Current medical research and opinion
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Observational Study
Retrospective descriptive analysis of a managed care population with obesity.
To reveal the extent of obesity in a single healthcare system and provide a blueprint for other health systems to perform similar analyses, this study describes characteristics and weight change patterns of patients classified with overweight and obesity at a large integrated delivery network (IDN) in the South-Central United States. ⋯ An increasing proportion of patients gained weight over time, combined with low AOM use, emphasizing the need for weight-loss interventions in this population. Findings from this study provide a foundation for health systems to perform similar analyses.
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To investigate whether statin adherence (defined as proportion days covered, PDC) is associated with LDL-c response in statin initiators on standard and low starting doses of statins, and to detect a possible interaction with sex. ⋯ Adherence is significantly associated with LDL-c response to statins at follow-up. Sex appears to significantly modify this association. At a similar adherence level, women seem to experience a better LDL-c response to standard-dose statins compared to men in a real-world setting.
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Polypharmacy, or use of multiple medications, is associated with patient factors. Less is known regarding variation in polypharmacy by individual physicians. The objective of this study was to assess patient and physician factors associated with polypharmacy among older patients. ⋯ Individual physicians varied in their prescribing practices, even after adjusting for patient demographic and clinical characteristics. Interventions to reduce polypharmacy in older adults should target high prescribing physicians, as physician behavior is more actionable than patient factors.
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Globally, pharmacovigilance (PV) is crucial for the patient's safety and proper use of drugs. Spontaneous reporting of adverse drug reaction (ADR) is a professional obligation of every healthcare professionals (HCPs). The purpose of this systematic review was to analyze the existing literature about the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) level of HCPs regarding PV and ADRs reporting in Turkey. ⋯ This systematic review revealed a major KAP gap in Turkey towards PV activities. Low ADR reporting practice of HCPs was a major identified issue. The creation of a mandatory unified PV education intervention for future HCPs to rationally report ADR of drugs are crucial for a better healthcare system.
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During COVID-19, access to trustworthy news and information is vital to help people understand the crisis. The consumption of COVID-19-related information is likely an important factor associated with the increased anxiety and psychological distress that has been observed. We aimed to understand how people living with a kidney condition access information about COVID-19 and how this impacts their anxiety, stress and depression. ⋯ Traditional forms of media remain a popular source of health information in those living with kidney conditions. Interactions with healthcare professionals were the most trusted source of health information. Our results provide evidence for problematical associations of COVID-19 related information exposure with psychological strain and could serve as an orientation for recommendations.