Tuesday 10th February 2026

New Hypo-RESOLVE Quality of Life Measure Launched to Capture the Impact of Hypoglycaemia 

A new, rigorously developed patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) has been launched to better understand the quality of life impacts of hypoglycaemia in people living with diabetes. The Hypo-RESOLVE Quality of Life (QoL) measure, led by the SCHARR Outcomes Group under the leadership of Professor Jill Carlton, is now available for use in research and clinical care settings.

Developed as part of the international Hypo-RESOLVE programme, the measure addresses a longstanding gap in how the personal and day-to-day consequences of hypoglycaemia are assessed. Hypoglycaemic events can have a profound impact on physical, emotional and social wellbeing, yet these effects are often under-represented in traditional clinical outcomes.

The Hypo-RESOLVE QoL measure is underpinned by a strong evidence base, with its conceptual framework and psychometric performance described across two peer-reviewed publications. The first outlines the conceptual underpinning of the measure, grounded in extensive qualitative research with people living with diabetes, ensuring that the content reflects lived experience. The second publication details the measure’s development and validation, demonstrating its reliability, validity and suitability for use across different research and clinical contexts.

In addition, utility weights for the Hypo-RESOLVE QoL measure, led by Professor Donna Rowen, have now been published, enabling its use in health economic evaluations and outcomes research. This development allows hypoglycaemia-related quality of life impacts to be incorporated into cost-effectiveness analyses, health technology assessments, and broader decision-making processes.

The questionnaire is intended for use in both research and clinical care, for example:

• Clinical research studies evaluating interventions
  
  

• Clinical care settings where a deeper understanding of the patient experience of hypoglycaemia is needed
  
  

• Economic and outcomes research requiring robust, patient-centred quality of life data
  
  

By providing a standardised and validated way to capture the impact of hypoglycaemia on quality of life, the Hypo-RESOLVE QoL measure supports a more holistic and patient-centred approach to diabetes care and research.

The Hypo-RESOLVE QoL measure is now available for use. Researchers, clinicians and organisations interested in incorporating the tool into their work, or seeking further information, are encouraged to get in touch with Professor Jill Carlton (j.carlton@sheffield.ac.uk).

This work represents an important step forward in advancing patient-centred outcomes and highlights the ethos of the SCHARR Outcomes Group in developing robust tools that reflect what matters most to people.

10th February 2026

10th UK Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) Research Conference – 23 June 2026

We are pleased to announce that the 10th UK Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) Research Conference will take place in Sheffield on Tuesday 23 June 2026 at The Edge, Endcliffe Village (34 Endcliffe Crescent, Sheffield S10 3ED).

Now in its tenth year, this flagship one-day event brings together researchers, clinicians, policymakers, patients, and industry partners who are shaping the field of patient-reported outcome measurement. Since its inception, the UK PROMs Conference has become a key forum for advancing best practice, methodological innovation, and real-world application of PROMs across healthcare and research settings.

The 2026 programme will offer a full day of keynote presentations, expert panels, and poster sessions, reflecting on progress over the past decade and exploring the future of PROMs in clinical practice, health policy and research. Key themes include:

• The evolving role of PROMs in healthcare and service improvement
  
  

• Methodological advances and innovations in PROM design and analysis
  
  

• Patient and public involvement in PROMs development and use
  
  

• PROMs in digital health and real-world data contexts
  
  

• Lessons learned from 10 years of UK PROMs
  
  

Lunch and refreshments will be provided. Registration is open now, and closes on Monday 8 June 2026. 

Abstract submissions for oral and poster presentations are also open, with a submission deadline of 22 February 2026.

