Radiotherapy utilization rates for cancer vary widely internationally. It has previously been suggested that approximately 50% of all cancer patients should receive radiation. However, this estimate was not evidence-based. The aim of this study was to estimate the ideal proportion of new cases of cancer that should receive radiotherapy at least once during the course of their illness based on the best available evidence. An optimal radiotherapy utilization tree was constructed for each cancer based upon indications for radiotherapy taken from evidence-based treatment guidelines. The proportion of patients with clinical attributes that indicated a possible benefit from radiotherapy was obtained by adding epidemiologic data to the radiotherapy utilization tree. The optimal proportion of patients with cancer that should receive radiotherapy was then calculated using TreeAge (TreeAge Software, Williamstown, MA) software. Sensitivity analyses using univariate analysis and Monte Carlo simulations were performed. The proportion of patients with cancer in whom external beam radiotherapy is indicated according to the best available evidence was calculated to be 52%. Monte Carlo analysis indicated that the 95% confidence limits were from 51.7% to 53.1%. The tightness of the confidence interval suggests that the overall estimate is robust. Comparison with actual radiotherapy utilization data suggests a shortfall in actual radiotherapy delivery. This methodology allows comparison of optimal rates with actual rates to identify areas where improvements in the evidence-based use of radiotherapy can be made. It provides valuable data for radiotherapy service planning. Actual rates need to be addressed to ensure better radiotherapy utilization.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/cncr.21324

The role of radiotherapy in cancer treatment: estimating optimal utilization from a review of evidence-based clinical guidelines.

ContextPrescription drugs are instrumental to managing and preventing chronic disease. Recent changes in US prescription drug cost sharing could affect access to them.ObjectiveTo synthesize published evidence on the associations among cost-sharing features of prescription drug benefits and use of prescription drugs, use of nonpharmaceutical services, and health outcomes.Data SourcesWe searched PubMed for studies published in English between 1985 and 2006.Study Selection and Data ExtractionAmong 923 articles found in the search, we identified 132 articles examining the associations between prescription drug plan cost-containment measures, including co-payments, tiering, or coinsurance (n = 65), pharmacy benefit caps or monthly prescription limits (n = 11), formulary restrictions (n = 41), and reference pricing (n = 16), and salient outcomes, including pharmacy utilization and spending, medical care utilization and spending, and health outcomes.ResultsIncreased cost sharing is associated with lower rates of drug treatment, worse adherence among existing users, and more frequent discontinuation of therapy. For each 10% increase in cost sharing, prescription drug spending decreases by 2% to 6%, depending on class of drug and condition of the patient. The reduction in use associated with a benefit cap, which limits either the coverage amount or the number of covered prescriptions, is consistent with other cost-sharing features. For some chronic conditions, higher cost sharing is associated with increased use of medical services, at least for patients with congestive heart failure, lipid disorders, diabetes, and schizophrenia. While low-income groups may be more sensitive to increased cost sharing, there is little evidence to support this contention.ConclusionsPharmacy benefit design represents an important public health tool for improving patient treatment and adherence. While increased cost sharing is highly correlated with reductions in pharmacy use, the long-term consequences of benefit changes on health are still uncertain.

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Prescription drug cost sharing: associations with medication and medical utilization and spending and health.

Aim: to establish the percentage hospital admission related to adverse drug reactions (ADRs) from the data available in the literature. Method: literature search in the Medline database, metaanalysis. Results: from the literature it is revealed that a considerable part of all hospital admissions are related to adverse drug reactions. However, these data are not homogenous, i.e. larger studies display a lower percentage of ADR related hospital admission, while smaller studies display a higher percentage. Subgroup analysis showed that for elderly people the odds of being hospitalised by ADR related problems is 4 times higher than for younger ones (16.6% vs. 4.1%). A considerable part of these hospitalisations can be prevented. Subgroup analysis revealed that in the elderly up to 88% of the ADR related hospitalisations are preventable; for the non-elderly this is only 24%. Comparatively more elderly people are hospitalised than younger ones. Combining these findings, twice as much elderly people are hospitalised by ADR related problems than non-elderly, while preventability of ADR related hospitalisation might yield 7 times more people in the elderly than in the non-elderly. The estimation of the costs of ADR related hospitalisations in the Health Care system in The Netherlands is discussed. Conclusion: many elderly people are hospitalised by ADR related problems; an important part of these hospitalisations can be avoided.

Hospitalisations caused by adverse drug reactions (ADR): a meta-analysis of observational studies.

