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Healthcare Data (healthcare + data)
Selected AbstractsSocio-economic status, obesity and prevalence of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes mellitusDIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 6 2000J. M. M. Evans Summary Aims ,The influence of socio-economic status on the prevalence of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes mellitus, and on obesity, was explored using routinely collected healthcare data for the population of Tayside, Scotland. Methods ,Among 366 849 Tayside residents, 792 and 5474 patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, respectively, were identified from a diabetes register. The Carstairs Score was used as a proxy for socio-economic status. This is a material deprivation measure derived from the UK census, using postcode data for four key variables. Odds ratios for diabetes prevalence, adjusted for age, were determined for each of six deprivation categories (1 , least deprived, 6/7 , most deprived). The mean body mass index (BMI) in each group was also determined, and the effect of deprivation category explored by analysis of covariance, adjusting for age and sex. Results ,The prevalence of Type 2 diabetes, but not Type 1 diabetes, varied by deprivation. People in deprivation category 6 and 7 were 1.6-times (95% confidence interval 1.4,1.8) more likely to have Type 2 diabetes than those least deprived. There was no relationship between deprivation and BMI in Type 1 diabetes (P = 0.36), but there was an increase in BMI with increasing deprivation in Type 2 diabetes (P < 0.001; test of linearity P < 0.001). Conclusions ,The study confirms the relationship between deprivation and the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes. There are more obese, diabetic patients in deprived areas. They require more targeted resources and more primary prevention. [source] Are All Commonly Prescribed Antipsychotics Associated with Greater Mortality in Elderly Male Veterans with Dementia?JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 6 2010Rebecca C. Rossom MD OBJECTIVES: To estimate mortality risk associated with individual commonly prescribed antipsychotics. DESIGN: Five-year retrospective study. SETTING: Veterans national healthcare data. PARTICIPANTS: Predominantly male, aged 65 and older, with a diagnosis of dementia and no other indication for an antipsychotic. Subjects who received an antipsychotic were compared with randomly selected controls who did not. Exposed and control cohorts were matched according to their date of dementia diagnosis and time elapsed from diagnosis to the start of antipsychotic therapy. MEASUREMENTS: Mortality during incident antipsychotic use. RESULTS: Cohorts who were exposed to haloperidol (n=2,217), olanzapine (n=3,384), quetiapine (n=4,277), or risperidone (n=8,249) had more comorbidities than their control cohorts. During the first 30 days, there was a significant increase in mortality in subgroups prescribed a daily dose of haloperidol greater than 1 mg (hazard ratio (HR)=3.2, 95% confidence interval (CI)=2.2,4.5, P<.001), olanzapine greater than 2.5 mg (HR=1.5, 95% CI=1.1,2.0, P=.01), or risperidone greater than 1 mg (HR=1.6, 95% CI=1.1,2.2, P=.01) adjusted for demographic characteristics, comorbidities, and medication history using Cox regression analyses. Greater mortality was not seen when a daily dose of quetiapine greater than 50 mg (HR=1.2, 95% CI=0.7,1.8, P=.50) was prescribed, and there was no greater mortality associated with a dose less than 50 mg (HR=0.7, 95% CI=0.5,1.0, P=.03). No antipsychotic was associated with greater mortality after the first 30 days. CONCLUSION: Commonly prescribed doses of haloperidol, olanzapine, and risperidone, but not quetiapine, were associated with a short-term increase in mortality. Further investigations are warranted to identify patient characteristics and antipsychotic dosage regimens that are not associated with a greater risk of mortality in elderly patients with dementia. [source] A basic study design for expedited safety signal evaluation based on electronic healthcare data,PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY, Issue 8 2010Sebastian Schneeweiss MD Abstract Active drug safety monitoring based on longitudinal electronic healthcare databases (a Sentinel System), as outlined in recent FDA-commissioned reports, consists of several interlocked processes, including signal generation, signal strengthening, and signal evaluation. Once a signal of a potential drug safety issue is generated, signal strengthening and signal evaluation have to follow in short sequence in order to quickly provide as much information about the triggering drug-event association as possible. This paper proposes a basic study design based on the incident user cohort design for expedited signal evaluation in longitudinal healthcare databases. It will not resolve all methodological issues nor will it fit all study questions arising within the framework of a Sentinel System. It should rather be seen as a guidance that will fit the majority of situations and serve as a starting point for adaptations to specific studies. Such an approach will expedite and structure the process of study development and highlight specific assumptions, which is particularly valuable in a Sentinel System where signals are by definition preliminary and evaluation of signals is time critical. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Access to linked administrative healthcare utilization data for pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacoeconomics research in Canada: anti-viral drugs as an example,PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY, Issue 11 2009Nigel S. B. Rawson PhD Abstract Purpose Administrative healthcare utilization data from Canadian provinces have been used for pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacoeconomics research, but limited transparency exists about opportunities for data access, who can access them, and processes to obtain data. An attempt was made to obtain data from all 10 provinces to evaluate access and its complexity. Methods An initial enquiry about the process and requirements to obtain data on individual, anonymized patients dispensed any of four anti-viral drugs in the ambulatory setting, linked with data from hospital and physician service claims, was sent to each province. Where a response was encouraging, a technical description of the data of interest was submitted. Results Data were unavailable from the provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island, and inaccessible from British Columbia, Manitoba and Ontario due to policies that prohibit collaborative work with pharmaceutical industry researchers. In Nova Scotia, patient-level data were available but only on site. Data were accessible in Alberta, Quebec and Saskatchewan, although variation exists in the currency of the data, time to obtain data, approval requirements and insurance coverage eligibility. Conclusions As Canada moves towards a life-cycle management approach to drug regulation, more post-marketing studies will be required, potentially using administrative data. Linked patient-level drug and healthcare data are presently accessible to pharmaceutical industry researchers in four provinces, although only logistically realistic in three and limited to seniors and low-income individuals in two. Collaborative endeavours to improve access to provincial data and to create other data resources should be encouraged. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||