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Background and Aims Visit-to-visit systolic blood pressure variability (BPV) is an important predictor of cardiovascular (CV) outcomes. The long-term effect of a period of blood pressure (BP) control, but with differential BPV, is uncertain. Morbidity and mortality follow-up of UK participants in the Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial-Blood Pressure-Lowering Arm has been extended for up to 21 years to determine the CV impact of mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) control and BPV during the trial, and amongst those allocated to amlodipine- and atenolol-based treatment. Methods Eight thousand five hundred and eighty hypertensive participants (4305 assigned to amlodipine ± perindopril-based and 4275 to atenolol ± diuretic-based treatment during the in-trial period (median 5.5 years) were followed for up to 21 years (median 17.4 years), using linked hospital and mortality records. A subgroup of participants (n = 2156) was followed up 6 years after the trial closure with a self-administered questionnaire and a clinic visit. In-trial mean SBP and standard deviation of visit-to-visit SBP as a measure of BPV, were measured using >100 000 BP measurements. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the risk [hazard ratios (HRs)], associated with (i) mean with SBP and BPV during the in-trial period, for the CV endpoints occurring after the end of the trial and (ii) randomly assigned treatment to events following randomization, for the first occurrence of pre-specified CV outcomes. Results Using BP data from the in-trial period, in the post-trial period, although mean SBP was a predictor of CV outcomes {HR per 10 mmHg, 1.14 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.10–1.17], P <.001}, systolic BPV independent of mean SBP was a strong predictor of CV events [HR per 5 mmHg 1.22 (95% CI 1.18–1.26), P <.001] and predicted events even in participants with well-controlled BP. During 21-year follow-up, those on amlodipine-based compared with atenolol-based in-trial treatment had significantly reduced risk of stroke [HR 0.82 (95% CI 0.72–0.93), P =.003], total CV events [HR 0.93 (95% CI 0.88–0.98), P =.008], total coronary events [HR 0.92 (95% CI 0.86–0.99), P =.024], and atrial fibrillation [HR 0.91 (95% CI 0.83–0.99), P =.030], with weaker evidence of a difference in CV mortality [HR 0.91 (95% CI 0.82–1.01), P =.073]. There was no significant difference in the incidence of non-fatal myocardial infarction and fatal coronary heart disease, heart failure, and all-cause mortality. Conclusions Systolic BPV is a strong predictor of CV outcome, even in those with controlled SBP. The long-term benefits of amlodipine-based treatment compared with atenolol-based treatment in reducing CV events appear to be primarily mediated by an effect on systolic BPV during the trial period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Measurement models inform the approach to assess a measure’s validity and also how a measure is understood, applied and interpreted. With preference-based measures, it is generally accepted that they are formative; however, if they are applied without preferences, they may be reflective, formative or mixed. In this study, we sought to empirically test whether the reflective, formative or mixed measurement model best describes PBMs of social care-related quality of life (ASCOT, ASCOT-Carer). We also explored the network approach, as an alternative. Methods: ASCOT and ASCOT-Carer data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes models to test reflective, formative or mixed measurement models, respectively. Network analysis of partial correlations using the Gaussian graphical model was also conducted. Results: The results indicated that the reflective measurement model is the worst fit for ASCOT and ASCOT-Carer. The formative or mixed models may apply to ASCOT. The mixed model was the best fit for ASCOT-Carer. The network analysis indicated that the most important or influential items were Occupation and Personal cleanliness and comfort (ASCOT) and Time and space and Self-care (ASCOT-Carer). Conclusions: The ASCOT and ASCOT-Carer are best described as formative/mixed or mixed models, respectively. These findings may guide the approach to the validation of cross-culturally adapted and translated versions. Specifically, we recommend that EFA be applied to establish structural characteristics, especially if the measure will be applied as a PBM and as a measure of SCRQoL. Network analysis may also provide further useful insights into structural characteristics.

Purpose: We developed preference weights of the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit for Carers (ASCOT-Carer) in Japan. Methods: We used best–worst scaling (BWS) and composite time trade-off (cTTO) to determine the preference weights for ASCOT-Carer states in the general population. TTO values were applied to convert the BWS scores to utilities. The sample number was approximately 1000 for the BWS survey and 200 for the TTO survey. Whereas face-to-face surveys by computer-assisted interviewing were adopted for the TTO tasks, a web-based survey was used for the BWS tasks. In the BWS tasks, the ASCOT-Carer states were presented, and the "best," "worst," "second best," and "second worst" domains in a profile were selected. A mixed logit model was applied to the BWS data. Results: The respondents' background was similar to that of the general population, although the number of people in the age and sex categories was equal. The preference weights for calculating the utilities of the ASCOT-Carer states were estimated. The estimated utilities of the ASCOT-Carer states were distributed between 1 and 0.02. All preference weights were consistent. The item with the highest preference weight was level 1 in the "space and time to be yourself." The least preferred item was level 4 in the "space and time to be yourself" and "control over daily life" domains. Conclusion: We established Japanese preference weights for ASCOT-Carer states, the first weights of an Asian country. The estimated utilities can contribute to the measurement of caregivers' social care-related QoL and perform of cost-effectiveness analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we analyze the results of neutral-beam current drive (NBCD) experiments performed in the TJ-II stellarator with the aim of validating the theoretical predictions. Both parallel and anti-parallel injection with respect to the magnetic field were explored using co (NBI1) and counter (NBI2) beams at different injected beam power and plasma densities. The fast-ion current driven by both beams was simulated with the Monte Carlo code ASCOT and the electron response to the fast-ion current was calculated analytically using a model valid for an arbitrary magnetic configuration and a low collisionality plasma. Despite the uncertainties associated to the determination of experimental inputs, the model reproduces with rather good agreement the toroidal current measured in NBI2 plasmas. However, the current driven by NBI1 is less than half the predicted one. Possible reasons for this discrepancy are discussed. Among the probable causes, yet to be studied, the most likely is the increased presence of lithium in the plasma when NBI1 is injected, this being the result of its irregular deposition during wall conditioning.

