Ocena dostępności ekonomicznej pacjentów do wybranych grup leków w rocznej perspektywie od wprowadzenia nowej ustawy refundacyjnej

The evaluation of the patients economic availability to some groups of medicines. One year follow up of a new reimbursement systemChanges in the organization and financing of the public health care are always a reason of the social restlessness. The same situation was observed in Poland where at the beginning of 2012 a new reimbursement system was introduced. Therefore the main aim of this paper is to verify economic availability of patients to medicines after implementation of the changes. The annual research perspective ensures the reliability of analysis. The study concerns 11 medicines and was conducted using official announcements of the Polish Minister of Health. Due to changes introduced by the Polish government, prices of some drugs have been permanently reduced. But in some analyzed cases (olanzapine) reduction is not sufficient. Some medicines, like gosereline were significantly more expensive in 2012 than in 2011. Although the new reimbursement system has a lot of advantages, further studies and amendments are necessary to provide a real economic availability to many important medicines

The comparison of Kardia Mobile and Hartmann Veroval 2 in 1 in detecting first diagnosed atrial fibrillation

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the leading cause of stroke. The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) advises opportunistic AF screening among patients aged ≥ 65 years. Considering this, the aim herein, was compare the feasibility of two different systems of smartphone-based electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings to identify AF among those without a previous arrhythmia history. Methods: Prospective AF screening was conducted at six pharmacies using Kardia Mobile and Hartmann Veroval 2 in 1. A single-lead ECG was acquired by the placement of fingers on the pads. A cardiologist evaluated findings from both devices. Results: Atrial fibrillation was identified in 3.60% and previously unknown AF was detected in 1.92% of the study participants. Sensitivity and specificity of the Kardia application in detecting AF were 66.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 38.4–88.2%) and 98.5% (95% CI 96.7–99.5%), and for Veroval 10.0% (95% CI 0.23–44.5%) and 94.96% (95% CI 92.15–96.98%), accordingly. Inter-rater agreement was k = 0.088 (95% CI 1.59–16.1%). Conclusions: Mobile devices can detect AF, but each finding must be verified by a professional. The Kardia application appeared to be more user-friendly than Veroval. Cardiovascular screening using mobile devices is feasible at pharmacies. Hence it might be considered for routine use

Costs of Stroke and Incidence of First Diagnosis of Atrial Fibrillation at Time of Stroke. Neurology Ward Hospital Poznań, Poland 2018

Stroke is a major cause of morbidity in industrialized countries, representing 8% of total deaths across Europe in 2017. It is also a very costly disorder, frequently caused by atrial fibrillation. We aimed to calculate the cost of stroke hospitalization in 2018 in Poznań (Poland). We also intended to present patients with the first AF diagnosis at the time of stroke. The study was conducted from January 2019 to July 2020. Data were obtained from hospital records and from the hospital accounting department. Out of 164 patients included in the study, 41 had AF and in 18 cases AF was first diagnosed at the time of stroke. The cost of hospitalization in Poznań was EUR 139,257.21 (x¯= EUR 849.13). Among those with concomitant AF, the general cost of inpatient care was EUR 33,859.18 (x¯= EUR 825.83). Considering those who had AF first diagnosed during hospitalization the cost was EUR 16,248.97 (x¯= EUR 906.24). Stroke is associated with high costs of inpatient care, which turned out to be higher among those with AF first diagnosed at the time of stroke. The number of patients who used oral anticoagulants at the time of admission was relatively low. The most frequently used NOAC was dabigatran

Ocena dostępności ekonomicznej pacjentów do wybranych grup leków w rocznej perspektywie od wprowadzenia nowej ustawy refundacyjnej

The evaluation of the patients economic availability to some groups of medicines. One year follow up of a new reimbursement systemChanges in the organization and financing of the public health care are always a reason of the social restlessness. The same situation was observed in Poland where at the beginning of 2012 a new reimbursement system was introduced. Therefore the main aim of this paper is to verify economic availability of patients to medicines after implementation of the changes. The annual research perspective ensures the reliability of analysis. The study concerns 11 medicines and was conducted using official announcements of the Polish Minister of Health. Due to changes introduced by the Polish government, prices of some drugs have been permanently reduced. But in some analyzed cases (olanzapine) reduction is not sufficient. Some medicines, like gosereline were significantly more expensive in 2012 than in 2011. Although the new reimbursement system has a lot of advantages, further studies and amendments are necessary to provide a real economic availability to many important medicines

