Understanding caregiver burden from multiple perspectives: dyadic agreement between caregiver and care recipient.

PURPOSE: Caregiver burden (CB) is typically self-assessed by caregivers. However, an emerging concept is assessment of CB by the recipients of care, i.e., the patient. The specific objectives are (1) to assess the level of agreement between care recipients' and caregivers' view on CB, across financial, physical, emotional, and social domains; (2) to explore two care recipient perspectives: their self-perceived burden (CR-SPB), and their interpretation of the caregiver's view (Proxy-CB). METHODS: Data were collected from 504 caregiver-care recipient dyads in the U.S. using an online Qualtrics panel. The survey assessed caregiver burden using CarerQol and newly developed items. The level of agreement between responses was quantified using weighted kappa (κ) coefficients for individual items and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for index/summary scores. RESULTS: The average age of caregivers was 49.2 years, and 62.7 years for care recipients. Dyads most commonly consisted of spouses/partners (34.5%); 68.3% lived together. Proxy-CB aligned more closely with caregiver's view, with moderate to substantial agreement across CB domains (from κ = 0.48 for emotional to κ = 0.66 for financial). In the same perspective, the CarerQol-7D Index showed moderate agreement (ICC = 0.58) and the summary score of CB items substantial agreement (ICC = 0.76). Care recipients generally overestimated  CB in the Proxy-CB perspective, while they underestimated it in the CR-SPB perspective. CONCLUSION: Results demonstrate there is a difference between perspectives. Strong agreement in Proxy-CB perspective suggests that care recipients can potentially substitute for caregivers depending on the domain. CR-SPB agrees less with caregivers and may provide complementary information.

OFF episode quality of life impact scale (OFFELIA): A new measure of quality of life for off episodes in Parkinson's disease.

INTRODUCTION: OFF Episodes occur in people with Parkinson's disease when their medication wears off, and motor and/or non-motor symptoms emerge. Existing measures used to assess OFF Episodes focus on the time spent in OFF Episodes through diaries or by identifying symptoms, but they are limited in their ability to capture the severity and functional impact of OFF episodes. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a new instrument, called "OFFELIA," that measures the impact of OFF episodes on the quality of life of individuals with Parkinson's disease. METHODS: Participants completed a cross-sectional questionnaire, "Impact and Communication on OFF Periods," while enrolled in the online clinical study Fox Insights. The data collected was used to develop OFFELIA. Psychometric testing was performed on 18 candidate items using classical, exploratory factor analysis, and item response theory methods. RESULTS: 569 individuals with Parkinson's disease completed the questionnaire. All items were retained for the final measure, with 17 items aggregated into two multi-item scales (functioning and psychological well-being) and one item reported separately as it did not function well with the other items (employment). Known group comparisons based on average duration, frequency and unpredictability of OFF episodes indicated that OFFELIA subscales were more sensitive than existing generic and condition-specific measures. CONCLUSION: Initial evidence supports the validity of OFFELIA, a new instrument that assesses the impact of OFF periods on daily life. This instrument can be used in assessing clinical therapeutic strategies targeting OFF episodes in Parkinson's disease.

Comparison of EQ Health and Well-Being Long and Short With Other Preference-Based Measures Among United States Informal Caregivers.

OBJECTIVES: Several measures have been used or developed to capture the health and well-being of caregivers, including the EQ Health and Well-being (EQ-HWB) and its short form, EQ-HWB-S. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties and construct validity of the EQ-HWB/EQ-HWB-S in a US caregiver population. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted involving 504 caregivers. Eligible participants were 18+ years old, provided unpaid care to a relative/friend aged 18+ in the past 6 months, and spent on average of at least 1 hour per week caregiving. Survey included the following measures: EQ-HWB, Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit for Carers-Carer, CarerQol, and EQ-5D-5L. Psychometric properties were assessed using response distributions, floor/ceiling effects, Spearman's correlation for convergent validity, and effect sizes (ES) for known-group validity based on caregiving situations and intensity. RESULTS: The average age of caregivers was 49.2 (SD = 15.4), with 57.5% being female. More than half (54.4%) reported high caregiving intensity, and 68.3% lived with the care recipient. The EQ-HWB-S index showed a strong positive correlation with the EQ-5D-5L (rs = 0.72), Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit for Carers (rs = 0.54), and CarerQol (rs = 0.54) indices. Notably, the EQ-HWB-S index showed the largest ES among measures in differentiating caregiving scenarios with a large ES for caregiver's general health (d = 1.00) and small ES for caregiving intensity (d = 0.39). CONCLUSIONS: Results support construct validity of EQ-HWB and EQ-HWB-S as measures for assessing health and well-being of adult informal caregivers in comparison with other validated instruments. Differing levels of known-group validity across anchors emphasize the importance of selecting appropriate measures for caregivers, depending on research question and/or intervention aims.