De groeiende groep thuiswonende ouderen in Nederland vraagt om een goede ondersteuning door inzet van de juiste diensten, zoals huishoudelijke hulp of dagbesteding. Het bepalen van belangrijke uitkomsten is daarin cruciaal en hiervoor zijn brede uitkomsten in termen van kwaliteit van leven (KvL) relevant, waarbij gekeken wordt naar de invloed van diensten op iemands mogelijkheden of capabilities. In dit artikel worden de ontwikkeling en inhoud van de Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (Nederlandstalige versie, ASCOT-NL) en de Extended Quality of Life Tool (EQLT) beschreven en de toepassingsmogelijkheden in de evaluatie van zorg belicht. Beide instrumenten beogen effecten van zorg op KvL van thuiswonende ouderen te meten op meerdere relevante domeinen. De ASCOT-NL kent acht domeinen; de EQLT bevat deze acht domeinen en voegt daar zes domeinen aan toe, hetgeen resulteert in totaal veertien domeinen. De domeinen van de ASCOT-NL zijn gebaseerd op de doelen van sociale ondersteuning en zorg; de aanvullende domeinen van de EQLT zijn gebaseerd op empirisch onderzoek naar KvL vanuit het perspectief van thuiswonende ouderen en de manier waarop zorg kan bijdragen aan KvL.

• NBI shine-through losses will limit the power available in ITER low-density plasmas. • ITER NBI shine-through is studied through a wide-range parameter scan. • Shine-through dependencies on beam energy, plasma density and shape are discussed. • Shine-through heuristic formula is provided for H and He ITER plasmas. • ITER NBI vertical tilt effect is taken into account. The occurrence of localized high heat fluxes on the ITER first wall can limit the lifetime of plasma-facing components. This can be the case of excessive shine-through losses due to high-energy Neutral Beam Injection (NBI) in low density plasmas, as in the first operation phases of ITER. The use of ITER NBI will be therefore limited to densities that guarantee acceptable power fluxes on the first wall. In this work, we review the NBI shine-through issue in the ITER pre-fusion phases by numerical simulations, extending previous modelling assumptions and exploiting the IMAS modelling framework. The dependencies of shine-through on beam injection energy and plasma density profiles are discussed and a heuristic formula for shine-through fraction is proposed, fitting a large database of ad-hoc simulations. In particular the effect of NBI vertical tilt is properly taken into account by considering the effect of different plasma density profile shapes. Both on- and off-axis ITER H neutral beam injection are considered in the study. We show that increasing the density peaking, ITER NBI shine-through losses decrease, with magnitude depending on the beam vertical tilt. Two ionization codes, NEMO and BBNBI, are compared exploiting the standardized data input of the IMAS suite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Measuring the impact of long-term care (LTC) is essential if we are to allocate limited resources effectively.Objectives: We explored the feasibility and validity of a pragmatic approach to evaluation, known as the counterfactual self-estimation of programme participants (CSEPP). CSEPP forms part of the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT), and is referred to as the ‘expected’ method since participants estimate their expected quality of life (QoL) in the absence of services.Methods: We used survey data from interviews with 748 LTC users in 22 English local authorities, which included questions on self- and interviewer-assessed understanding of the ‘expected’ questions. We used these data to assess feasibility. Construct validity was assessed by examining hypothesised associations between the expected score and individual characteristics. Bias was assessed by comparing the CSEPP impact estimate to one produced using the instrumental variables approach used by Forder et al. (2016, 2018) on the same dataset.Findings: We found evidence that the CSEPP/‘expected’ method was feasible and the self-estimated counterfactual outcome scores valid. There were indications that the method is less appropriate for some groups and that it may slightly overestimate the impact of LTC.Limitations: The main limitation is that the between methods comparison assumes that the instrumental variables approach provides a largely unbiased estimate of the effect of LTC, which is unlikely to be the case.Implications: The CSEPP/‘expected’ method is a useful tool in the LTC context, but more research is needed to understand potential sources of bias and its feasibility with certain groups.

Abstract Background Outcomes-based policy and administration of public services present a compelling argument for the value of outcomes data. However, there are a number of challenges inherent in collecting these data from people who are unable to complete a paper-based survey or interview due to cognitive or communication impairments. In this paper, we explore the views of being a proxy from the perspective of unpaid carers and paid carers who may be asked to act as a proxy on behalf of the person(s) they care for. We consider the key issues that need to be addressed when adapting an instrument designed to measure social care outcomes, the Adult Social Care Outcomes Tool (ASCOT), into a proxy-report tool. Methods Participants took part in either a focus group (35 paid carers in eight focus groups), or a one-to-one interview (eight unpaid carers). All participants were recruited via carer organisations and care providers. Transcripts, field notes and audio data collected during focus groups and interviews were analysed using a thematic framework approach. Results Participants agreed that any person acting as a proxy would need to be very familiar with the care recipient, as well as their needs and care provision. A number of provisions for proxy respondents were proposed to improve face validity and acceptability of completing a questionnaire by proxy, and to ensure that any potential bias is reduced in the design of the questionnaire. These included: providing two sets of response options for each proxy perspective (the proxy themselves and the proxy view of how they think the care recipient would respond); a comments box to help people explain why they have selected a given response option (especially where these indicate unmet need); and providing clear guidance for the proxy respondent on how they should complete the questionnaire. Conclusions This study has shown some of the challenges involved in assessing outcomes by proxy and explored some potential ways these can be mitigated. The findings highlight the benefits of developing and testing proxy measures in a robust way to widen participation in social care research.

The Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit four response‐level interview schedule (ASCOT INT4) for service users was translated into Finnish. The aim of this paper was to investigate the construct validity and structural characteristics of the Finnish ASCOT. We used data from a face‐to‐face interview survey of older people receiving publicly funded home care services, which was conducted in 2016–2017 (n = 493), excluding missing values and proxy respondents (n = 334). Chi‐square tests, adjusted residuals and analyses of variance were used to examine hypothesised associations between each attribute and a number of relevant variables regarding health and well‐being, disabilities, living arrangements, social contact and support, experience of service use, and the nature of the locality and environment. Structural characteristics were explored using exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha test. The EQ‐5D‐3L and ASCOT were moderately correlated (r = 0.429; p < 0.001). The ASCOT attributes were statistically positively related to the overall quality of life. For other tested variables, we found a high number of significant associations with the control over daily life, occupation, social participation, and personal cleanliness attributes, but fewer significant associations with the other attributes. Cronbach's alpha was 0.697 and a single factor was extracted. This assessment provides evidence to support the construct validity of the Finnish ASCOT. The results support the introduction of the Finnish ASCOT into Finland for use in practical applications. Future research on its reliability would be useful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European countries have developed a range of long-term care (LTC) policy responses to support the increasing share of older people. However, little is known about the effectiveness of LTC services and benefits, particularly their impact on older peoples' quality of life (QoL). This paper investigates the role of personal, care service and environmental characteristics on the effects of home care services on QoL across England, Finland and Austria. We used data from surveys conducted in England, Finland and Austria. In total, 811 older adults were included in the analysis. OLS regression including main effects and country-specific interactions was used to explore variation in gains in long-term care service-related quality-of-life (LTC-QoL). Explanatory variables were derived from the production of welfare framework and comprised home care service user socio-demographics, needs indicators, social support and environmental variables and characteristics of home care service provision. In all three countries, LTC-QoL gains increased with needs, indicating that home care services perform well, with additional gains declining the higher the needs. Also, better process quality contributed to LTC-QoL improvements in all three countries. In addition, the availability of informal care, social contact, financial household situation and living alone, were associated with changes in LTC-QoL only in one or two of the countries. Home care services increased service users' QoL in all three European countries. The increase in QoL, however, varied across the countries. The results also provide insights into the benefits and limits of home care service provision and areas for future improvements. JEL: I31, I38, J14 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Measuring health and wellbeing outcomes of community aged care programs is a complex task given the diverse settings in which care takes place and the intersection of numerous factors affecting an individual’s quality of life outcomes. Knowledge of a strong causal relationship between services provided and the final outcome enables confidence in assuming the care provided was largely responsible for the outcome achieved (Courtney et al., Aust J Adv Nurs 26:49–57, 2009). The Department of Health has recently reported on the findings of The National Aged Care Quality Indicator Program – Home Care Pilot (KPMG, National Aged Care Quality Indicator Program – Home Care Pilot, 2017). The Program sought to test various tools to measure quality of life outcomes of their community aged care programs. Some of the key issues raised in the study reiterate the findings from The Australian Community Care Outcome Measurement (ACCOM) pilot study (Cardona et al., Australas J Ageing 36: 69–71, 2017), including the value of the ASCOT SCT4 tool (Adult Social care Outcomes Toolkit, http://www.pssru.ac.uk/ascot/downloads/questionnaires/sct4.pdf) to measure social care related quality of life (SCRQoL) in community aged care programs in the Australian context, the collection of additional data to map the relationship of various variables such as functional ability, demographic characteristics and quality of life scores and the governance and administration of measurement tools for the purpose of quality reporting and consumer choice.

Background: The ASCOT-ER is an adapted easy-read version of the ASCOT-SCT4, a self-report measure of social care-related quality of life (SCRQoL) for social care evaluation. In this study, we investigated the instrument's feasibility, construct validity and factor structure. Method: Data were collected from 264 service users in England. Feasibility was evaluated by missing data and help to complete the questionnaire. Scale dimensionality was assessed using exploratory factor analysis. Construct validity was evaluated by hypothesis testing. Results: Convergent validity was supported by moderate to strong correlations between ASCOT-ER and personal wellbeing and overall quality of life, as well as with individual characteristics. Exploratory factor analysis indicated that the ASCOT-ER is a unidimensional scale. Low missingness indicates that the instrument is feasible; however, most respondents needed some level of support to complete the questionnaire. Conclusion: The study provides preliminary evidence of the ASCOT-ER's feasibility, unidimensionality and construct validity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In developed countries, progressive rapid aging is increasing the need for social care. This study aimed to determine Japanese utility weights for the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT) four-level self-completion questionnaire (SCT4).Methods: We recruited 1050 Japanese respondents from the general population, stratified by sex and age, from five major cities. In the best-worst scaling (BWS) phase, respondents ranked various social care-related quality of life (SCRQoL) states as "best," "worst," "second-best," or "second-worst," as per the ASCOT. Then, respondents were asked to evaluate eight different SCRQOL states by composite time-trade off (cTTO). A mixed logit model was used to analyze BWS data. The association between cTTO and latent BWS scores was used to estimate a scoring formula that would convert BWS scores to SC-QALY (social care quality-adjusted life year) scores.Results: Japanese BWS weightings for ASCOT-SCT4 were successfully estimated and found generally consistent with the