Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30887469›Full record

SynthesisPharmacoEconomics2019

Spillover Effects on Caregivers' and Family Members' Utility: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Eve Wittenberg, Lyndon P James, Lisa A Prosser

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in PharmacoEconomics, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 59 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
59citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

59 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  5. Does the inclusion of societal costs change the economic evaluations recommendations? A systematic review for multiple sclerosis disease.The European journal of health economics : HEPAC : health economics in prevention and care · 2023
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  10. Cost-effectiveness analysis of the MYO ArmbandJournal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2025
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  12. Mapping of Family Reported Outcome Measure (FROM-16) scores to EQ-5D: algorithm to calculate utility values.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2024
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  13. Potential of ASCOT-Carer for evaluating the quality of life of family caregivers for patients with Alzheimer's disease in Japan.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Eve WittenbergCenter for Health Decision Science, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA. ewittenb@hsph.harvard.edu.
Lyndon P JamesCenter for Health Decision Science, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Lisa A ProsserSusan B. Meister Child Health Evaluation and Research Center, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundA growing body of research has identified health-related quality-of-life effects for caregivers and family members of ill patients (i.e. 'spillover effects'), yet these are rarely considered in cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs).

objectiveThe objective of this study was to catalog spillover-related health utilities to facilitate their consideration in CEAs.

methodsWe systematically reviewed the medical and economic literatures (MEDLINE, EMBASE, and EconLit, from inception through 3 April 2018) to identify articles that reported preference-based measures of spillover effects. We used keywords for utility measures combined with caregivers, family members, and burden.

resultsOf 3695 articles identified, 80 remained after screening: 8 (10%) reported spillover utility per se, as utility or disutility (i.e. utility loss); 25 (30%) reported a comparison group, either population values (n = 9) or matched, non-caregiver/family member or unaffected individuals' utilities (n = 16; 3 reported both spillover and a comparison group); and 50 (63%) reported caregiver/family member utilities only. Alzheimer's disease/dementia was the most commonly studied disease/condition, and the EQ-5D was the most commonly used measurement instrument.

conclusionsThis comprehensive catalog of utilities showcases the spectrum of diseases and conditions for which caregiver and family members' spillover effects have been measured, and the variation in measurement methods used. In general, utilities indicated a loss in quality of life associated with being a caregiver or family member of an ill relative. Most studies reported caregiver/family member utility without any comparator, limiting the ability to infer spillover effects. Nevertheless, these values provide a starting point for considering spillover effects in the context of CEA, opening the door for more comprehensive analyses.

Indexed as

CaregiversCost-Benefit AnalysisFamilyHumansQuality-Adjusted Life Years

Identifiers

PMID30887469

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.