Exploring health preferences in sociodemographic and health related groups through the paired comparison of the items of the Nottingham Health Profile

BACKGROUND—Preference weighted measures of health related quality of life are necessary for cost effectiveness calculations involving quality of life adjustment. There are conflicting data about the influence of factors such as sociodemographic and health related variables on health preferences.
STUDY OBJECTIVE—The relative values attached to the items of the Spanish version of the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) were assessed to make comparisons across social and health subgroups.
DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS—Preference values were obtained in sets of 250 to 253 persons (total n=1258) using the method of paired comparisons after all possible pairs of NHP items had been presented to respondents for judgement of severity. χ(2) Tests and Spearman's correlations among item ranks were calculated.
MAIN RESULTS—Findings show that preferences elicited with the method of paired comparisons are consistent and independent of the sample from which they are obtained (mean correlation coefficients across subgroups range from 0.87 to 0.96). Conclusion—The evaluation of health did not seem to be related to sociodemographic variables (gender, age, social class) or to the health status of the respondents, suggesting that health preferences are stable across different populations.


Keywords: health preferences; Nottingham Health Profile; psychometric

Psychiatric and psychosocial challenges in patients undergoing haematopoietic stem cell transplants

Haematological malignancies are often treated with haematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCT). The disease and its treatment are challenging and life threatening, as they not only affect the recipients, but also their families. This review highlights the available data on the psychological, psychiatric and social impact of these illnesses and their treatment on recipients and families. There are robust data that correlate HSCT with emotional distress, as emotional and physical functioning significantly affect quality of life. Psychiatric co-morbidity including anxiety, depression, adjustment and post-traumatic stress disorder, delirium and cognitive deficits have been reported at different stages in the transplant process. This review will highlight the psychosocial and clinical research findings relevant to HSCT patients and will summarize recommendations for future psychosocial research in this population