Clinical pharmacists prescribing drug therapy in a geriatric setting: outcome of a trial.

Clinical pharmacists, under the supervision of a family practitioner physician, assumed responsibility for drug management of geriatric patients in a Los Angeles skilled nursing facility. In a quasi-experimental, pretest-post-test control group design, outcome criteria were measured. Compared with the control group which received traditional patient care, the prescribing clinical pharmacists' group had a significantly lower number of deaths (P = 0.05), a significantly higher number of patients being discharged to lower levels of care (P = 0.03), and a significantly lower average number of drugs per patient (P = 0.04). The lower number of patients hospitalized approached significance (P = 0.06) in the prescribing clinical pharmacists' group. The practice of having clinical pharmacists prescribe drug therapy and render general care, under the supervision of a physician, has the potential for saving the health care system approximately $70,000 per year per 100 skilled nursing facility beds.

Pharmacoeconomic analysis of oral therapies for onychomycosis: a US model.

An evaluation of treatment practices in 13 countries, not including the United States, has shown oral terbinafine to be more cost-effective (from a government payer perspective) than griseofulvin, itraconazole, and ketoconazole in the treatment of onychomycosis of toenails and fingernails. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and economic effects of oral griseofulvin, itraconazole, ketoconazole, and terbinafine in the treatment of onychomycosis from the perspective of a third-party payer in the United States. A previously constructed decision-analytic model evaluating the costs of onychomycosis in 13 countries outside the United States was updated to determine the costs of treating onychomycosis in the United States. Clinical management patterns were assessed to identify and quantify physician visits, laboratory tests, and adverse drug reaction treatment components for patients with toenail and fingernail onychomycosis. A random-effects model meta-analysis of treatment efficacy (mycologic cure) and New York Metropolitan Medicare charge data for physician fees were used in the treatment model. A sensitivity analysis assessing alternative dosing regimens and a rank order stability analysis investigating the effects of length of treatment, success rates, relapse rates, and drug acquisition costs on overall results were also conducted. Terbinafine had the lowest cost per mycologic cure after one treatment regimen for onychomycosis in both toenail and fingernail infections ($791.00 and $454.00, respectively). The costs of treating toenail and fingernail infections were comparatively higher for therapy with itraconazole ($1535.00 and $767.00, respectively), griseofulvin ($2385.00 and $837.00, respectively), and ketoconazole ($10,025.00 and $1512.00, respectively). As a primary treatment choice, terbinafine also had the lowest overall expected cost per patient for both toenail and fingernail infections ($977.00 and $550.00, respectively). Griseofulvin had expected costs ($1543.00 and $822.00, respectively) similar to itraconazole ($1588.00 and $894.00, respectively), whereas ketoconazole was the most expensive primary treatment choice ($2359.00 and $1287.00, respectively). This study demonstrates that terbinafine is an economical and cost-effective treatment for patients with dermatophytic onychomycosis, supporting European and Canadian studies. Except for the rank order of griseofulvin and itraconazole, sensitivity analyses show that these results are fairly stable.

Drug expenditures in a balanced strategy for healthcare policy.

The US, like many countries, has turned its public focus onto its healthcare system, with drug prices drawing particular attention. Expenditure trends indicate that drugs do not represent a large portion of the overall healthcare picture; the typical US consumer, however, feels these costs more personally because large portions of outpatient drugs in the US are purchased with out-of-pocket funds. Using data trends for US expenditures, we contrasted projections in the year 2000 under the current US system relative to a strategic policy with full coverage of prescription drugs. Under this proposed scenario, drugs still captured just a small portion of overall healthcare expenditures, but with major shifting to private insurance and government programmes. Thus, as society increasingly views some level of healthcare as a basic human right, effective policies for the healthcare system--including the drug sector--must balance competing regulatory and market pressures.

Dynamic competition as an exploratory model of healthcare policy for the antihypertensive market.

Dynamic competition based on innovation, rather than classical competition based on price, may better explain the research-intensive pharmaceutical market. In an exploratory comparison of these models, economic indicators of annual change in price and price elasticity of demand were tested in a repeated-measures design by analysis of variance. Between 1990 and 1992, updated US prescribing guidelines for hypertension provided a framework in which the contrast between 2 newer classes and 2 older classes of first-line therapies served as a marker for innovation. The principal hypothesis was that newer classes would be less elastic than older classes, but with such innovation-based differences eroding over time. Although temporarily greater inelasticities for newer classes supported dynamic competition, initially extreme inelasticities for newer classes indicated a market distortion or a shifting demand curve. These exploratory results, although requiring substantiation, point toward using dynamic competition in crafting healthcare policy for the pharmaceutical market.

