Longitudinal associations between socioeconomic position and overall health of children with chronic kidney disease and their carers.

BACKGROUND: Disadvantaged socioeconomic position (SEP) is an important predictor of poor health in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The time course over which SEP influences the health of children with CKD and their carers is unknown. METHODS: This prospective longitudinal study included 377 children, aged 6-18 years with CKD (stages I-V, dialysis, and transplant), and their primary carers. Mixed effects ordinal regression was performed to assess the association between SEP and carer-rated child health and carer self-rated health over a 4-year follow-up. RESULTS: Adjusted for CKD stage, higher family household income (adjusted odds ratio (OR) (95% CI) 3.3, 1.8-6.0), employed status of primary carers (1.7, 0.9-3.0), higher carer-perceived financial status (2.6, 1.4-4.8), and carer home ownership (2.2, 1.2-4.0) were associated with better carer-rated child health. Household income also had a differential effect on the carer's self-rated health over time (p = 0.005). The predicted probabilities for carers' overall health being 'very good' among lower income groups at 0, 2, and 4 years were 0.43 (0.28-0.60), 0.34 (0.20-0.51), and 0.25 (0.12-0.44), respectively, and 0.81 (0.69-0.88), 0.84 (0.74-0.91), and 0.88 (0.76-0.94) for carers within the higher income group. CONCLUSIONS: Carers and their children with CKD in higher SEP report better overall child and carer health compared with those in lower SEP. Carers of children with CKD in low-income households had poorer self-rated health compared with carers in higher-income households at baseline, and this worsened over time. These cumulative effects may contribute to health inequities between higher and lower SEP groups over time. Graphical abstract A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information.

Predictors of individual mental health and psychological resilience after Australia's 2019-2020 bushfires.

AIMS: We assessed the mental health effects of Australia's 2019-2020 bushfires 12-18 months later, predicting psychological distress and positive psychological outcomes from bushfire exposure and a range of demographic variables, and seeking insights to enhance disaster preparedness and resilience planning for different profiles of people. METHODS: We surveyed 3083 bushfire-affected and non-affected Australian residents about their experiences of bushfire, COVID-19, psychological distress (depression, anxiety, stress, post-traumatic stress disorder) and positive psychological outcomes (resilient coping, wellbeing). RESULTS: We found high rates of distress across all participants, exacerbated by severity of bushfire exposure. For people who were bushfire-affected, being older, having less financial stress, and having no or fewer pre-existing mental disorders predicted both lower distress and higher positive outcomes. Being male or having less income loss also predicted positive outcomes. Severity of exposure, higher education and higher COVID-19-related stressors predicted both higher distress and higher positive outcomes. Pre-existing physical health diagnosis and previous bushfire experience did not significantly predict distress or positive outcomes. RECOMMENDATIONS: To promote disaster resilience, we recommend investment in mental health, particularly for younger adults and for those in rural and remote areas. We also recommend investment in mechanisms to protect against financial distress and the development of a broader definition of bushfire-related impacts than is currently used to capture brushfires' far-reaching effects.

Burden and Cost of Campylobacter Risk Factors in Australia.

Campylobacter is a globally important pathogen with well-studied risk factors, but the burden of risk factors has not been quantified. We quantified the cost of illness attributable to specific domestic risk factors for C. jejuni and C. coli in Australia. We used data from a 2018-2019 case-control study to estimate odds ratios and attributable fractions for risk factors. We used data on national incidence, hospitalization, and premature mortality to quantify burden. We then applied costs related to healthcare utilization, pain and suffering, premature mortality, and lost productivity to each risk factor. In Australia, C. jejuni caused 83.0% of campylobacteriosis infections and chicken consumption resulted in the highest attributable fraction (30.0%), costing approximately US$110 million annually. The excess burden of campylobacteriosis associated with the use of proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) was US$45 million, with almost half these costs due to disease in adults over 65 years of age. Contact with young dogs (US$30 million) and chicken feces (US$10 million) also contributed to costs and burden. Campylobacteriosis is a significant cost to Australia, particularly because of lost productivity. Effective cross-sectoral interventions to improve chicken meat safety and reduce inappropriate use of PPIs might have substantial economic and human benefits.

