Health and economic impact of caregiving on informal caregivers of people with chronic diseases in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review.

With a disproportionate burden of chronic diseases and severe shortage of health workers in sub-Saharan Africa, the region implicitly relies on informal caregivers (ICGs) to support the patients both within and outside the health facilities. The aim of this review is to systematically summarise evidence on the health and economic impact of caregiving on informal caregivers of patients with chronic diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. Medline (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), PsycINFO (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), Global Health, and Web of Science databases were systematically searched to identify original articles that considered the economic and/or health impacts of caregiving in sub-Saharan Africa.

Choice of primary healthcare providers among population in urban areas of low- and middle-income countries-a protocol for systematic review of literature.

Introduction: Strengthening and reforming the urban primary healthcare (PHC) system is essential to efficiently deliver need-based healthcare services to the rapidly increasing urban poor population. Such reforms of PHC system need to emphasize the opinion of patients in co-designing services in order that delivery of services can be accessed effectively by the urban population in a timely and low-cost way. Hence, it is important to identify the preference of urban population while choosing healthcare providers.

Long-term health conditions and UK labour market outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Long-term health conditions can affect labour market outcomes. COVID-19 may have increased labour market inequalities, e.g.

Something for everybody? Assessing the suitability of AAC systems for children using stated preference methods.

Little is known about what features of AAC systems are regarded by AAC professionals as more suitable for children with different characteristics. A survey was conducted in which participants rated the suitability of hypothetical AAC systems on a Likert scale from 1 () to 7 () alongside a discrete choice experiment. The survey was administered online to 155 AAC professionals in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Decision Making About Disease-Modifying Treatments for Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: Stated Preferences and Real-World Choices.

Background: People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis can benefit from disease-modifying treatments (DMTs). Several DMTs are available that vary in their efficacy, side-effect profile and mode of administration.

Objective: We aimed to measure the preferences of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis for DMTs using a discrete choice experiment and to assess which stated preference attributes correlate with the attributes of the DMTs they take in the real world.

COVID-19 and EQ-5D-5L health state valuation.

Background: We investigate whether and how general population health state values were influenced by the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes could have important implications, as general population values are used in health resource allocation.

Data: In Spring 2020, participants in a UK general population survey rated 2 EQ-5D-5L states, 11111 and 55555, as well as dead, using a visual analogue scale (VAS) from 100 = best imaginable health to 0 = worst imaginable health.

An Item-Response Mapping from General Health Questionnaire Responses to EQ-5D-3L Using a General Population Sample from England.

Background: The 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) is widely used to measure mental health and well-being; however, it is not possible to estimate values on the full health = 1, dead = 0 scale used to construct quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) from GHQ-12 responses as it is not preference-based.

Objective: The aim of this study was to create an item-response mapping between GHQ-12 and EQ-5D-3L health states, for which several value sets exist.

Methods: Data from the 2012 Health Survey for England with complete GHQ-12 and EQ-5D-3L descriptive system responses were used for analysis.

The path towards herd immunity: Predicting COVID-19 vaccination uptake through results from a stated choice study across six continents.

Despite unprecedented progress in developing COVID-19 vaccines, global vaccination levels needed to reach herd immunity remain a distant target, while new variants keep emerging. Obtaining near universal vaccine uptake relies on understanding and addressing vaccine resistance. Simple questions about vaccine acceptance however ignore that the vaccines being offered vary across countries and even population subgroups, and differ in terms of efficacy and side effects.

Does a health crisis change how we value health?

General population health state values are used in healthcare resource allocation, including health technology assessment. We examine whether UK general population health valuations changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ratings of EQ-5D-5L health states 11111 (no problems), 55555 (extreme problems), and dead were collected in a UK general population survey during the pandemic (April-May 2020) using the 0 = worst imaginable health, 100 = best imaginable health visual analog scale (EQ-VAS).

Changing the eligibility criteria for welfare payments at the end of life - a budget impact analysis for England and Wales.

Background: Terminal illness can cause a financial burden for many households. In England and Wales, fast-track access to welfare payments is available through special rules for the terminally ill (SRTI). Individuals are eligible for SRTI if they are judged to have 6 months or less to live.

Attribute Selection for a Discrete Choice Experiment Incorporating a Best-Worst Scaling Survey.

Objectives: Although literature exists on using qualitative methods to generate potential attributes for a discrete choice experiment (DCE), there is little on selecting which attributes to include. We present a case study in which a best-worst scaling case 1 (BWS-1) survey was used to guide attribute selection for a DCE. The case study's context was the decision making of professionals around the choice of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems for children with limited natural speech.

Measuring commissioners' willingness-to-pay for community based childhood obesity prevention programmes using a discrete choice experiment.

Background: In the UK, rates of childhood obesity remain high. Community based programmes for child obesity prevention are available to be commissioned by local authorities. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding how programmes are commissioned and which attributes of programmes are valued most by commissioners.

UK General Population Utility Values for the SIDECAR-D Instrument Measuring the Impact of Caring for People With Dementia.

Objectives: Dementia affects many people, with numbers expected to grow as populations age. Many people with dementia receive informal/family/unpaid care, for example, from a spouse or child, which may affect carer quality of life. Measuring the effectiveness of health/social care interventions for carers requires a value measure of the quality-of-life impact of caring.

The Impact of Reproductive Issues on Preferences of Women with Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis for Disease-Modifying Treatments.

Background: Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) is an incurable disease characterised by relapses (periods of function loss) followed by full or partial recovery, and potential permanent disability over time. Many disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) exist that help reduce relapses and slow disease progression. Most are contraindicated during conception/pregnancy and some require a discontinuation period before trying to conceive.

Transforming discrete choice experiment latent scale values for EQ-5D-3L using the visual analogue scale.

Background: Discrete choice experiments (DCEs) are widely used to elicit health state preferences. However, additional information is required to transform values to a scale with dead valued at 0 and full health valued at 1. This paper presents DCE-VAS, an understandable and easy anchoring method with low participant burden based on the visual analogue scale (VAS).

Finding the best fit: examining the decision-making of augmentative and alternative communication professionals in the UK using a discrete choice experiment.

Objectives: Many children with varied disabilities, for example, cerebral palsy, autism, can benefit from augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems. However, little is known about professionals' decision-making when recommending symbol based AAC systems for children. This study examines AAC professionals' preferences for attributes of AAC systems and how they interact with child characteristics.

What's important in AAC decision making for children? Evidence from a best-worst scaling survey.

The choice of which AAC device to provide for a child can have long lasting consequences, but little is known about the decision-making of AAC professionals who make recommendations in this context. A survey was conducted with AAC professionals using best-worst scaling methodology examining what characteristics of children and attributes of AAC devices are considered most important in decision-making. A total of 19 child characteristics and 18 device attributes were selected by the authors from lists generated from literature reviews and from focus groups with AAC professionals, people who use AAC, and other stakeholders.

A Systematic Review of Discrete-Choice Experiments and Conjoint Analysis Studies in People with Multiple Sclerosis.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disabling, inflammatory, and degenerative disease of the central nervous system that, in most cases, requires long-term disease-modifying treatment (DMT). The drugs used vary in efficacy and adverse effect profiles. Several studies have used attribute-based stated-preference methods, primarily to investigate patient preferences for initiating or escalating DMT.