Laurie Batchelder

The Development and Validation of the Empathy Components Questionnaire (ECQ)

Key research suggests that empathy is a multidimensional construct comprising of both cognitive and affective components. More recent theories and research suggest even further factors within these components of empathy, including the ability to empathize with others versus the drive towards empathizing with others. While numerous self-report measures have been developed to examine empathy, none of them currently index all of these wider components together. The aim of the present research was to develop and validate the Empathy Components Questionnaire (ECQ) to measure cognitive and affective components, as well as ability and drive components within each. Study one utilized items measuring cognitive and affective empathy taken from various established questionnaires to create an initial version of the ECQ. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to examine the underlying components of empathy within the ECQ in a sample of 101 typical adults. Results revealed a five-component model consisting of cognitive ability, cognitive drive, affective ability, affective drive, and a fifth factor assessing affective reactivity. This five-component structure was then validated and confirmed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in an independent sample of 211 typical adults. Results also showed that females scored higher than males overall on the ECQ, and on specific components, which is consistent with previous findings of a female advantage on self-reported empathy. Findings also showed certain components predicted scores on an independent measure of social behavior, which provided good convergent validity of the ECQ. Together, these findings validate the newly developed ECQ as a multidimensional measure of empathy more in-line with current theories of empathy. The ECQ provides a useful new tool for quick and easy measurement of empathy and its components for research with both healthy and clinical populations.

Mode comparison in eliciting preferences for care-related quality of life: evidence from England using the ASCOT service user measure

PHASE 2 OPEN-LABEL EXTENSION (OLE) STUDY OF PATISIRAN, AN INVESTIGATIONAL RNA INTERFERENCE (RNAI) THERAPEUTIC FOR THE TREATMENT OF HEREDITARY ATTR AMYLOIDOSIS WITH POLYNEUROPATHYOBJECTIVES Maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY) is a genetic form of diabetes for which 13 genes are known to be responsible. Many subtypes of MODY can be treated with oral medication instead of insulin injections, which results in improved metabolic control, quality of life and cost savings. Massively parallel sequencing (MPS) enables the simultaneous sequencing of all 13 genes for a fraction of the cost of traditional Sanger sequencing. We conducted a cost utility analysis of genetic screening (targeted MPS) for MODY in a paediatric population presumed to have type 1 diabetes (T1D), where the underlying prevalence of MODY has been calculated as 2.6%. METHODS A Markov decision model was developed to estimate the incremental costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) of genetic screening for MODY compared with standard care over 50 years’ follow up. The probabilities and quality of life weightings (utility) of long term diabetic complications were estimated from published data and population statistics. Costs were estimated from the perspective of the Australian health care system. RESULTS Genetic screening for MODY at diabetes diagnosis was more effective and less costly than standard care, with 1.39 QALYs gained and AU

Carer social care-related quality of life outcomes: establishing preference weights for the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit for carers

1.4 million (US

Long-Term Conditions Questionnaire (LTCQ): initial validation survey among primary care patients and social care recipients in England.

1.05 million) saved per 1,000 patients. The costs of the screening program were fully offset within four years. A sensitivity analysis revealed that genetic screening remained dominant until the MODY prevalence fell below 0.7%. CONCLUSIONS Screening for MODY in the paediatric diabetes population would reduce health system costs and improve patient quality of life. Our results were robust to assumptions around the underlying MODY prevalence and make a compelling argument for routine genetic screening in all children with presumed T1D.Poster Presentations Session IV - CCardiovascular Disorders - Clinical Outcomes Studies - no. PCV27OBJECTIVES: Traditionally, researchers relied on eliciting preferences through face-to-face interviews. Recently, there has been a shift towards using alternative modes, such as the internet, to gather such data. These different modes may be a source of variation in the results. In health services research, preferences are important as they provide an estimate of the value of each quality of life state, and can be used as weights to reflect the differential utility of each state. In this study, we compare the preferences elicited from two modes of administration (internet versus face-to-face) for the best-worst scaling (BWS) technique using the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit service user measure (ASCOT-S). METHODS: Data were collected from a representative sample of the general population in England. The respondents (face-to-face: n=500; online: n=1,001) completed a survey which included the BWS experiment involving the ASCOT-S, consisted of 32 tasks which were blocked into 4 segments. Multinomial logistic regressions were undertaken to analyse the data. To allow for direct comparisons between the modes, model coefficients were standardised. RESULTS: Respondents in the face-to-face survey placed lower value on the lower levels of all ASCOT-S domains, except social participation, than those in the internet survey. The highest point difference of 0.12 was observed in Level 2 of the occupation domain. For the highest level of all ASCOT-S domains, except social participation, preference weights were higher in the face-to-face survey than the internet with point differences of up to 0.10. CONCLUSIONS: This study compared utility weights obtained from a BWS exercise using two modes of administration for the ASCOTS. The findings showed variation of responses between the two modes. Most differences were not significant and were low in absolute value. This suggests that preference weights are similar across the different modes of administration. We reflect on the implications of these findings for cost-effectiveness research.