Longitudinal assessment of the health-related quality of life of children and adolescents with chronic kidney disease.

In this multi-center longitudinal cohort study conducted in Australia and New Zealand, we assessed the trajectories of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) over time. A total of 377 children (aged 6-18 years) with CKD stages 1-5 (pre-dialysis), dialysis, or transplant, were followed biennially for four years. Multi Attribute Utility (MAU) scores of HRQoL were measured at baseline and at two and four years using the McMaster Health Utilities Index Mark 3 tool, a generic multi-attribute, preference-based system. A multivariable linear mixed model was used to assess the trajectories of HRQoL over time in 199 children with CKD stage 1-5, 43 children receiving dialysis and 135 kidney transplant recipients. An interaction between CKD stage at baseline and follow-up time indicated that the slopes of the HRQoL scores differed between children by CKD stage at inception. Over half of the cohort on dialysis at baseline had received a kidney transplant by the end of year four and the MAU scores of these children increased by a meaningful amount averaging 0.05 (95% confidence interval 0.01 to 0.09) per year in comparison to those who were transplant recipients at baseline. The mean difference between baseline and year two MAU scores was 0.09 (95% confidence interval -0.05, 0.23), (Cohen's d effect size 0.31). Thus, improvement in HRQoL over time of children on dialysis at baseline was likely to have been driven by their transition from dialysis to transplantation. Additionally, children with CKD stage 1-5 and transplant recipients at baseline had no changes in their disease stage or treatment modality and experienced stable HRQoL over time.

Reliability, acceptability, validity and responsiveness of the CHU9D and PedsQL in the measurement of quality of life in children and adolescents with overweight and obesity.

BACKGROUND: The Paediatric Quality of life Inventory (PedsQLTM) Generic Core Scales and the Child Health Utilities 9 Dimensions (CHU9D) are two paediatric health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measures commonly used in overweight and obesity research. However, no studies have comprehensively established the psychometric properties of these instruments in the context of paediatric overweight and obesity. The aim of this study was to assess the reliability, acceptability, validity and responsiveness of the PedsQL and the CHU9D in the measurement of HRQoL among children and adolescents living with overweight and obesity. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Subjects were 6544 child participants of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, with up to 3 repeated measures of PedsQL and CHU9D and aged between 10 and 17 years. Weight and height were measured objectively by trained operators, and weight status determined using World Health Organisation growth standards. We examined reliability, acceptability, known group and convergent validity and responsiveness, using recognised methods. RESULTS: Both PedsQL and CHU9D demonstrated good internal consistency reliability, and high acceptability. Neither instrument showed strong convergent validity, but PedsQL appears to be superior to the CHU9D in known groups validity and responsiveness. Compared with healthy weight, mean (95%CI) differences in PedsQL scores for children with obesity were: boys -5.6 (-6.2, -4.4); girls -6.7 (-8.1, -5.4) and differences in CHU9D utility were: boys -0.02 (-0.034, -0.006); girls -0.035 (-0.054, -0.015). Differences in scores for overweight compared with healthy weight were: PedsQL boys -2.2 (-3.0, -1.4) and girls -1.3 (-2.0, -0.6) and CHU9D boys: no significant difference; girls -0.014 (-0.026, -0.003). CONCLUSION: PedsQL and CHU9D overall demonstrated good psychometric properties, supporting their use in measuring HRQoL in paediatric overweight and obesity. CHU9D had poorer responsiveness and did not discriminate between overweight and healthy weight in boys, which may limit its use in economic evaluation.

Comparison of a full and partial choice set design in a labeled discrete choice experiment.

