Biomedical subjects

Anna Gu

Publications and source records attributed to Anna Gu.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Addressing cardiovascular disparities through community interventions.

OBJECTIVES: To identify the components and impact of intervention programs aimed at reducing cardiovascular disparities. METHODS: A MEDLINE literature search with key words "cardiovascular" and "African American" was conducted, and all documented interventions targeted at reducing racial disparities were selected for review. We identified the type of intervention, the populations targeted, the length of intervention, and its impact. Articles that documented scientific evidence and some case reports were reviewed. RESULTS: Existing studies widely document cardiovascular disparities as they pertain to structure, process, and outcomes. Other factors affecting disparities pertain to patient, physician, system, or treatment factors. Documented programs tend to focus on lifestyle risk factors and attitudes toward those risk factors. The timelines in the studies are relatively short and do not allow for recording clinical endpoints. Most of the studies do not hinge on comprehensive community support, and they lack a sustainability component. CONCLUSIONS: The impact of programs has been short lived, which points to the need for sustainability programs possibly through community partnerships.

Black or African American↗

PubMed2005

Medicaid managed care: disparities in the use of thiazolidinediones compared with metformin.

OBJECTIVE: To identify patient characteristics that are associated with the incidence of thiadolidinediones (TZDs) or metformin prescnbing in Medicaid managed care plans. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We utilized a retrospective cohort study design. Two-and-one-half years of prescription claims of Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs) patients who were new utilizers of metformin or TZDs were analyzed using univariate, bivariate and multivariate models. Multivariate logistic regression models were built to assess the combined effect of all variables on the likelihood of incident use of TZDs or metformin. RESULTS: Claims for 3,041 patients were analyzed for the period between January 15, 2000 and June 15, 2002. African Americans and urban residents were less likely to be started on TZDs (OR = 0.678, 95% C1 = 0.830-1.206; OR = 0.579, 95% CI = 0.479-0.699, respectively). Advanced age, preexisting comorbidities and diabetes complications, and prior use of other oral diabetes drugs or insulin were predictors of increased likelihood of TZD initiation. CONCLUSIONS: Race, age, residential setting, preexisting comorbidities and diabetes complications, other oral diabetes drug use, and insulin use are statistically significant predictors of initial prescribing of TZD or metformin in a Medicaid MCO population. Findings can potentially inform the management of diabetes in managed care so as to improve outcomes.

Cohort Studies↗

PubMed2005

Assessing potential risks and evaluating expected benefits.

The recent withdrawal of rofecoxib from the market will have profound and long-term effects on the methods by which society views, assesses, and monitors risk. As is the case with many drugs, the rofecoxib experience was complex from both the scientific and regulatory standpoints. A drug is marketed in the United States only if its expected benefits outweigh its risks; a recent trend has also included several cost-effectiveness considerations in launch decisions, possibly spurring further debates on ethical implications. However, a great portion of the evidence about actual outcomes of therapies is revealed in the postmarketing phase of development. It is unclear how this understanding of treatment benefit and harm should actually relate to a specific clinical decision.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗

PubMed2005

Persistence with overactive bladder pharmacotherapy in a Medicaid population.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM AND RATIONALE: The management of chronic conditions, such as overactive bladder (OAB), is often limited by lack of patient adherence to medication. This article compares persistence rates among Medicaid patients who were prescribed 1 of 3 drugs for treatment of OAB: 2 long-acting agents with once-daily dosing, tolterodine tartrate extended-release capsules (tolterodine ER) and oxybutynin chloride extended release (oxybutynin ER), and oxybutynin immediate release (oxybutynin IR), requiring 3 tablets daily. METHODOLOGY: The study population was comprised of continuously enrolled Medicaid managed care patients filling prescriptions for tolterodine ER, oxybutynin ER, or oxybutynin IR between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2003. Patients taking any OAB drug in the first 6 months of their observed period of enrollment were excluded to capture new users only. Using survival analyses adjusted for age, sex, and race, the rates of persistence by drug were analyzed. Possession time, the degree to which patients keep medication available even though they may not be taking it daily as prescribed, was also measured. RESULTS: Of 1637 patients (75% women, 45% African American, 26% younger than 18 years of age), 182 were started on tolterodine ER, 215 on oxybutynin ER, and 1240 on oxybutynin IR. Only 32% of those taking oxybutynin IR and 44% of those taking either long-acting agent remained adherent past 30 days. Of those remaining after 30 days, the risk of nonadherence was higher for oxybutynin ER than for tolterodine ER (hazard ratio = 1.47; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-2.14). CONCLUSION: Persistence rates are better for patients taking drugs with once-daily dosing, but there is a need for a better understanding of non-persistent patients.

Adolescent↗