INFLUENCE OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT AND ITS MEASUREMENT.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to obtain information on methods used to measure health technology assessment (HTA) influence, decisions that were influenced, and outcomes linked to HTA. METHODS: Electronic databases were used to locate studies in which HTA influence had been demonstrated. Inclusion criteria were studies that reliably reported consideration by decision makers of HTA findings; comparative studies of technology use before and after HTA; and details of changes in policy, health outcomes, or research that could be credibly linked to an HTA. RESULTS: Fifty-one studies were selected for review. Settings were national (24), regional (12), both national and regional (3) hospitals (9), and multinational (3). The most common approach to appraisal of influence was review of policy or administrative decisions following HTA recommendations (51 percent). Eighteen studies (35 percent) reported interview or survey findings, thirteen (26 percent) reviewed administrative data, and six considered the influence of primary studies. Of 142 decisions informed by HTA, the most common types were on routine clinical practice (67 percent of studies), coverage (63 percent), and program operation (37 percent). The most frequent indications of HTA influence were on decisions related to resource allocation (59 percent), change in practice pattern (31 percent), and incorporation of HTA details in reference material (18 percent). Few publications assessed the contribution of HTA to changing patient outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The literature on HTA influence remains limited, with little on longer term effects on practice and outcomes. The reviewed publications indicated how HTA is being used in different settings and approaches to measuring its influence that might be more widely applied, such as surveys and monitoring administrative data.

Retirement and mental health: analysis of the Australian national survey of mental health and well-being.

Nation-wide research on mental health problems amongst men and women during the transition from employment to retirement is limited. This study sought to explore the relationship between retirement and mental health across older adulthood, whilst considering age and known risk factors for mental disorders. Data were from the 1997 National Survey of Mental Health and Well-being, a cross-sectional survey of 10,641 Australian adults. The prevalence of depression and anxiety disorders was analysed in the sub-sample of men (n = 1928) and women (n = 2261) aged 45-74 years. Mental health was assessed using the Composite International Diagnostic Instrument. Additional measures were used to assess respondents' physical health, demographic and personal characteristics. The prevalence of common mental disorders diminished across increasing age groups of men and women. Women aged 55-59, 65-69, and 70-74 had significantly lower rates of mental disorders than those aged 45-49. In contrast, only men aged 65-69 and 70-74 demonstrated significantly lower prevalence compared with men aged 45-49. Amongst younger men, retirees were significantly more likely to have a common mental disorder relative to men still in the labour force; however, this was not the case for retired men of, or nearing, the traditional retirement age of 65. Men and women with poor physical health were also more likely to have a diagnosable mental disorder. The findings of this study indicate that, for men, the relationship between retirement and mental health varies with age. The poorer mental health of men who retire early is not explained by usual risk factors. Given current policy changes in many countries to curtail early retirement, these findings highlight the need to consider mental health, and its influencing factors, when encouraging continued employment amongst older adults.

Risk of pancreatic cancer in breast cancer families from the breast cancer family registry.

BACKGROUND: Increased risk of pancreatic cancer has been reported in breast cancer families carrying BRCA1and BRCA2 mutations; however, pancreatic cancer risk in mutation-negative (BRCAX) families has not been explored to date. The aim of this study was to estimate pancreatic cancer risk in high-risk breast cancer families according to the BRCA mutation status. METHODS: A retrospective cohort analysis was applied to estimate standardized incidence ratios (SIR) for pancreatic cancer. A total of 5,799 families with ≥1 breast cancer case tested for mutations in BRCA1 and/or BRCA2 were eligible. Families were divided into four classes: BRCA1, BRCA2, BRCAX with ≥2 breast cancer diagnosed before age 50 (class 3), and the remaining BRCAX families (class 4). RESULTS: BRCA1 mutation carriers were at increased risk of pancreatic cancer [SIR = 4.11; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.94-5.76] as were BRCA2 mutation carriers (SIR = 5.79; 95% CI, 4.28-7.84). BRCAX family members were also at increased pancreatic cancer risk, which did not appear to vary by number of members with early-onset breast cancer (SIR = 1.31; 95% CI, 1.06-1.63 for class 3 and SIR = 1.30; 95% CI, 1.13-1.49 for class 4). CONCLUSIONS: Germline mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 are associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer. Members of BRCAX families are also at increased risk of pancreatic cancer, pointing to the existence of other genetic factors that increase the risk of both pancreatic cancer and breast cancer. IMPACT: This study clarifies the relationship between familial breast cancer and pancreatic cancer. Given its high mortality, pancreatic cancer should be included in risk assessment in familial breast cancer counseling.