Labeled discrete choice experiments (DCEs) commonly present all alternatives using a full choice set design (FCSD), which could impose a high cognitive burden on respondents. In the setting of employment preferences, this study explored if a partial choice set design (PCSD) reduced cognitive burden whilst maintaining convergent validity compared with a FCSD. Respondents' preferences between the two designs were investigated. In the experimental design, labeled utility functions were rewritten into a single generic utility function using label dummy variables to generate an efficient PCSD with 3 alternatives shown in each choice task (out of 6). The DCE was embedded in a nationwide survey of 790 Australian pharmacy degree holders where respondents were presented with both a block of FCSD and PCSD tasks in random order. The PCSD's impact on error variances was investigated using a heteroscedastic conditional logit model. The convergent validity of PCSD was based on the equality of willingness-to-forgo-expected-salary estimates from Willingness-to-pay-space mixed logit models. A nested logit model was used combined with respondents' qualitative responses to understand respondents' design preferences. We show a promising future use of PCSD by providing evidence that PCSD can reduce cognitive burden while satisfying convergent validity compared to FCSD.

Preparing for future pandemics: A multi-national comparison of health and economic trade-offs.

Government investment in preparing for pandemics has never been more relevant. The COVID-19 pandemic has stimulated debate regarding the trade-offs societies are prepared to make between health and economic activity. What is not known is: (1) how much the public in different countries are prepared to pay in forgone GDP to avoid mortality from future pandemics; and (2) which health and economic policies the public in different countries want their government to invest in to prepare for and respond to the next pandemic. Using a future-focused, multi-national discrete choice experiment, we quantify these trade-offs and find that the tax-paying public is prepared to pay $3.92 million USD (Canada), $4.39 million USD (UK), $5.57 million USD (US) and $7.19 million USD (Australia) in forgone GDP per death avoided in the next pandemic. We find the health policies that taxpayers want to invest in before the next pandemic and the economic policies they want activated once the next pandemic hits are relatively consistent across the countries, with some exceptions. Such results can inform economic policy responses and government investment in health policies to reduce the adverse impacts of the next pandemic.

The Cost of Foodborne Illness and Its Sequelae in Australia Circa 2019.

Foodborne illnesses cause a significant health burden, with Campylobacter and norovirus the most common causes of illness and Salmonella a common cause of hospitalization and occasional cause of death. Estimating the cost of illness can assist in quantifying this health burden, with pathogen-specific costs informing prioritization of interventions. We used a simulation-based approach to cost foodborne disease in Australia, capturing the cost of premature mortality, direct costs of nonfatal illness (including health care costs, medications, and tests), indirect costs of illness due to lost productivity, and costs associated with pain and suffering. In Australia circa 2019, the cost in Australian Dollars (AUD) of foodborne illness and its sequelae was 2.44 billion (90% uncertainty interval 1.65-3.68) each year, with the highest pathogen-specific costs for Campylobacter, non-typhoidal Salmonella, non-Shiga toxin-producing pathogenic Escherichia coli, and norovirus. The highest cost per case was for Listeria monocytogenes (AUD 776,000). Lost productivity was the largest component cost for foodborne illness due to all causes and for most individual pathogens; the exceptions were pathogens causing more severe illness such as Salmonella and L. monocytogenes, where premature mortality was the largest component cost. Foodborne illness results in a substantial cost to Australia; interventions to improve food safety across industry, retail, and consumers are needed to maintain public health safety.

Two for the price of one: If moving beyond traditional single-best discrete choice experiments, should we use best-worst, best-best or ranking for preference elicitation?

This study undertook a head-to-head comparison of best-worst, best-best and ranking discrete choice experiments (DCEs) to help decide which method to use if moving beyond traditional single-best DCEs. Respondents were randomized to one of three preference elicitation methods. Rank-ordered (exploded) mixed logit models and respondent-reported data were used to compare methods and first and second choices. First choices differed from second choices and preferences differed between elicitation methods, even beyond scale and scale dynamics. First choices of best-worst had good choice consistency, scale dynamics and statistical efficiency, but this method's second choices performed worst. Ranking performed best on respondent-reported difficulty and preference; best-best's second choices on statistical efficiency. All three preference elicitation methods improve efficiency of data collection relative to using first choices only. However, differences in preferences between first and second choices challenge moving beyond single-best DCE. If nevertheless doing so, best-best and ranking are preferred over best-worst DCE.

