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At least 271 records · Page 15Linked to original sources
PubMed2005

Can an educational program for residents of assisted living facilities improve drug utilization for osteoporosis?

OBJECTIVE: To examine the utilization of medications for prevention or treatment of osteoporosis in assisted living facilities and to determine the effect of an educational program for residents on changes in the use of osteoporosis medications. SETTING: Assisted living facilities. PARTICIPANTS: All residents living in 21 assisted living facilities. PRACTICE INNOVATION: Assisted living facilities were randomized into an intervention or control group. The intervention group received an education program on osteoporosis. The control group received usual care. Drug utilization for prevention or treatment of osteoporosis was determined before the intervention and at two and six months post-intervention. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Drug use before and after the educational program. RESULTS: Of 1,284 residents, only 17% were receiving prescription medication for prevention or treatment of osteoporosis, and only 4.6% of residents were receiving calcium supplementation. The educational intervention did not alter osteoporosis drug use over a six-month period. CONCLUSION: A single educational program for residents of assisted living facilities did not improve drug therapy use.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2003

Increase of classical antiepileptic drug utilization in Croatia during the process of introducing the new generation of drugs.

During the last decade the process of introducing the new generation of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) has substantially changed the ways of treating epilepsy. Although a great deal of information about the role of new drugs has been accumulated, much less attention was paid to the impact of the new generation of AEDs on the utilization of classical AEDs. In order to detect the relation between the new and classical AEDs, the data about drug consumption in Croatia in the period 2000-2002 were analyzed. The main results indicated that the growth utilization rate (15%) was more the result of increasing consumption of the classical antiepileptic substances (in almost 2/3). It has been discussed that one of the possible interpretations for this phenomenon could lie in the fact that the continuing process of introducing the new AEDs was accompanied by a great number of educational activities. These activities have led to greater awareness of the facilities in treating epilepsy and consequently to a more active therapeutic approach, which encompassed both generations of drugs, even more the older one.

Anticonvulsants↗
PubMed1999

Trends in Medicaid prescription drug utilization and payments, 1990-97.

The rising cost of prescription drugs has caused public officials to restructure prescription drug coverage and payment policies in Medicaid. This study examines Medicaid utilization and payments for prescription drugs from 1990 to 1997. Medicaid prescription drug payments grew from $4.4 billion in 1990 to almost $12 billion in 1997, representing an average annual increase of 15.3 percent. In 1997 prescription drug payments per recipient were $1,379 for the blind and disabled, more than 10 times the amount for children. These findings will aid policymakers in setting prepaid plan rates for prescription drugs and monitoring access to care in Medicaid.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S.↗
PubMed1991

Drug utilization studies within the VIDEOFAR project.

The epidemiological use of drug prescription data is getting increasing attention in Italy. All Italian citizens are included in the National Health Service (NHS) which reimburses almost every drug prescription. The potential information content of such systems have to be evaluated within a technological context which will allow, for medium term, drug prescription data collection for all of the individuals served by the NHS. The VIDEOFAR project did explore the possible use of drug prescription data for descriptive epidemiological studies, in the evaluation of General Practitioners activity and as a tool for Post-Marketing Drug Surveillance. Some examples are presented in this paper using data derived from Latium Region.

Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems↗
PubMed1991

Does prophylactic use of bovine surfactant change drug utilization in very premature infants during neonatal period?

The efficacy of a bovine surfactant preparation (SF-RI 1) to increase survival without bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) was studied in very premature infants in a multicenter, randomized sequential trial. Thirty-four infants were randomized to surfactant treatment, whereas 35 infants served as controls. As part of the study, pharmacotherapy with antibiotics, sedatives, catecholamines, diuretics, methylxanthines, mucolytics, muscle relaxants, digoxin, and indomethacin was registered during week 1 and weeks 2-4. As to the endpoint of the study a significantly increased survival rate without BPD was observed in surfactant-treated infants (76%) compared to controls (40%). Significant differences concerning drug utilization were found through week 1 with increased use of methylxanthines in surfactant-treated infants, which persisted during weeks 2-4 as well as a reduced incidence of diuretic therapy in surfactant-treated infants during weeks 2-4. These differences may be attributed to the shorter interval of mechanical ventilation in surfactant-treated infants (11 days) compared to controls (27 days), and to the above mentioned increased survival rate without BPD.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

FARMAGUIDA: a databank for the analysis of the Italian drug market and drug utilization in general practice.