Low prevalence of depression and anxiety is linked to statutory retirement ages rather than personal work exit: a national survey.

BACKGROUND: Common mental disorder prevalence decreases substantially around the conventional retirement age for men in the UK, but trends for older women are more continuous. Prevalence changes in depression and anxiety around retirement are less clear, as is the role of risk factors. The aim of this study was to establish whether work status, age or other known risk factors account for the reduced prevalence of depressive episode and anxiety disorder around retirement ages for men and for women. METHOD: The British Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (BPMS) 2000 was analysed, including 1875 men and 2253 women aged 45-75 years. Diagnoses were from the Revised Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS-R). Logistic models were adjusted for sociodemographic factors, social network, work status, life events, physical illness and disability. RESULTS: There are marked reductions in the prevalence of depressive episode after 60 years for women [60% lower prevalence, 95% confidence interval (CI) 40-80] and 65 years for men (90% lower prevalence, 95% CI 70-100), compared to the youngest age groups. For anxiety disorder, the reduction in prevalence was 80% (95% CI 60-90) for men and 40% (95% CI 20-60) for women. In fully adjusted multivariate models, the strong association between diagnoses and age groups remained, for both genders. Work status was a significant factor for men but not for women. CONCLUSION: There is a discontinuity in the prevalence of depressive episode for both men and women, coinciding with statutory retirement ages. No studied risk factor reduced the associations between age group and disorders. This population scale recovery may provide a model for understanding non-genetic factors.

Mental health and the timing of men's retirement.

BACKGROUND: Analysis of the Psychiatric Morbidity Survey of Great Britain showed that the prevalence of common mental disorders was lower amongst men at or above Britain's state pension age of 65, relative to younger men. Retirees below this age had consistently higher rates of mental disorders than working men. In contrast, the low prevalence of mental disorders amongst retirees aged 65 and older was similar to that of their working peers. The aim of this analysis was to investigate this pattern of results in a national sample of Australian men, and the mediating role of socio-demographic factors. METHOD: Data were from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics (HILDA) in Australia survey (2003). The analyses included men aged 45-74 years who were active in the labour force (n = 1309), or retired (n = 635). Mental health was assessed using the mental health scale from the Short-Form 36 Health Questionnaire. RESULTS: Retirees were more likely to have mental health problems than their working peers, however this difference was progressively smaller across age groups. For retirees above, though not below, the age of 55 this difference was explained by poorer physical functioning. When age at retirement was considered it was found that early retirees who were now at or approaching the conventional retirement age did not display the substantially elevated rates of mental health problems seen in their younger counterparts. Further, men who had retired at age 60 or older did not display an initially elevated rate of mental health problems. CONCLUSIONS: The association between retirement and mental health varies across older adulthood. Retired British and Australian men below the conventional retirement age of 65 are more likely to have mental health problems relative to their working peers, and retirees above this age. However, poor mental health appears to be linked to being retired below this age rather than an enduring characteristic of those who retire early.

Decline in Common Mental Disorder prevalence in men during the sixth decade of life. Evidence from the National Psychiatric Morbidity Survey.

BACKGROUND: The impact of social transitions that might improve mental health, such as retirement, has attracted limited attention. Adverse occupational conditions and involuntary exit from work are linked to high rates of common mental disorders, but voluntary retirement is associated with improved mental health. AIMS: We aimed to estimate the prevalence of common mental disorders around the conventional retirement age and to identify the associated factors that might explain differences in rates. METHODS: Data were from the Psychiatric Morbidity Survey of Great Britain (2000), covering a sample of 8,580 respondents aged 16-74 years. Current common mental (neurotic) disorder presence was based on the revised Clinical Interview Schedule. RESULTS: Prevalence rates for having any common mental disorder in men aged 65-69 years (5%; 95% CI: 2.7-7.3) were dramatically lower than in the agegroup 60-64 years (14.5%; 95 % CI: 10.6-18.5). This pattern applied to individual disorders and to the prevalence of very high symptoms counts. Prevalence rates in women peaked at age 50 and declined thereafter, but no large changes in prevalence are evident around age 60 or 65 years. In men leaving work early (aged 50-64 years), prevalence of common mental disorders remains high until the conventional retirement age. There is little change in exposure to other studied risk factors capable of explaining prevalence reduction, with the exception of decreased economic hardship in the older group. CONCLUSION: In the general population aged 50-74 years,there is a dramatic improvement in mental health in men after the conventional retirement age, but not in women. In men who leave work earlier, prevalence remains relatively high until after age 65.