The Measurement Properties of the EQ Health and Well-being and EQ Health and Well-Being Short Form in Italian Population: A Comparative Study With EQ-5D-5L.

OBJECTIVES: The EQ Health and Well-being, EQ-HWB (25-item) and the EQ-HWB-S (9-item), are new generic measures of health and well-being. The purpose of this study was to examine the measurement properties of the EQ-HWB and EQ-HWB-S measures in relation to the EQ-5D-5L among the Italian general population. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from October 2020 to February 2021, followed by secondary analysis of collected data from Italian adults. This analysis included response pattern distributions, correlation strength, and known-group comparison. Known-group comparison was assessed using effect sizes (ES) across health conditions, caregiver status, and social care usage. The EQ-HWB-S index-based score was based on the UK pilot value set, whereas the Italian value set was used for scoring the EQ-5D-5L index. RESULTS: Out of the 1182 participants, 461 reported having a chronic condition, 185 identified as caregivers, and 42 were social care users. EQ-HWB items (7.5%) showed fewer ceiling effects than EQ-5D-5L items (34.7%). Strong correlations (rs > 0.5) were found between overlapping EQ-HWB and EQ-5D-5L items. EQ-HWB-S and EQ-5D-5L index scores demonstrated similar discrimination based on symptomatic chronic conditions (ES d = 0.68 vs d = 0.71), but EQ-HWB-S had slightly higher ES for social care users (ES d = 0.84 vs d = 0.74). CONCLUSIONS: Initial evidence supports the validity of EQ-HWB/EQ-HWB-S because outcome measures in the Italian population. EQ-HWB-S performed comparably to EQ-5D-5L among patients and was better in differentiating social care users. A slight decrease in discriminative properties for caregivers was observed when transitioning from EQ-HWB to EQ-HWB-S.

Perspectives of primary care physicians on academic detailing for antimicrobial stewardship: feasibility and impact assessment.

OBJECTIVE: To understand primary care physicians' perspectives on academic detailing from an antimicrobial stewardship team to combat antibiotic overuse for upper respiratory infections and bronchitis in the COVID-19 era, which will help prevent avoidable outpatient visits. METHODS: In this prospective study, 14 female Croatian physicians completed standardized qualitative interviews using a semi-structured guide. The data were analyzed using inductive methodology based on reflexive thematic analysis. We used a theoretically informed approach based on a conceptual framework of healthcare intervention implementability focused on three domains: acceptability, fidelity, and feasibility. RESULTS: We identified six key themes highlighting barriers to changing prescribing practices, with patient pressure and specialist recommendations having an impact on the effectiveness of academic detailing. Despite challenges, primary care physicians described appreciation of direct interaction with evidence-based practices and reported usefulness, effectiveness, and further need for academic detailing. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the complex dynamics involved in implementing healthcare interventions and provides valuable insights for enhancing strategies directed at improving antibiotic prescribing practices. Specifically, our findings emphasize factors influencing behavior changes in physicians' antibiotic prescribing. The authors advocate for a collaborative approach involving community and hospital-based professionals to provide tailored guidance and address questions, ultimately improving prescribing practices.

Evaluation of clinical characteristics, health care resource utilization, and cost outcomes of hemophilia A carriers and noncarriers in the United States: A real-world comparative analysis.