Social acceptability of standard and behavioral economic inspired policies designed to reduce and prevent obesity.

The obesity epidemic is a significant public policy issue facing the international community, resulting in substantial costs to individuals and society. Various policies have been suggested to reduce and prevent obesity, including those informed by standard economics (a key feature of which is the assumption that individuals are rational) and behavioral economics (which identifies and harness deviations from rationality). It is not known which policy interventions taxpayers find acceptable and would prefer to fund via taxation. We provide evidence from a discrete choice experiment on an Australian sample of 996 individuals to investigate social acceptability of eight policies: mass media campaign; traffic light nutritional labeling; taxing sugar sweetened beverages; prepaid cards to purchase healthy food; financial incentives to exercise; improved built environment for physical activity; bans on advertising unhealthy food and drink to children; and improved nutritional quality of food sold in public institutions. Latent class analysis revealed three classes differing in preferences and key respondent characteristics including capacity to benefit. Social acceptability of the eight policies at realistic levels of tax increases was explored using post-estimation analysis. Overall, 78% of the sample were predicted to choose a new policy, varying from 99% in those most likely to benefit from obesity interventions to 19% of those least likely to benefit. A policy informed by standard economics, traffic light labeling was the most popular policy, followed by policies involving regulation: bans on junk food advertising to children and improvement of food quality in public institutions. The least popular policies were behaviorally informed: prepaid cards for the purchase of only healthy foods, and financial incentives to exercise.

Antipsychotic choice: understanding shared decision-making among doctors and patients.

BACKGROUND: In deciding pharmacotherapy treatment, doctors have to balance the risks and benefits of treatment, and their preferences may not always align with patient preferences. AIM: A pilot study to explore decision-making regarding treatment with antipsychotic medications among doctors and patients. METHODS: A discrete choice experiment (DCE), comprised of systematically structured choice tasks, in which doctors and patients were asked to trade off between attributes of antipsychotic medications, each described in terms of mode of administration, effectiveness (on positive and negative symptoms) and side effect profiles. Participants also ranked different factors that they consider important when choosing an antipsychotic medication. RESULTS: 52 doctors and 49 patients completed the survey. Doctors accepted a higher risk of side effects than patients if it achieved better efficacy. Patients perceived long-acting injectables (LAIs) to be easier than taking tablets every day. Issues of embarrassment, pain and fear of needles were not rated as highly by patients, as anticipated by doctors. CONCLUSIONS: Doctors and patients demonstrated differences in decision-making about treatment with antipsychotic medications. Addressing these issues could facilitate shared decision-making, with the goal of improving patient adherence to antipsychotic medications, and thereby improve patient outcomes.

The effect of sugar-sweetened beverage price increases and educational messages on beverage purchasing behavior among adults.

There is a paucity of evidence regarding the impact of sugar sweetened beverage (SSB) price increases on beverage consumption, using individual-level data, for the population overall and for different socioeconomic groups. This study aimed to predict the impact of altered beverage prices and educational messages on consumer purchasing behavior. 2020 adults representative of the Australian population by age, gender and income completed a discrete choice experiment online in 2016. Each subject completed 20 choice scenarios in a hypothetical convenience store setting where subjects chose between seven SSB and non-SSB beverage options or a no beverage option. Beverage prices and volumes varied between scenarios. Half of participants (n = 1012) were randomly exposed to an educational poster discouraging SSB consumption prior to completing choice scenarios. We used discrete choice models to predict purchases under several policy proposals, overall and for income and SSB consumption frequency sub-groups. Compared to baseline prices, a 10% SSB price increase was predicted to reduce SSB purchases by 15.0% [95%CI -15.2, -14.7], and increase purchases of non-SSBs by +11.0% [95%CI 10.8, 11.2] and no beverage by +15.5% [95%CI 15.1, 15.9]. Effects were greater with a 20% SSB price increase. Across all policy scenarios, the highest income quintile had a similar absolute and slightly greater relative decrease in SSB purchases compared to the lowest quintile. Educational poster exposure reduced SSB choice for all groups, with a greater reduction in the lower compared to higher income group, and additively increased response to price changes. Our results support the use of population-wide SSB pricing and educational interventions to reduce demand across all income groups.

