Abstract
PurposeThe ICEpop CAPability measure for Older people (ICECAP-O) is intended for use in economic evaluations of care services for older people. Although studies support the validity of the ICECAP-O, it does not directly ask older people about their health. This raises questions about its ability to capture health indirectly. Previous studies found mixed results in this aspect, especially for physical health. This study further investigates whether the ICECAP-O indirectly includes health.MethodsUsing a cross-sectional design, a sampling agency retrieved data from 516 people aged 70 and older from the UK through an online questionnaire. The overlap in underlying constructs of the ICECAP-O and EQ-5D-5L was assessed using exploratory factor analysis. Spearman correlations and variance analysis were conducted by relating the ICECAP-O to measures of physical, mental and social functioning.ResultsThe ICECAP-O and EQ-5D-5L items loaded on two factors. Their overlap was limited, as four out of five EQ-5D-5L items loaded on the first factor, while four out of five ICECAP-O items loaded on the second. The ICECAP-O correlated highly with (mental and social functioning) health measures, and was able to differentiate between individuals with different scores on these measures. However, the correlation with the Barthel Index, a measure of physical functioning, was moderate.ConclusionsThe ICECAP-O may not fully cover all aspects of health. Therefore, a complementary health measure should be used in addition to the ICECAP-O to capture the full benefits of care interventions for older people in economic evaluations.
Highlights
Economic evaluations of care services for older people are indispensable
Most of the older people reported a great level of wellbeing on all ICECAP-O items
The ICECAP-O correlated highly with mental (GDS-15) and social (BLS) functioning and overall measures of health (EQ-5D-5L, EQ-visual analogue scale (VAS)), but only a moderate correlation was found with the Barthel Index, a measure of physical functioning
Summary
Economic evaluations of care services for older people are indispensable. Due to population ageing, services need to be compared in terms of their costs and benefits to ensure an efficient allocation of finite resources. Benefits of care interventions are often assessed using quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Using QALYs to calculate benefits of care services may not always be appropriate nor lead to an efficient spending of limited care resources This holds especially when health measures like the EQ-5D do not adequately capture all relevant outcomes of the intervention under study. Services for older people often do intend to improve health, and, or perhaps especially, aim to affect broader wellbeing.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
