PhD title: Modelling with the ICECAP capability index: an exploration in the NICE public health context.
Supervisors: Prof. Joanna Coast, Prof. Tracy Roberts and Dr. Pelham Barton
Paul’s PhD is exploring the implementation of the ICECAP capability index, a simple, self-report 5 part quality of life questionnaire, into economic evaluations and complex economic models, which are used for aiding health-care decision-making.
Health economic evaluations currently focus on health-related quality of life both in terms of costs and benefits between different interventions. The ICECAP capability index aims to capture benefits which are currently not taken into consideration when making decisions to allocate healthcare resources, measuring broader attributes of an individual’s overall quality of life, rather than focusing specifically on their health related quality of life.
The 3 year PhD research programme aims to explore a number of case studies using the ICECAP index as the measurement of quality of life. The case studies involve complex decision models, which are commonly used in the UK when comparing different treatment strategies for patients.
There is also potential for qualitative interviews with health decision-makers, who could use such case studies in future evaluations. Paul completed a week-long qualitative research methods course in the University of Bristol in March 2011 to prepare for this likelihood.
Paul completed undergraduate and taught postgraduate degrees at National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) before commencing his PhD in health economics at the University of Birmingham.
It was during his Masters in Economic Policy Evaluation and Planning where his interest in Health Economics began, completing an industry funded dissertation “A Preliminary Retrospective Cost-of-Illness Study of Dupuytren’s Disease in Ireland” in the summer of 2009.
Paul joined the Health Economics Unit in February 2010 on a school funded scholarship to explore outcome measurement of quality of life in health economic evaluations and decision models using the ICECAP capability index.
Paul’s research interests are:
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Methodological approaches to evaluating societal welfare, particularly the capability approach (www.capabilityapproach.com)
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Measurement of outcomes in health economic evaluations & decision models
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Inclusion of societal costs & benefits in economic evaluations
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Non-PhD research interests include behavioural economics, game theory & sports economics.
Conference Papers:
Mitchell, P. Roberts, T. Barton, P. Coast, J. (2012), Using the Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI) to predict the ICECAP-O capability index for arthritis patients: is mapping from physical function to capability feasible? HESG Conference Paper, Marseille/Aix-en-Provence, France.
Al-Janabi, H. Keeley,T. Mitchell, P. Coast, J. (2011) Measuring capability using the ICECAP-A: a ‘think-aloud’ study to assess the use of the measure in the general population. HDCA Conference Paper, The Hague, Netherlands.
Al-Janabi, H. Keeley, T. Mitchell, P. Coast, J. (2011) Completion of outcome measures for economic evaluation: a think-aloud study. HESG Conference Paper, Bangor, UK.
Conference Presentations:
Al-Janabi, H. Keeley,T. Mitchell, P. Coast, J. (2011) Measuring capability using the ICECAP-A: a ‘think-aloud’ study to assess the use of the measure in the general population. Health Session at the HDCA Conference , The Hague, Netherlands.
Mitchell, P. (2011) Measuring individual capability using ICECAP – Who should do it? Using ICECAP in economic evaluation: ICECAP Users’ Workshop, Birmingham, UK.