A novel design process for selection of attributes for inclusion in discrete choice experiments: case study exploring variation in clinical decision-making about thrombolysis in the treatment of acute ischaemic stroke.

BACKGROUND: A discrete choice experiment (DCE) is a method used to elicit participants' preferences and the relative importance of different attributes and levels within a decision-making process. DCEs have become popular in healthcare; however, approaches to identify the attributes/levels influencing a decision of interest and to selection methods for their inclusion in a DCE are under-reported. Our objectives were: to explore the development process used to select/present attributes/levels from the identified range that may be influential; to describe a systematic and rigorous development process for design of a DCE in the context of thrombolytic therapy for acute stroke; and, to discuss the advantages of our five-stage approach to enhance current guidance for developing DCEs. METHODS: A five-stage DCE development process was undertaken. Methods employed included literature review, qualitative analysis of interview and ethnographic data, expert panel discussions, a quantitative structured prioritisation (ranking) exercise and pilot testing of the DCE using a 'think aloud' approach. RESULTS: The five-stage process reported helped to reduce the list of 22 initial patient-related factors to a final set of nine variable factors and six fixed factors for inclusion in a testable DCE using a vignette model of presentation. CONCLUSIONS: In order for the data and conclusions generated by DCEs to be deemed valid, it is crucial that the methods of design and development are documented and reported. This paper has detailed a rigorous and systematic approach to DCE development which may be useful to researchers seeking to establish methods for reducing and prioritising attributes for inclusion in future DCEs.

Does one size fit all? Assessing the preferences of older and younger people for attributes of quality of life.

PURPOSE: To systematically compare, via ranking and best worst tasks, the relative importance of key dimensions of quality of life for younger and older people. METHODS: A web-based survey was developed for administration to two Australia-wide community-based samples comprising younger people aged 18-64 years and older people aged 65 years and above. Respondents were asked to rank 12 quality of life dimensions. Respondents also completed a successive best worst task using the same 12 quality of life dimensions. RESULTS: The relative importance of the quality of life dimensions differed for younger and older person samples. For older people, the ability to be independent and to have control over their daily lives were particularly important for their overall quality of life whereas for younger people, mental health was considered most important. CONCLUSIONS: Many interventions accessed by older people in geriatric medicine and aged care sectors have a broader impact upon quality of life beyond health status. The findings from this study indicate that a focus on broader aspects of quality of life may also be consistent with the preferences of older people themselves as to what constitutes quality of life from their perspective.

An empirical comparison of the OPQoL-Brief, EQ-5D-3 L and ASCOT in a community dwelling population of older people.

BACKGROUND: This study examined the relationships between a newly developed older person-specific non-preference-based quality of life (QoL) instrument (Older People's Quality of Life brief questionnaire (OPQoL-brief)) and two generic preference-based instruments (the EQ-5D-3L Level (EQ-5D-3 L) and the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT) in a community-dwelling population of Australian older people receiving aged care services. METHODS: We formulated hypotheses about the convergent validity between the instruments (examined by Wilcoxon-Mann Whitney, Kruskal Wallis and Spearman's correlation tests) and levels of agreement (assessed using intra class correlation (ICC) and modified Bland-Altman plots based on normalized Z EQ-5D-3 L and ASCOT utilities and OPQoL-Brief summary scores). RESULTS: The utilities/summary scores for 87 participants (aged 65-93 years) were moderately but positively correlated. Moderate convergent validity was evident for a number of instrument dimensions with the strongest relationship (r = 0.57) between 'enjoy life' (OPQoL-Brief) and 'social contact' (ASCOT). The overall ICC was 0.54 and Bland-Altman scatter plots showed 3-6% of normalized Z-scores were outside the 95% limits of agreement suggesting moderate agreement between all three instruments (agreement highest between the OPQoL-Brief and the ASCOT). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the OPQoL-Brief, the ASCOT and the EQ-5D_3L are suitable for measuring quality of life outcomes in community-dwelling populations of older people. Given the different constructs underpinning these instruments, we recommend that choice of instrument should be guided by the context in which the instruments are being applied. Currently, the OPQoL-Brief is not suitable for use in cost-utility analyses as it is not preference-based. Given their different perspectives, we recommend that both the ASCOT and the EQ-5D are applied simultaneously to capture broader aspects of quality of life and health status within cost-utility analyses within the aged care sector. Future research directed towards the development of a new single preference-based instrument that incorporates both health status and broader aspects of quality of life within quality adjusted life year calculations for older people would be beneficial.

