Attribute preferences associated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists/antagonists among women with endometriosis in the United States.

Background: Endometriosis symptoms have multifaceted manifestations, and there are few approved nonsurgical treatment options. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists/antagonists for endometriosis vary on efficacy, safety profile, and out-of-pocket (OOP) cost, among other features.

Objectives: This study quantified the importance that women with endometriosis in the United States (US) placed on pain and non-pain features that differ among these medications.

A latent class analysis of factors influencing preferences for infant respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) preventives among pregnant people in the United States.

A maternal vaccine and long-acting monoclonal antibody (mAb) were recently approved to protect infants against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). We identified subgroups of pregnant people with different preferences for RSV preventives and respondent characteristics associated with subgroup membership. An online survey, including a discrete choice experiment (DCE), was conducted among US pregnant people.

Healthcare Providers' and Pregnant People's Preferences for a Preventive to Protect Infants from Serious Illness Due to Respiratory Syncytial Virus.

We assessed the impact of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) preventive characteristics on the intentions of pregnant people and healthcare providers (HCPs) to protect infants with a maternal vaccine or monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Pregnant people and HCPs who treated pregnant people and/or infants were recruited via convenience sample from a general research panel to complete a cross-sectional, web-based survey, including a discrete choice experiment (DCE) wherein respondents chose between hypothetical RSV preventive profiles varying on five attributes (effectiveness, preventive type [maternal vaccine vs. mAb], injection recipient/timing, type of medical visit required to receive the injection, and duration of protection during RSV season) and a no-preventive option.

The unmet needs of all adults with ADHD are not the same: a focus on Europe.

This review discusses the unmet needs in adult ADHD subgroups in Europe: adolescents in transition, adult patients, employees, older adults, and those in the criminal justice system. Analysis of the literature and an ADHD web forum was conducted. The visibility of adult ADHD remains low, and finding professionals able to diagnose is difficult for both adolescents as well as adults.

Development of the multi-attribute Adolescent Health Utility Measure (AHUM).

Objective: Obtain utilities (preferences) for a generalizable set of health states experienced by older children and adolescents who receive therapy for chronic health conditions.

Methods: A health state classification system, the Adolescent Health Utility Measure (AHUM), was developed based on generic health status measures and input from children with Hunter syndrome and their caregivers. The AHUM contains six dimensions with 4-7 severity levels: self-care, pain, mobility, strenuous activities, self-image, and health perceptions.

A survey of children's preferences for influenza vaccine attributes.

Background: While annual influenza vaccination is recommended by the CDC for children 6 months and older, vaccination rates remain suboptimal. For healthy, US children 2 years of age and older, influenza vaccine is available as an intramuscular injection (TIV) or an intranasal spray (LAIV), respectively. Little is known about children's experiences and preferences for influenza vaccine attributes.

Parents' decision-making regarding vaccinating their children against influenza: A web-based survey.

Background: Despite the recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that children between the ages of 6 months and 18 years be vaccinated against influenza annually, vaccination rates remain suboptimal.

Objectives: This study was conducted to explore factors that influence parents' decisions regarding influenza vaccination for children aged 2 to 12 years, to quantify the relative importance of these factors, to identify an appropriate theoretical model for illustrating the relationships among these factors, and to characterize parents by their likelihood of vaccinating their children against influenza.

Methods: A quantitative Web-based survey was administered to a sample of parents from an online panel representative of the US population.

Population preference values for treatment outcomes in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia: a cross-sectional utility study.

Background: Given that treatments for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) are palliative rather than curative, evaluating the patient-perceived impacts of therapy is critical. To date, no utility (preference) studies from the general public or patient perspective have been conducted in CLL. The objective of this study was to measure preferences for health states associated with CLL treatment.

Patient preferences for diabetic retinopathy health States.

PURPOSE. To develop standardized descriptions of health states that characterize vision-specific functional impacts of diabetic retinopathy (DR) according to levels of visual acuity and contrast sensitivity and to elicit preferences for these health states from persons with DR and assign weighted values to them. METHODS.

Patient and caregiver perspective on pediatric eosinophilic esophagitis and newly developed symptom questionnaires*.

Objective: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EE), a rare chronic inflammatory condition of the esophagus, is predominantly observed in children and is primarily manifested with feeding difficulties. To our knowledge, no self- or caregiver-reported questionnaires are available to assess pediatric EE symptoms and their impact as reported directly by children or their parents/caregivers. The objectives of this study were to characterize the symptoms and impact of EE among children as reported by patients and parents/caregivers and to assess the content validity of two newly developed pediatric eosinophilic esophagitis symptom questionnaires, one parent/caregiver-reported questionnaire for ages 2-7 years and one child-reported questionnaire for ages 8-17 years.

Psychometric evaluation of the Satisfaction with Oral Anti-Diabetic Agent Scale (SOADAS).

