Cost Effectiveness of the Angiotensin Receptor Neprilysin Inhibitor Sacubitril/Valsartan for Patients with Chronic Heart Failure and Reduced Ejection Fraction in the Netherlands: A Country Adaptation Analysis Under the Former and Current Dutch Pharmacoeconomic Guidelines

Objectives

To describe the adaptation of a global health economic model to determine whether treatment with the angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor LCZ696 is cost effective compared with the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor enalapril in adult patients with chronic heart failure with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction in the Netherlands; and to explore the effect of performing the cost-effectiveness analyses according to the new pharmacoeconomic Dutch guidelines (updated during the submission process of LCZ696), which require a value-of-information analysis and the inclusion of indirect medical costs of life-years gained.

Aging in rural,indigenous communities: an intercultural and participatory healthcare approach in Mexico

From an ethno-gerontological perspective, new models are needed to fulfill the health needs of the indigenous older adult population in Mexico. In this paper we developed a comprehensive healthcare model, interculturally appropriate, designed to meet the needs of Mexican indigenous older adults. The model was constructed using a qualitative design with semi-structured interviews of older adults, health providers, and available health resources in three Mexican indigenous regions. An ethnographical review was carried out to contextually characterize these communities. At the same time, a comprehensive bibliographic revision was made to identify socio-demographic markers. Results pointed out that Mexican indigenous older adults are not covered by any type of social health insurance program. Their health problems tend in large part to be chronic in nature due to the lack of early diagnosis and treatment. There is a need for trained human resources in the field of gerontology encompassing the sociocultural context of the indigenous groups. The geographical location of these communities limits the permanent presence of healthcare givers and thus limits access to continuous care. Traditional healthcare givers, able to speak the native language, are a great asset allowing the invaluable possibility of direct verbal communication. Based upon the data gathered from indigenous older adults and service providers, in tandem with evidence from the literature, we identified key elements for successful intervention and designed an intervention model. We concluded that indigenous older adults are a more vulnerable group, given that aside from being elderly in a country where the health needs of these populations exceed the capacity of existing healthcare services, their ethnicity serves as an added barrier preventing their access to the limited available healthcare resources. To achieve uniformity in providing health care, today’s health systems need to address intercultural and participative aspects of healthcare models.     

Evaluating patient preparedness for cataract surgery and satisfaction with preoperative care

ObjectiveTo evaluate preoperative preparedness and patient satisfaction after implementation of the Cataract Screening Preprocedural Questionnaire (CSPQ) at Hamilton Regional Eye Institute.DesignSingle-centred, prospective, cross-sectional study.Participants/MethodsOne-hundred fifty-one adult patients undergoing elective cataract surgery completed the CSPQ questionnaire. Based on the responses, patients were triaged to the preoperative anaesthesia clinic or booked directly for surgery. Outcome measures included anxiety level, delays or cancellations in surgery, preoperative blood pressure, glucose levels, and satisfaction with the quality of preoperative instructions provided. Results were compared between patients who attended and those who bypassed the preoperative anaesthesia clinic.ResultsOf the study population, 87 patients were female (57.6%) and the mean age was 72.0 ± 10.5 years. Only 11 patients (7.43%) were referred for preoperative consultation. Patients reported receiving preoperative instructions via handouts (94%) and verbally in combination with handouts (59.33%). Patients felt that adequate information was provided regarding preoperative medications (96.69%), eye drops (99.34%), fasting guidelines (98.68%), arrival time (99.34%), and instructions for accompaniment/drivers postoperatively (100%). All patients were compliant with the fasting guidelines. Patient satisfaction with the information received regarding cataract surgery and anaesthesia were 4.39 ± 0.88 and 3.80 ± 0.95, respectively. There was no difference in the anxiety level between patients who attended and those who bypassed the preoperative clinic (4.09 ± 2.92 and 5.18 ± 2.57, p = 0.14). There were no cancellations, delays, or immediate postoperative systemic complications.ConclusionsThe CSPQ model can be effectively used to streamline the preoperative preparation of patients for cataract surgery while maintaining a high degree of patient satisfaction with the perioperative experience.     

