ORCID Profile
0000-0003-0758-2704
Current Organisation
Deakin University
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Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 25-06-2023
DOI: 10.1007/S11136-023-03459-1
Abstract: Identify aspects of quality of life (QoL) important to Australian informal carers and explore how well the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit for Carers, Care-related Quality of Life instrument and Carer Experience Scale capture these aspects in the Australian context. Online questionnaires were completed by Australian informal carers. Socio-demographics, open-ended questions: positive/negative aspects of caring and QoL aspects missing from the instruments, and ranking of the instrument domains was used to explore the content of the instruments. Instruments were scored using preference-weighted value sets (reported in another paper). Content analysis was used to analyse the open-ended responses. Chi-squared test looked at differences in domain importance. Descriptive analyses summarised all other information. Eight themes were identified: Behaviour-mood of the care recipient, Caring responsibilities, Finances, Health, Own life, Perception of carers, Relationship with care recipient and Support. Many aspects of carer QoL mentioned as missing in the instruments appeared covered by the domains, of which all were reported as important. The highest ranked domain was relationship with the care recipient. The influence of the care recipient specific support, behaviour/mood and health on carer QoL appear absent in all instruments. The content of the three instruments appears relevant in an Australian setting. The influence of care recipient’s health and well-being on carer QoL should be considered, along with spillover effects. A content and/or face validity analysis is required to confirm differences in item interpretation in Australian informal carers.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-08-2019
DOI: 10.1007/S00127-019-01752-4
Abstract: The article, "The economic costs of loneliness: a review of cost_of_illness and economic evaluation studies", written by Cathrine Mihalopoulos was originally published electronically on the publisher's internet portal (currently SpringerLink) on 22 May 2019 with open access.'
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 02-08-2019
DOI: 10.1007/S11136-018-1955-8
Abstract: Project aims include the following: (i) to identify reported utility values associated with CP in children aged ≤ 18 years (ii) to explore utility value elicitation techniques in published studies and (iii) to examine performance of the measures and/or elicitation approaches. Peer-reviewed studies published prior to March 2017 were identified from six electronic databases. Construct validity, convergent validity, responsiveness, and reliability of instruments were assessed. Five studies met the inclusion criteria. Utility values of hypothetical general CP states obtained from a general population of parents ranged from 0.55 to 0.88 using time trade off (TTO) and 0.60-0.87 using standard gamble (SG) techniques. Utility values reported by clinicians of three hypothetical spastic quadriplegic CP states, using the Health Utility Index Mark 2 (HUI-2), ranged from 0.40 to 0.13. Other sources of utilities identified were based on both proxy and child ratings using Health Utility Index Mark 3 (HUI-3) (values ranged from - 0.013 to 0.84 depending on the valuation source) and the Assessment of Quality of Life 4 Dimension instrument, with values ranging from 0.01 to 0.58. Construct validity of the HUI-3 varied from moderate to strong, whereas mixed results were found for convergent validity. Responsiveness and reliability were not reported. There was substantial variation in reported utilities. Indirect techniques (i.e. via multi-attribute utility instruments) were more frequently used than direct techniques (e.g. TTO, SG). Further research is required to improve the robustness of utility valuation of health-related quality of life in children with CP for use in economic evaluation.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 11-05-2021
DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PMED.1003606
Abstract: The prevention of mental disorders and promotion of mental health and well-being are growing fields. Whether mental health promotion and prevention interventions provide value for money in children, adolescents, adults, and older adults is unclear. The aim of the current study is to update 2 existing reviews of cost-effectiveness studies in this field in order to determine whether such interventions are cost-effective. Electronic databases (including MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and EconLit through EBSCO and Embase) were searched for published cost-effectiveness studies of prevention of mental disorders and promotion of mental health and well-being from 2008 to 2020. The quality of studies was assessed using the Quality of Health Economic Studies Instrument (QHES). The protocol was registered with PROSPERO (# CRD42019127778). The primary outcomes were incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) or return on investment (ROI) ratio across all studies. A total of 65 studies met the inclusion criteria of a full economic evaluation, of which, 23 targeted children