Registration rates:

• PhD students: £50

• Academic, NHS & industry delegates: £75

• Reduced rates for PPI attendees (details to follow)
  
  

For full event details, registration and abstract submission guidance, visit the conference page HERE

3rd EuroQol UK & Ireland Regional Meeting 2026 

The 3rd EuroQol UK & Ireland Regional Meeting 2026 will take place on 25 March 2026 in Sheffield, UK, bringing together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners working with EuroQol instruments, particularly the EQ-5D family of health-related quality of life measures. This one-day regional event will provide a platform for sharing the latest research, insights, and practical applications across health economics and outcomes research.

Highlights will include keynote presentations from leading experts, including SCHARR Outcome Group’s own Professor Donna Rowen, who will present findings from the new UK EQ-5D-5L valuation study.

Alongside invited talks, the meeting will feature submitted abstracts and interactive sessions with live feedback from participants, helping to foster collaboration and discussion on current and future research directions.

We are also pleased to announce that our Research Fellow, Dr Emily McDool, will deliver a talk titled “Is the EQ-VT TTO Protocol Suitable for Use in 16- and 17-Year-Old Adolescents?” — contributing to the important conversation around valuing health states in younger populations as part of the meeting’s scientific programme.

10th February 2026

Developing Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs): A Practical One-Day Course - 22 June 2026

We’re excited to announce an in-person, interactive one-day course on Developing Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs), taking place on Monday 22 June 2026 in Sheffield, UK.

This course offers a practical, step-by-step g...guide introducing the design and development of PROMs - essential tools for capturing patients’ perspectives in clinical practice and research. Through a mix of lectures, case studies, discussions and hands-on exercises, participants will gain the understanding of the process of taking a PROM from initial conception through to validation.

Course highlights include:

• Understanding the fundamentals and importance of PROMs in health research and clinical care
  
  

• Learning how to determine when a new PROM is needed versus using existing measures
  
  

• Practical guidance on concept elicitation, item generation and content validity
  
  

• Insight into psychometric principles, including reliability and validity assessments
  
  

• Experienced faculty led by Professor Jill Carlton and Dr Tessa Peasgood
  
  

Who should attend: clinicians, researchers, healthcare professionals, registry coordinators and anyone seeking a structured introduction to developing high-quality PROMs.

Date & Time: Monday 22 June 2026, 09:30 am to 5 pm (BST)
Venue: Halifax Hall, Endcliffe Vale Road, Sheffield, S10 3ER, UK

This course is scheduled the day before the 10th UK PROMs Research Conference (Tuesday 23 June 2026), offering a great opportunity to build practical skills ahead of the conference sessions.

Booking: Places are limited - register by Friday 19 June 2026 via the University of Sheffield short-course booking page.

For full course content and online booking links, visit the course page HERE

10th February 2026

Utility Data for Use in Cost-effectiveness Models (Online) – April–May 2026

We’re pleased to highlight a new online short course, Utility Data for Use in Cost-effectiveness Models, running from Tuesday 14 April to Tuesday 19 May 2026. This course is ideal for anyone involved in health economics, outcomes research or health technology assessment who wants to strengthen their understanding of how health state utilities are measured and applied in economic decision-making.

Delivered over six interactive online sessions (every Tuesday, 2 pm-5 pm BST), this course provides practical insight into the theory and use of utility data - particularly the use of QALYs (quality-adjusted life years) in cost-effectiveness models such as those required by agencies like NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence). Participants will explore not just the underpinning concepts, but also how to generate, identify, review and apply utility values within economic models. [Link to Donna’s page?]

Course programme highlights include:

• Introduction to QALYs and health state utility measurement
  
  

• Generating utility values consistent with the 2022 NICE reference case
  
  

• Approaches for children and carers’ utilities
  
  

• Identifying, reviewing and synthesising utility evidence for models
  
  

• Mapping strategies to derive utility values from outcome measures
  
  

• Practical considerations for collecting and applying utility data in models
  
  

This short course is especially relevant for academics, health economists, pharmacoeconomists, policy analysts, industry outcomes professionals and HTA practitioners looking to deepen their applied skills in health utility measurement and cost-effectiveness modelling.

