15 (44%) accidents, 11 (32%) suicides, 1 (3%) homicide and 7 (21%) undetermined. Of the 22 cases during or after 1994 with complete toxicology reports, 10 (45%) had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of greater than 0.05% (g/100 mL) with an illicit substance detected in 4 (18%) cases: (MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), methylamphetamine and THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) acid). The presence of various therapeutic drugs was also detected in 10 cases (45%) including temazepam, fluoxetine, diazepam, olanzapine, amitriptyline, carbamazepine, codeine, citalopram and valproate. Although the numbers of cases were not high, the urban portion of the River Torrens had a much higher number of drowning events per kilometre compared to other inland waterways in South Australia such as the Murray River. This is most likely due to the vulnerability that exists for intoxicated individuals in the city from falls into the water and to the availability of the river as a means of suicide to members of the adjacent urban population.     

Cost of postoperative complications: How to avoid calculation errors

Postoperative complications(PC) are a basic health outcome, but no surgery service in the world records and/or audits the PC associated with all the surgical procedures it performs. Most studies that have assessed the cost of PC suffer from poor quality and a lack of transparency and consistency. The payment system in place often rewards the volume of services provided rather than the quality of patients' clinical outcomes. Without a thorough registration of PC, the economic costs involved cannot be determined. An accurate, reliable appraisal would help identify areas for investment in order to reduce the incidence of PC,improve surgical results, and bring down the economic costs. This article describes how to quantify and classify PC using the Clavien-Dindo classification and the comprehensive complication index, discusses the perspectives from which economic evaluations are performed and the minimum postoperative follow-up established, and makes various recommendations. The availability of accurate and impartially audited data on PC will help reduce their incidence and bring down costs. Patients, the health authorities, and society as a whole are sure to benefit.     

长江北三角洲抗倭碑文的史料意义

长江北三角平原上所遗存的二十余种记及明代倭患和抗倭战争的古代的碑石文献 ,在数量上据全国各抗倭战区所存的同类文献之首。在内容上 ,对补充旧史的阙失、订正传误、佐证史实、深化研究也有诸多帮助 ,尤其是对廓正对倭寇与倭患问题的认识有着积极的意义     

农村贫困地区脑卒中危险因素及经济负担的病例对照研究

目的 研究农村贫困地区脑卒中危险因素及经济负担。方法 采用病例对照研究，在辽宁省彰武县农村选取脑卒中患者和对照农民各102人，进行问卷调查。结果 脑卒中的危险因素在彰武县农村农民中流行率较高，吸烟、饮酒、喝茶的比例分别达73．1％、64．7％、79．4％以上。很少吃水果、蛋类和动物性蛋白质者分别为61．8％、56．9％、61．8％以上。每人每天食盐和猪油摄入量分别为22．2g和31．3g，具有高血压和高血脂患病意识者仅为19．6％和20．6％。脑卒中患者中高血压家族史、饮酒、超重、低动物蛋白摄人率分别为31．4％、76．5％、23．5％和75．5％，显著高于对照组。脑卒中组人均年纯收人为。704．9元，对照组为959．4元，脑卒中患者医疗费用年平均为3120．6元。最多者每年医疗费用高达39000元，远远超出了其家庭纯收入。结论 高血压、饮酒、超重、低蛋白摄人、吸烟、高盐和高脂肪摄入可能是脑卒中的危险因素，脑卒中患病使患者家庭背负了沉重的经济负担。     

铁道车祸危险因素与行车安全经济效益的探讨

作者以1380名机车乘务员为研究对象,测查其生理心理指标,探讨发生车祸的危险因素,分析34年车祸流行的规律,并对行车安全的社会经济效盖进行了估算。研究结果显示,社会安定是减少车祸、保证行车安全的重要因素。通过多因素分析,揭示车祸的危险因素是低文化程度、过度疲劳、睡眠不足、视运动反应迟钝和弱神经类型,其间存在交互作用。实践表明,推行安全行车千日活动,可获巨大社会经济效益(1∶7)。     

Clinical importance,statistical significance and the assessment of economic and quality-of-life outcomes

The assessment of economic and quality-of-life outcomes of health care interventions is moving into a new era, with such assessments increasingly being made within the context of controlled clinical trials. Traditionally the measurement of many variables in economic evaluations, particularly costs, has been deterministic. In the context of clinical trials the measurement of variables is stochastic, with the standard principles of statistical inference being applied to analyse differences between treatments in terms of effectiveness. Economists participating in clinical research are therefore being called upon to specify the sample size for the economic component of the evaluation and to undertake statistical tests for differences in cost or cost-effectiveness. This paper discusses the current methodological issues surrounding stochastic measurement in clinical trials, discusses the additional issues raised by the assessment of economic and quality-of-life outcomes and specifies the challenges facing economists if they are to answer the questions now being posed about economic analysis by statisticians and clinical researchers. It is concluded that application of the standard principles of statistical inference to economic data is not straightforward and will require value judgements to be made about statistical significance and economic importance, which may differ from those already made in purely clinical studies.     

低收入大学生一般自我效能感、主观幸福感研究

近年来 ,低收入大学生作为高校中的一个特殊群体逐渐受到研究者和教育者的关注。目前对低收入大学生的一般自我效能感 (generalself -efficacy)和主观幸福感的研究还不多见。一般自我效能感是指个体对各种挑战或新情境的应对能力的总体信心[1] 。一般自我效能感描述的是个体有效地应对各种紧张情境的广义而稳定的个人能力感 ,它与身心健康存在一定的关系[1- 2 ] 。主观幸福感 (subjectivewell-being)是指人们对于自己是否幸福的主观感受 ,是反应心理健康水平的重要指标之一。研究低收入大学生的一般自我效能感和幸福感的特点及其关系对于揭…     

The History and Future of the “ISPOR Value Flower”: Addressing Limitations of Conventional Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

ObjectivesSince its publication as part of the 2018 ISPOR Special Task Force (STF) on US Value Assessments, the “ISPOR value flower,” with its petals highlighting elements that may be overlooked or underappreciated in conventional drug value assessments, has been discussed and debated. We review the history of the value flower, describe recent developments, and consider implications for future value assessments.MethodsWe discuss various antecedents to the value flower, as well as conceptual and empirical articles published in the past 4 years.ResultsSince the publication of the ISPOR STF report, researchers have provided more rigorous theoretical and mathematical foundations for certain novel value elements (eg, severity of illness, value of insurance, value of hope) through “generalized risk-adjusted cost-effectiveness analysis,” which incorporates risk aversion in people’s preferences and uncertainty in treatment outcomes. Empirical estimates are also emerging to support key elements, such as insurance value, real option value, value of hope, and value of knowing. Although health technology assessment bodies have applied or are considering certain elements (eg, severity modifiers to cost-effectiveness thresholds), other elements have yet to gain traction.ConclusionsFive years after the STF began its work, the development of novel value measures continues to evolve. Although it is encouraging to see supporting empirical studies emerging, more are needed. Additional efforts are also needed to illustrate how the estimates can be used in the deliberative processes that are integral to health technology assessments.