UK utility weights. However, coefficients on level 3 of "Control over daily life" and "Occupation" domains differed markedly between Japan and the UK. The worst Japanese SCRQoL state was lower than that for the UK, as Japanese cTTO results showed more negative valuations. In general, Japanese SC-QALY score (for more than 90% of health states) was lower than that for the UK.Conclusions: We successfully obtained Japanese utility weights for ASCOT SCT4. This will contribute to the measurement and understanding of social care outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT-SCT4) is a multi-attribute utility index designed for the evaluation of long-term social care services. The measure comprises eight attributes that capture aspects of social care-related quality of life. The instrument has previously been validated with a sample of older adults who used home care services in England. This paper aims to demonstrate the instrument’s test-retest reliability and provide evidence for its validity in a diverse sample of adults who use publicly-funded, community-based social care in England. Methods A survey of 770 social care service users was conducted in England. A subsample of 100 services users participated in a follow-up interview between 7 and 21 days after baseline. Spearman rank correlation coefficients between the ASCOT-SCT4 index score and the EQ-5D-3 L, the ICECAP-A or ICECAP-O and overall quality of life were used to assess convergent validity. Data on variables hypothesised to be related to the ASCOT-SCT4 index score, as well as rating of individual attributes, were also collected. Hypothesised relationships were tested using one-way ANOVA or Fisher’s exact test. Test-retest reliability was assessed using the intra-class correlation coefficient for the ASCOT-SCT4 index score at baseline and follow-up. Results There were moderate to strong correlations between the ASCOT-SCT4 index and EQ-5D-3 L, the ICECAP-A or ICECAP-O, and overall quality of life (all correlations ≥ 0.3). The construct validity was further supported by statistically significant hypothesised relationships between the ASCOT-SCT4 index and individual characteristics in univariate and multivariate analysis. There was also further evidence for the construct validity for the revised Food and drink and Dignity items. The test-retest reliability was considered to be good (ICC = 0.783; 95% CI: 0.678–0.857). Conclusions The ASCOT-SCT4 index has good test-retest reliability for adults with physical or sensory disabilities who use social care services. The index score and the attributes appear to be valid for adults receiving social care for support reasons connected to underlying mental health problems, and physical or sensory disabilities. Further reliability testing with a wider sample of social care users is warranted, as is further exploration of the relationship between the ASCOT-SCT4, ICECAP-A/O and EQ-5D-3 L indices.

Abstract Background Social care-related quality of life is a key outcome indicator used in the evaluation of social care interventions and policy. It is not, however, always possible to collect quality of life data by self-report even with adaptations for people with cognitive or communication impairments. A new proxy-report version of the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT) measure of social care-related quality of life was developed to address the issues of wider inclusion of people with cognitive or communication difficulties who may otherwise be systematically excluded. The development of the proxy-report ASCOT questionnaire was informed by literature review and earlier work that identified the key issues and challenges associated with proxy-reported outcomes. Methods To evaluate the acceptability and content validity of the ASCOT-Proxy, qualitative cognitive interviews were conducted with unpaid carers or care workers of people with cognitive or communication impairments. The proxy respondents were invited to ‘think aloud’ while completing the questionnaire. Follow-up probes were asked to elicit further detail of the respondent’s comprehension of the format, layout and content of each item and also how they weighed up the options to formulate a response. Results A total of 25 unpaid carers and care workers participated in three iterative rounds of cognitive interviews. The findings indicate that the items were well-understood and the concepts were consistent with the item definitions for the standard self-completion version of ASCOT with minor modifications to the draft ASCOT-Proxy. The ASCOT-Proxy allows respondents to rate the proxy-proxy and proxy-patient perspectives, which improved the acceptability of proxy report. Conclusions A new proxy-report version of ASCOT was developed with evidence of its qualitative content validity and acceptability. The ASCOT-Proxy is ready for empirical testing of its suitability for data collection as a self-completion and/or interview questionnaire, and also evaluation of its psychometric properties.

Context: Poorer mortality rates and quality of care in hospitals outside of office hours is well documented. The literature on adult social (long-term) care, and in particular, care homes, is much less developed. There are, however, a few studies that suggest that outside of Monday to Friday between 9.00am and 16.30pm, quality of care in care homes might be lower. Objective(s): The objective of this study was to compare the social care-related quality of life (SCRQoL) of residents in older adult care homes during office hours (0900 to 16.30) with outside of office hours (evenings and weekends). Method(s): We conducted a nested, cross-sectional study, collecting SCRQoL data using the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit at two time points, office hours (Monday-Friday between 9.00 and 16.30) and outside of office hours. We did not examine nigh times in the homes. Data were collected for 99 older adult care home residents in 13 care homes (5 residential and 8 nursing) and analysed using a combination of non-parametric and parametric techniques. Findings: SCRQoL ratings were lower during the weekends and early evenings than during office hours. The differences were most pronounced in the higher order domains of social participation, occupation and control over daily life. Limitations: The study struggled to explain this variation. This work was both exploratory and small in size. We also did not collect data on levels of staffing. Implications: Further work is required to both confirm our findings and explore the reasons for the difference. Nonetheless, this study challenges the traditional model of care, in which social activities and meaningful pastimes are mostly organised during ‘office hours’. We observed evenings that were very short, as residents tended to return to their room shortly after dinner, and quiet weekends, and this was reflected in residents’ quality of life. This is contrary to the rhetoric of care homes being people’s own homes, where they would be able to choose to remain active and engaged into the evening and on the weekends, as they may have done throughout their lives.

