Journal of medical economics
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Comparative Study
Costs of managing severe hypoglycaemia in three European countries.
To assess the costs of severe hypoglycaemic events (SHEs) in diabetes patients in Germany, Spain and the UK. ⋯ Treatment of SHEs adds significantly to healthcare costs. Average costs were lower for type 1 than for insulin-treated type 2 diabetes, in all three countries.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Validation of the Bowel Function Index to detect clinically meaningful changes in opioid-induced constipation.
The Bowel Function Index (BFI) is a clinician-administered, patient-reported, 3-item questionnaire to evaluate opioid-induced constipation in cancer and non-cancer chronic pain patients. The objective of the present analysis was to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the BFI using data from clinical studies of oral prolonged release (PR) oxycodone/naloxone. ⋯ The BFI is a valid and reliable instrument for the assessment of opioid-induced constipation in chronic pain patients. Psychometric analyses from clinical trials support the BFI's psychometric properties.
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Comparative Study
Managing acute acetaminophen poisoning with oral versus intravenous N-acetylcysteine: a provider-perspective cost analysis.
Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose, which can lead to hepatotoxicity, is the most commonly reported poisoning in the United States and has the highest rate of mortality, with more than 100,000 exposures and 300 deaths reported annually (1) . The treatment of choice, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), is effective in both oral (PO) and intravenous (IV) formulations. The main difference in therapies, other than administration route, is time to complete delivery--72 hours for PO NAC versus 21 hours for IV NAC, according to full prescribing information. This distinction is the primary basis for variation in management costs for hospitalized patients receiving these products. ⋯ IV NAC is the less costly therapeutic option for APAP poisonings, based on simulation modeling and retrospective data. The current economic evaluation is restricted by the absence of comparative data from head-to-head, matched-cohort studies and the limitations common to retrospective APAP toxicology datasets. Additional research could refine these results.