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Background To estimate the cost -utility of imrecoxib compared with diclofenac, as well as the addition of a proton pump inhibitor to both two treatment strategies, for patients with osteoarthritis, from a Chinese healthcare perspective. Methods A Markov model was built. Costs of managing osteoarthritis and initial adverse events were collected from a Medical Database which collected information from 170 hospitals. Other parameters were obtained from the literature. Subgroup analyses were conducted for people at high risk of gastrointestinal or cardiovascular adverse events. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed. Results Imrecoxib was highly cost-effective than diclofenac (the ICER was $401.58 and $492.77 in patients at low and high gastrointestinal and cardiovascular risk, respectively). The addition of a proton pump inhibitor was more cost -effective compared with single drug for both treatment strategies. Findings remained robust to sensitivity analyses. 59.04% and 57.16% probability for the co-prescription of imrecoxib and a proton pump inhibitor to be the most cost-effective strategy in all patients considered using the cost-effectiveness threshold of $30,000. Conclusions The addition of a proton pump inhibitor to both imrecoxib and diclofenac was advised. Imrecoxib provides a valuable option for patients with osteoarthritis. Uncertainties existed in the model, and the suggestions can be adopted with caution.

Background This study aimed to examine the cost-effectiveness of one-time standard endoscopic screening with Lugol’s iodine staining for esophageal cancer (EC) in China. Methods A Markov decision analysis model with eleven states was built. Individuals aged 40 to 69 years were classified into six age groups in five-year intervals. Three different strategies were adopted for each cohort: (1) no screening; (2) one-time endoscopic screening with Lugol’s iodine staining with an annual follow-up for low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (LGIN); and (3) one-time endoscopic screening with Lugol’s iodine staining without follow-up. Quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) indicated the effectiveness of the model. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was used as the evaluation indicator. Sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the robustness of the model. Results One-time screening with follow-up was the undominated strategy for individuals aged 40–44 and 45–49 years, which saved USD 10,942.57 and USD 6611.73 per QALY gained compared to nonscreening strategy. For those aged 50–69 years, the nonscreening scenarios were undominated. One-time screening without follow-up was the extended dominated strategy. Compared to screening strategies without follow-up, all the screening strategies with follow-up were more cost-effective, with the ICER increasing from 299.57 USD/QALY for individuals aged 40–44 years to 1617.72 USD/QALY for individuals aged 65–69 years. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA) supported the results of the base case analysis. Conclusions One-time EC screening with follow-up targeting individuals aged 40–49 years was the most cost-effective strategy.

