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The Construction And Validation Of The Assessment Of Mental Health Related Quality Of Life (PsyQoL) Instrument
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$539,450.00
Summary
Mental Health is one of the national health priority areas as well as one of the largest contributors to burden of disease. WHO projections suggest that by 2020 the burden of depression alone will be second only to cardiovascular disease. New treatments for mental disorders are being developed which must be evaluated. Current research methods do not allow an accurate comparison of the cost effectiveness of these therapies with the cost effectiveness of other medical services as this requires the ....Mental Health is one of the national health priority areas as well as one of the largest contributors to burden of disease. WHO projections suggest that by 2020 the burden of depression alone will be second only to cardiovascular disease. New treatments for mental disorders are being developed which must be evaluated. Current research methods do not allow an accurate comparison of the cost effectiveness of these therapies with the cost effectiveness of other medical services as this requires the measurement of 'utility' or 'quality of life'. The small number of 'generic' 'quality of life instruments' developed to date vary significantly in their 'sensitivity' to different illnesses-their ability to detect change-and none is very sensitive to changes in mental health states. The present project is to overcome this deficit. This will be achieved by refining and expanding an instrument developed in Australia, the Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL) instrument. This is the only instrument to date which was both constructed using correct psychometric principles of instrument construction and which describes health states in terms of the effect upon a patient's ability to function in a social environment. The new instrument called the PsyQoL will increase instrument sensitivity by including a mental health 'module' to the existing instrument and revising existing items. The methods used will include several methodological innovations in the description of health states and the derivation of utility scores. The project will include a large scale 'validation' study which will include the construction of population 'norms' and also the creation of 'exchange rates' between the PsyQoL and other instrument scores. The significance of the project is that the PsyQoL will allow valid and reliable measurement of health states in a way that creates a 'level playing field' between mental and other health related interventions.Read moreRead less
Benefit Measurement For Health Economic Evaluation And Its Application To Priority Health Programs
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$841,318.00
Summary
The aims of the project are (i) the identification and measurement of the social costs and benefits relevant to the economic evaluation of health services, specifically in the areas of depression, obesity, tobacco consumption, and vision impairment, where relevance is informed by community expectations and values; (ii) the development and validation of new techniques for measuring these costs and benefits; and (iii) an evaluation of the extent to which health systems meet their goals.
Economic Evaluation Of PRISM: A Community Based Intervention Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$512,845.00
Summary
This project evaluates the costs and outcomes of PRISM (Program of Resources, Information and Support to Mothers). PRISM is a community based intervention designed to promote the physical and mental health of mothers. This research project seeks to evaluate the costs and outcomes of the PRISM intervention in order to help inform judgements about its value. PRISM is being introduced in 8 local communities in Victoria with a further 8 communities acting as comparators. The full costs of the interv ....This project evaluates the costs and outcomes of PRISM (Program of Resources, Information and Support to Mothers). PRISM is a community based intervention designed to promote the physical and mental health of mothers. This research project seeks to evaluate the costs and outcomes of the PRISM intervention in order to help inform judgements about its value. PRISM is being introduced in 8 local communities in Victoria with a further 8 communities acting as comparators. The full costs of the intervention will be measured as will the impact the intervention has on the physical and mental health of mothers. Estimates of the intervention's economic benefits, that is the value that community members attach to the intervention's main outcomes will also be ascertained. In this way it is possible to judge whether or not the benefits of PRISM are worth its costs. Advanced statistical techniques will be used to ascertain the extent to which improved health outcomes in mothers are determined by individual, organisational or community-level factors.Read moreRead less