Real-World Management and Clinical Outcomes of Stroke Survivors With Atrial Fibrillation: A Population-Based Cohort in Spain

Antiplatelets; Atrial fibrillation; Treatment strategiesAntiplaquetarios; Fibrilación auricular; Estrategias de tratamientoAntiplaquetàries; Fibril·lació auricular; Estratègies de tractamentObjective: Despite the continuous update of clinical guidelines, little is known about the real-world management of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who survived a stroke. We aimed to assess patterns of therapeutic management of stroke survivors with AF and clinical outcomes using data from routine practice in a large population-based cohort. Methods: A population-based retrospective cohort study of all patients with AF who survived a stroke, from January 2010 to December 2017 in the Valencia region, Spain (n = 10,986), was carried out. Treatment strategies and mean time to treatment initiation are described. Temporal trends are shown by the management pattern during the study period. Factors associated with each pattern (including no treatment) vs. oral anticoagulant (OAC) treatment were identified using logistic multivariate regression models. Incidence rates of clinical outcomes (mortality, stroke/TIA, GI bleeding, and ACS) were also estimated by the management pattern. Results: Among stroke survivors with AF, 6% were non-treated, 23% were prescribed antiplatelets (APT), 54% were prescribed OAC, and 17% received OAC + APT at discharge. Time to treatment was 8.0 days (CI 7.6–8.4) for APT, 9.86 (CI 9.52–10.19) for OAC, and 16.47 (CI 15.86–17.09) for OAC + APT. Regarding temporal trends, management with OAC increased by 20%, with a decrease of 50% for APT during the study period. No treatment and OAC + APT remained relatively stable. The strongest predictor of no treatment and APT treatment was having the same management strategy pre-stroke. Those treated with APT had the highest rates of GI bleeding and recurrent stroke/TIA, and untreated patients showed the highest rates of mortality. Conclusion: In this large population-based cohort using real-world data, nearly 30% of AF patients who suffered a stroke were untreated or treated with APT, which overall is not recommended. Treatment was started within 2 weeks as recommended, except for OAC + APT, which was started later. The strong association of APT treatment or non-treatment with the same treatment strategy before stroke occurrence suggests a strong therapeutic inertia and opposes recommendations. Patients under these two strategies had the highest rates of adverse outcomes. An inadequate prescription poses a great risk on patients with AF and stroke; thus monitoring their management is necessary and should be setting-specific.CR-B was funded at the start of this work by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spanish Ministry of Health, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (grant number RD16/0001/0011) and currently through a competitive grant (Sara Borrell CD19/00137). FS-S was funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spanish Ministry of Health through the REDISSEC network (grant number RD16/0001/0011). The views presented here are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the FISABIO Foundation, the Valencia Ministry of Health or the study sponsors

Effectiveness of interventions to improve medication adherence in adults with depressive disorders: a meta-analysis

Trastorno depresivo mayor; Metanálisis; Adherencia al tratamientoTrastorn depressiu major; Metaanàlisi; Adherència al tractamentMajor depressive disorder; Meta-analysis; Treatment adherenceBackground Non-adherence to medication is a major obstacle in the treatment of depressive disorders. We systematically reviewed the literature to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving adherence to medication among adults with depressive disorders with emphasis on initiation and implementation phase. Methods We searched Medline, EMBASE, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), PsycINFO, Social Science Citation Index and Science Citation Index for randomized or non-randomized controlled trials up to January 2022. Risk of bias was assessed using the criteria of the Cochrane Collaboration. Meta-analyses, cumulative and meta-regression analyses for adherence were conducted. Results Forty-six trials (n = 24,324) were included. Pooled estimate indicates an increase in the probability of adherence to antidepressants at 6 months with the different types of interventions (OR 1.33; 95% CI: 1.09 to 1.62). The improvement in adherence is obtained from 3 months (OR 1.62, 95% CI: 1.25 to 2.10) but it is attenuated at 12 months (OR 1.25, 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.53). Selected articles show methodological differences, mainly the diversity of both the severity of the depressive disorder and intervention procedures. In the samples of these studies, patients with depression and anxiety seem to benefit most from intervention (OR 2.77, 95% CI: 1.74 to 4.42) and collaborative care is the most effective intervention to improve adherence (OR 1.88, 95% CI: 1.40 to 2.54). Conclusions Our findings indicate that interventions aimed at improving adherence to medication among adults with depressive disorders are effective up to six months. However, the evidence on the effectiveness of long-term adherence is insufficient and supports the need for further research efforts.This study has been funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III through the project "PI18/00767" (Co-funded by European Regional Development Fund/European Social Fund "A way to make Europe"/"Investing in your future")

A Multilevel Analysis of Real-World Variations in Oral Anticoagulation Initiation for Atrial Fibrillation in Valencia, a European Region