Format & delivery:

• Online (via the University’s Blackboard/Collaborate platform)
  
  

• Six weekly sessions: 14 Apr, 21 Apr, 28 Apr, 5 May, 12 May and 19 May 2026 (all 2 pm–5 pm BST)

Fees:

• Standard rate: £200 per session or £1,000 for all six
  
  

• University of Sheffield staff & students: £180 per session or £900 for all six (active @sheffield.ac.uk email required)
  
  

Whether you’re new to health economic evaluation or seeking to update your practice with current guidance and practical tools for utility data use, this course offers structured learning with expert input and group discussion.

For full course content and online booking links, visit the course page HERE

11th February 2026

Online Course: Measuring and Valuing Health 

This online course explores how and why health is measured and valued in healthcare and health policy decision-making. It looks at two core concepts — Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs), which capture people’s own reports of their health and wellbeing, and Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs), which combine quality and length of life to compare the benefits of treatments.

Key learning outcomes:
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the challenges in measuring health, including how to capture quality of life.

• Explain how PROMs are developed and used, and recognise their limitations in informing decisions.

• Calculate QALYs in simple examples to compare treatment benefits.

•  Understand how health states are valued using preference-based methods, including the time trade-off (TTO).  

• Discuss whose preferences should count when valuing health - patients, health professionals or the general public - and consider differences (for example, when valuing children’s health).

• Compare how and where QALYs are used in healthcare decision-making internationally.
  
  

Who it’s for:
This free course is and is suitable for anyone interested in how decisions about health and treatments are made, including how health outcomes are measured and compared. It’s valuable for people interested in healthcare decision-making, local health policy, health economics or academic study.

Details on how to sign up can be found HERE: University of Sheffield external courses | S&AS | The University of Sheffield 

The link to enrol can be found HERE: Measuring and Valuing Health 2026

2026 Publications

• Reuben, E., Godfrey, J., Chandler, F., Warner, J., Carlton, J., & Powell, P. (2026).
  Patient-led collaboration for HTA tools and evidence development: Project HERCULES.
  In K. M. Facey, A. P. Holtorf, & A. N. Single (Eds.), Patient Involvement in Health Technology Assessment (Health Informatics). Springer, Cham. 

• Powell, P. A., Frances, S. M., de Galan, B. E., Heller, S., Speight, J., Rosilio, M., Pouwer, F., Gall, M. A., Child, C. J., McCrimmon, R. J., Tait, K., & Carlton, J.; Hypo-RESOLVE Consortium. (2026).
  “There is more to life than HbA1c”: A comprehensive qualitative framework evidencing the impacts of hypoglycaemia on quality of life in adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Diabetic Medicine.

• Peasgood, T., De Silva Perera, U., Chen, G., et al. (2026).
  Are health gains to children and adolescents more important than health gains to adults? A person trade-off study. PharmacoEconomics.

• Shiroiwa, T., Morii, Y., Hoshino, E., Murata, T., Norman, R., Mulhern, B., Luo, N., Rowen, D., & Fukuda, T. (2026).
  Departures from health universalism? Developing a culture-specific AP-7D value set for Japan. Social Science & Medicine, 393, 119022

• Kharroubi, S., Rowen, D., & Ballout, R. (2026).
  Comparative assessment of SF-6D health state preferences in Lebanon before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Value in Health Regional Issues, 53, 101540.

• Zhang, G., Yang, Z., Luo, N., Peasgood, T., & Busschbach, J. (2026).
  Evaluating the factor structure of the preliminary EuroQol Health and Well-Being instrument in China: A confirmatory factor analysis replication. Value in Health Regional Issues, 51, 101501.

• Wickramasekera, N., Ta, A. T., Field, B., & Tsuchiya, A. (2026).
  Using discrete choice experiments to compare social and personal preferences for health and well-being outcomes. Medical Decision Making, 46(2), 238–249.