Comparing Preferences for Social Care-Related Quality of Life Using the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT-SCT4) Service User Measure in Austria, England and Finland

PHASE 2 OPEN-LABEL EXTENSION (OLE) STUDY OF PATISIRAN, AN INVESTIGATIONAL RNA INTERFERENCE (RNAI) THERAPEUTIC FOR THE TREATMENT OF HEREDITARY ATTR AMYLOIDOSIS WITH POLYNEUROPATHYOBJECTIVES Maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY) is a genetic form of diabetes for which 13 genes are known to be responsible. Many subtypes of MODY can be treated with oral medication instead of insulin injections, which results in improved metabolic control, quality of life and cost savings. Massively parallel sequencing (MPS) enables the simultaneous sequencing of all 13 genes for a fraction of the cost of traditional Sanger sequencing. We conducted a cost utility analysis of genetic screening (targeted MPS) for MODY in a paediatric population presumed to have type 1 diabetes (T1D), where the underlying prevalence of MODY has been calculated as 2.6%. METHODS A Markov decision model was developed to estimate the incremental costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) of genetic screening for MODY compared with standard care over 50 years’ follow up. The probabilities and quality of life weightings (utility) of long term diabetic complications were estimated from published data and population statistics. Costs were estimated from the perspective of the Australian health care system. RESULTS Genetic screening for MODY at diabetes diagnosis was more effective and less costly than standard care, with 1.39 QALYs gained and AU

Should we prefer safety to social participation? Analysing taste heterogeneity regarding social care outcomes in Finland.

1.4 million (US

Understanding best-worst experiments for calculating quality-of-life preferences in long-term care settings: how they work and what to consider

1.05 million) saved per 1,000 patients. The costs of the screening program were fully offset within four years. A sensitivity analysis revealed that genetic screening remained dominant until the MODY prevalence fell below 0.7%. CONCLUSIONS Screening for MODY in the paediatric diabetes population would reduce health system costs and improve patient quality of life. Our results were robust to assumptions around the underlying MODY prevalence and make a compelling argument for routine genetic screening in all children with presumed T1D.Poster Presentations Session IV - CCardiovascular Disorders - Clinical Outcomes Studies - no. PCV27OBJECTIVES: Traditionally, researchers relied on eliciting preferences through face-to-face interviews. Recently, there has been a shift towards using alternative modes, such as the internet, to gather such data. These different modes may be a source of variation in the results. In health services research, preferences are important as they provide an estimate of the value of each quality of life state, and can be used as weights to reflect the differential utility of each state. In this study, we compare the preferences elicited from two modes of administration (internet versus face-to-face) for the best-worst scaling (BWS) technique using the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit service user measure (ASCOT-S). METHODS: Data were collected from a representative sample of the general population in England. The respondents (face-to-face: n=500; online: n=1,001) completed a survey which included the BWS experiment involving the ASCOT-S, consisted of 32 tasks which were blocked into 4 segments. Multinomial logistic regressions were undertaken to analyse the data. To allow for direct comparisons between the modes, model coefficients were standardised. RESULTS: Respondents in the face-to-face survey placed lower value on the lower levels of all ASCOT-S domains, except social participation, than those in the internet survey. The highest point difference of 0.12 was observed in Level 2 of the occupation domain. For the highest level of all ASCOT-S domains, except social participation, preference weights were higher in the face-to-face survey than the internet with point differences of up to 0.10. CONCLUSIONS: This study compared utility weights obtained from a BWS exercise using two modes of administration for the ASCOTS. The findings showed variation of responses between the two modes. Most differences were not significant and were low in absolute value. This suggests that preference weights are similar across the different modes of administration. We reflect on the implications of these findings for cost-effectiveness research.

Comparative quality of life among Austrians, English and Finnish people.

Objective The aim of this study was to validate a new generic patient-reported outcome measure, the Long-Term Conditions Questionnaire (LTCQ), among a diverse sample of health and social care users in England. Design Cross-sectional validation survey. Data were collected through postal surveys (February 2016–January 2017). The sample included a healthcare cohort of patients recruited through primary care practices, and a social care cohort recruited through local government bodies that provide social care services. Participants 1211 participants (24% confirmed social care recipients) took part in the study. Healthcare participants were recruited on the basis of having one of 11 specified long-term conditions (LTCs), and social care participants were recruited on the basis of receiving social care support for at least one LTC. The sample exhibited high multimorbidity, with 93% reporting two or more LTCs and 43% reporting a mental health condition. Outcome measures The LTCQ’s construct validity was tested with reference to the EQ-5D (5-level version), the Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease scale, an Activities of Daily Living scale and the Bayliss burden of morbidity scale. Results Low levels of missing data for each item indicate acceptability of the LTCQ across the sample. The LTCQ exhibits high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α=0.95) across the scale’s 20 items and excellent test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient=0.94, 95% CI 0.93 to 0.95). Associations between the LTCQ and all reference measures were moderate to strong and in the expected directions, indicating convergent construct validity. Conclusions This study provides evidence for the reliability and validity of the LTCQ, which has potential for use in both health and social care settings. The LTCQ could meet a need for holistic outcome measurement that goes beyond symptoms and physical function, complementing existing measures to capture fully what it means to live well with LTCs.