Psychometric evaluation of the Mental Health Quality of Life (MHQoL) instrument in seven European countries

Introduction: To make efficient use of available resources, decision-makers in healthcare may assess the costs and (health) benefits of health interventions. For interventions aimed at improving mental health capturing the full health benefits is an important challenge. The Mental Health Quality of Life (MHQoL) instrument was recently developed to meet this challenge. Evaluating the pyschometric properties of this instrument in different contexts remains important. Methods: A psychometric evaluation of the MHQoL was performed using existing international, cross-sectional data with 7155 respondents from seven European countries (Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, The Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom). Reliability was examined by calculating Cronbach’s alpha, a measure of internal consistency of the seven MHQoL dimensions, and by examining the association of the MHQoL sum scores with the MHQoL-VAS scores. Construct validity was examined by calculating Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients between the MHQoL sum scores and EQ-5D index scores, EQ-VAS scores, EQ-5D anxiety/depression dimension scores, ICECAP-A index scores and PHQ-4 sum scores. Results: The MHQoL was found to have good internal consistency for all seven countries. The MHQoL sum score and the MHQoL-VAS had a high correlation. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients were moderate to very high for all outcomes. Conclusion: Our results, based on data gathered in seven European countries, suggest that the MHQoL shows favourable psychometrical characteristics. While further validation remains important, the MHQoL may be a useful instrument in measuring mental health-related quality of life in the Western European context

Sectoral Innovation Watch Biotechnology Sector. Final sector report

Biotechnology has evolved from a single set of technologies in the mid 1970s into a full grown technological field that is the driving force in innovation processes in many industrial sectors (pharmaceutical, medical, agriculture, food, chemical, environment, instruments). Nowadays, biotechnology is considered as a very important contributor to future economic growth, job creation, public health, environmental protection and sustainable development. About 1.55% of the EU gross value added can be ascribed to the application of modern biotechnology. Improving the innovation performance of these EU firms is crucial for them to gain a better competitive position. Within the European Commission there is also a strong need to continue promoting the development of life sciences and biotechnology, in particular by increasing research and promoting competitiveness. For that reason the biotechnology sector has been chosen as one of the nine sectors in the second Sectoral Innovation Watch (SIW-II) stud

European Exploitation of Biotechnology - Do Government Policies Help?

A recent survey of public spending on biotechnology in Europe suggests that money alone cannot stimulate growth of the sector. Public expenditure on biotechnology research in Europe totaled almost ecu 10 (US $ 9,1) billion in the period 1994 - 1998. The bulk of these funds were for research; spending on promotional schemes or technology transfer usually came from other budgets. Nearly half this money was allocated to research on human or veterinary diagnostics and therapeutic systems. The " big spenders", Germany (32 %), the UK (27 %), and France (22 %), were responsible for over 80 % of all expenditure. According to our data, public policy for biotechnology research is only one of many factors affecting the strength of bioindustry in any country. We found that industrial exploitation does not depend only on the amount of money invested by governments; associated policies for technology transfer also seem to have crucial impact