Introduction: Beyond clinical trials, clinical practice guidelines, and administrative regulation, treatment decision-making can be influenced by individual and contextual factors. Our goal was to describe variations in the patterns of initiation of anticoagulation therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation by Health Areas (HA) in the region of Valencia in Spain and to quantify the influence of the HAs on variations in treatment choice.Methods: We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study of all atrial fibrillation patients who started treatment with oral anticoagulants between November 2011 and February 2014 in each of the region's 24 HAs. We described patient and utilization characteristics per HA and initiation patterns over time, and we identified contextual and individual factors associated with differences in initiation patterns.Results: 21,879 patients initiated treatment with an oral anticoagulant in the 24 HAs. Initiation with direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) in the first year was 14.6%. In November 2013 the ratio was 25.4%, with HA ratios ranging from 3.8 to 57.1%. DOAC-initiating patients had less comorbidity but were more likely to present episodes of previous ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, or TIA when compared with patients initiating with VKA treatment. Variability among HAs was statistically significant, with the majority of HAs ranking above or below the regional initiation average (ICC ≈ 8%).Conclusion: There was high variability in the percentage of DOAC initiation and in the choice of DOAC among HAs. Interventions aimed to improve DOAC initiation decision-making and to reduce variations should take into account the Health Area component

Poids économique des effets à long terme des traitements des cancers de l'enfant

Les survivants du cancer de l'enfant (SCE) peuvent avoir besoin de soins médicaux à vie en raison des effets tardifs des traitements anticancéreux. Cependant, on sait peu de choses sur leur utilisation des soins de santé et leurs dépenses à long terme, en particulier dans les systèmes de soins de santé financés par l'État. Ce projet de thèse avait pour objectif d'estimer et d'analyser les dépenses de santé et les taux d'hospitalisation à long terme des personnes atteintes d'un cancer dans l'enfance en France et d'étudier les facteurs associés.La recherche présentée dans cette thèse est basée sur les données de la French Childhood Cancer Survivors Study (FCCSS) qui est une cohorte rétrospective de 7,670 SCE à cinq ans diagnostiqués avant l'âge de 21 ans entre 1946 et 2000 en France. L'étude FCCSS est liée aux données du Système National des Données de Santé (SNDS), qui contient des données complètes sur la facturation et le remboursement des dépenses de santé des bénéficiaires depuis 2006.Nous avons constaté que le montant moyen annuel des dépenses de santé parmi les SCE était de 4 255 € (ét: 18 790).. Les dépenses liées aux hospitalisations et à la pharmacie représentaient environ 60 % des dépenses totales. Nos résultats ont également montré que le sexe féminin et être survivant de tumeur du système nerveux central (SNC) étaient associés à des dépenses de santé plus élevées. Lorsque nous avons estimé les taux d'hospitalisation parmi les SCE et détaillé les diagnostics cliniques liés à l'hospitalisation par rapport à ceux de la population générale française avec le même sexe, âge et région de résidence, nous avons constaté que les survivants étaient hospitalisés plus de deux fois plus souvent que la population de référence appariée et qu'ils avaient plus de trois fois plus de jours d'hospitalisation. Nos résultats ont montré que le risque plus élevé d'hospitalisation des SCE concernait les hospitalisations liées à des néoplasmes, suivies par les maladies endocriniennes, les maladies du sang et les maladies de l'appareil circulatoire. Enfin, nous avons comparé les dépenses de santé de la FCCSS à celles de la population française générale mentionnée ci-dessus et nous avons constaté que l'excédent annuel moyen des dépenses de santé pour les SCE par rapport à la médiane de la population de référence était de 3 920 € (IC à 95 % : 3 539 - 430). Un excès plus élevé était significativement associé au fait d'avoir été traité avant les années 1990 et d'avoir survécu à une tumeur du SNC, alors qu'un excès plus faible était associé au fait de n'avoir pas reçu de traitement par radiothérapie.En conclusion, cette thèse a démontré que les SCE présentent un risque plus élevé d'utilisation de soins et de dépenses de santé, conduisant à un excès considérable par rapport à la médiane des dépenses de santé de la population générale du même sexe et du même âge. Ces dépenses élevées étaient liées à des taux d'hospitalisation élevés parmi les SCE. Les survivants plus âgés, ceux ayant eu une tumeur du système nerveux central et les patients traités par radiothérapie présentaient un risque plus élevé d'utilisation des services de santé et de dépenses. Ces résultats nous amènent à recommander qu'une attention particulière soit accordée à cette population, notamment en termes de suivi et de prévention des complications, et de soutenir le développement de traitements innovants et efficaces.Childhood cancer survivors (CCS) may require lifelong medical care due to the late effects of cancer treatments. However, little is known about their healthcare utilization and expenditures at long-term, especially in publicly funded health care system. This thesis aimed to estimate and analyse the long-term health care expenditures and hospitalisation rates among CCS in France and to study their associated factors.The research presented in this thesis was based on data from the French Childhood Cancer Survivors Study (FCCSS), which is a retrospective cohort of 7,670 5-year CCS diagnosed before the age of 21 years between 1946 and 2000 in France. The FCCSS is linked to the National Health Data System (SNDS), which contains comprehensive data on billing and reimbursement of the beneficiaries' health care expenditures since 2006.We found that the annual mean healthcare expenditures among CCS was € 4,255 (SD: 18,790). Expenditures on hospitalization and pharmacy represented ~60% of total expenditures. Our results also showed that female gender and being survivor of a central nervous system (CNS) tumour were associated with increased health care expenditures. We then estimated hospitalisation rates among CCS and detailed the hospitalisation-related clinical diagnoses compared with those of the French general population with the same gender, age and region of residence. We found that survivors were hospitalised more than twice as often as the matched reference population and they had more than three times as many in-patient bed-days. Our results showed that the highest risk for hospitalisation in CCS was related to neoplasm, followed by endocrine diseases, blood diseases, and diseases of the circulatory system. Finally, we compared the health care expenditures of the FCCSS with that of the general French population mentioned above and found that the annual mean excess healthcare expenditures for CCS compared with the median of the reference population was € 3,920 (95% CI: 3539 - 4301). A higher excess was significantly associated with having been treated before the 1990s and having survived a CNS tumour, whereas a lower excess was associated with not receiving treatment with radiotherapy.In conclusion, this thesis showed that CCS are at higher risk of health care use and expenditure, leading to considerable excess compared with the median health care expenditure of the general population of the same sex and age. This high expenditure was related to high hospitalisation rates among CCS. Older survivors, CNS tumours survivors, and those treated with radiotherapy had a higher risk of health service use and expenditure. These results led us to recommend that special attention be paid to this population, especially in terms of follow-up and prevention of complications, and to support the development of effective innovative treatments

