ICECAP-O, the current state of play: a systematic review of studies reporting the psychometric properties and use of the instrument over the decade since its publication

Abstract

Purpose A paper reporting the development of the ICECAP-O was published in 2006. Since then, there has been increasing interest in the use of capability-based measures within health economics and the ICECAP-O has been suggested for use in economic evaluation by decision-making bodies in the Netherlands and UK. Methods A systematic review of studies published between January 2006 and October 2018 which have assessed the psychometric properties of ICECAP-O or utilised the measure within economic evaluation. Results Twenty-four studies explored the psychometric properties of ICECAP-O and 21 have utilised the measure within economic evaluation; one study reported psychometric properties as well as utilising the measure within economic evaluation. The ICECAP-O has good construct validity and responsiveness, but there is evidence of some issues relating to content validity. In the context of economic evaluation, the ICECAP-O has, to date, mainly been included as a secondary economic measure and the reporting of results is brief with minimal detail and often no discussion. Five of the economic evaluation studies combined scores from ICECAP-O with time, but each used different terminology to describe this result. Conclusion Focus, in terms of publications, appears to have shifted now from assessment of psychometric properties to the utilisation of the ICECAP-O within economic evaluation. Further research is needed with respect to a decision-rule for the ICECAP measures. This additional research should also guide users in terms of appropriate analysis, terminology and presentation of results, which are in-keeping with the conceptual framework underpinning the ICECAP-O. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s11136-019-02114-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Assessing the construct validity and responsiveness of Preference-Based Measures (PBMs) in cataract surgery patients

“…Capability measures may better capture these benefits compared to HRQL outcomes. The ICECAP-O [15] measures this construct in older adults, but it has not been used in a cataract patient population [16]. The ICECAP-O's five domains cover attachment (love and friendship), security (thinking about the future without concern), role (doing things that make you feel valued), enjoyment and control (independence).…”

“…Brazier et al [20] recommend that a PBM is chosen based on the psychometric performance (including construct validity and responsiveness) in the patient population. Whilst the EQ-5D has been used in a cataract population before [18,21], there is currently no published evidence of the use of the ICECAP-O [16]. The objective of this analysis was to evaluate the construct validity and responsiveness of the EQ-5D-3L, EQ-5D-5L, EQ-5D-3L + VIS and ICECAP-O in a cataract patient population.…”

Capability instruments in economic evaluations of health-related interventions: a comparative review of the literature

“…For instance, the ICECAP-O recommended by NICE is targeted at a subgroup of the population (older adults), whilst the ASCOT was specifically developed for the assessment of social care interventions. A recent review of the literature examined current trends in the application of ICECAP-O [11]. The authors found that the ICECAP-O has mainly been included as a secondary economic measure and the reporting of results is brief with minimal detail and often no discussion or interpretation.…”

Making the Economic Case for Adult Social Care: The EconomicS of Social carE CompEndium (ESSENCE) Project

“…ASCOT can be used to generate the social care equivalent of the QALY (Bulamu et al, 2015;Makai et al, 2014). Another generic tool is ICECAP for older people, based on a capability approach (Coast et al, 2008), which is particularly suitable for people without or with only mild social care needs (Proud et al, 2019).…”