Background The objective of this study is to compare the long-term cost-utility of imrecoxib and celecoxib for patients with osteoarthritis (OA) from the perspective of the Chinese healthcare system. Methods An economic model was built based on the model from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). The simulation was carried out initially for 100 cycles of 3 months each, starting with 10,000 patients. A discount rate of 5% was applied both for cost and utility. Quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were adopted as the utility indicator, and real-world data from the hospital information systems of 170 hospitals was collected to indicate cost. The relative incidence rates of adverse events (AEs) with imrecoxib and celecoxib were collected from randomized controlled trials. Sensitivity analysis was performed to validate the robustness of the model. Results In the base case analysis (6-month treatment duration, 55 years old and above), imrecoxib was the more cost-effective option compared to celecoxib, with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $3,041.14. This finding remained unchanged after varying the treatment duration and the age of the patients. The main drivers of the results were the relative incidence of myocardial infarction (MI), the cost of imrecoxib, and the utility of OA patients without any AEs. Probability sensitivity analysis (PSA) showed that there was a 59.02% probability of imrecoxib as the more cost-effective option, with a threshold of $30,000. Conclusions Although there were uncertainties, imrecoxib was the more cost-effective option compared to celecoxib, with a definite possibility. Due to the limitations of the original model and this study, the results of this study should be adopted with caution.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Background Antibiotic resistance (ABR) is one of the biggest threats to global health. Infections by ESKAPE (Enterococcus, S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, A. baumannii, P. aeruginosa, and E. coli) organisms are the leading cause of healthcare-acquired infections worldwide. ABR in ESKAPE organisms is usually associated with significant higher morbidity, mortality, as well as economic burden. Directing attention towards the ESKAPE organisms can help us to better combat the wide challenge of ABR, especially multi-drug resistance (MDR). Objective This study aims to systematically review and evaluate the evidence of the economic consequences of ABR or MDR ESKAPE organisms compared with susceptible cases or control patients without infection/colonization in order to determine the impact of ABR on economic burden. Methods Both English-language databases and Chinese-language databases up to 16 January, 2019 were searched to identify relevant studies assessing the economic burden of ABR. Studies reported hospital costs (charges) or antibiotic cost during the entire hospitalization and during the period before/after culture among patients with ABR or MDR ESKAPE organisms were included. The costs were converted into 2015 United States Dollars. Disagreements were resolved by a third reviewer. Results Of 13,693 studies identified, 83 eligible studies were included in our review. The most studied organism was S. aureus, followed by Enterococcus, A. baumannii, E. coli, E. coli or/and K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, and K. pneumoniae. There were 71 studies on total hospital cost or charge, 12 on antibiotic cost, 11 on hospital cost or charge after culture, 4 on ICU cost, 2 on hospital cost or charge before culture, and 2 on total direct and indirect cost. In general, ABR or MDR ESKAPE organisms are significantly associated with higher economic burden than those with susceptible organisms or those without infection or colonization. Nonetheless, there were no differences in a few studies between the two groups on total hospital cost or charge (16 studies), antibiotic cost (one study), hospital cost before culture (one study), hospital cost after culture (one study). Even, one reported that costs associated with MSSA infection were higher than the costs for similar MRSA cases. Conclusions ABR in ESKAPE organisms is not always, but usually, associated with significantly higher economic burden. The results without significant differences may lack statistical power to detect a significant association. In addition, study design which controls for severity of illness and same empirical antibiotic therapy in the two groups would be expected to bias the study towards a similar, even negative result. The review also highlights key areas where further research is needed. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13756-019-0590-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background Antibiotic resistance poses a significant threat to public health globally. Irrational utilization of antibiotics being one of the main reasons of antibiotic resistant. Children as a special group, there's more chance of getting infected. Although most of the infection is viral in etiology, antibiotics still are the most frequently prescribed medications for children. Therefore, high use of antibiotics among children raises concern about the appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing. This systematic review aims to measuring prevalence and risk factors for antibiotic utilization in children in China. Methods English and Chinese databases were searched to identify relevant studies evaluating the prevalence and risk factors for antibiotic utilization in Chinese children (0-18 years), which were published between 2010 and July 2020. A Meta-analysis of prevalence was performed using random effect model. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and modified Jadad score was used to assess risk of bias of studies. In addition, we explored the risk factors of antibiotic utilization in Chinese children using qualitative analysis. Results Of 10,075 studies identified, 98 eligible studies were included after excluded duplicated studies. A total of 79 studies reported prevalence and 42 studies reported risk factors for antibiotic utilization in children. The overall prevalence of antibiotic utilization among outpatients and inpatients were 63.8% (35 studies, 95% confidence interval (CI): 55.1-72.4%), and 81.3% (41 studies, 95% CI: 77.3-85.2%), respectively. In addition, the overall prevalence of caregiver’s self-medicating of antibiotics for children at home was 37.8% (4 studies, 95% CI: 7.9-67.6%). The high prevalence of antibiotics was associated with multiple factors, while lacking of skills and knowledge in both physicians and caregivers was the most recognized risk factor, caregivers put pressure on physicians to get antibiotics and self-medicating with antibiotics at home for children also were the main factors attributed to this issue. Conclusion The prevalence of antibiotic utilization in Chinese children is heavy both in hospitals and home. It is important for government to develop more effective strategies to improve the irrational use of antibiotic, especially in rural setting.

Background Antibiotic resistance (AR) threats public health in China. National-level estimation of economic burden of AR is lacking. We aimed to quantify the economic costs of AR in inpatients in China. Methods We performed a multicentre and retrospective cohort study including 15,990 patient episodes at four tertiary hospitals in China from 2013 to 2015 to assess the impact of AR on hospital mortality, length of stay, and costs. We estimated the societal economic burden of AR using findings from the cohort study and secondary data from national surveillance hubs and statistical reports. Results Patients with multi-drug resistant (MDR) infection or colonisation caused by Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumannii experienced higher individual patient cost ($3391, 95% uncertainty interval (UI) $3188–3594), longer hospital stay (5.48 days, 95% UI 5.10–5.87 days), and higher in-hospital mortality rates (1.50%, 95% UI 1.29–1.70%). In China, 27.45% of bacterial infection or colonisation that occurred in inpatients were resistant, of which 15.77% were MDR. A societal economic burden attributed to AR was estimated to be $77 billion in 2017, which is equivalent to 0.37% of China’s yearly gross domestic product, with $57 billion associated with MDR. Conclusions This is the first study to estimate national-level economic burden of AR in China. AR places a significant burden on patient health and healthcare systems. Estimation of economic costs of resistant infection or colonisation is the essential step towards building an economic case for global and national actions to combat AMR.