BACKGROUND: Hemophilia A is often viewed as a male disease; females are usually considered asymptomatic hemophilia A carriers. However, hemophilia A carriers may experience mild-to-severe bleeding events. OBJECTIVE: To compare clinical characteristics, health care resource utilization, and costs incurred by hemophilia A carriers compared with a non-hemophilia A carrier female control population in the United States. METHODS: This retrospective observational cohort study used data from IBM MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters and Multi-State Medicaid Databases from January 1, 2016, to September 30, 2019. Patients with a hemophilia A carrier diagnosis were matched to a non-hemophilia A carrier female control group in a 1:2 ratio based on sociodemographic characteristics, pregnancy status, and insurance type. Billed annualized bleed rates, health care resource utilization, and annualized costs were evaluated. Generalized linear models compared annualized total costs in the hemophilia A carrier and control groups. RESULTS: After matching, the hemophilia A carrier group included 121 (Commercial) and 55 (Medicaid) patients, matched 1:2 in the control group. Patients in the hemophilia A carrier group (compared with the control group) had numerically higher joint-related health issues (Commercial: 11.6% vs 7.9%; Medicaid: 7.3% vs 4.5%) and lower soft-tissue disorders (Commercial: 13.2% vs 17.4%; Medicaid: 12.7% vs 14.5%). Musculoskeletal pain was higher (33.1% vs 31.0%) and lower (21.8% vs 25.5%) in the Commercial and Medicaid databases, respectively. Billed annualized bleed rates were higher in the hemophilia A carrier group (Commercial: 0.49 vs 0.33; Medicaid: 0.50 vs 0.29). Significantly more patients in the hemophilia A carrier group had minor bleeds (Commercial: 34.7% vs 22.3% [P = 0.001]; Medicaid: 43.6% vs 20.0% [P < 0.001]) and spontaneous bleeds (Commercial: 35.5% vs 21.5%; Medicaid: 47.3% vs 23.6% [P < 0.001 for both]). Outpatient visits represented the majority of health care resource utilization and were higher in the hemophilia A carrier group for all-cause and bleed-related claims; although less frequent, emergency department and inpatient visits followed a similar trend. In the Commercial and Medicaid databases, hemophilia A carriers incurred approximately 2 times higher mean (SD) all-cause health care total costs than patients in the control group (Commercial: $15,345 [21,871] vs $8,358 [11,939] per patient per year [PPPY]; Medicaid: $9,022 [19,461] vs $4,533 [9,532] PPPY). CONCLUSIONS: Hemophilia A carriers experienced more complications and incurred higher costs (resulting from more outpatient, emergency department, and inpatient visits) compared with patients in the control group. These data suggest that hemophilia A carriers have a high disease and economic burden and may benefit from early diagnosis and management to prevent long-term complications. DISCLOSURES: Dr Xing, Dr Bullano, Dr Caicedo, and Mr Farahbakhshian are employees of Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc., hold Takeda stocks, and have been granted restricted stock shares; Drs Xing and Caicedo received support from Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc., for travel to THSNA 2022, where the data included in this manuscript were presented. Dr Batt received consulting fees from Complete HEOR Solutions (CHEORS) LLC for the protocol development, data analysis, and interpretation of this study; she also holds stocks from Merck and Sanofi. Ms Kuharic is an employee of the University of Illinois at Chicago and has been supported by a Takeda fellowship during the execution of the study. Ms Chakladar and Ms Markan were employees of CHEORS LLC at the time of the study. CHEORS has received funding from Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc., for conducting the analysis of this study. This study was funded by Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. The sponsor was involved in the study design; collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; development and review of the manuscript; and decision to submit manuscript to publication.

Real-world analysis of patients with haemophilia A and haemophilia A carriers in the United States: Demographics, clinical characteristics and costs.

INTRODUCTION: Females with haemophilia A (HA [FHAs]) and HA carriers (HACs) have an increased risk of bleeding and complications compared to the general population. AIM: To examine the characteristics, billed annualised bleed rates (ABRb ), costs and healthcare resource utilisation for males with HA (MHAs), FHAs and HACs in the United States. METHODS: Data were extracted from the IBM® MarketScan® Research Databases (Commercial and Medicaid) for claims during the index period (July 2016 to September 2018) and analysed across MHAs, FHAs and HACs. RESULTS: Dual diagnosis females (DDFs; both HA and HAC claims) were grouped as a separate cohort. MHAs were generally younger than females (all cohorts) by up to 19 years (Commercial) and 23 years (Medicaid). ABRb  >0 was more frequent in females. Factor VIII claims were higher for MHAs versus female cohorts. Joint-related health issues were reported for 24.4 and 25.6% (Commercial) and 29.3 and 26.6% (Medicaid) of MHAs and FHAs, respectively; lower rates were reported in the other two cohorts. Heavy menstrual bleeding claims occurred for approximately a fifth (Commercial) to a quarter (Medicaid) of female cohorts. All-cause emergency department and inpatient visits in FHAs and DDFs were similar to, or more frequent than, those in MHAs; bleed-related inpatient visits were infrequent. In MHAs (Commercial), mean all-cause total costs ($214,083) were higher than in FHAs ($40,388), HACs ($15,647) and DDFs ($28,320) with similar trends for Medicaid patients. CONCLUSIONS: FHAs and HACs may be undermanaged and undertreated. Further research is needed to fully understand these cohorts' bleeding rates, long-term complications and costs.