Cost effectiveness and quality of life considerations in the treatment of patients with overactive bladder.

This article summarizes the quality of life (QOL), cost of illness, and cost-effectiveness considerations in the treatment and management of patients with overactive bladder (OAB). Most cost studies have focused primarily on urinary incontinence, which is only one possible symptom of OAB. Prevalence rates of urge and mixed incontinence in the United States ranged from 3% to 8% and 5% to 37%, respectively. The highest prevalence was found in geriatric and psychogeriatric populations, where 40% and 90%, respectively, were classified as incontinent. In patients with OAB, all aspects of QOL can be compromised including physical, social, occupational, domestic, and sexual activities, and associated costs can be substantial. Oxybutynin has been the mainstay of pharmacotherapy for OAB but its more frequent side effects (including dry mouth) may deter patients from full compliance with treatment. Tolterodine, a newer antimuscarinic drug, has proven safe and effective in the treatment of OAB, with fewer side effects and better tolerability than existing agents. Cost effectiveness reports are reviewed. Further research on OAB is needed to characterize the disease process and identify risk factors.

Comorbidities associated with overactive bladder.

Overactive bladder (OAB), defined as symptoms of frequency, urgency, and urge incontinence, that occur singly or in any combination in the absence of local pathologic or metabolic factors, is a highly prevalent disorder with an unknown etiology. Few risk factors for OAB have been elucidated through epidemiologic studies, and even less is known about the contribution of OAB to other morbidities. An overview is provided of the impact of OAB on other problems now known to coexist with OAB including falls and fractures, urinary tract and skin infections, sleep disturbances, and depression.

Pharmacoeconomic analysis of smoking-cessation interventions.

A model for evaluating the costs and benefits of smoking-cessation interventions is proposed and published data on the subject are analyzed. Decision-tree analysis was used to determine the costs and benefits, from an employer's perspective, of several smoking-cessation options. The probability that a smoker would stop smoking was based on two published meta-analyses of smoking-cessation interventions and a national study of nicotine patch users who received a smoking-cessation consultation from a pharmacist. The costs were determined by telephone interviews and market research information. A sensitivity analysis of treatment costs was conducted to determine the optimal treatment from the standpoint of costs versus benefits. The smoking-cessation intervention from which an employer would receive the greatest net benefit is the nicotine patch with smoking-cessation consultation from a pharmacist and patient participation in a formal smoking-cessation program. Pharmacists included in this analysis could charge a smoking-cessation consultation fee of up to $109 per patient. Pharmacoeconomic analysis suggested that smoking-cessation therapy consisting of treatment with nicotine patches, consultations with pharmacists, and participation in a comprehensive behavioral program would be the most cost-beneficial to employers.

Pharmacists as drug prescribers: validation of certification exams and evaluation instruments.

The purpose of this article is to discuss the validity and reliability of certification tests and evaluation instruments for pharmacists as drug prescribers. Under California Law AB 717, the University of Southern California is operating one of two pilot programs to train and evaluate prescribing pharmacists. Various instruments have been created and administered, and validity results are presented. The presentation is organized into two areas dealing with the development of the examination instrument and then the assessment of the prescriptions written by pharmacists. The reliability of the three sections of the certification examination as measured by internal consistency was as follows: clinical therapeutics (KR 20=.84), physical assessment (KR 20=.88), and law (KR 20=.84). The exam was given to a group of physicians (N=14) to establish a cutting score. Thirty pharmacists who took the exam did slightly better than the physicians on clinical therapeutics, but the physicians performed better than pharmacists on physical assessment (p less than .01). A prescription evaluation form was constructed to evaluate the performance of the pharmacists as prescribers. The reliability of the form as measured by coefficient alpha was .84. Concurrent validity was explored by assessing the relationship between performance on the certification exam and judges' appropriateness scored on prescriptions for ambulatory hypertensive patients. These results indicate that the pharmacists, who passed the exam, can prescribe as appropriately as physicians.

Self-care practices of college students.