Public preferences for engagement in Health Technology Assessment decision-making: protocol of a mixed methods study.

BACKGROUND: Much attention in recent years has been given to the topic of public engagement in health technology assessment (HTA) decision-making. HTA organizations spend substantial resources and time on undertaking public engagement, and numerous studies have examined challenges and barriers to engagement in the decision-making process however uncertainty remains as to optimal methods to incorporate the views of the public in HTA decision-making. Little research has been done to ascertain whether current engagement processes align with public preferences and to what extent their desire for engagement is dependent on the question being asked by decision-makers or the characteristics of the decision. This study will examine public preferences for engagement in Australian HTA decision-making using an exploratory mixed methods design. METHODS/DESIGN: The aims of this study are to: 1) identify characteristics about HTA decisions that are important to the public in determining whether public engagement should be undertaken on a particular topic, 2) determine which decision characteristics influence public preferences for the extent, or type of public engagement, and 3) describe reasons underpinning these preferences. Focus group participants from the general community, aged 18-70 years, will be purposively sampled from the Australian population to ensure a wide range of demographic groups. Each focus group will include a general discussion on public engagement as well as a ranking exercise using a modified nominal group technique (NGT). The NGT will inform the design of a discrete choice study to quantitatively assess public preferences for engagement in HTA decision-making. DISCUSSION: The proposed research seeks to investigate under what circumstances and how the public would like their views and preferences to be considered in health technology assessments. HTA organizations regularly make decisions about when and how public engagement should occur but without consideration of the public's preferences on the method and extent of engagement. This information has the potential to assist decision-makers in tailoring engagement approaches, and may be particularly useful in decisions with potential for conflict where clarification of public values and preferences could strengthen the decision-making process.

Cognitive overload? An exploration of the potential impact of cognitive functioning in discrete choice experiments with older people in health care.

OBJECTIVES: This exploratory study sought to investigate the effect of cognitive functioning on the consistency of individual responses to a discrete choice experiment (DCE) study conducted exclusively with older people. METHODS: A DCE to investigate preferences for multidisciplinary rehabilitation was administered to a consenting sample of older patients (aged 65 years and older) after surgery to repair a fractured hip (N = 84). Conditional logit, mixed logit, heteroscedastic conditional logit, and generalized multinomial logit regression models were used to analyze the DCE data and to explore the relationship between the level of cognitive functioning (specifically the absence or presence of mild cognitive impairment as assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination) and preference and scale heterogeneity. RESULTS: Both the heteroscedastic conditional logit and generalized multinomial logit models indicated that the presence of mild cognitive impairment did not have a significant effect on the consistency of responses to the DCE. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides important preliminary evidence relating to the effect of mild cognitive impairment on DCE responses for older people. It is important that further research be conducted in larger samples and more diverse populations to further substantiate the findings from this exploratory study and to assess the practicality and validity of the DCE approach with populations of older people.

Menu choice stated preference tasks to capture demand complementarity in health.

