Economic impact of pharmaceutical services on polymedicated patients: A systematic review

BackgroundPolypharmacy is commonly related to poor drug adherence, decreased quality of life and inappropriate prescribing in eldery. Furthermore, this condition also leads to a higher utilization of health services resources, due to the increased risk of adverse drug events, length of stays in hospitals and readmissions rates after discharge.ObjectiveThis Systematic Review aimed to synthesize the current evidence that evaluates pharmaceutical services on polymedicated patients, from an economic perspective.MethodsSystematic searches were conducted in MEDLINE, SCOPUS and Cochrane Library databases to identify studies that were published until January 2021. Experimental and observational studies were included in this review, using strict inclusion/exclusion criteria and were assessed for quality using the following tools: RoB and ROBINS-I. Two independent reviewers selected the articles and extracted the data.Results3,662 articles were retrieved from the databases. After the screening, 18 studies were included: 9 experimental and 9 observational studies. The studies reported that the integration of the pharmacist as a member of the healthcare team provides an optimized use of pharmacotherapy to polymedicated patients and contributes to health promotion, providing reduction of spending on medication, reduction of expenses related to emergency care and hospitalizations and other medical expenses. The ECRs made cost-effectiveness or cost-benefit analysis, and most of the Non Randomized studies had statistically significant cost savings even considering the expenses of pharmaceutical assistance. Experimental studies reported a cost reduction varying between US$ 193 to US$ 4,966 per patient per year. Furthermore, observational studies estimated a cost reduction of varying from US$ 3 to US$ 2,505 per patient per year. The cost savings are related to decrease in emergency visits and hospitalizations, through pharmacist intervention (medication review and pharmacotherapy follow-up).ConclusionsConsidering the set of studies included, pharmaceutical care services directed to polymedicated patients may cooperate to save financial resources. Most of the interventions showed positive economic trends and also contributed to improving clinical parameters and quality of life. However, due to the majority of the studies having exploratory or qualitative methodology, it is essential to carry out more robust studies, based on full economic evaluation.     

Management of hip fracture in COVID-19 infected patients

Given that the global population of elderly individuals is expanding and the difficulty of recovery, hip fractures will be a huge challenge and a critical health issue for all of humanity. Although people have spent more time at home during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, hip fractures show no sign of abating. Extensive studies have shown that patients with hip fracture and COVID-19 have a multifold increase in mortality compared to those uninfected and a more complex clinical condition. At present, no detailed research has systematically analyzed the relationship between these two conditions and proposed a comprehensive solution. This article aims to systematically review the impact of COVID-19 on hip fracture and provide practical suggestions. We found that hip fracture patients with COVID-19 have higher mortality rates and more complicated clinical outcomes. Indirectly, COVID-19 prevents hip fracture patients from receiving regular medical treatment. With regard to the problems we encounter, we provide clinical recommendations based on existing research evidence and a clinical flowchart for the management of hip fracture patients who are COVID-19 positive. Our study will help clinicians adequately prepare in advance when dealing with such patients and optimize treatment decisions.     

双水平气道正压对OSAHS患者预后及血管内皮功能的影响

目的 分析双水平气道正压双水平气道正压通气(bi-level positive airway pressure,BiPAP)对阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停低通气综合征(obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome,OSAHS)患者血管内皮功能及预后的影响。 方法 将100例OSAHS患者纳入研究，随机分为观察及对照组，各50例。观察组行BiPAP ，对照组行常规治疗，比较两组多导睡眠监测(polysomnography，PSG)检查指标（低通气指数、呼吸暂停指数、呼吸暂停及低通气时间、90%以下血氧饱和度次数、90%以下血氧饱和度时间）、心肺功能［脑钠肽(brainnatriureticpeptide,BNP)、右心室Tei指数、左心室Tei指数、一秒用力呼气容积占用力肺活量的百分比(forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity，FEV1/FVC)、一秒用力呼气容积占预计值的百分比(FEV1占预计值%)］、血管内皮功能［内皮素1(endothelin-1,ET-1)、一氧化氮(nitric oxide,NO)、凝血酶Ⅲ(antithrombin Ⅲ,AT-Ⅲ)］及生活质量。 结果 观察组低通气指数、呼吸暂停指数、呼吸暂停及低通气时间、90%以下血氧饱和度次数及时间指标均显著低于对照组（P＜0.05）。观察组治疗后BNP以及Tei指数显著低于治疗前及对照组治疗后，FEV1/FVC、FEV1占预计值%显著高于治疗前及对照组治疗后(P＜0.05)。观察组治疗后ET-1、AT-Ⅲ低于治疗前及对照组治疗后，NO高于治疗前及对照组治疗后（P＜0.05）。观察组治疗后生活质量各项目评分高于对照组（P＜0.05）。 结论 BiPAP治疗能够改善OSAHS患者的预后情况及血管内皮功能，效果确切。     

1 192例乳腺癌患者癌因性疲乏的调查及影响因素分析

目的了解乳腺癌患者癌因性疲乏（cancer-related fatigue， CRF）现状，并分析其影响因素。方法采用横断面调查方法，向乳腺癌患者发放调查问卷，按照IDC-10诊断标准判断是否存在CRF，根据Piper疲乏量表中文修订版（Revised Piper Fatigue Scale, RPFS）得分评价疲乏程度，调查乳腺癌患者CRF的发生情况，并分析其影响因素。结果1 192例患者完成了全部调查问卷，乳腺癌患者发生CRF为668例（占56.04%）；以轻、中度疲乏为主，分别占23.95%、55.24%，其中感觉维度得分最高。单因素分析结果显示，文化程度、乳腺癌病程、肿瘤分期、化疗周期、疼痛、上肢水肿、白细胞减少、恶心呕吐、贫血、潮热盗汗、失眠与乳腺癌患者CRF的发生有关（P＜0.05）；多因素Logistic回归分析显示，乳腺癌肿瘤分期、疼痛、白细胞减少、恶心呕吐、潮热盗汗、失眠是CRF发生的危险因素（P＜0.05），病程是其保护因素（P＜0.05）。CRF认知调查显示，乳腺癌患者对CRF认知度低，医护人员对其宣教度低。结论乳腺癌患者发生CRF较为普遍，以轻、中度疲乏为主；乳腺癌肿瘤分期、疼痛、白细胞减少、恶心呕吐、潮热盗汗、失眠是影响患者CRF的危险因素；乳腺癌患者对CRF认知度低。     

Systematic Review of Health Economic Evaluations Focused on Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: The Tortoise and the Cheetah

ObjectivesThis study aimed to systematically review recent health economic evaluations (HEEs) of artificial intelligence (AI) applications in healthcare. The aim was to discuss pertinent methods, reporting quality and challenges for future implementation of AI in healthcare, and additionally advise future HEEs.MethodsA systematic literature review was conducted in 2 databases (PubMed and Scopus) for articles published in the last 5 years. Two reviewers performed independent screening, full-text inclusion, data extraction, and appraisal. The Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards and Philips checklist were used for the quality assessment of included studies.ResultsA total of 884 unique studies were identified; 20 were included for full-text review, covering a wide range of medical specialties and care pathway phases. The most commonly evaluated type of AI was automated medical image analysis models (n = 9, 45%). The prevailing health economic analysis was cost minimization (n = 8, 40%) with the costs saved per case as preferred outcome measure. A total of 9 studies (45%) reported model-based HEEs, 4 of which applied a time horizon >1 year. The evidence supporting the chosen analytical methods, assessment of uncertainty, and model structures was underreported. The reporting quality of the articles was moderate as on average studies reported on 66% of Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards items.ConclusionsHEEs of AI in healthcare are limited and often focus on costs rather than health impact. Surprisingly, model-based long-term evaluations are just as uncommon as model-based short-term evaluations. Consequently, insight into the actual benefits offered by AI is lagging behind current technological developments.     

Vulneración de derechos humanos en las movilizaciones de octubre de 2019 en Chile

Chile's October 2019 popular revolt has again made human rights violations visible in the context of mass mobilizations. In terms of damage to the population's health, multiple eye injuries produced by kinetic impact projectiles and tear bombs against people were reported, leading to an outbreak of unpublished eye injuries worldwide. There was excessive use of chemical weapons, and the totality of the chemicals used has not been transparent. The impact on mental health, especially of the population who lived during dictatorship in the 1970s, is uncertain and, health care was overwhelmed in the most vulnerable geographic areas. It is urgent to establish a timely and transparent system for monitoring such lesions and transparent all chemical compounds in tear-tearing and the composition of kinetic impact projectiles.     

Influence of coronary stenosis location on diagnostic performance of machine learning-based fractional flow reserve from CT angiography