Purpose: Traditionally, researchers have relied on eliciting preferences through face-to-face interviews. Recently, there has been a shift towards using internet-based methods. Different methods of data collection may be a source of variation in the results. In this study, we compare the preferences for the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT) service user measure elicited using best-worst scaling (BWS) via a face-to-face interview and an online survey.Methods: Data were collected from a representative sample of the general population in England. The respondents (face-to-face: n = 500; online: n = 1001) completed a survey, which included the BWS experiment involving the ASCOT measure. Each respondent received eight best-worst scenarios and made four choices (best, second best, worst, second worst) in each scenario. Multinomial logit regressions were undertaken to analyse the data taking into account differences in the characteristics of the two samples and the repeated nature of the data.Results: We initially found a number of small significant differences in preferences between the two methods across all ASCOT domains. These differences were substantially reduced-from 15 to 5 out of 30 coefficients being different at the 5% level-and remained small in value after controlling for differences in observable and unobservable characteristics of the two samples.Conclusions: This comparison demonstrates that face-to-face and internet surveys may lead to fairly similar preferences for social care-related quality of life when differences in sample characteristics are controlled for. With or without a constant sampling frame, studies should carefully design the BWS exercise and provide similar levels of clarification to participants in each survey to minimise the amount of error variance in the choice process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In England, choice and control is promoted for service users in relation to social care services. Increased choice and control has also been promoted for unpaid carers, although this is still relatively underdeveloped. There is limited recognition of carers' choice in terms of the decision of whether to provide care. Alongside the promotion of choice and control, there has also been a focus on quality of life as an outcome of social care for care‐recipients and their carers. Although it is known that carer choice (in terms of the decision of whether or not to provide care) is related to increased burden and poorer psychological health, there is limited evidence of the relationship between reasons for caring and care‐related quality of life (CRQoL) and subjective strain in England. In this study, 387 carers were surveyed across 22 English local authorities between June 2013 and March 2014. Multiple regression analysis explored the relationship between carer‐reported reasons for caring and CRQoL and strain, whilst controlling for individual characteristics (e.g. age). Reasons for caring were important predictors of CRQoL and strain. Where people were carers because social services suggested it or the care‐recipient would not want help from anyone else, this was related to lower CRQoL. By contrast, where carers took on care‐giving because they had time to care, this was significantly associated with better CRQoL. Carers reported greater strain where they provided care because it was expected of them. These findings are relevant to policy and practice because they indicate that, while social care systems rely on carers, the limiting of carers' choice of whether to provide care is related to worse outcomes. Increased awareness of this relationship would be beneficial in developing policy and practice that improves the QoL of care‐recipients and also their carers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim was to estimate an exchange rate between EQ-5D-3L and the Adult Social Care Outcome Tool (ASCOT) using preference-based mapping via common time trade-off (TTO) valuations. EQ-5D and ASCOT are useful for examining cost-effectiveness within the health and social care sectors, respectively, but there is a policy need to understand overall benefits and compare across sectors to assess relative value for money. Standard statistical mapping is unsuitable since it relies on conceptual overlap of the measures but EQ-5D and ASCOT have different conceptualisations of quality of life.Methods: We use a preference-based mapping approach to estimate the exchange rate using common TTO valuations for both measures. A sample of health states from each measure was valued using TTO by 200 members of the UK adult general population. Regression analyses are used to generate separate equations between EQ-5D-3L and ASCOT values using their original value set and TTO values elicited here. These are solved as simultaneous equations to estimate the relationship between EQ-5D-3L and ASCOT.Results: The relationship for moving from ASCOT to EQ-5D-3L is a linear transformation with an intercept of -0.0488 and gradient of 0.978. This enables QALY gains generated by ASCOT and EQ-5D to be compared across different interventions.Conclusions: This paper estimated an exchange rate between ASCOT and EQ-5D-3L using a preference-based mapping approach that does not compromise the descriptive systems of the two measures. This contributes to the development of preference-based mapping through the use of TTO as the common metric used to estimate the exchange rate between measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Economic evaluation of services and interventions in care services tends to focus on quality of life(QoL) based on health-related measures such as EQ5D, with a major focus on health and functioning. The Capability Approach (CA) provides an alternative framework for measuring QoL and challenges some of the conventional issues in the current practice of measurement of QoL. The Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT) aims to measure social care-related QoL in a broad sense. This article investigates whether and, if so, how the ASCOT addresses issues put on the agenda by the CA.Methods: Literature analysis concerning theoretical assumptions and arguments of CA and ASCOT.Results: The Capability Approach (CA) puts three issues on the agenda regarding QoL. First, the focus of evaluation should not be on functioning, but on freedom of choice. Second, evaluation should be critical about adaptive preferences, which entail that people lower expectations in situations of limited possibilities. Third, evaluation should not only address health, but also other domains of life. Our analysis shows that freedom of choice is reflected in the response option 'as I want' in the ASCOT questionnaire. The problem of adaptive preferences is countered in the ASCOT by developing a standard based on preferences of the general population. Third, the ASCOT contains several domains of life.Conclusions: We conclude that the CA and the ASCOT contribute to the discussion on QoL, and that the ASCOT operationalizes core assumptions of the CA, translating the issues raised by the CA in a practical way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background This study reports the experiences of developing and pre-testing an Easy Read version of the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit ( ASCOT) for self-report by people with intellectual disabilities. Methods The study has combined survey development and pre-testing methods with approaches to create accessible information for people with intellectual disabilities. A working group assisted researchers in identifying appropriate question formats, pictures and wording. Focus groups and cognitive interviews were conducted to test various iterations of the instrument. Results Substantial changes were made to the questionnaire, which included changes to illustrations, the wording of question stems and response options. Conclusions The process demonstrated the benefits of involving people with intellectual disabilities in the design and testing of data collection instruments. Adequately adapted questionnaires can be useful tools to collect information from people with intellectual disabilities in survey research; however, its limitations must be recognized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Unpaid care is an important source of support of people with long-term conditions. Interdependence of carers' and care recipients' quality of life would be expected due to the relational nature of caregiving. This study aims to explore interdependence of quality of life in carer/care-recipient dyads, especially in relation to mutual interdependence due to social feedback in the caregiving relationship and also the partner effects of one partner's experience of long-term care support on the other's outcomes.Methods: Using data collected in an interview survey of 264 adults with care support needs and their unpaid carers in England, we employed regression analysis to explore whether there is mutual interdependence of care-related quality of life within carer/care-recipient dyads for three quality of life attributes: Control over daily life, Social participation and Occupation. The influence of factors, including satisfaction with long-term care, were also considered on individuals' and dyad partners' care-related quality of life.Results: We found mutual interdependence of quality of life at the dyad-level for Control over daily life, but not Occupation or Social participation. A partner effect of care recipients' satisfaction with long-term care on carers' Control over daily life was also observed. Higher care recipient satisfaction with care services was associated with higher Control over daily life. By contrast, for Social participation and Occupation, there were only significant effects of care recipients' satisfaction with long-term care and their own quality of life.Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of considering the wider impact beyond the individual of long-term care on quality of life in the evaluation of long-term care policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the 2013 ESH guidelines, it is possible to use any group of known antihypertensive drugs in the treatment of arterial hypertension. But we often have been using different combinations of drugs. In this situation, using drugs combination in fixed dosage increases patients acceptance of therapy and makes treatment easier. According to the results of the numerous studies, perindopril statistically significant reduces total and cardiovascular mortality and the incidence of myocardial infarction. The combination of perindopril and calcium antagonist makes the drug more effective.