Excess healthcare expenditure in adults treated for solid cancer in childhood: a cohort study in France

International audienc

Aplicaciones móviles para mejorar la adherencia a la medicación: revisión y análisis de calidad

Resumen: Objetivo: Revisar las aplicaciones móviles en español para mejorar la adherencia farmacológica y evaluar sus características y calidad con el fin de identificar aplicaciones de alta calidad. Médoto: Se ha hecho una revisión siguiendo un procedimiento por pasos similar a una revisión sistemática de la literatura. La fuente de los datos han sido plataformas de distribución digital de aplicaciones móviles Apple Apps Store y Google Play Store. Se han seleccionado aquellas aplicaciones dirigidas a apoyar la autogestión de los medicamentos, capaces de generar recordatorios, en español, actualizadas en los últimos 2 años y gratuitas. Los análisis de las aplicaciones se han hecho según un conjunto de características consideradas deseables y evaluación de la calidad con la herramienta Mobile App Rating Scale. Resultados: De 708 aplicaciones, se seleccionaron 3. Las aplicaciones Medisafe y Mytherapy presentaron el 89% y el 78% de las características deseables, respectivamente. La aplicación de Sergio Licea presentó el 56%. La mayor puntuación global de calidad la obtuvo MyTherapy (3,79/5; RIQ: 3-4), seguida de Medisafe (3,72/5; RIQ: 3-4) y, por último, Sergio Licea (2,87/5; RIQ: 2-4). La valoración de la calidad es coincidente con la hecha por los usuarios. Hay muchas aplicaciones disponibles, sin embargo, la mayoría no cumplieron los criterios de selección establecidos. Conclusiones: Através de un proceso sistemático por pasos, identificamos la aplicación de mayor calidad en español para que sea probada en un estudio futuro, que proporcionará evidencia sobre el uso de una intervención multicomponente para mejorar la adherencia a la medicación. Abstract: Objective: To review the mobile apps in the Spanish market to improve adherence to medications and evaluate their characteristics and quality to identify high-quality applications. Method: A review was carried out following a stepwise procedure similar to a systematic review of the scientific literature. Apple Apps Store and Google Play Store mobile application digital distribution platforms. Applications aimed at supporting self-management of treatment, which generate reminders, in Spanish, updated in the last 2 years and free. We evaluate the applications according to a set of characteristics considered desirable and the quality with the Mobile App Rating Scale tool. Results: Out of 708 applications, 3 applications were selected. The Medisafe and Mytherapy applications had 89% and 78% of the desirable characteristics, respectively. Sergio Licea's application only had 56%. The highest global quality score was obtained by the MyTherapy application (3.79/5, IQR: 3-4), followed by Medisafe (3.72/5, (IQR: 3-4) and, finally, Sergio Licea (2.87/5, IQR: 2-4). The quality assessment coincides with the user assessment. There are many available applications, however, most did not meet the selection criteria. Conclusions: A systematic stepwise process was able to identify the quality application to be tested in a future study that will provide evidence on the use of a multicomponent intervention to improve medication adherence

Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a multicomponent intervention to improve medication adherence in people with depressive disorders - MAPDep : a study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial

Depression is a widespread mental disorder which can be treated effectively. However, low adherence to antidepressants is very common. The study of medication adherence in depression (MAPDep study) assesses the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a multicomponent strategy to enhance adherence toward medications in patients with depression. The intervention is a multicomponent one consisting of an educational program for psychiatrists and/or a collaborative care program for patients and relatives, plus a reminder system that works through the use of an already available high-quality medication reminder application. MAPDep study is an open, multicenter, four-arm cluster randomized controlled trial. The clusters are mental health units where psychiatrists are invited to participate. The clusters are randomly allocated to one of the three interventions or to usual care (control arm). Patients (18-65 years of age) diagnosed with depressive disorder, those taking antidepressant medication for an existing diagnosis of depression, and mobile phone users are selected. In group 1, only patients and relatives receive intervention; in group 2, only psychiatrists receive intervention; and in group 3, patients/relatives and psychiatrists receive intervention. The primary outcome is adherence to the antidepressant drug. The calculated sample size is 400 patients. To examine changes across time, generalized linear mixed model with repeated measures will be used. A cost-effectiveness analysis will be conducted. The effectiveness measure is quality-adjusted life years. Deterministic sensitivity analyses are planned. MAPDep study aims to assess a multicomponent strategy to improve adherence toward medications in patients with depression, based not only on clinical effectiveness but also on cost-effectiveness. This methodology will enhance the transferability of the expected results beyond mental health services (patients and psychiatrists) to health care policy decision making. NCT0366845

Barriers and Facilitating Factors of Adherence to Antidepressant Treatments: An Exploratory Qualitative Study with Patients and Psychiatrists

This study examines the experiences and expectations of patients with depressive disorders regarding the disease and different antidepressants, as well as examining the barriers and facilitating factors that could affect their adherence to medications. An exploratory qualitative study was carried out. The study involved two focus groups made up of patients and caregivers and six semi-structured interviews with psychiatrists. In both cases, the participants were selected by intentional theoretical sampling, seeking maximum significance variation of social types. Prejudice about the side effects of medication was relevant. The importance of patients being well informed about the disease/treatments was noteworthy. The stigmatization of antidepressants by patients was identified as a barrier to medication adherence. The involvement of family members and the motivation of patients to be actively involved in the process to recover from the disease were identified as facilitating factors. The work carried out suggests the need for patients to have rigorous information about the disease/treatment to reduce the possible prejudices generated by beliefs. Maintaining greater contact and monitoring of patients/caregivers to help therapeutic adherence in patients with depressive disorders was also identified as being of great importance

Risk of Renal or Urinary Related Hospitalization in Survivors of Childhood Cancer: Results from the French Childhood Cancer Survivor Study

International audienceBACKGROUND: Hospitalization rates can be used as an indirect indicator of the burden and severity of adverse health outcomes in childhood cancer survivors (CCS). We aimed to determine the long-term risks of hospitalization related to renal and urinary diseases among 5-year CCS. METHODS: The French Childhood Cancer Survivor Study cohort was linked with data from the French National Healthcare System database, which enabled the identification of hospitalizations related to renal or urinary diseases. Clinical and detailed treatment data were collected from medical records. Dose-volume histograms were estimated for all patients treated with radiotherapy. Standardized Hospitalization Ratios and absolute excess risks (AER) were calculated. Relative risks were estimated using Poisson regression. RESULTS: A total of 5,498 survivors were followed for 42,118 person-years (PY). Survivors experience 2.9 times more renal hospitalizations than expected in the general population, with an AER of 21.2/10,000 PY. Exposing more than 10% of the kidneys' volume to at least 20 Gray increases the risk of being hospitalized for renal causes by 2.2 (95% confidence interval, 1.3-3.6). Nephrectomized survivors treated with high doses of ifosfamide (>60 g/m²) have an extremely high risk of hospitalization for renal causes. Patients with comorbidities have about a 3-fold higher risk, and nephrectomized patients a 2-fold higher risk of being hospitalized for renal causes compared with other subjects. In the case of hospitalization for urinary causes, treatment by anthracycline administration was found to be associated with an almost 2-fold higher risk of hospitalization compared with the general population. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the need for careful monitoring of long-term renal diseases in survivors who have undergone nephrectomy, those treated with high doses of radiation (≥20 Gy) even to small volumes of the kidneys, and those with predisposing risk factors. IMPACT: This study provides new evidence with potential impact on surveillance guidelines related to dose-volume indicators associated with renal toxicity