Publications (15) View all
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Article: INCOME-RELATED INEQUITY IN HEALTHCARE UTILISATION AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITH CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE IN ENGLAND-ACCOUNTING FOR VERTICAL INEQUITY.
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ABSTRACT: Economic analyses of equity which focus solely on horizontal inequity offer a partial assessment of socioeconomic inequity in healthcare use. We analyse income-related inequity in cardiovascular disease-related healthcare utilisation by individuals reporting cardiovascular disease in England, including both horizontal and vertical aspects. For the analysis of vertical inequity, we use target groups to estimate the appropriate relationship between healthcare needs and use. We find that including vertical inequity considerations may lead us to draw different conclusions about the nature and extent of income-related inequity. After accounting for vertical inequity in addition to horizontal inequity, there is no longer evidence of inequity favouring the poor for nurse visits, whereas there is some evidence that doctor visits and inpatient stays are concentrated among richer individuals. The estimates of income-related inequity for outpatient visits, electrocardiography tests and heart surgery become even more pro-rich when accounting for vertical inequity. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Health Economics 06/2012; · 2.12 Impact Factor -
Article: Neurological Impairment Among Survivors of Intracerebral Hemorrhage: The FAST Trial.
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ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the deadliest and most disabling form of stroke. Little is known about the causes of persistent neurological impairment among ICH survivors. METHODS: Factor seven for acute hemorrhagic stroke (FAST) was a randomized, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted at 122 sites in 22 countries. Neurological impairment was evaluated according to the NIHSS in all patients at hospital admission, and at days 1, 2, 3, 15 and day 90 after ICH onset. Multivariate stepwise logistic regression was applied to identify predictors of neurological impairment 90 days after hospital admission. RESULTS: A total of 821 patients were enrolled; 638 survivors were evaluated with the NIHSS at day 90. Mean NIHSS score at admission was 13.2 (SD 6.6), decreasing to 9.6 (SD 7.7) at day 15 and 5.1 (SD 5.5) at day 90. Twenty-five percent of patients had severe neurological impairment (NIHSS ≥ 15) at baseline compared to 6% of those alive at day 90. Neurological worsening within the first 72 h (defined as worsening of GCS of two or more points or increase in NIHSS score ≥ 4) predicted greater neurological impairment at day 90 in all models. A decrease of <10% in systolic blood pressure (SBP) within the first 24 h was significantly associated with less severe neurologic impairment compared to more severe reductions. CONCLUSION: Neurological deterioration within 24 h of ICH onset is a powerful determinant of persistent neurological impairment. Careful reduction of the SBP by 1-10% in the first 24 h may lower the risk.Neurocritical Care 10/2011; · 2.47 Impact Factor -
Article: Quality of life after severe trauma: results from the global trauma trial with recombinant Factor VII.
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ABSTRACT: Physical disability and psychologic morbidity are frequent and important complications of severe trauma injury with serious consequences for long-term health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Little prospective data exist, however, in a global trauma population on the risk factors for poor HRQOL. The CONTROL trial was a prospective, randomized, double-blinded, multicenter, placebo-controlled trial conducted from August 2005 to September 2008. HRQOL was assessed 3 months after injury using the Polytrauma Outcome Chart (Glasgow Outcomes Scale, Short Form 36, European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D), and Trauma Outcome Profile). Multivariate stepwise regression analysis identified predictors of poor HRQOL. Three hundred forty-seven (72%) patients completed at least one HRQOL instrument. Three percent had an EQ-5D score <0 (worse than death); 92% had a score <0.87 (average score in the general population). All HRQOL instruments identified physical functioning and activities of daily living as the dimensions of health most significantly affected by trauma injury. Mental functioning was also significantly affected according to the Trauma Outcome Profile. Independent predictors of poor HRQOL were higher age, female gender, extremity injury, blunt injury, intensive care unit stay >3 days, repeated nonadherence to transfusion guidelines, and inability to work postinjury. Three months after severe trauma injury, survivors report very poor HRQOL. Physical wellbeing is generally more negatively affected than mental wellbeing. A trauma-specific HRQOL instrument reveals more diverse mental health problems than generic instruments. In a global trauma population, postinjury HRQOL is predicted by demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, type of injury, and treatment received.The Journal of trauma 03/2011; 70(6):1524-31. · 2.48 Impact Factor -
Article: Integrating health economics into the product development cycle: a case study of absorbable pins for treating hallux valgus.
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ABSTRACT: The probability of reimbursement is a key factor in determining whether to proceed with or abandon a product during its development. The purpose of this article is to illustrate how the methods of iterative Bayesian economic evaluation proposed in the literature can be incorporated into the development process of new medical devices, adapting them to face the relative scarcity of data and time that characterizes the process. A 3-stage economic evaluation was applied: an early phase in which simple methods allow for a quick prioritization of competing products; a mid-stage in which developers synthesize the data into a decision model, identify the parameters for which more information is most valuable, and explore uncertainty; and a late stage, in which all relevant information is synthesized. A retrospective analysis was conducted of the case study of absorbable pins, compared with metallic fixation, in osteotomy to treat hallux valgus. The results from the early analysis suggest absorbable pins to be cost-effective under the beliefs and assumptions applied. The outputs from the models at the mid-stage analyses show the device to be cost-effective with a high probability. Late-stage analysis synthesizes evidence from a randomized controlled trial and informative priors, which are based on previous evidence. It also suggests that absorbable pins are the most cost-effective strategy, although the uncertainty in the model output increased considerably. This example illustrates how the method proposed allows decisions in the product development cycle to be based on the best knowledge that is available at each stage.Medical Decision Making 12/2010; 31(4):596-610. · 2.33 Impact Factor -
Article: The contribution of smoking and obesity to income-related inequalities in health in England.
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ABSTRACT: Reducing avoidable inequalities in health is a priority in many health care systems, including the NHS in Great Britain. Evidence suggests that lifestyle factors may play a role in explaining socioeconomic inequalities in health. In this paper we measure the contribution of smoking and obesity to income-related inequality in health. We use the corrected concentration index to measure inequality across time and areas of England, and decomposition methods to quantify directly the contribution of smoking and obesity to income-related inequality. Instrumental variables regression is used to test the endogeneity of smoking and obesity. We use data from nine rounds of the Health Survey for England (1998-2006). The results show that there are significant income-related health inequalities in England, that the extent of the inequality varies by area, and that in some areas it has increased over time. Nationally, smoking and obesity make a significant but modest contribution to income-related inequality in health (2.3% and 1.2%, respectively). Despite the reduction in smoking prevalence, the contribution of smoking has slightly increased over time, due to its increasing concentration among the poor and its negative effect on health. While the prevalence of obesity is increasing, it is more equally distributed across society. The prevalence of these problems varies between areas, and so does the contribution they make to income-related inequalities in health.Social Science [?] Medicine 09/2010; 71(6):1189-98. · 2.70 Impact Factor
