Search

Background Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection can cause various cancers and can be prevented through vaccination. The American Cancer Society (ACS) has set an HPV vaccination completion target in 13-year-old children to 80% by 2026. While HPV vaccine coverage (proportion ever vaccinated) estimates are available, annual uptakes (proportion initiating vaccine in a year) in the United States (U.S.) are not well-known. Methods We analyzed MarketScan® claims database to assess HPV vaccination uptakes in the U.S. among the 9- to 26-year-olds in 2006–2016. The annual uptake was the ratio of the number of enrollees who had a first record of an HPV vaccine during the year, and the number of enrollees of similar age and sex that year. Results Uptake was below 1% among children turning 9 and 10 years old during the year. Since 2009 among female and since 2013 among males, the annual uptake has been the highest in those turning 13 years old (19.7% among females and 17.6% among males in 2016). Catch-up vaccination among older adolescents and young adults increased after Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations, but eventually slowed down as more younger persons were vaccinated. Most young adolescents were vaccinated by pediatricians, whereas young adult women were predominantly vaccinated by obstetricians/gynecologists and young adult males by family physicians. While only about half of the adolescents had well-check visits, the majority of those who initiated HPV vaccination had one the same year. Conclusion Continued increase in uptake is needed to reach the ACS 2026 goals.

Using the claims data of one million insured residents in Taiwan from 1996&ndash, 2013, this study identified 12,126 women in an urban city (Taichung) and 7229 women in a rural county (Yunlin), aged 20 and above. We compared Papanicolaou (Pap) test uses and cervical cancer detection rates between urban and rural women. Results showed that the Pap screening rate was slightly higher in rural women than in urban women (86.1 vs. 81.3 percent). The cervical cancer incidence was much greater for women without Pap test than women with the test (35.8 vs. 9.00 per 1000 in rural women and 20.3 vs. 7.00 per 1000 in urban women). Nested case-control analysis showed that Pap test receivers had an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 0.35 (95% CI = 0.25&ndash, 0.51) to be diagnosed with cervical cancer as compared to those who did not receive the test. The rural women had an adjusted OR of 1.46 (95% CI = 1.03&ndash, 2.06) to be diagnosed with cervical cancer as compared to urban women. In conclusion, women in rural area are at higher cancer risk than city women. Women who do not undergo Pap tests deserve timely intervention of Pap test to prevent the onset of cancer, particularly in rural women with low income.

Background Seasonal influenza remains a global health problem; however, there are limited data on the specific relative risks for pneumonia and death among outpatients considered to be at high risk for influenza complications. This population-based study aimed to develop prediction models for determining the risk of influenza-related pneumonia and death. Methods We included patients diagnosed with laboratory-confirmed influenza between 2016 and 2017 (main cohort, n = 25 659), those diagnosed between 2015 and 2016 (validation cohort 1, n = 16 727), and those diagnosed between 2017 and 2018 (validation cohort 2, n = 34 219). Prediction scores were developed based on the incidence and independent predictors of pneumonia and death identified using multivariate analyses, and patients were categorized into low-, medium-, and high-risk groups based on total scores. Results In the main cohort, age, gender, and certain comorbidities (dementia, congestive heart failure, diabetes, and others) were independent predictors of pneumonia and death. The 28-day pneumonia incidence was 0.5%, 4.1%, and 10.8% in the low-, medium-, and high-risk groups, respectively (c-index, 0.75); the 28-day mortality was 0.05%, 0.7%, and 3.3% in the low-, medium-, and high-risk groups, respectively (c-index, 0.85). In validation cohort 1, c-indices for the models for pneumonia and death were 0.75 and 0.87, respectively. In validation cohort 2, c-indices for the models were 0.74 and 0.87, respectively. Conclusions We successfully developed and validated simple-to-use risk prediction models, which would promptly provide useful information for treatment decisions in primary care settings.