The literature indicates that the majority of symptoms of minor illness or injury experienced by individuals are handled routinely through some form of self-care. Less well described are the sources of information relied on in the self-care decision-making process. The purpose of this study was to assess the use of self-care measures by college students prior to visiting a student health service and, if self-care was undertaken, to determine the source(s) of self-care information. Results indicated that almost two thirds of the subjects had engaged in self-care for the symptoms that led to their visits. The most popular sources of self-care information included family members or friends, prior interaction with a health care provider, and nonprescription medication advertisements. This study did not address the appropriateness of the self-care information obtained; therefore, the quality of the information was not analyzed. Due to the prevalence of self-care among college students, attempts should be made to provide them with objective, high quality, and readily accessible self-care information. This information should be provided as part of an overall effort that encourages students to view health as a personal responsibility.

The effect of self-care information on health-related attitudes and beliefs of college students.

We conducted a study to determine whether an intervention using self-care information would change college students' attitudes and beliefs concerning personal responsibility and involvement in their own health care. Individuals entering a student health service were randomly assigned to a treatment or control group. Members of the treatment group (n = 187) received the intervention and completed the survey instrument. Members of the control group (n = 204) completed the survey instrument only. The intervention consisted of one page of general information about the benefits to individuals of taking responsibility for their own health and a booklet containing excerpts from a consumer-oriented health care book. The survey instrument was composed of a measure of attitudes toward information and behavioral involvement in health care and a measure of beliefs regarding control over one's health. Results indicated that the intervention was able to change the treatment group's attitudes regarding active participation in health care. The treatment group's responses also reflected less belief that health was outside of the individual's control. The study showed that a positive change in health-related attitudes and beliefs can result from a relatively uncomplicated informational intervention.

PharmD or BS: does the degree really make a difference in pharmacists' job satisfaction?

Secondary analysis of data obtained during the 1982 Socioeconomic Survey of California Pharmacists compared practice patterns and job satisfaction of BS and PharmD level practitioners. Questionnaires were mailed to 2,864 pharmacists in April 1982. Questionnaires were returned by 1,463 pharmacists yielding a response rate of 51 percent. Of those responding, 1,030 were currently practicing with either a BS or PharmD as their highest degree. Results indicate that BS level practitioners are more likely to be in hospital management or staff positions. The percent of time spent educating the public, pharmacy students and other health care professionals was the only job activity in which BS and PharmD practitioners differed to a statistically significant degree. Time spent processing the prescription and management activities had the most influence on job satisfaction. Academic degree did not have a statistically significant effect upon job satisfaction. These results suggest that when PharmD and BS pharmacists spend an equivalent amount of time doing the same job related activities, PharmD pharmacists are no more dissatisfied with their positions than are BS pharmacists.

Carbapenem resistance and mortality in patients with Acinetobacter baumannii infection: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as a major cause of healthcare-associated infections. Controversy exists as to whether antimicrobial resistance increases the risk of mortality. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine this association. We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE databases up to May 2013 to identify studies comparing mortality in patients with carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (CRAB) vs. carbapenem-susceptible A. baumannii (CSAB). A random-effects model was used to pool Odds Ratios (OR). Heterogeneity was examined using I(2). We included 16 observational studies. There were 850 reported deaths (33%) among the 2546 patients. Patients with CRAB had a significantly higher risk of mortality than patients with CSAB in the pooled analysis of crude effect estimates (crude OR = 2.22; 95% CI = 1.66, 2.98), although substantial heterogeneity was evident (heterogeneity I(2) = 55%). The association remained significant in the pooled adjusted OR of 10 studies. Studies reported that patients with CRAB compared to patients with CSAB were more likely to have severe underlying illness and also to receive inappropriate empirical antimicrobial treatment, which increases the risk of mortality. Our study suggests that carbapenem resistance may increase the risk of mortality in patients with A. baumannii infection. However, cautious interpretation is required because of the residual confounding factors and inadequate sample size in most studies.

Dilemmas in evaluating health care and clinical programs.

This article discusses some of the dilemmas in evaluation research that are commonly encountered in evaluating pharmacy and health care programs. Emphasis is on the difference between decision-oriented evaluation and hypothesis-testing research. Deficiencies, abuses, and pitfalls are discussed along with rationalizations often generated by negative findings. Disclosure of the problems that arise should make the path to quality evaluations less perilous.