Population aging evokes doomsday economic and sociological prognostication, despite a minority of older people suffering significant dependency and the potential for advances in therapeutics of age-related disease and primary aging. Biological aging processes are linked mechanistically to altered drug handling, altered physiological reserve, and pharmacodynamic responses. Parenteral loading doses need only be adjusted for body weight as volumes of distribution are little changed, whereas oral loading doses in some cases may require reduction to account for age-related increases in bioavailability. Age-related reduction of hepatic blood flow and hepatocyte mass and primary aging changes in hepatic sinusoidal endothelium with effects on drug transfer and oxygen delivery reduce hepatic drug clearance. Primary renal aging is evident, although renal clearance reduction in older people is predominantly disease-related and is poorly estimated by standard methods. The geriatric dosing axiom, "start low and go slow" is based on pharmacokinetic considerations and concern for adverse drug reactions, not from clinical trial data. In the absence of generalizable dosage guidelines, individualization via effect titration is required. Altered pharmacodynamics are well documented in the cardiovascular system, with changes in the autonomic system, autacoid receptors, drug receptors, and endothelial function to modify baseline cardiovascular tone and responses to stimuli such as postural change and feeding. Adverse drug reactions and polypharmacy represent major linkages to avoidable morbidity and mortality. This, combined with a deficient therapeutic evidence base, suggests that extrapolation of risk-benefit ratios from younger adults to geriatric populations is not necessarily valid. Even so, therapeutic advances generally may convert healthy longevity from an asset of fortunate individuals into a general social benefit.

Aging Biology and Geriatric Clinical Pharmacology

BACKGROUND:Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are a significant cause of hospital admissions. These events can lead to significant morbidity and mortality and financial costs. ADRs that may be preventable might be considered a form of medication error.OBJECTIVE:To assess the potential preventability of ADRs directly related to a patient's hospital admission.METHODS:A retrospective chart review of 437 ADRs occurring during an 11-month period was conducted at a university hospital. A subset of these events leading to hospital admissions was identified for further review. Those that resulted in admission were further examined to determine probability of causality, severity, and preventability.RESULTS:Over 11 months, 158 ADRs were directly related to hospital admission. The relationship of these admissions to drug exposure was determined to be probable or highly probable in 154 (97.4%) of these cases. From this group, 96 (62.3%) of these events were considered potentially preventable, with 23 (24%) considered seve...

Hospital Admissions Resulting from Preventable Adverse Drug Reactions

OBJECTIVE: To examine the extent of drug-related hospital admissions in Australia by reviewing Australian studies published between 1988 and 1996. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SELECTION: The terms "drug-related", "admissions", "readmissions", "hospitalisation", "hospitalization" and "iatrogenic" were used to search MEDLINE and Australian Public Affairs Information Service databases. The Australian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy and conference proceedings of the Society of Hospital Pharmacists and the Australasian Pharmaceutical Science Association were searched manually. Studies were included if they were Australian, had the primary aim of identifying drug-related admissions, and had at least one clinical pharmacist or medical practitioner review the admissions. DATA EXTRACTION: Total number of admissions assessed; proportion considered drug-related; drug groups implicated; and proportion considered avoidable. DATA SYNTHESIS: 14 studies were identified; 2.4%-3.6% of all hospital admissions were reported to be drug-related. 6%-7% of emergency admissions, 12% of all admissions to medical wards and 15%-22% of all emergency admissions among the elderly were drug related. Between 32% and 69% of drug-related admissions were reported as definitely or possibly preventable. Drug groups most commonly implicated were cytotoxics, cardiovascular agents, antihypertensives, anticoagulants and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. CONCLUSION: Drug-related hospital admissions are a significant and expensive public health problem in Australia, and approximately half were considered possibly or probably preventable.

Drug‐related hospital admissions: a review of Australian studies published 1988‐1996

Objective To determine the pattern of antibiotic use in the Australian community, 1990-1995, and compare it with the pattern in other developed countries. Design Survey of data from the national database on drugs dispensed in Australia (1990-1995), an international database on retail drug sales (1985-1994), and Australian prescriber surveys (1994, 1995). Main outcome measures National and international retail sales of oral antibiotics (defined daily doses [DDDs]/1000 population/day) and antibiotic prescriptions dispensed through community pharmacies by drug type; antibiotic prescribing profiles for common conditions. Results Antibiotic use in Australia remained steady between 1990 and 1995, with an estimated 24.7 DDDs/1000 population/day dispensed through community pharmacies in 1990 and 24.8 DDDs/1000 population/day in 1995. Amoxycillin, although declining in use, remained the most dispensed antibiotic. Compared with the other countries surveyed, Australia had the highest percentage use of tetracyclines, such as doxycycline, and the lowest percentage use of fluoroquinolones. Use of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and flucloxacillin declined in Australia. In new cases of upper respiratory tract infection or pharyngitis, an antibiotic prescription was recorded for 57% of urban patient encounters and 73% of rural patient encounters. Conclusions Antibiotic use in Australia is high, as in many other developed countries, but did not increase between 1990 and 1995. The overall profile of antibiotic use in Australia by drug class was similar to that in the United Kingdom. Antibiotics were still commonly prescribed for upper respiratory tract infection (which is usually viral), more commonly by rural than by urban general practitioners.