BackgroundCompared with invasive fractional flow reserve (FFR), coronary CT angiography (cCTA) is limited in detecting hemodynamically relevant lesions. cCTA-based FFR (CT-FFR) is an approach to overcome this insufficiency by use of computational fluid dynamics. Applying recent innovations in computer science, a machine learning (ML) method for CT-FFR derivation was introduced and showed improved diagnostic performance compared to cCTA alone. We sought to investigate the influence of stenosis location in the coronary artery system on the performance of ML-CT-FFR in a large, multicenter cohort.MethodsThree hundred and thirty patients (75.2% male, median age 63 years) with 502 coronary artery stenoses were included in this substudy of the MACHINE (Machine Learning Based CT Angiography Derived FFR: A Multi-Center Registry) registry. Correlation of ML-CT-FFR with the invasive reference standard FFR was assessed and pooled diagnostic performance of ML-CT-FFR and cCTA was determined separately for the following stenosis locations: RCA, LAD, LCX, proximal, middle, and distal vessel segments.ResultsML-CT-FFR correlated well with invasive FFR across the different stenosis locations. Per-lesion analysis revealed improved diagnostic accuracy of ML-CT-FFR compared with conventional cCTA for stenoses in the RCA (71.8% [95% confidence interval, 63.0%–79.5%] vs. 54.8% [45.7%–63.8%]), LAD (79.3 [73.9–84.0] vs. 59.6 [53.5–65.6]), LCX (84.1 [76.0–90.3] vs. 63.7 [54.1–72.6]), proximal (81.5 [74.6–87.1] vs. 63.8 [55.9–71.2]), middle (81.2 [75.7–85.9] vs. 59.4 [53.0–65.6]) and distal stenosis location (67.4 [57.0–76.6] vs. 51.6 [41.1–62.0]).ConclusionIn a multicenter cohort with high disease prevalence, ML-CT-FFR offered improved diagnostic performance over cCTA for detecting hemodynamically relevant stenoses regardless of their location.     

Could non-HDL-cholesterol be a better marker of atherogenic dyslipidemia in obstructive sleep apnea?

Background/objectiveObstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is independently associated with dyslipidemia, a surrogate marker of atherosclerosis. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol is accepted as a major independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, non-high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol is a better marker of atherogenic dyslipidemia and recommended as a target of lipid lowering therapy. We aimed to assess the prevalence of atherogenic dyslipidemia, and relationship between OSA severity and serum LDL-cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol levels in OSA patients.MethodsWe retrospectively evaluated treatment naïve 2361 subjects admitted to the sleep laboratory of a university hospital for polysomnography. All subjects’ lipid profile including total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, and non-HDL-cholesterol were measured.ResultsOut of 2361 patients (mean age 49.6 ± 11.9 years; 68.9% male, apnea-hypopnea index 36.6 ± 28.4/h), 185 (7.8%) had no OSA and 2176 (92.2%) had OSA. Atherogenic dyslipidemia prevalence was high (57–66%) in OSA patients, and especially increased in severe OSA compared to other groups (p < 0.05). Though total and LDL-cholesterol did not differ between those with and without OSA, non-HDL-cholesterol (p = 0.020), and triglycerides (p = 0.001) were higher and HDL-cholesterol levels (p = 0.018) were lower in OSA patients than non-OSA. Non-HDL-cholesterol was significantly correlated with OSA severity (p < 0.001) and hypoxia parameters (p < 0.01), whereas LDL-cholesterol showed no correlation.ConclusionsAtherogenic dyslipidemia is highly prevalent and non-HDL-cholesterol levels are significantly increased, predominantly in severe OSA patients. Non-HDL-cholesterol but not LDL-cholesterol, is significantly correlated with OSA severity and hypoxia parameters. Therefore, it could be better to use non-HDL-cholesterol, which is a guideline recommended target of lipid therapy, as a marker of atherosclerotic cardiovascular risk in OSA patients.     

青年人群近距离工作后眼部参数的变化及恢复时间

目的：观察青年人群近距离用眼后眼部生理及功能性参数的变化及恢复时间。

方法：前瞻性研究。随机选取2019-12/2020-06在我院进行医学验光的患者69例138眼，根据主觉验光结果分为正视组(+0.75D≤等效球镜度≤-0.50D，18例36眼)、低度近视组(-0.75D≤等效球镜度≤-3.00D，25例50眼)和中度近视组(-3.25D≤等效球镜度≤-6.00D，26例52眼)。所有受试者近距离阅读20min后远眺放松20min，分别于近距离用眼前、近距离用眼20min后、远眺5、10、15、20min时测量受试者眼部生理性参数\〖前房深度(ACD)、眼轴长度(AL)\〗和功能性参数\〖正相对调节(PRA)、调节反应(BCC)\〗，分析各参数的达极时间和恢复时间。

结果：近距离用眼后眼轴变长，前房变浅，PRA绝对值变大，BCC无明显变化，75%(52/69)的受试者AL在近距离用眼20min后达极，87%(60/69)的受试者ACD在远眺5min时达极，96%(66/69)的受试者PRA在近距离用眼20min后达极，且以上参数均在远眺10min后逐渐恢复至初始状态。

结论：近距离用眼后眼部参数发生改变，眼轴变长，前房变浅，PRA绝对值增大，但均在远眺放松过程中逐渐回退，且均需要10min以上才能恢复至初始状态。