Background: The Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT-SCT4) is a multi-attribute utility index designed for the evaluation of long-term social care services. The measure comprises eight attributes that capture aspects of social care-related quality of life. The instrument has previously been validated with a sample of older adults who used home care services in England. This paper aims to demonstrate the instrument's test-retest reliability and provide evidence for its validity in a diverse sample of adults who use publicly-funded, community-based social care in England.Methods: A survey of 770 social care service users was conducted in England. A subsample of 100 services users participated in a follow-up interview between 7 and 21 days after baseline. Spearman rank correlation coefficients between the ASCOT-SCT4 index score and the EQ-5D-3 L, the ICECAP-A or ICECAP-O and overall quality of life were used to assess convergent validity. Data on variables hypothesised to be related to the ASCOT-SCT4 index score, as well as rating of individual attributes, were also collected. Hypothesised relationships were tested using one-way ANOVA or Fisher's exact test. Test-retest reliability was assessed using the intra-class correlation coefficient for the ASCOT-SCT4 index score at baseline and follow-up.Results: There were moderate to strong correlations between the ASCOT-SCT4 index and EQ-5D-3 L, the ICECAP-A or ICECAP-O, and overall quality of life (all correlations ≥ 0.3). The construct validity was further supported by statistically significant hypothesised relationships between the ASCOT-SCT4 index and individual characteristics in univariate and multivariate analysis. There was also further evidence for the construct validity for the revised Food and drink and Dignity items. The test-retest reliability was considered to be good (ICC = 0.783; 95% CI: 0.678-0.857).Conclusions: The ASCOT-SCT4 index has good test-retest reliability for adults with physical or sensory disabilities who use social care services. The index score and the attributes appear to be valid for adults receiving social care for support reasons connected to underlying mental health problems, and physical or sensory disabilities. Further reliability testing with a wider sample of social care users is warranted, as is further exploration of the relationship between the ASCOT-SCT4, ICECAP-A/O and EQ-5D-3 L indices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Social care-related quality of life is a key outcome indicator used in the evaluation of social care interventions and policy. It is not, however, always possible to collect quality of life data by self-report even with adaptations for people with cognitive or communication impairments. A new proxy-report version of the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT) measure of social care-related quality of life was developed to address the issues of wider inclusion of people with cognitive or communication difficulties who may otherwise be systematically excluded. The development of the proxy-report ASCOT questionnaire was informed by literature review and earlier work that identified the key issues and challenges associated with proxy-reported outcomes.Methods: To evaluate the acceptability and content validity of the ASCOT-Proxy, qualitative cognitive interviews were conducted with unpaid carers or care workers of people with cognitive or communication impairments. The proxy respondents were invited to 'think aloud' while completing the questionnaire. Follow-up probes were asked to elicit further detail of the respondent's comprehension of the format, layout and content of each item and also how they weighed up the options to formulate a response.Results: A total of 25 unpaid carers and care workers participated in three iterative rounds of cognitive interviews. The findings indicate that the items were well-understood and the concepts were consistent with the item definitions for the standard self-completion version of ASCOT with minor modifications to the draft ASCOT-Proxy. The ASCOT-Proxy allows respondents to rate the proxy-proxy and proxy-patient perspectives, which improved the acceptability of proxy report.Conclusions: A new proxy-report version of ASCOT was developed with evidence of its qualitative content validity and acceptability. The ASCOT-Proxy is ready for empirical testing of its suitability for data collection as a self-completion and/or interview questionnaire, and also evaluation of its psychometric properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Divertor Tokamak Test (DTT) is a new, super-conducting device, being constructed in Frascati, Italy. DTT will be capable of plasma operations at high density and high heating power, in conditions relevant to address the power exhaust issue in support of ITER operation and DEMO design. DTT foresees the installation of a mix of auxiliary heating systems to couple up to 45 MW to the plasma, including Neutral Beam Injection (NBI). The neutral beam injector is currently being designed, aiming at delivering tangentially to the plasma neutral particles at energy of 510 keV, with a total power of ∼10 MW. In the present work, we apply for the first time the orbit-following Monte Carlo code ASCOT to DTT, in order to analyse with more details the interaction of the high-energy beam, described in real geometry beamlet by beamlet, and the plasma. The results of the simulation give an insight of the behaviour of beam energetic particles in DTT. Thanks to the flexibility of DTT, different plasmas can be generated, e.g. in terms of plasma shape due to different divertor concepts. We present the comparison of two cases with different plasma vertical positions and we analyse the effect on beam absorption in the plasma. We then present a sensitivity scan on plasma density, to verify the coupling of beam power at densities lower than the reference target scenario. These investigations are crucial to provide feedback and suggestions to DTT design and to assess the beam fast ion physics for plasma scenario developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:In this study we aimed to examine the discrimination and calibration of a severity characterization of trauma (ASCOT) in our setting to determine whether its usage is appropriate to predict outcome of our trauma patients. Methods: This study was conducted in three hospitals. All patients admitted in studied hospitals were divided randomly into two equal subgroups. In each group, new coefficients for ASCOT were derived from the first subgroup of patients. Then the newly developed model was validated in the second subgroup and the measures of discrimination and calibration were calculated. Results: 78% of our patients were male and 27% were children. The study mortality rate was 6%, and 20% of patients had penetrating trauma.The average age of our patients was 28 ± 19 (Mean ± Standard Deviation).The area under ROC for ASCOTwas 0.96 and Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit p value was 0.81.Conclusion: In spite of many differences of the trauma care systems between our country and western countries,current survival probability models can be used in our country after customization and development of new coefficients derived from regional databases