and adolescents, 35 targeted adults, while the remaining targeted older adults. A large number of studies focused on prevention of depression and/or anxiety disorders, followed by promotion of mental health and well-being and other mental disorders. Although there was high heterogeneity in terms of the design among included economic evaluations, most studies consistently found that interventions for mental health prevention and promotion were cost-effective or cost saving. The review found that targeted prevention was likely to be cost-effective compared to universal prevention. Screening plus psychological interventions (e.g., cognitive behavioural therapy [CBT]) at school were the most cost-effective interventions for prevention of mental disorders in children and adolescents, while parenting interventions and workplace interventions had good evidence in mental health promotion. There is inconclusive evidence for preventive interventions for mental disorders or mental health promotion in older adults. While studies were of general high quality, there was limited evidence available from low- and middle-income countries. The review was limited to studies where mental health was the primary outcome and may have missed general health promoting strategies that could also prevent mental disorder or promote mental health. Some ROI studies might not be included given that these studies are commonly published in grey literature rather than in the academic literature. Our review found a significant growth of economic evaluations in prevention of mental disorders or promotion of mental health and well-being over the last 10 years. Although several interventions for mental health prevention and promotion provide good value for money, the varied quality as well as methodologies used in economic evaluations limit the generalisability of conclusions about cost-effectiveness. However, the finding that the majority of studies especially in children, adolescents, and adults demonstrated good value for money is promising. Research on cost-effectiveness in low-middle income settings is required. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42019127778 .
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 22-05-2019
DOI: 10.1007/S00127-019-01733-7
Abstract: Loneliness and social isolation can occur at all stages of the life course and are recognized as a global health priority. The aim of this study was to review existing literature on the economic costs associated with loneliness and social isolation as well as evidence on the cost-effectiveness of interventions to prevent or address loneliness and social isolation. A bibliographic database search was undertaken in Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Embase, supplemented by a grey literature search and a reference list search. Papers were included that were published in English language in peer-reviewed literature in the past 10 years, reporting costs of loneliness and/or social isolation or economic evaluations of interventions whose primary purpose is to reduce loneliness and/or social isolation, including return on investment (ROI) or social return on investment (SROI) studies. In total, 12 papers were included in this review, consisting of four cost-of-illness studies, seven economic evaluations and five ROI or SROI studies. Most studies were conducted in the UK and focused on older adults. Due to the inconsistent use of the terms loneliness and social isolation, as well as their measurement, the true economic burden can only be estimated to a certain extent and the comparability across economic evaluations and ROI studies is limited. The paucity of evidence that is available primarily evaluating the economic costs of loneliness indicates that more research is needed to assess the economic burden and identify cost-effective interventions to prevent or address loneliness and social isolation.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.ARCHGER.2022.104742
Abstract: Most people with dementia live at home and rely on family and friends who provide unpaid care and support. Informal carers of people with dementia are often described as 'invisible second patients', reflecting the higher-than-normal rates of depression, stress and physical illness. To inform service delivery and the development of evidence-based interventions targeting informal carers of people with dementia, it is important to understand their experiences. The aim of this study was to examine the experiences of caregivers in providing informal care to a person living with dementia and to examine how providing this care impacts their own quality of life. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 informal carers in Australia. Recordings of the interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using an inductive approach (thematic analysis) which revealed strong narratives from informal carers regarding (1) available support, (2) the health impacts of caring, (3) new roles and responsibilities, and (4) the motivations around caring. The findings of this study reinforce that a comprehensive approach is needed in supporting informal carers in their caring role, ensuring sustainability of the aged care system and quality of life for people living with dementia.
No related grants have been discovered for Jessica Bucholc.