Value Frontier (Japan)

The Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy Quality of Life (NVP QOL) Questionnaire is a self-report measure of health-related QOL for nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. This study determines the best fitting factor structure for the NVP QOL Questionnaire and explores its measurement invariance in terms of observation time and parity. A test-retest study of pregnant women was conducted at Gestational Weeks (GWs) 10-13 (T1: N = 381) and 1 week later (T2: n = 128) at one hospital and five clinics with the NVP QOL and the Pregnancy-Unique Quantification of Emesis and Nausea (PUQE). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed to compare different factor structure models and evaluate measurement invariance of the best fitting model between two time points and between primiparas and multiparas. Concurrent validity of the NVP QOL was clarified by correlations with the PUQE, Sheehan Disability Scale, and other scales. The one-factor model had the best fit. This factor structure model was acceptable up to the factor invariance level for two time points and up to the factor mean level for primiparas versus multiparas. Correlations between NVP QOL, PUQE, and Sheehan Disability Scale scores were strong. Women with higher NVP QOL scores were more likely to lose weight, have lower daily fluid intake, have reduced fluid and food intake since pregnancy began, and receive outpatient or inpatient treatment. The one-factor structure and measurement invariance of the NVP QOL at different times and parities were demonstrated, suggesting that the NVP QOL can be used to evaluate primiparas and multiparas in a longitudinal study.

We discuss linkages between hypergame theory and systems intelligence and examine how both perspectives can benefit one another. We argue that hypergame theory can provide a formal foundation for key premises of systems intelligence, whereas the philosophy of systems intelligence can present a new way to illustrate hypergame theory as a perspective in order for an agent acting inside a system to become systems intelligent. The integrated perspective elaborated here is particularly relevant in the context of certain kinds of paradoxical but ubiquitous human interactive situations called systems of holding back. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

e11517 Background: The willingness to pay method is to analyze the economic burden of illness and impact of breast cancer on quality of life. There is few study of willingness to pay for treatments in patients with cancer. This research is designed to evaluate the WTP for anticancer treatments in Korean patients with metastatic breast cancer. Methods: This is a multicenter, cross-sectional study in patients with breast cancer receiving palliative chemotherapy. Total 199 patients with metastatic breast cancer were interviewed from 4 centers. clinical, sociodemographic, and quality of life data were collected. Subjects completed a face-to-face interview with trained interviewer to assess their health status and willingness to pay for breast cancer treatment. we used the three methods to evaluate the health status; EORTC QLQ-C30, BR-23, EQ-5D. Results: The older, the more patients are willing to pay (over 50 years old: 9,808,000 under 50 years old: 7,653,000) The higher patients have education levels, the more the patients are willing to pay (less than college: 6,147,000, college or higher: 12,898,000) There are similar tendency in patient's marital status and having a child. In clinical characteristics, the higher subjects have ECOG performance status, the more patients are willing to pay (Grade 0-1: 8,171,000, Grade 2-4: 17,042,000) triple negative patients are willing to pay less than the patients who have one receptor expression at least. The patients who have bone only metastatic cancer are willing to pay more than have other visceral metastatic cancer. Average costs show that as age increases, educational attainment increases and disease is not severe, the subject is willing to pay more for a treatment that will return them to their precancer health state. The linear regression can explain that untransformed WTP was significantly associated with the length of metastases, income, educational status, and initial start bid. (All WTP is KRW per month). Conclusions: Subjects were willing to pay an average of KRW 8,696,329 (range KRW 100,000-60,000,000) to return to their precancer health state which shows the inherent value of treatment as perceived by the patient. (1 USD = 1,150 KRW) No significant financial relationships to disclose.