129 research outputs found

    L'enjeu de la personnalité dans le scrutin présidentiel

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    Dans tout scrutin uninominal, la personnalité du candidat joue un rôle important. A fortiori dans une élection présidentielle, toujours puissamment médiatisée. A cette occasion, on voit l'édition produire des biographies ou des témoignages, les quotidiens de la presse écrite publier des portraits, tandis que la télévision montre abondamment des visages, des attitudes, des gestes ... On relèvera avec intérêt la popularité de ces émissions et reportages qui montrent les candidats "en famille", "en vacances", avec des amis, des proches ou encore en conciliabules mystérieux avec leurs collaborateurs (...)

    Use of cost-effectiveness data in priority setting decisions: experiences from the national guidelines for heart diseases in Sweden

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    Background: The inclusion of cost-effectiveness data, as a basis for priority setting rankings, is a distinguishing feature in the formulation of the Swedish national guidelines. Guidelines are generated with the direct intent to influence health policy and support decisions about the efficient allocation of scarce healthcare resources. Certain medical conditions may be given higher priority rankings i.e. given more resources than others, depending on how serious the medical condition is. This study investigated how a decision-making group, the Priority Setting Group (PSG), used cost-effectiveness data in ranking priority setting decisions in the national guidelines for heart diseases. Methods: A qualitative case study methodology was used to explore the use of such data in ranking priority setting healthcare decisions. The study addressed availability of cost-effectiveness data, evidence understanding, interpretation difficulties, and the reliance on evidence. We were also interested in the explicit use of data in ranking decisions, especially in situations where economic arguments impacted the reasoning behind the decisions. Results: This study showed that cost-effectiveness data was an important and integrated part of the decision-making process. Involvement of a health economist and reliance on the data facilitated the use of cost-effectiveness data. Economic arguments were used both as a fine-tuning instrument and a counterweight for dichotomization. Cost- effectiveness data were used when the overall evidence base was weak and the decision-makers had trouble making decisions due to lack of clinical evidence and in times of uncertainty. Cost-effectiveness data were also used for decisions on the introduction of new expensive medical technologies. Conclusion: Cost-effectiveness data matters in decision-making processes and the results of this study could be applicable to other jurisdictions where health economics is implemented in decision-making. This study contributes to knowledge on how cost-effectiveness data is used in actual decision-making, to ensure that the decisions are offered on equal terms and that patients receive medical care according their needs in order achieve maximum benefit

    Ethical hurdles in the prioritization of oncology care

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    With finite resources, healthcare payers must make difficult choices regarding spending and the ethical distribution of funds. Here, we describe some of the ethical issues surrounding inequity in healthcare in nine major European countries, using cancer care as an example. To identify relevant studies, we conducted a systematic literature search. The results of the literature review suggest that although prevention, access to early diagnosis, and radiotherapy are key factors associated with good outcomes in oncology, public and political attention often focusses on the availability of pharmacological treatments. In some countries this focus may divert funding towards cancer drugs, for example through specific cancer drugs funds, leading to reduced expenditure on other areas of cancer care, including prevention, and potentially on other diseases. In addition, as highly effective, expensive agents are developed, the use of value-based approaches may lead to unacceptable impacts on health budgets, leading to a potential need to re-evaluate current cost-effectiveness thresholds. We anticipate that the question of how to fund new therapies equitably will become even more challenging in the future, with the advent of expensive, innovative, breakthrough treatments in other therapeutic areas

    Secondary adherence to non-vitamin-K antagonist oral anticoagulants in patients with atrial fibrillation in Sweden and the Netherlands

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    Objective: There is limited evidence on patients' adherence and the impact of the prescribed dosing regimen in non-vitamin-K oral anticoagulants (NOACs). We aimed to assess secondary adherence to NOACs and to determine the impact of the dosing regimen in patients with atrial fibrillation. Methods: Patients using a NOAC between 2009 and 2013 were identified from the nation-wide Swedish Prescribed Drug Register and the Dutch regional IADB.nl database. Patients using a consistent dosage for at least 180 consecutive days were included. Adherence was calculated using the medication possession ratio (MPR) and adjusted for overlapping dates. Adherence was defined as a MPR >= 0.8. Sensitivity analyses were performed using a MPR >= 0.9. Logistic regression was performed to compare secondary adherence and to explore the influence of the dosing regimen. Results: A total of 5254 Swedish and 430 Dutch NOAC users were included. The mean MPR was 96.0% (SD 7.8%) in Sweden and 95.1% (SD 10.1%) in the Netherlands. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that a twice daily regimen had a lower likelihood of being secondary adherent compared to a once daily regimen in Sweden (odds ratio [OR] 0.21 [95% CI 0.12-0.35]). Limitations: The influence of selection bias introduced by the inclusion criterion of >= 2 dispensations covering at least 180 days could not be excluded. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that secondary adherence was high in this specific setting among patients with at least two initial dispensations of a NOAC covering a minimum of 180 days. The use of NOACs in a once daily regimen showed higher adherence compared to a twice daily regimen
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