Background: Base deficit provides a more objective indicator of physiological stress following injury as compared with vital signs constituting the revised trauma score (RTS). We have previously developed a base deficit-based trauma survival prediction model [base deficit and injury severity score model (BISS)], in which RTS was replaced by base deficit as a measurement of physiological imbalance. Purpose: To externally validate BISS in a large cohort of trauma patients and to compare its performance with established trauma survival prediction models including trauma and injury severity score (TRISS) and a severity characterization of trauma (ASCOT). Moreover, we examined whether the predictive accuracy of BISS model could be improved by replacement of injury severity score (ISS) by new injury severity score (NISS) in the BISS model (BNISS). Methods: In this retrospective, observational study, clinical data of 3737 trauma patients (age ≥15 years) admitted consecutively from 2003 to 2007 were obtained from a prospective trauma registry to calculate BISS, TRISS, and ASCOT models. The models were evaluated in terms of discrimination [area under curve (AUC)] and calibration. Results: The in-hospital mortality rate was 8.1 %. The discriminative performance of BISS to predict survival was similar to that of TRISS and ASCOT [AUCs of 0.883, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.865-0.901 for BISS, 0.902, 95 % CI 0.858-0.946 for TRISS and 0.864, 95 % CI 0.816-0.913 for ASCOT]. Calibration tended to be optimistic in all three models. The updated BNISS had an AUC of 0.918 indicating that substitution of ISS with NISS improved model performance. Conclusions: The BISS model, a base deficit-based trauma model for survival prediction, showed equivalent performance as compared with that of TRISS and ASCOT and may offer a more simplified calculation method and a more objective assessment. Calibration of BISS model was, however, less good than that of other models. Replacing ISS by NISS can considerably improve model accuracy, but further confirmation is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT) measures social care related quality of life (SCRQoL) and can be used to measure outcomes and demonstrate impact across different social care settings. This exploratory study built on previous work by collecting new inter-rater reliability data on the mixed-methods version of the toolkit and exploring how it might be used to inform practice in four case study homes. Method: We worked with two care home providers to agree an in-depth study collecting SCRQoL data in four case-study homes. Data was collected about residents' age, ethnicity, cognitive impairment, ability to perform activities of daily living and SCRQoL in the four homes. Feedback sessions with staff and managers were held in the homes two weeks after baseline and follow-up data collected three months later. Interviews with managers explored their views of the feedback and recorded any changes that had been made because of it. Results: Participant recruitment was challenging, despite working in partnership with the homes. Resident response rates ranged from 23 to 54 % with 58 residents from four care homes taking part in the research. 53 % lacked capacity to consent. Inter-rater reliability for the ASCOT ratings of SCRQoL were good at time one (IRR = 0.72) and excellent at time two (IRR = 0.76). During the study, residents' ability to perform activities of daily living declined significantly (z = -2.67, p < .01), as did their expected needs in the absence of services (z = -2.41, p < .05). Despite these rapid declines in functionings, residents' current SCRQoL declined slightly but not significantly (Z = -1.49, p = .14). Staff responded positively to the feedback given and managers reported implementing changes in practice because of it. Conclusion: This exploratory study faced many challenges in the recruitment of residents, many of whom were cognitively impaired. Nevertheless, without a mixed-methods approach many of the residents living in the care homes would have been excluded from the research altogether or had their views represented only by a representative or proxy. The value of the mixed-methods toolkit and its potential for use by providers is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The ASCOT-Carer is a self-report instrument designed to measure social care-related quality of life (SCRQoL). This article presents the psychometric testing and validation of the ASCOT-Carer four response-level interview (INT4) in a sample of unpaid carers of adults who receive publicly funded social care services in England.Methods: Unpaid carers were identified through a survey of users of publicly funded social care services in England. Three hundred and eighty-seven carers completed a face-to-face or telephone interview. Data on variables hypothesised to be related to SCRQoL (e.g. characteristics of the carer, cared-for person and care situation) and measures of carer experience, strain, health-related quality of life and overall QoL were collected. Relationships between these variables and overall SCRQoL score were evaluated through correlation, ANOVA and regression analysis to test the construct validity of the scale. Internal reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha and feasibility by the number of missing responses.Results: The construct validity was supported by statistically significant relationships between SCRQoL and scores on instruments of related constructs, as well as with characteristics of the carer and care recipient in univariate and multivariate analyses. A Cronbach's alpha of 0.87 (seven items) indicates that the internal reliability of the instrument is satisfactory and a low number of missing responses (<1 %) indicates a high level of acceptance.Conclusion: The results provide evidence to support the construct validity, factor structure, internal reliability and feasibility of the ASCOT-Carer INT4 as an instrument for measuring social care-related quality of life of unpaid carers who care for adults with a variety of long-term conditions, disability or problems related to old age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study examined the relationships between a newly