Paediatric Quality of Life
The development of a paediatric health related quality of life measure for use in economic evaluation: The Child Health Utility 9D (CHU 9D)
Background
Use of economic evaluation to aid NHS decision making is widespread. Cost utility analysis allows comparison of interventions both within and between disease areas by using outcome measures that combine length of life and quality of life into a single summary measure, conventionally the quality adjusted life year (QALY). Generic preference based health related quality of life measures have been developed for adults for this purpose. Research in this area for paediatric populations is more limited.
Research Project
Katherine Stevens was awarded an MRC Special Training Fellowship to develop a paediatric health related quality of life measure for use in economic evaluation. The project ran from August 2005 until July 2008. The project has a research advisory group from several disciplines:
- Supervision
Professor John Brazier (Professor of Health Economics)
Professor Christopher McCabe (Professor of Health Economics)
- Expert Advisory Panel
Professor Sir David Hall (Professor of Community Paediatrics)
Professor Christine Eiser (Professor of Child Health Psychology)
Professor Mike Campbell (Professor of Medical Statistics)
Professor Jenny Roberts (Professor of Economics)
Dr Paul Sutcliffe (Research Fellow)
Dr Alicia O'Cathain (Senior Research Fellow)
The first stage of the research developed the descriptive system. Interviews were carried out with over 70 children during 2006, from two schools in Sheffield, in order to determine what dimensions of health related quality of life were included. These dimensions were then used as the basis for developing the descriptive system.
This descriptive system was then piloted with 150 children in schools.
Schools involved in the research:
Firs Hill Community Primary School
Hunter's Bar Junior School
Further testing of the draft descriptive system was carried out on a clinical population at the Sheffield Children's Hospital, in collaboration with the newly established Clinical Reseach Facility. This work tested the psychometric performance of the instrument on 95 children, including children from the medical and surgical wards as well as day care patients. The results of this work and the piloting in schools was used to refine the descriptive system.
Clinical Research Facility
The final stage of the work was to obtain values for the health states described by the descriptive system from a sample of the UK general population using the standard gamble method.
Further Information
More information on this research will appear here as the work progresses; however, if you would like further information, please contact Katherine Stevens.
Katherine Stevens
Information for academics/researchers and those interested in using the CHU9D
Information for children
Publications and Presentations
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