FARMAGUIDA, a databank of drugs marketed in Italy (2,596 pharmaceutical substances corresponding to 10,448 products), permits analysis of the nature and value of the drugs prescribed. It contains coded pharmaceutical and administrative information, an original classification, as well as indicators of the therapeutic status of each drug. The FARMAGUIDA classification was built hierarchically according to a three-level pattern: the first level (42 categories) corresponds to major pharmacological groups; the second level (157 groups) gathers drugs having similar clinical indications and/or pharmacological actions; and the third level (246 subgroups) classifies drugs according to chemical structure and/or the mechanism of action. Drugs not falling into well-established pharmacotherapeutic criteria (e.g. neurotropics or liver protectants) are classified into separate subgroups. Two larger groupings were also formulated: THER (11 headings), a utilization-oriented arrangement in which each heading also contained the corresponding placebo-like drugs, and PHARM (14 headings), a rational pharmacological arrangement, in which all placebo-like drugs were relegated into a separate set. The following quality indicators were created: DOC, which defines five degrees of documentation of clinical efficacy according to major textbooks of pharmacology and therapeutics; CLASS, which groups DOC values for a more simple evaluation of prescription data; PREP, which distinguishes monocomponent preparations from fixed-dose combinations, and also provides coded information about the rationale for the combination; HOSP, which hallmarks drugs that should be reserved for in-patients, e.g. anti-pseudomonal antibiotics. The composition of the list of reimbursable drugs, the Italian National Formulary (NF; 5782 products in 1990) was analyzed according to the FARMAGUIDA classification and indicators.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Data Collection↗
PubMed2004

Gastroprotection during the administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. A drug-utilization study.

There has been an increase of anti-ulcer drug consumption in Spain. A high proportion of this consumption may be due to the use of those drugs as gastroprotective agents when co-prescribed with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The aim of this study was to learn how these treatments are being used: the prevalence of use, the type of drug and the main features of patients. A sample of patients going to pharmacies with a NSAID prescription, with or without a gastroprotective agent, was obtained. A survey questionnaire was distributed to learn clinical and demographic data of the patients. Of the 942 patients interviewed, 41.6% were co-treated with a gastroprotective agent in addition to the NSAID. Most of these patients received proton-pump inhibitors and, to a lesser extent, histamine-2-receptor antagonists, antacids and prostaglandin analogues. The use of gastroprotective agents increased with age, treatment duration and illness chronicity; specialists prescribed a higher proportion of those co-treatments than did general practitioners. There was a high prescription rate of gastroprotective agents; in general, these were used according to recommendations. However, the type of gastroprotective agents being used does not seem to be justified by the current guidelines: histamine-2-receptor antagonists and antacid drugs have not proved their efficacy in this indication. The fact that one in four treatments with gastroprotective drugs was issued to patients without associated risk factors identifies a possible problem where an intervention could be appropriate.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Impact of a cost sharing drug insurance plan on drug utilization among individuals receiving social assistance.

BACKGROUND: A cost-sharing drug insurance plan has been implemented among people receiving social assistance who had previously free access to medications. OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of this drug plan on the use of three classes of medications: inhaled corticosteroids, neuroleptics and anticonvulsants. METHODS: From the computerized drug databases of the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ), we selected three random samples of Quebec residents receiving social assistance between August 1992 and June 1997 and aged 64 years or less: 55890 users of inhaled corticosteroids, 29461 users of neuroleptics and 44916 users of anticonvulsants. We also obtained data for individuals privately insured by the Commission de la construction du Québec (control group). Comparison of the monthly consumption of medications before and after the new drug plan was done using time series models. RESULTS: For individuals receiving social assistance and using inhaled corticosteroids, we observed a statistically significant decrease of 37% of the monthly consumption for the 11 months following the new drug plan. For neuroleptics and anticonvulsants, we observed a non significant decrease of 9 and 10%, respectively. No decrease in drug consumption was observed in the control group. CONCLUSION: Inhaled corticosteroids was the only class of medications that was found to decrease significantly after the implementation of the drug insurance plan.

Administration, Inhalation↗