The influence of olanzapine and aripiprazole on spatial memory of female rats exposed to stress in the perinatal period

Cognitive functions, such as learning and memory, are instrumental in improving the patient’s quality of life. Commonly used antipsychotic drugs are also useful in depression treatment, and have a positive effect on spatial memory dysfunction caused by schizophrenia. Olanzapine (OLA) and aripiprazole (ARI) are known to have substantially different pharmacokinetics depending on sex, thus their therapeutic efficacy and dose of treatment may be different for males and females. The aim of the study was to assess whether dysfunction of spatial memory (Morris Water Maze - MWM) and locomotor activity (LA) improve in prenatally stressed rats (animal model of schizophrenia (AMS)) by OLA and ARI. OLA (0.5 mg/kg ip) and ARI (1.5 mg/kg ip) were administered to female Wistar rats (non-stressed control group (NSCG) and PSG). Single administration of ARI and OLA in the NSCG yielded no differences in spatial memory compared to the control group (C-NSCG), while OLA improved memory after 7 days of treatment compared to the C-NSCG. In the prenatally stressed group (PSG), an impairment of spatial memory by the drug was observed (vs. C-NSCG) after long-term treatment. Only chronic administration of ARI and OLA (PSG) improved spatial memory in female rats. Conclusion: Stress causes memory dysfunction in female rats. Chronic administration of ARI and OLA reverses this effect which can probably be associated with the mechanism of action of the drugs used (ARI/OLA). ARI acts as an agonist or antagonist mainly on D2 and 5-HT2A receptors, while OLA induces antagonist effects for these receptors

Assessment of Patients’ Quality of Life during Conservative Treatment after Distal Radius Fracture

Introduction: This study aimed to assess patients’ quality of life after distal radius fracture treatment (at least six months, but no more than ten years, after the treatment) based on the analysis of objective and subjective parameters and the influence of the fractured side on the final results. Materials and Methods: The study sample consisted of 30 women who claimed to be right-handed, divided depending on the side of the fracture (left vs. right limb). Patients were evaluated with a goniometer for active wrist movement, pronation, and supination in the elbow joint. Furthermore, the global grip strength of the upper limb was assessed using a dynamometer (Biometrics Ltd.) device, after which patients were asked to complete a wrist evaluation questionnaire (PRWE) and the Polish version of the SF-36 questionnaire assessing the quality of life. Results: There were statistically significant differences in the active movement of the wrist of the injured limb compared to the non-injured limb. In addition, inferior results were reported for injury of the right limb to those of the left. Conclusions: Injury of the right limb as opposed to injury of the left limb can have a negative impact on the assessment of quality of life in patients with right-limb dominance

Correction: The economic burden of inpatient care of depression in Poznan (Poland) and Kiel (Germany) in 2016.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0198890.]

Affordability of medicines in the European Union.

BACKGROUND:Medications and their prices are key issues for healthcare. Although access to medicines at affordable prices had been specified as a key objective of the European Health Policy, it seems that these goals have not been achieved. Therefore, we attempted an evaluation of affordability of selected medicines at full prices. METHODS:The analysis concerned 2012 and was conducted between 2013 and 2015 in all the European Union (EU) countries divided into 3 groups depending on the date of their accession to the EU. Finally, we considered 9 originators used in the treatment of schizophrenia and multiple sclerosis. Information on drug prices were collected from pharmacies. Participation in the study was voluntary and anonymous in order to avoid accusations of advertising. To evaluate affordability, several factors were used (e.g. minimum earnings and Gini coefficient). Due to unavailability in some countries, the exact number of analyzed medicines varies. RESULTS:Drug prices vary significantly between EU Member States. Almost eleven fold difference was observed between Germany (EUR 1451.17) and Croatia (EUR 132.77) in relation to Interferone beta-1a 22 μg. Generally, prices were the highest in Germany. The cheapest drugs were found in various countries but never in the poorest ones like Bulgaria or Romania. Discrepancies in wages were observed too (the smallest minimum wage was EUR 138.00 in Bulgaria and the highest EUR 1801.00 in Luxembourg). Full price of olanzapine 5mg, however, was higher in Bulgaria (EUR 64.53) than, for instance, in Belgium (EUR 37.26). CONCLUSIONS:Analyzed medications are still unaffordable for many citizens of the EU. Besides, access to medicines is also impaired e.g. due to parallel trade. Unaffordability of medications may lead to the patients' non-compliance and therefore to increased direct and indirect costs of treatment. Common European solutions are needed to achieve a real affordability and accessibility of medications