In this study we developed and evaluated the psychometric properties of the Satisfaction with Oral Anti-Diabetic Agent Scale (SOADAS), the first treatment satisfaction instrument specific to oral anti-diabetic agents (OADs). Three focus groups and three rounds of cognitive debriefing interviews with type 2 diabetes patients using OADs informed the development of the six-item SOADAS. The measurement properties of the SOADAS were evaluated in a US cross-sectional study.

Caregiver preference for rivastigmine patch relative to capsules for treatment of probable Alzheimer's disease.

Background: Family caregivers comprise a critical component in the care of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. Among their many tasks, caregivers are responsible for administering and managing medications. Effective interventions incorporate the needs of both the AD patient and the caregiver, and understanding treatment preferences may maximize intervention effectiveness.

Review of the economic and quality-of-life burden of cervical human papillomavirus disease.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic literature review on the economic burden and health-related quality-of-life impact of cervical human papillomavirus disease.

Study Design: A systematic review of cost-of-illness studies and health-related quality-of-life studies was conducted. PubMed, Embase, and PsycINFO databases were searched with the use of predefined terms.

Psychometric evaluation of the Osteoporosis Patient Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (OPSAT-Q), a novel measure to assess satisfaction with bisphosphonate treatment in postmenopausal women.

Background: The Osteoporosis Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (OPSAT-Q) is a new measure of patient satisfaction with bisphosphonate treatment for osteoporosis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the OPSAT-Q.

Methods: The OPSAT-Q contains 16 items in four subscales: Convenience, Confidence with Daily Activities, Side Effects, and Overall Satisfaction.

Gastrointestinal adverse events in a general population sample of nursing home residents taking cholinesterase inhibitors.

Objective: To assess the occurrence of gastrointestinal (GI) adverse events in a national sample of nursing home residents taking donepezil, galantamine, or rivastigmine.

Design: A retrospective analysis of the Minimum Data Set (MDS) was performed.

Setting: Four hundred-fifty-two nursing facilities across the United States.

Antipsychotic drug use among nursing home residents taking rivastigmine.

Objective: To evaluate whether or not rivastigmine use is associated with a decrease in the initiation of antipsychotic drug therapy among nursing home residents in the United States.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed using Minimum Data Set data and physician order files for newly admitted residents of 452 US nursing facilities from 2000 through 2002. The rivastigmine group included those who were diagnosed with Alzheimers disease (AD) and began rivastigmine treatment within 30 days of diagnosis.

Understanding patient preferences for HIV medications using adaptive conjoint analysis: feasibility assessment.

Objective: Choosing among HIV medications involve making trade-offs among various efficacy, convenience, resistance, and side-effect attributes. This study tested the feasibility of using adaptive conjoint analysis (ACA) to assess preferences (utilities) for HIV medication attributes.

Methods: HIV individuals were recruited through newspaper advertisements.

Impact of rivastigmine use on the risk of nursing home placement in a US sample.

Introduction: Although numerous studies have evaluated predictors of nursing home placement (NHP), few have focused on the effects of cholinesterase inhibitor (ChEI) use on NHP. The objective of this study was to compare the risk of NHP between rivastigmine patients versus no-ChEI patients (control group), and secondly, between rivastigmine versus donepezil patients.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of a large US medical claims database was performed.

The health-related quality-of-life impact of histamine dihydrochloride plus interleukin-2 compared with interleukin-2 alone in patients with metastatic melanoma.

The aim of this study was to compare the quality-of-life (QOL) effects of interleukin-2 (IL-2) alone with those of IL-2 plus histamine dihydrochloride in the setting of a multicenter, randomized trial for patients with metastatic melanoma. QOL data were collected from July 1997 to March 2000 during a phase III trial comparing subcutaneous histamine plus IL-2 and IL-2 alone. Prior to each treatment cycle, patients completed the 76-item Quality-of-Well-Being Scale-Self-Administered (QWB-SA) questionnaire, the Overall State of Health (OSH) item, and the General Health Perception (GHP) item.

The cost-effectiveness of beta-radiation therapy for treatment of in-stent restenosis: an analysis at 290-day follow-up.

Purpose: We studied the cost-effectiveness of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) plus beta-radiation (Radiotherapy) vs. PCI alone for treating in-stent restenosis.

Methods And Materials: We analyzed medical resource data collected at US sites during the Intimal Hyperplasia Inhibition with beta In-stent Trial (INHIBIT) to compare the incremental costs between Radiotherapy and PCI alone for each repeat target lesion revascularization (TLR) avoided.

Low intraindividual variability of cyclosporin A exposure reduces chronic rejection incidence and health care costs.

The present study applied a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis to assess the role of intraindividual variability of cyclosporin A (CsA) drug exposure in predisposing renal transplant recipients to the occurrence of chronic rejection, as well as to increased health care costs using a resource-based economic analysis. Two hundred and four adult renal transplant recipients were treated with tapering doses of prednisone (Pred) and with a concentration-controlled strategy that selected doses of the olive oil-based formulations of CsA (Sandimmune(R)) that achieved target concentrations based on serial pharmacokinetic profiles. The ROC analysis revealed an inflection point of plots of the coefficient of variation (%CV) of CsA exposure versus the risk of chronic rejection at >/=28.