Health programs/services are often bundled, allowing for both substitution and complementarity. We adapt Discrete Choice Experiments to capture bundling, with application to a case study of exercise and nutrition; complementarity arises due to the goal of improving health. Our contributions are (1) to present a menu-based choice experiment to explore bundling; (2) to analyse the menu-based data using an extension of the choice set generation model (GenL) to account for correlations between bundles and component singles. A nationally representative sample of 333 Australians chose between a nutrition program only; exercise program only; both nutrition and exercise programs; or their status quo. Overall, we show that by incorporating the menu choice task and introducing the combined alternative, we capture a significant portion of the population seeking both exercise and nutrition components. We estimate a latent class GenL model, and identify two latent classes: Class 1 preferred to choose programs on offer, and Class 2 was more price sensitive and had a stronger preference for staying with their status quo. We show in the post-estimation analysis that heterogeneity in preferences translates into heterogeneity in the way alternatives are bundled, indicating that the combined offering is appealing to specific classes of individuals who prefer bundling. By implementing the menu choice task, researchers and policymakers can effectively identify, cater to and influence the demand for combined exercise and nutrition options, leading to more targeted and impactful interventions in promoting healthier lifestyle choices.

Considerations Around the Inclusion of Children and Young People's Time in Economic Evaluation: Findings from an International Delphi Study.

BACKGROUND: People's time is a finite resource and a valuable input that ought to be considered in economic evaluations taking a broad, societal perspective. Yet, evaluations of interventions focusing on children and young people (CYP) rarely account for the opportunity cost of time in this population. As a key reason for this, health economists have pointed to uncertainty around when it is appropriate to include CYP time-related costs in an economic evaluation and highlighted the lack of clear guidance on the topic. METHODS: With this in mind, we carried out a Delphi study to establish a list of relevant considerations for researchers to utilise whilst making decisions about whether and when to include CYP time in their economic evaluations. Delphi panellists were asked to propose and rate a set of possible considerations and provide additional thoughts on their ratings. Ratings were summarised using descriptive statistics, and text comments were interrogated through thematic analysis. FINDINGS: A total of 73 panellists across 16 countries completed both rounds of a two-round Delphi study. Panellists' ratings showed that, when thinking about whether to include displaced CYP time in an economic evaluation, it is very important to consider whether: (1) inclusion would be in line with specified perspective(s) (median score: 9), (2) CYP's time may already be accounted for in other parts of the evaluation (median score: 8), (3) the amount of forgone time is substantial, either in absolute or relative terms (median score: 7) and (4) inclusion of CYP's time costs would be of interest to decision-makers (median score: 7). Respondents thought that considerations such as (1) whether inclusion would be of interest to the research community (median score: 6), (2) whether CYP's time displaced by receiving treatment is 'school' or 'play' time (median score: 5), and (3) whether CYP's are old enough for their time to be considered valuable (median score: 5) are moderately important. A range of views was offered to support beliefs and ratings, many of which were underpinned by compelling normative questions.

A Reporting Checklist for Discrete Choice Experiments in Health: The DIRECT Checklist.

BACKGROUND: Reporting standards of discrete choice experiments (DCEs) in health have not kept pace with the growth of this method, with multiple reviews calling for better reporting to improve transparency, assessment of validity and translation. A key missing piece has been the absence of a reporting checklist that details minimum standards of what should be reported, as exists for many other methods used in health economics. METHODS: This paper reports the development of a reporting checklist for DCEs in health, which involved a scoping review to identify potential items and a Delphi consensus study among 45 DCE experts internationally to select items and guide the wording and structure of the checklist. The Delphi study included a best-worst scaling study for prioritisation. CONCLUSIONS: The final checklist is presented along with guidance on how to apply it. This checklist can be used by authors to ensure that sufficient detail of a DCE's methods are reported, providing reviewers and readers with the information they need to assess the quality of the study for themselves. Embedding this reporting checklist into standard practice for health DCEs offers an opportunity to improve consistency of reporting standards, thereby enabling transparency of review and facilitating comparison of studies and their translation into policy and practice.