Antibiotic use in the Australian community, 1990-1995.

OBJECTIVE To examine patterns of surgical management of breast cancer among Australian women. DESIGN Retrospective survey of Medicare records (a national dataset of all services rendered on a "fee-for-service" basis for which a Medicare benefit has been paid). PATIENTS All Australian women (4683) who underwent surgery consistent with being for breast cancer in 1993 and for which Medicare benefits were paid. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Proportions of women undergoing different forms of mastectomy, breast-conserving surgery and axillary surgery by patient age and State and region (urban or rural) of residence. RESULTS Modified radical mastectomy was the most common surgery, performed in 2097 of the 4683 women (44.8%), while 1868 (39.9%) had breast-conserving surgery. Frequency of breast conservation decreased significantly with age and varied significantly between States and region of residence. It ranged from 34% in Western Australia to 49% in South Australia and the Northern Territory, and from 34% among rural women to 42% among urban women. Axillary surgery was recorded for 83% of all women studied. CONCLUSIONS There was substantial geographical variation in patterns of surgical management for breast cancer. The tendency for rural women to undergo mastectomy rather than breast-conserving surgery may reflect the relative lack of access to postoperative radiotherapy. We are unable to explain the variation between States.

Surgical management of breast cancer in Australian women in 1993: analysis of Medicare statistics.

In November 1990 major patient co-payment changes were introduced into the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), which accounts for around 90% of all community prescriptions in Australia. Interrupted time series analyses were performed to assess the impact of these co-payment changes on the prescription levels of defined groups of discretionary and essential drugs for both the general community and for a subgroup comprising elderly returned servicemen and women. While the co-payment changes themselves had a significant immediate effect on lowering the use of both categories of drugs, the effects were substantially larger for the discretionary groups in both cases. Notably there was a clear post-intervention trend for increased prescriptions of essential drugs after the initial decline, which was not evident for the discretionary drugs. The introduction of programmes to compensate high risk groups in Australia may have enabled the co-payment to become a more selective policy instrument than has been shown in other settings.

Prescription drug utilization following patient co-payment changes in Australia.

OBJECTIVE To determine the pattern of use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in the Australian community, 1990-1994. DESIGN Data from the national drug utilisation database were expressed in defined daily doses per 1000 population per day (DDDs/1000 population per day). Temporal trends were assessed and comparisons were made with NSAID use in other countries. Epidemiological data were used to estimate the likely impact of changing NSAID use on peptic ulcer hospitalisation rates. SETTING Australian community (excluding hospitals). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Estimated consumption of prescription NSAIDs, expressed in DDDs/1000 population per day. RESULTS NSAID use in the Australian community fell from 50.1 DDDs/1000 population per day in 1990 to 34.6 DDDs/1000 population per day in 1994 (down 31%). From this reduced exposure we estimated that the number of admissions for NSAID-related upper gastrointestinal complications will have fallen by about 400 per year. Market research data for this period show a lower percentage use of NSAIDs for osteoarthritis and a decrease in the proportion of use in age groups over 50 years. CONCLUSIONS The level of use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in Australia has been high in comparison with other countries, but in recent years has fallen markedly. This fall occurred in conjunction with regulatory interventions, educational campaigns and increased concern in the medical and lay press regarding the risks associated with the use of NSAIDs.

Pattern of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use in Australia 1990-1994. A report from the Drug Utilization Sub-Committee of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee.

John G. Primrose

Papers

Drug‐related hospital admissions: a review of Australian studies published 1988‐1996

Antibiotic use in the Australian community, 1990-1995.

Surgical management of breast cancer in Australian women in 1993: analysis of Medicare statistics.

Prescription drug utilization following patient co-payment changes in Australia.

Pattern of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use in Australia 1990-1994. A report from the Drug Utilization Sub-Committee of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee.