Saskatchewan Health

About: Saskatchewan Health is a government organization based out in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 442 authors who have published 489 publications receiving 7728 citations.

Practice Change Challenges and Priorities: A National Survey of Practising Pharmacists

Abstract: Background:Vision and action plans have been created to address the future of pharmacy and help pharmacists progress into expanded roles in order to provide more patient-centred care. To assess the...

Use of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Prostate Cancer Risk: A Population-Based Nested Case-Control Study

Abstract: Background Despite strong laboratory evidence that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) could prevent prostate cancer, epidemiological studies have so far reported conflicting results. Most studies were limited by lack of information on dosage and duration of use of the different classes of NSAIDs. Methods We conducted a nested case-control study using data from Saskatchewan Prescription Drug Plan (SPDP) and Cancer Registry to examine the effects of dose and duration of use of five classes of NSAIDs on prostate cancer risk. Cases (N = 9,007) were men aged ≥40 years diagnosed with prostatic carcinoma between 1985 and 2000, and were matched to four controls on age and duration of SPDP membership. Detailed histories of exposure to prescription NSAIDs and other drugs were obtained from the SPDP. Results Any use of propionates (e.g., ibuprofen, naproxen) was associated with a modest reduction in prostate cancer risk (Odds ratio = 0.90; 95%CI 0.84-0.95), whereas use of other NSAIDs was not. In particular, we did not observe the hypothesized inverse association with aspirin use (1.01; 0.95–1.07). There was no clear evidence of dose-response or duration-response relationships for any of the examined NSAID classes. Conclusions Our findings suggest modest benefits of at least some NSAIDs in reducing prostate cancer risk.

A population-wide profile of prescription drug use in Saskatchewan, 1989

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To measure the prevalence of prescription drug use in Saskatchewan in 1989. DESIGN: Retrospective study. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 961,203 Saskatchewan residents (including those who died or were born during the study year) who were eligible for coverage under the Saskatchewan Prescription Drug Plan. The study population represented 94% of the province9s total population; those excluded were mostly status Indians (for whom a federal plan is available). MAIN RESULTS: At least one prescription was received by 66.0% of the study population in 1989. The mean number of prescriptions per patient was 8.2, and the mean cost of drug material per prescription was $13.95. Females received substantially more prescriptions than males; the difference was particularly notable for cardiovascular agents, antidepressants and benzodiazepines. In the senior population 80.8% received at least one prescription; the mean number of prescriptions per patient was 18.4. The most commonly dispensed drug for the entire study population was amoxicillin (290 prescriptions per 1000 people); triazolam was the most frequently dispensed central nervous system drug (74 prescriptions per 1000 people). Regional variation in overall drug use was remarkably small, although it increased at the drug-class level, especially for tranquillizers. The use of cardiovascular drugs was 27% to 32% higher (depending on how use was measured) per Regina resident than per Saskatoon resident. Benzodiazepines were commonly used on a long-term basis, despite recommendations to the contrary. CONCLUSIONS: The results quantify the prevalence of prescription drug use, underscore the importance of careful management of drug therapy by physicians and pharmacists (especially for seniors), illustrate substantial variation in drug therapy strategies and raise questions about utilization of benzodiazepines and cardiovascular drugs.

Evaluation of Fluorescence-Based Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis for Molecular Typing in Hospital Epidemiology: Comparison with Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis for Typing Strains of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecium

Abstract: Fluorescence-based amplified fragment length polymorphism (fbAFLP) is a novel assay based on the fluorescent analysis of an amplified subset of restriction fragments. The fbAFLP assay involves the selective PCR amplification of restriction fragments from a total digest of genomic DNA. The ligation of adapters with primer-specific sites coupled with primers containing selective nucleotides allowed the full potential of PCR to be realized while maintaining the advantages of restriction endonuclease analysis. Fluorescence-based fragment analysis with polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis provides the accurate band sizing required for homology assessment. The large number of phylogenetically informative characters obtained by fbAFLP is well suited for cluster analysis and database development. The method demonstrated excellent reproducibility and ease of performance and interpretation. We typed 30 epidemiologically well-characterized isolates of vancomycin-resistant enterococci from an outbreak in a university hospital by fbAFLP. Clustering of fbAFLP data matched epidemiological, microbiological, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis data. This study demonstrates the unprecedented utility of fbAFLP for epidemiological investigation. Future developments in standardization and automation will set fbAFLP as the “gold standard” for molecular typing in epidemiology.