海军某医院9年军人住院费用及住院日影响因素分析

目的 分析海军某三级甲等医院9年间军人住院费用及住院日的变化趋势及其影响因素,为军队医院卫生资源配置提供决策依据.方法 从海军某三级甲等医院军卫系统提取2008年1月-2016年12月住院并接受治疗的16 278例军人患者资料.采用描述性分析、Mann-Whitney U检验、Kruskal-Wallis H检验等方法分析住院费用与住院日现状、变化趋势及影响因素.结果 军人患者入院年龄平均为(28.33±13.40)岁.2008-2016年间住院日呈现缩短趋势,住院费用呈现增长趋势.对可能影响住院费用的影响因素进行分析,结果显示军种、病情、入院次数、乙肝表面抗原、丙肝抗体、人免疫缺陷病毒抗体、军职、年龄、转归等多分类变量均有统计学意义(P＜0.05),病重、病危、入住ICU、特级护理、一级护理、过敏、手术等二分类变量均有统计学意义(P＜0.05);对可能影响住院日的影响因素进行分析,结果显示军种、病情、入院次数、人免疫缺陷病毒抗体、军职、年龄、转归等多分类变量均有统计学意义(P＜0.05),性别、病重、病危、特级护理、一级护理、手术等二分类变量均有统计学意义(P＜0.05).结论 军人患者住院日的逐渐降低和住院费用的不断升高反映了医疗技术的不断进步和住院管理效率的不断提高,但也面临医疗成本不断增加的压力.从成本效益角度,建议加强分级转诊,控制住院费用与住院日.     

我国卫生资源配置对不同收入居民住院就医行为的影响

目的:分析医疗卫生资源配置对不同收入居民住院服务就医行为的影响。方法:将2008年和2013年国家卫生服务调查的个体数据和样本县/区的医疗卫生资源数据对接,分别采用两水平零膨胀负二项回归和两水平多项logit模型分析卫生资源配置对居民住院服务利用行为和住院机构选择行为的影响。结果:乡镇卫生院/社区卫生服务中心千人口床位数和县/区医院千人口执业医师数的增加可提高县域内住院服务利用;基层医疗卫生资源的投入对提高低收入群体在县域内住院的作用大于高收入群体。结论:基层医疗卫生资源的投入对于改善低收入群体的住院就医行为发挥重要作用。     

Comparison of qualitative and quantitative fit-testing results for three commonly used respirators in the healthcare sector

N95 filtering facepiece respirators are used by healthcare workers when there is a risk of exposure to airborne hazards during aerosol-generating procedures. Respirator fit-testing is required prior to use to ensure that the selected respirator provides an adequate face seal. Two common fit-test methods can be employed: qualitative fit-test (QLFT) or quantitative fit-test (QNFT). Respiratory protection standards deem both fit-tests to be acceptable. However, previous studies have indicated that fit-test results may differ between QLFT and QNFT and that the outcomes may also be influenced by the type of respirator model. The aim of this study was to determine if there is a difference in fit-test outcomes with our suite of respirators, 3M - 1860S, 1860, AND 1870, and whether the model impacts the fit-test results.

Subjects were recruited from residential care facilities. Each participant was assigned a respirator and underwent sequential QLFT and QNFT fit-tests and the results (either pass or fail) were recorded. To ascertain the degree of agreement between the two fit-tests, a Kappa (Κ) statistic was conducted as per the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) respiratory protection standard. The pass-fail rates were stratified by respirator model and a Kappa statistic was calculated for each to determine effect of model on fit-test outcomes.

We had 619 participants and the aggregate Κ statistic for all respirators was 0.63 which is below the suggested ANSI threshold of 0.70. There was no statistically significant difference in results when stratified by respirator model.

QNFT and QLFT produced different fit-test outcomes for the three respirator models examined. The disagreement in outcomes between the two fit-test methods with our suite of N95 filtering facepiece respirators was approximately 12%. Our findings may benefit other healthcare organizations that use these three respirators.     

Assessing awareness and attitudes of healthcare professionals on the use of biosimilar medicines: A survey of physicians and pharmacists in Ireland

Increasing numbers of biosimilar medicines are becoming available. The objective of this survey was to assess awareness of and attitudes to biosimilars amongst physicians (medical specialists and General Practitioners (GPs)) and community pharmacists in Ireland. Physicians were invited to complete an online questionnaire during April and May 2016. Community pharmacists received a postal questionnaire in August 2015. Responses from 102 medical specialists, 253 GPs and 125 community pharmacists were analysed. The majority of medical specialists (85%) and pharmacists (77%) claimed to be either very familiar or familiar with the term biosimilar, whereas many GPs (60%) were unable to define or had never heard of the term. One in five (21%) healthcare professionals responded that biosimilars were the same as generic medicines. The majority of medical specialists opposed pharmacist-led substitution of biological medicines but some thought it could be appropriate if agreed with the clinician in advance. Medical specialists who prescribe biosimilars (n = 43) were more likely to do so on treatment initiation (67%), than switch a patient from an originator medicine to a biosimilar (28%). The findings will aid the design of educational initiatives for healthcare professionals and highlight attitudes of healthcare professionals to biosimilars, so informing regulators, policy makers and industry.     

Association between Medicaid adult nonemergency dental benefits and dental services use and expenditures

Background

Only some states provide coverage of nonemergency dental services for adult Medicaid enrollees. This study examined the association between coverage of Medicaid adult nonemergency dental services and dental services use and expenditures.