Mental health diagnoses and services utilization vary by wage level.

OBJECTIVES: The relationship between employee wage status and mental health care utilization has not been characterized in large-scale analyses. This study assessed health care utilization and cost patterns for mental health diagnoses according to wage category among employees with health insurance. STUDY DESIGN: This was an observational, retrospective cohort study for the year 2017 among 2,386,844 adult full-time employees (254,851 with mental health disorders; subgroup of 125,247 with depression) enrolled in self-insured plans in the IBM Watson Health MarketScan research database. METHODS: Participants were stratified into annual wage categories: $34,000 or less; more than $34,000 to $45,000; more than $45,000 to $69,000; more than $69,000 to $103,000; and more than $103,000. Health care utilization and costs were analyzed via regression analyses. RESULTS: Prevalence of diagnosed mental health disorders was 10.7% (9.3% in the lowest-wage category); prevalence of depression was 5.2% (4.2% in the lowest-wage category). Severity of mental health, and specifically depression episodes, was greater in lower-wage categories. All-cause utilization of health care services was higher in patients with mental health diagnoses vs the total population. Among patients with mental health diagnoses, specifically depression, utilization was highest in the lowest- vs highest-wage category for hospital admissions, emergency department visits, and prescription drug supply (all P < .0001). All-cause health care costs were higher in the lowest- vs highest-wage category among patients with mental health diagnoses ($11,183 vs $10,519; P < .0001), specifically depression ($12,206 vs $11,272; P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: Lower mental health condition prevalence and greater use of high-intensity health care resources highlight the need to more effectively identify and manage mental health conditions among lower-wage workers.

EQ-5D-5L measurement properties are superior to EQ-5D-3L across the continuum of health using US value sets.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to compare the measurement properties of the US EQ-5D-3L, EQ-5D-5L, and -5L to -3L crosswalk value sets (3L; 5L; 5L > 3L) across the spectrum of health. METHODS: The three scoring approaches were compared in terms of range of scale, percent of worse-than-dead health states, and mean single-level transitions. Discriminative ability was compared by leveraging two cross-sectional datasets. A novel method was used to visualize and compare the responsiveness of 3L and 5L scoring approaches across EQ VAS values. RESULTS: The US 5L value set had the broadest range of scale at 1.573 (vs. 1.109 for 3L and crosswalk). The crosswalk had the smallest mean single-level transition of 0.061 (vs. 0.078 for 5L and 0.111 for 3L). The 5L value set tended to be more discriminative/greater statistical efficiency than the crosswalk (F-statistic ratio: 1.111, 95% CI 0.989-1.240) and 3L (F-statistic ratio: 1.102 95% CI 0.861-1.383) across levels of general health. The 5L was the most responsive value set between EQ VAS values of 25 and 75. CONCLUSION: These results imply greater sensitivity of the 5L to health changes and potentially lower incremental cost-utility ratios compared to the 3L.

Developing a New Generic Health and Wellbeing Measure: Psychometric Survey Results for the EQ-HWB.

OBJECTIVES: The development of measures such as the EQ-HWB (EQ Health and Wellbeing) requires selection of items. This study explored the psychometric performance of candidate items, testing their validity in patients, social carer users, and carers. METHODS: Article and online surveys that included candidate items (N = 64) were conducted in Argentina, Australia, China, Germany, United Kingdom, and the United States. Psychometric assessment on missing data, response distributions, and known group differences was undertaken. Dimensionality was explored using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Poorly fitting items were identified using information functions, and the function of each response category was assessed using category characteristic curves from item response theory (IRT) models. Differential item functioning was tested across key subgroups. RESULTS: There were 4879 respondents (Argentina = 508, Australia = 514, China = 497, Germany = 502, United Kingdom = 1955, United States = 903). Where missing data were allowed, it was low (UK article survey 2.3%; US survey 0.6%). Most items had responses distributed across all levels. Most items could discriminate between groups with known health conditions with moderate to large effect sizes. Items were less able to discriminate across carers. Factor analysis found positive and negative measurement factors alongside the constructs of interest. For most of the countries apart from China, the confirmatory factor analysis model had good fit with some minor modifications. IRT indicated that most items had well-functioning response categories but there was some evidence of differential item functioning in many items. CONCLUSIONS: Items performed well in classical psychometric testing and IRT. This large 6-country collaboration provided evidence to inform item selection for the EQ-HWB measure.