Background In Europe, scant information is available about prescription practices for pain medications. The aim of this research was to assess changes in prescription rates of non-opioid, weak opioid, and strong opioid medications between 2006 and 2013 in the Swiss population. Methods Using insurance claims data covering one-sixth of the Swiss population, we analyzed the numbers of reimbursed pain medications, the number of reimbursements per persons, and the cumulative dose in milligrams. For opioids, the morphine equivalent dose and treatment days were calculated. Data were extrapolated to the dose per day per 100’000 population stratified by age, gender, and canton. Results In total, 4’746’942 paracetamol, 2’156’620 NSAIDs or Coxibs, 931’129 metamizole, 1’322’272 weak opioid, and 807’835 strong opioid claims were analyzed. Between 2006 and 2013, the increase in claims per 100’000 persons was 32% for paracetamol, 242% for metamizole, 107% for NSAIDS, 86% for Coxibs, 13% for weak opioids, and 121% for strong opioids. For strong opioids the total MED in mg /100’000 increased by 117%, the treatment days /100’000 by 101%. For strong opioids, fentanyl was most frequently used (increase between 2006 and 2013 by 91% for MED/100’000 persons and 94% treatment days / 100’000) followed by buprenorphine and oxycodone. The highest proportional increase in MED / 100’000 was observed for methadone (+1414%) and oxycodone (+313%). Marked geographical variation was detected in the use of metamizole, paracetamole, and strong opioids in different cantons. Conclusion The analysis of insurance claims data provides evidence that the prescription rates for pain medications increased in Switzerland within the last ten years, in particular for metamizole and strong opioids. Furthermore, the prescription rates for metamizole, paracetamol, and strong opioids varied substantially between different cantons in Switzerland. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12913-017-2086-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Purpose Epilepsy is well known as a disorder in poststroke patients. However, studies that have investigated the association between epilepsy and the risk of subsequent stroke are limited. This population-based study investigated the incidence and risk of stroke in patients with epilepsy by using the Taiwan National Health Insurance claims data. Methods We identified 3812 patients newly diagnosed with epilepsy in 2000–2008 and 15,248 nonepilepsy comparisons frequency matched according to sex, age, and index year. We searched for subsequent stroke diagnoses in both cohorts until the end of 2009. The incidence rates and hazard ratios of stroke were estimated based on sex, age, the average defined daily doses (DDDs) of antiepilepsy drugs, and comorbidity. Results The stroke incidence of the epilepsy cohort was 3-fold higher than that of the comparison cohort. The age-specific results indicated that in the epilepsy cohort and the comparison cohort, the risk was the highest for the youngest group (20–39 years). Conclusion The patients with epilepsy exhibited a higher incidence of cerebral stroke than the general population did. In addition, younger patients with epilepsy and patients who took a high doses of antiepileptic drugs exhibited a high risk of stroke.

Objective Rising life expectancy is associated with higher prevalence rates of dementia disorders. When disease progresses the patients' call on formal health care services and on social support grows which imposes increasing costs of care. The aim of this study was to investigate the costs for patients with mild and moderate dementia in community setting in Germany. Methods We assessed total costs of care and individual cost components for 383 community-living dementia patients alongside a cluster-randomized trial from societal and health insurance perspective. Utilization of formal health care services was based on insurance claims data and time dedicated to informal care was assessed within caregiver interviews. We estimated costs using a two-part regression model adjusting for age, gender and cluster-effects. Results Costs of care equal €47,747 (Euros) from societal perspective which is almost the 4.7-fold of health insurance expenditures. Valued informal care covers 80.2% of societal costs and increases disproportionally when disease progresses. In moderate dementia the corresponding amount exceeds the one in mild dementia by 69.9%, whereas costs for formal health care services differ by 14.3%. Conclusion Due to valued informal care, costs of care for community-living patients with moderate dementia are significantly higher than for patients with mild dementia. Informal care is a non-cash item saving expenditures for professional care. To relieve social security system and family caregivers as well as to allow dementia patients to stay at home as long as possible, concepts fostering community-based dementia care and support to family caregivers need to be further developed.

Background Adjusting for laboratory test results may result in better confounding control when added to administrative claims data in the study of treatment effects. However, missing values can arise through several mechanisms. Methods We studied the relationship between availability of outpatient lab test results, lab values, and patient and system characteristics in a large healthcare database using LDL, HDL, and HbA1c in a cohort of initiators of statins or Vytorin (ezetimibe & simvastatin) as examples. Results Among 703,484 patients 68% had at least one lab test performed in the 6 months before treatment. Performing an LDL test was negatively associated with several patient characteristics, including recent hospitalization (OR = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.29-0.34), MI (OR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.69-0.85), or carotid revascularization (OR = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.25-0.53). Patient demographics, diagnoses, and procedures predicted well who would have a lab test performed (AUC = 0.89 to 0.93). Among those with test results available claims data explained only 14% of variation. Conclusions In a claims database linked with outpatient lab test results, we found that lab tests are performed selectively corresponding to current treatment guidelines. Poor ability to predict lab values and the high proportion of missingness reduces the added value of lab tests for effectiveness research in this setting.