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Fit for the future? Status of health-related quality of life research in South Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 September 2020

Sophia E. Marsh Open the ORCID record for Sophia E. Marsh [Opens in a new window]  and
Ilse Truter
Sophia E. Marsh*
Affiliation:
Department of Pharmacy, Drug Utilization Research Unit (DURU), Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Ilse Truter
Affiliation:
Department of Pharmacy, Drug Utilization Research Unit (DURU), Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
*
Author for correspondence: Sophia E. Marsh, E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Objective

To provide insights into the attributes of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) research within the context of economic evaluations for a potential national health technology assessment process in South Africa, and make evidence generation recommendations.

Methods

A systematic review was conducted in January 2019 using Medline, the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection and the South African SciELO collection via the WoS Platform, and in the Cochrane Library. No time restrictions were applied. Duplicate records were removed before first- and second-pass screening by two reviewers working independently.

Results

The review identified 123 publications representing 104 studies since the first-published article appeared in 1996. Only eight studies were randomized controlled trials, most were cross-sectional (n = 54). The EQ-5D, SF-36, and WHOQOL-BREF were the most used HRQoL instruments (n = 35, n = 23, and n = 10, respectively). Instruments were frequently administered in multiple languages, reflecting the cultural groups in which the study was conducted, with the English version of instruments used most often. Studies were predominantly conducted within the public health sector (n = 67), in the Western Cape province (n = 46), in adults (n = 92) and people with HIV (n = 24).

Conclusion

South African specific HRQoL studies have been conducted in a range of settings and populations using mostly generic HRQoL instruments in multiple languages. These studies may provide generalizable, real-world data due to their observational nature. However, more comparative and longitudinal studies should be conducted as this is preferred for economic evaluations and patient, disease, and treatment characteristics should be reported in full.

Keywords

South AfricaQuality of lifeCost-utility analysisUtilities
Type
Assessment
Information
International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care , Volume 36 , Issue 5 , October 2020 , pp. 508 - 517
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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