A Comparison of a Preliminary Version of the EQ-HWB Short and the 5-Level Version EQ-5D.

OBJECTIVES: The EQ Health and Wellbeing Short (EQ-HWB-S) is a new broad generic measure of health and wellbeing for use in economic evaluations of interventions across healthcare, social care, and public health. This measure conceptually overlaps with the 5-level version EQ-5D (EQ-5D-5L), while expanding on the coverage of health and social care related dimensions. This study aims to examine the extent to which the EQ-HWB-S and EQ-5D-5L overlap and are different. METHODS: A sample of US-based respondents (n = 903; n = 400 cancer survivors and n = 503 general population) completed a survey administered via an online panel. The survey included the EQ-HWB item pool (62 items, including 11 items used in this analysis), EQ-5D-5L, and questions about sociodemographic and health characteristics. The analysis included (Spearman's) correlations, the comparison of patterns of response (distributions and ceiling effects), and the ability to discriminate between known groups. RESULTS: Moderate to strong associations were found between conceptually overlapping dimensions of the EQ-5D-5L and the EQ-HWB-S (rs > 0.5, P < .001). Among respondents reporting full health on the EQ-5D-5L (n = 161, 18.23%), the EQ-HWB-S identified ceiling effects, particularly with the item "feeling exhausted." Most EQ-5D-5L and EQ-HWB-S items demonstrated discriminative ability among those with and without physical and mental conditions, yielding medium (> 0.5) to large effect sizes (> 0.8). Nevertheless, only EQ-HWB-S items distinguished between caregivers and noncaregivers and those with low and high caregiver burden, albeit with small effect sizes (0.2-0.5). CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate a convergence between the measures, especially between overlapping dimensions, lending support to the validity of the EQ-HWB-S. The EQ-HWB-S performed similarly or better than the EQ-5D-5L among patient groups and is better able to differentiate among caregivers and respondents closer to full health.

The EQ-HWB: Overview of the Development of a Measure of Health and Wellbeing and Key Results.

OBJECTIVES: Existing measures for estimating quality-adjusted life-years are mostly limited to health-related quality of life. This article presents an overview of the development the EQ-HWB (EQ Health and Wellbeing), which is a measure that encompasses health and wellbeing. METHODS: Stages: (1) Establishing domains through reviews of the qualitative literature informed by a conceptual framework. (2) Generation and selection of items to cover the domains. (3) Face validation of these items through qualitative interviews with 168 patients, social care users, general population, and carers across 6 countries (Argentina, Australia, China, Germany, United Kingdom, United States). (4) Extensive psychometric testing of candidate items (using classical, factor analysis, and item response theory methods) on > 4000 respondents in the 6 countries. Stakeholders were consulted throughout. RESULTS: A total of 32 subdomains grouped into 7 high-level domains were identified from the qualitative literature and 97 items generated to cover them. Face validation eliminated 36 items, modified 14, and added 3. Psychometric testing of 64 items found little difference in missing data or problems with response distribution, the conceptual model was confirmed except in China, and most items performed well in the item response theory in all countries. Evidence was presented to stakeholders in 2 rounds of consultation to inform the final selection of items for the EQ-HWB (25-item) and the short version of EQ-HWB (9-items). CONCLUSIONS: EQ-HWB measures have been developed internationally for evaluating interventions in health, public health, and social care including the impact on patients, social care users, and carers.

Generation, Selection, and Face Validation of Items for a New Generic Measure of Quality of Life: The EQ-HWB.

