Home Enteral Nutrition in Patients with Cerebral Palsy in the Years 2012-2022: A Longitudinal Analysis of Data from the National Health Fund of Poland.

BACKGROUND: Cerebral palsy (CP) often correlates with a higher risk of malnutrition, negatively affecting the quality of life of patients and their families. Enteral nutrition via a feeding tube should be considered to improve the nutritional status of CP patients. To date, there has been no nationwide registry of patients with CP in Poland. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of home enteral nutrition (HEN) provision in pediatric and adult patients with CP. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from the Polish National Health Fund (NFZ) on the provision of HEN in patients with CP in 2012-2022. A specially designed and validated questionnaire was sent to the 16 regional branches of NFZ. RESULTS: Completed questionnaires were sent back from 12 NFZ branches. In 2022, CP cases increased by 7%, primarily among adults, while pediatric cases dropped by 21%. Despite a rising trend, the proportion of patients receiving HEN remained relatively low. Among children, it increased from 2.1% in 2012 to 3.3-3.5% in 2019-2021. For adults, it nearly doubled from 0.8% in 2012 to 1.7% in 2022. The prevalence of enteral feeding correlated with patient age, with a noticeable increase among older children and adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: National Health Fund data highlight the need for a nationwide registry of patients with CP. A relatively small proportion of pediatric and adult CP patients receive HEN. Increasing clinicians' awareness of HEN availability is necessary to improve the quality of life for more CP patients.

Automated Peritoneal Dialysis With Remote Patient Monitoring: Clinical Effects and Economic Consequences for Poland.

OBJECTIVES: Remote patient monitoring (RPM) of patients treated with automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) at home allows clinicians to supervise and adjust the dialysis process remotely. This study aimed to review recent scientific studies on the use of RPM in patients treated with APD and based on extracted relevant data assess possible clinical implications and potential economic value of introducing such a system into practice in Poland. METHODS: A systematic literature review was performed in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases. The model of clinical effects and costs associated with APD was built as a cost-effectiveness analysis with a 10-year time horizon from the Polish National Health Fund perspective. Cost-effectiveness analysis compared 2 strategies: APD with RPM versus APD without RPM. RESULTS: Thirteen publications assessing the clinical value of RPM among patients with APD were found. The statistical significance of APD with RPM compared with APD without RPM was identified for the main clinical outcomes: frequency and length of hospitalizations, APD technique failure, and death. An incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was equal to €27 387 per quality-adjusted life-year. The obtained incremental cost-effectiveness ratio is below the willingness-to-pay threshold for the use of medical technologies in Poland (€36 510 per quality-adjusted life-year), which means that APD with RPM was a cost-effective technology. CONCLUSIONS: RPM in patients starting APD is a clinical option that is worth considering in Polish practice because it has the potential to decrease the frequency of APD technique failure and shorten the length of hospitalization.

The Direct and Indirect Costs of Breast Cancer in Poland: Estimates for 2017-2019.

BACKGROUND: In Poland, breast cancer (BC) is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women and the second most common cause of death after lung cancer. This disease has important economic implications for patients, public payers, and the whole Polish economy. This study aimed to estimate the total National Health Fund (NHF) expenditures on the diagnosis and treatment of patients with breast cancer. In addition, the costs of productivity losses were also calculated. METHODS: Cost estimation was prepared using a top-down approach. Direct cost calculations were based on data reported by NHF for patients with the diagnosis of breast cancer. Medical care costs included the following components: screening program, oncological package, surgical treatment, hospitalization, drug program, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and outpatient care. Indirect costs in the form of absenteeism costs were calculated based on data from Statistics Poland (gross domestic product, number of employees) and the Social Insurance Institution database (the number of sick leave days). RESULTS: Total expenditures for BC including direct costs and indirect costs amounted to EUR 305,371, EUR 332,998, and EUR 344,649, respectively in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Total healthcare costs in 2019 were EUR 4114 lower than in 2018, which resulted from the reduction in expenditure on the drug program (decrease of EUR 13,527), despite the observed increase in all remaining resources. From direct costs, the highest expense was spent on the drug program (nearly 50% of total direct costs), but this expense dropped significantly in 2019. For the remaining parameters, the costs increased year by year, of which the most expensive were surgical treatment (15%), radiotherapy (12%), and the screening program (10%). BC generated over EUR 120 thousand of social costs in 2019 and compared to 2017, there was an increase in productivity loss by 26%. CONCLUSIONS: Our results from 2017-2019 demonstrated that total expenditure for BC in Poland increased from year to year. Breast cancer generated almost EUR 345 thousand expenses in 2019, which translates into a significant burden on the public payer's budget and the society in Poland.

Treatment patterns of schizophrenia based on the data from seven Central and Eastern European Countries.