developed older person-specific non-preference-based quality of life (QoL) instrument (Older People's Quality of Life brief questionnaire (OPQoL-brief)) and two generic preference-based instruments (the EQ-5D-3L Level (EQ-5D-3 L) and the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT) in a community-dwelling population of Australian older people receiving aged care services.Methods: We formulated hypotheses about the convergent validity between the instruments (examined by Wilcoxon-Mann Whitney, Kruskal Wallis and Spearman's correlation tests) and levels of agreement (assessed using intra class correlation (ICC) and modified Bland-Altman plots based on normalized Z EQ-5D-3 L and ASCOT utilities and OPQoL-Brief summary scores).Results: The utilities/summary scores for 87 participants (aged 65-93 years) were moderately but positively correlated. Moderate convergent validity was evident for a number of instrument dimensions with the strongest relationship (r = 0.57) between 'enjoy life' (OPQoL-Brief) and 'social contact' (ASCOT). The overall ICC was 0.54 and Bland-Altman scatter plots showed 3-6% of normalized Z-scores were outside the 95% limits of agreement suggesting moderate agreement between all three instruments (agreement highest between the OPQoL-Brief and the ASCOT).Conclusions: Our results suggest that the OPQoL-Brief, the ASCOT and the EQ-5D_3L are suitable for measuring quality of life outcomes in community-dwelling populations of older people. Given the different constructs underpinning these instruments, we recommend that choice of instrument should be guided by the context in which the instruments are being applied. Currently, the OPQoL-Brief is not suitable for use in cost-utility analyses as it is not preference-based. Given their different perspectives, we recommend that both the ASCOT and the EQ-5D are applied simultaneously to capture broader aspects of quality of life and health status within cost-utility analyses within the aged care sector. Future research directed towards the development of a new single preference-based instrument that incorporates both health status and broader aspects of quality of life within quality adjusted life year calculations for older people would be beneficial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Alongside an increased policy and practice emphasis on outcomes in social care, English local authorities are now obliged to review quality at a service level to help in their new role of ensuring the development of diverse and high-quality care markets to meet the needs of all local people, including self-funders. The Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT) has been developed to measure the outcomes of social care for individuals in a variety of care settings. Local authorities have expressed an interest in exploring how the toolkit might be used for their own purposes, including quality monitoring. This study aimed to explore how the care homes version of the ASCOT toolkit might be adapted for use as a care home quality indicator and carry out some preliminary testing in two care homes for older adults. Methods: Consultations were carried out with professional and lay stakeholders, with an interest in using the tool or the ratings it would produce. These explored demand and potential uses for the measure and fed into the conceptual development. A draft toolkit and method for collecting the data was developed and the feasibility of using it for quality monitoring was tested with one local authority quality monitoring team in two homes for older adults. Results: Stakeholders expressed an interest in care home quality ratings based on residents' outcomes but there were tensions around who might collect the data and how it might be shared. Feasibility testing suggested the measure had potential for use in quality monitoring but highlighted the importance of training in observational techniques and interviewing skills. The quality monitoring officers involved in the piloting recommended that relatives' views be collected in advance of visits, through surveys not interviews. Conclusions: Following interest from another local authority, a larger evaluation of the measure for use in routine quality monitoring is planned. As part of this, the ratings made using this measure will be validated against the outcomes of individual residents and compared with the quality ratings of the regulator, the Care Quality Commission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additional peaks refers to all unwanted peaks appear in the chromatogram beside the peak of interest. These peaks are extraneous which can be visualized with the aid of detector .In mass spectrometry the analysis is based on m/z ration of the analyte which interms very specific and accurate hence additional peaks always challenge the authenticity of the analysis. Therefore the cause and rectification of additional or unwanted peaks should be investigated as per regulatory requirements while bioanalysis. This research article comprises the facts and figures with the support of in-house experiments and result to understand and eradicate the extra peaks during bioanalysis of drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit was developed to measure outcomes of social care in England. In this study, we translated the four level self-completion version (SCT-4) of the ASCOT for use in the Netherlands and performed a cross-cultural validation. Methods: The ASCOT SCT-4 was translated into Dutch following international guidelines, including two forward and back translations. The resulting version was pilot tested among frail older adults using think-aloud interviews. Furthermore, using a subsample of the Dutch ACT-study, we investigated test-retest reliability and construct validity and compared response distributions with data from a comparable English study. Results: The pilot tests showed that translated items were in general understood as intended, that most items were reliable, and that the response distributions of the Dutch translation and associations with other measures were comparable to the original English version. Based on the results of the pilot tests, some small modifications and a revision of the Dignity items were proposed for the final translation, which were approved by the ASCOT development team. The complete original English version and the final Dutch translation can be obtained after registration on the ASCOT website (http://www.pssru.ac.uk/ascot). Conclusions: This study provides preliminary evidence that the Dutch translation of the ASCOT is valid, reliable and comparable to the original English version. We recommend further research to confirm the validity of the modified Dutch ASCOT translation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]