The purpose of the study was to examine the cost-effectiveness of managed care interventions with respect to prescriptions for chronic illness sufferers enrolled with a specific medical scheme. The illnesses included, were epilepsy, hypertension, diabetes and asthma. The managed care interventions applied were a primary discount; the use of preferred provider pharmacies, and drug utilization re...

despite several calls to support evidence-informed policy-making, variations in uptake of evidence into policy persist. this editorial brings together and builds on previous knowledge translation (kt) frameworks and theories to present a simple, yet, holistic approach for promoting evidence-informed policies. the proposed conceptual framework is characterized by its impact-oriented approach and...

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate whether pre-operative dexamethasone could ameliorate transient hypoparathyroidism outcome through total thyroidectomy.   Materials and Methods: This randomized clinical trial study was conducted on 128 patients underwent total thyroidectomy from March 2014 to April 2015. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups of experimental receiving 8 mg IV...

BACKGROUND Canadians receive over 422 million prescriptions and spend over $26 billion annually on drugs. Yet, we do not systematically capture information on whether the right drugs reach the right people with the intended benefits, while avoiding unintended harm. It is important to identify and understand the effectiveness of approaches used to improve prescribing and medication use. OBJECT...

Background: Acute poisoning is a common medical emergency. This study was designed to investigate the pattern of drug utilization, poisoning agents, and outcome in patients with acute poisoning treated at a tertiary care teaching hospital in Vadodara, west of India. Methods: This prospective cross sectional drug utilization study was carried out on patients with diagnosis of acute poisoning ad...

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Use of Drug Therapy The purpose of this research is to explain the variation in the utilization of drug therapy for the medical conditions of depression, high cholesterol, and hypertension between Hispanics, non-Hispanic blacks, and non-Hispanics whites using Oaxaca-type decomposition analysis based on logit estimates. We find that almost the entire share of...

BACKGROUND Despite numerous reports of state Medicaid drug utilization review (DUR) programs, little data are available about the prevalence of drugrelated problems (DRPs) in Medicaid patients. A university-based, pharmacist-run DUR program for high utilizers was created as an alternative to imposition of a statutory limit of 7 medications per month in the Utah Medicaid program in 2002. The DUR...

To evaluate the drug utilization of third generation cephalosporins using core drug use indicators in various wards of Sri Ramachandra Hospital. Third generation cephalosporins are the most commonly prescribed broad spectrum antibiotic even before the culture sensitivity results arrives. Hence this study was undertaken to study the drug utilization evaluation of third generation cephalosporins ...

PURPOSE The purpose of this review is to provide guidance that aids in the practical design, implementation, and analysis of medication use evaluations (MUEs) for postsurgical pain management. SUMMARY Clinicians have long employed drug use evaluations or drug utilization reviews to ensure the safe and appropriate use of medications in a hospital, medical practice, or other healthcare setting....