OBJECTIVE: The aim is to analyze how schizophrenia is pharmacologically treated in seven CEE countries: Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. METHODS: Psychiatrists from selected centers in each of participating countries were asked to complete a pre-defined questionnaire on their current clinical practice. Information on protocols and resource utilization in schizophrenia treatment was included and derived from randomly selected patient medical records. Expert opinions on country-wide treatment patterns were additionally sought. This sub-analysis focuses on pharmacological treatment patterns in the last six months and over the course of the disease. RESULTS: 961 patients' data show that during last six months the most commonly prescribed medications were oral atypical antipsychotics: olanzapine (n=268), clozapine (n=234) and risperidone (n=160). The most frequently prescribed atypical antipsychotics over course of disease were: risperidone (54.5%), olanzapine (52.4%) and clozapine (35.1%), along with haloperidol (39.3%). Experts reported risperidone (four countries) and olanzapine (three countries) as first-line treatment, with the same two medications prescribed as second-line treatment. Clozapine was the most reported medication for refractory patients. Approximately 22% of patients received polypharmacy with antipsychotics in at least one period over the disease course. Mean time since diagnosis was 13.1 years and on average 4.8 treatment courses received during that period. Anxiolytics (70%), antidepressants (42%), mood-stabilizers (27%) were also prescribed, with diazepam (35.4%), sertraline (10.5%), valproic acid (17.5%) the most commonly reported, respectively, in each group. The most frequently reported treatment change was switch from one oral atypical antipsychotic to another (51%). CONCLUSION: Oral atypical antipsychotics, mostly older drugs (risperidone, olanzapine, clozapine), were most commonly prescribed for schizophrenia treatment in participating countries. Given that results are from the first large-scale analysis of RWD, we believe these findings can be a benchmark for future real-world studies, which could contribute to the optimization of treatment for this debilitating disease.

Schizophrenia causes significant burden to patients' and caregivers' lives.

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia is a serious public health problem and is ranked among the most disabling diseases in the world. The sub-study presented here was part of a larger project to characterize the burden of schizophrenia on healthcare systems and on individuals living with the disease in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). AIMS: This sub-study aimed to assess and analyze the impact of schizophrenia on many aspects of the lives of patients and caregivers. METHODS: Psychiatrists from selected centers in seven Central and Eastern European countries were asked to complete a questionnaire in order to collect information about the disease history, characteristics, treatment protocols and resources used for each randomly selected patient. All data were statistically analyzed and compared between countries. RESULTS: Data from 961 patients with schizophrenia (mean age 40.7 years, 45.1% female) were included in the analysis. The mean number of days spent in hospital per patient per year across all seven countries was 25.3 days. Hospitalization occurred on average once per year, with psychiatrist visits 9.4 times per year. Of the patients in the study, 61% were single, 12% divorced and 22% married or cohabiting. Almost 84% were living with relatives or a partner; only 17% lived alone and, on average, 25% of patients received support from social workers. Relatives provided care for approximately 60% of patients and 4% of them had to stop working in order to do so. Twenty-nine percent of the patients were unemployed, and 56% received a disability pension or were retired, with only 19% in full-time employment or education. CONCLUSION: Schizophrenia has a significant effect on the lives of patients and caregivers and impacts their social integration.

Epidemiology and Treatment Guidelines of Negative Symptoms in Schizo-phrenia in Central and Eastern Europe: A Literature Review.

AIM: To gather and review data describing the epidemiology of schizophrenia and clinical guidelines for schizophrenia therapy in seven Central and Eastern European countries, with a focus on negative symptoms. Methods : A literature search was conducted which included publications from 1995 to 2012 that were indexed in key databases. Results : Reports of mean annual incidence of schizophrenia varied greatly, from 0.04 to 0.58 per 1,000 population. Lifetime prevalence varied from 0.4% to 1.4%. One study reported that at least one negative symptom was present in 57.6% of patients with schizophrenia and in 50-90% of individuals experiencing their first episode of schizophrenia. Primary negative symptoms were observed in 10-30% of patients. Mortality in patients with schizophrenia was greater than in the general population, with a standardized mortality ratio of 2.58-4.30. Reasons for higher risk of mortality in the schizophrenia population included increased suicide risk, effect of schizophrenia on lifestyle and environment, and presence of comorbidities. Clinical guidelines overall supported the use of second-generation antipsychotics in managing negative symptoms of schizophrenia, although improved therapeutic approaches are needed. Conclusion : Schizophrenia is one of the most common mental illnesses and poses a considerable burden on patients and healthcare resources alike. Negative symptoms are present in many patients and there is an unmet need to improve treatment offerings for negative symptoms beyond the use of second-generation antipsychotics and overall patient outcomes.