Program

In-person AND virtual! – We are pioneering a new conference format that will connect in-person and virtual audiences to create a unique experience. Matching the innovation that comes through our members’ work, ISPOR is pushing the boundaries of innovation to design an event that works in today’s quickly changing environment. 

In-person registration included the full virtual experience, and virtual-only attendees will be able to tune into live in-person sessions and/or watch captured in-person sessions on-demand in addition to having a variety of virtual-only sessions to attend.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Lockdowns on the Health-Related Quality of Life of People Living with Multiple Sclerosis in Australia

Speaker(s)

Henson G1, van der Mei I1, Taylor BV1, Blacklow P2, Claflin SB1, Palmer AJ1, Hurst C1, Campbell JA1
1University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia, 2University of Tasmania, Sandy Bay, TAS, Australia

OBJECTIVES: People living with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) in metropolitan Victoria, Australia experienced a 112-day, COVID-19 related lockdown in mid-2020. This lockdown severely limited civilian movement and access to services. Contemporaneously, Australian PwMS elsewhere experienced minimal restrictions. The resulting natural experiment was exploited by this study, which assessed the associations between lockdowns, COVID-19 related adversity, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

METHODS: Data (quantitative and qualitative) were extracted from Australian MS Longitudinal Study surveys, which included the AQoL-8D multi-attribute utility instrument and a specialised COVID-19 questionnaire. This COVID-19 questionnaire required participants to indicate levels of COVID-19 related adversity across several health dimensions. Ordered probits were used to identify variables contributing to higher adversity rankings. Multiple regression was applied to determine the impact of adversity on HRQoL, defined using AQoL-8D health state utilities (HSUs). Qualitative data were examined thematically.

RESULTS: n=1666 PwMS (average age 58.5y; 79.8% female; typical of MS-related studies) entered the study, with n=369 (22.0%) exposed to the 112-day lockdown. The lockdown was strongly associated with higher adversity rankings, as was disability severity, relapse-onset phenotypes, and lower age (p<0.01 for all variables). Higher adversity rankings were associated with reduced HSUs. Participants reporting major adversity, across measured health dimensions, had HSUs 0.163 (p<0.01) lower than participants reporting no adversity and were more likely (OR:2.36, p<0.01) to report a clinically significant HSU reduction, before versus during the COVID-19 pandemic. A clinically significant decrease in HSU was defined as Δ>0.08, based on the literature. Additionally, COVID-19 adversity pertaining to emotional wellbeing was predominant in its association with reduced HSUs (β=-0.065, p<0.01). Themes in qualitative data supported quantitative findings.

CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that COVID-19 related adversity can substantially reduce the HRQoL of PwMS. Directing resources to ameliorate instances of this effect should be a public health priority, with psychological interventions being paramount.

Code

PCR15

Topic

Epidemiology & Public Health, Methodological & Statistical Research, Patient-Centered Research

Topic Subcategory

Health State Utilities, Patient-reported Outcomes & Quality of Life Outcomes, PRO & Related Methods, Public Health

Disease

Mental Health