OBJECTIVES: This article aims to describe the generation and selection of items (stage 2) and face validation (stage 3) of a large international (multilingual) project to develop a new generic measure, the EQ-HWB (EQ Health and Wellbeing), for use in economic evaluation across health, social care, and public health to estimate quality-adjusted life-years. METHODS: Items from commonly used generic, carer, social care, and mental health quality of life measures were mapped onto domains or subdomains identified from a literature review. Potential terms and items were reviewed and refined to ensure coverage of the construct of the domains/subdomain (stage 2). Input on the potential item pool, response options, and recall period was sought from 3 key stakeholder groups. The pool of candidate items was tested in qualitative interviews with potential future users in an international face validation study (stage 3). RESULTS: Stage 2 resulted in the generation of 687 items. Predetermined selection criteria were applied by the research team resulting in 598 items being dropped, leaving 89 items that were reviewed by key stakeholder groups. Face validation (stage 3) tested 97 draft items and 4 response scales. A total of 47 items were retained and 14 were modified, whereas 3 were added to the candidate pool of items. This resulted in a 64-item set. CONCLUSIONS: This international multiculture, multilingual study with a common methodology identified many items that performed well across all countries. These were taken to the psychometric testing along with modified and new items for the EQ-HWB.

P042 Early Versus Later Use of Vedolizumab In IBD: Patient Characteristics And Treatment Patterns In The Real World (RALEE).

BACKGROUND: Pivotal trials in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) demonstrate that earlier use of biologics is associated with greater likelihood of response/remission, but multiple studies have identified that in the real world, biologic treatment is often delayed, thereby limiting optimal effectiveness and increasing likelihood of adverse outcomes. Further assessment of patient, provider, and payor factors that contribute to therapy choice is needed. We assessed utilization of vedolizumab (VDZ) and performed a real-world assessment using administrative datasets. Here, we describe the different treatment patterns and demographics of patients who received VDZ. METHODS: We identified VDZ-treated patients (aged ≥18 years) with Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) in the MarketScan commercial and Medicare claims databases from 2017 to 2019 and included those who had continuous enrollment in the same health plan for ≥12 months prior to their initial IBD diagnostic claim, ≥1 VDZ claim after the initial IBD diagnosis, and continuous enrollment for ≥12 months prior to and after their initial UC or CD diagnosis. Patients exposed to VDZ, anti-TNF, or other biologic therapy in the 12-month pre-index period were excluded. We pre-defined 5 treatment pathways: (1) EARLY VDZ - VDZ within 30 days of first IBD diagnostic claim; (2) DELAYED VDZ 1 - immunomodulators and then switch to VDZ; (3) DELAYED VDZ 2 - corticosteroids with immunomodulators prior to VDZ; (4) DELAYED VDZ 3 - 5-ASA with corticosteroids prior to VDZ; or (5) DELAYED VDZ 4 - 5-ASA with corticosteroids and immunomodulators prior to VDZ. Differences in patient baseline characteristics among these treatment pathways were analyzed descriptively. RESULTS: We identified 136,315 patients with UC and 103,591 with CD, from which 1,342 patients with UC (median age 43 years; 51.0% male; 96.4% commercially insured; 86.4% diagnosed in 2017) and 964 with CD (median age 45 years; 43.6% male; 94.6% commercially insured; 88.6% diagnosed in 2017) received VDZ and met criteria. The proportions of patients by treatment pathway were (UC|CD): EARLY VDZ (6.6%|9.6%); DELAYED VDZ 1 (7.5%|19.0%); DELAYED VDZ 2 (14.8%|36.8%); DELAYED VDZ 3 (37.6%|19.0%); DELAYED VDZ 4 (33.4%|15.6%). Among patients with UC, EARLY VDZ vs DELAYED VDZ cohorts had median age of 40 vs 44 years and proportion of men of 46.1% vs 51.4%. Among patients with CD, EARLY VDZ vs DELAYED VDZ had median age of 43 vs 45 years and proportion of men of 39.8%% vs 43.9%. For both indications, no meaningful differences among treatment groups by geographic region, payor type (i.e., commercial vs Medicare), and year of diagnosis were observed. CONCLUSION: In this administrative real-world dataset, fewer than 10% of patients with IBD were treated with VDZ within 30 days of diagnosis, and these patients were more likely to be younger and women. These findings are distinct from guidelines suggesting VDZ may be used earlier, or due to its safety profile, preferentially in older patients at higher risk for infection. Further analyses of safety and effectiveness outcomes are underway.