Background: Carbapenem resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA), and Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) pose significant threats to public health. However, the clinical and economic impacts of CRKP, CRPA, and CRAB remain largely uninvestigated in China. This study aimed to examine the clinical and economic burden of CRKP, CRPA, and CRAB compared with carbapenem susceptible cases in China. Method: We conducted a retrospective and multicenter study among inpatients hospitalized at four tertiary hospitals between 2013 and 2015 who had K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, and A. baumannii positive clinical samples. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to balance the impact of potential confounding variables, including age, sex, insurance, number of diagnosis, comorbidities (disease diagnosis, and Charlson comorbidity index), admission to intensive care unit, and surgeries. The main indicators included economic costs, length of stay (LOS), and mortality rate. Results: We included 12,022 inpatients infected or colonized with K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, and A. baumannii between 2013 and 2015, including 831 with CRKP and 4328 with carbapenem susceptible K. pneumoniae (CSKP), 1244 with CRPA and 2674 with carbapenem susceptible P. aeruginosa (CSPA), 1665 with CRAB and 1280 with carbapenem susceptible A. baumannii (CSAB). After PSM, 822 pairs, 1155 pairs, and 682 pairs, respectively were generated. Compared with carbapenem-susceptible cases, those with CRKP, CRPA, and CRAB were associated with statistically significantly increased total hospital cost ($14,252, p &lt, 0.0001, $4605, p &lt, $7277, p &lt, 0.0001) and excess LOS (13.2 days, p &lt, 5.4 days, p = 0.0003, 15.8 days, p = 0.0004). In addition, there were statistically significantly differences in hospital mortality rate between CRKP and CSKP, and CRAB and CSAB group (2.94%, p = 0.024, 4.03%, p = 0.03), however, the difference between CRPA and CSPA group was marginal significant (2.03%, p = 0.052). Conclusion: It highlights the clinical and economic impact of CRKP, CRPA, and CRAB to justify more resources for implementing antibiotic stewardship practices to improve clinical outcomes and to reduce economic costs.

Background Equity is the core of primary care. The issue of equity in health has become urgent, and China has attached increasing attention to it. With rapid economic development and great changes in medical insurance policy, the pattern of equity in health has changed tremendously. The reform of healthcare in Zhejiang Province is at the forefront in China, and studies on Zhejiang Province are of great significance to the entire country. This paper aimed to measure health equity from the perspectives of health needs and health-seeking behavior and to provide suggestions for the next policy formulations, with respect to timeliness. Methods The investigator’s household survey was conducted in August 2016. A sample of 1000 households, which included2807 individuals in Zhejiang, China, was obtained with the multi-stage stratified cluster sampling method. Descriptive analysis and chi-square tests were adopted in the analysis. The value of the concentration index was used to measure the equity. Results This study found that the poor have more urgent health needs and poorer health situations than the rich. Through studies on health-seeking behavior, the utilization of outpatient services was almost equitable, while the utilization of hospitalization showed a pro-rich inequity (i.e., the rich use more services). Individuals with employer-based medical insurance used more outpatient services than those with rural and urban medical insurance. More people in the poorer income groups did not use inpatient services due to financial difficulties. Conclusions Absolute medical prices and medical insurance may explain the equity in the utilization of outpatient services and the inequity in the utilization of hospitalization. In view of the pro-rich inequity of hospitalization, more financial protection should be provided for the poor.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has become a serious threat to global health. In China, the proportion of S. aureus isolates that were MRSA was 44.6% in 2014. The clinical and economic impact of MRSA in China remains largely uninvestigated. This study aims to compare the differences in hospital costs, length of hospital stay, and hospital mortality rate between MRSA and methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) colonization or infection and between MRSA cases and those without an S. aureus infection. A retrospective and multicentre study was conducted in four tertiary hospitals in China between 2013 and 2015. Inpatient characteristics and hospital costs were collected from electronic medical records. We conducted propensity score matching (PSM) to eliminate selection bias by balancing the potential confounding variables between the two groups. The main indicators included hospital costs, length of hospital stay, and hospital mortality rate. A total of 1,335 inpatients with MRSA, 1,397 with MSSA, and 33,606 without an S. aureus infection were included. PSM obtained 954 and 1,313 pairs between the MRSA and MSSA groups and between the MRSA and S. aureus-free groups, respectively. After PSM, MRSA colonization or infection is associated with an increased total hospital cost ranging from $3,220 to $9,606, an excess length of hospital stay of 6 days–14 days, and an attributable hospital mortality rate of 0–3.58%. Between the MRSA and MSSA groups, MRSA colonization or infection was significantly associated with a higher total hospital cost and longer length of hospital stay among survivors but not among non-survivors; however, there were no differences in the hospital mortality rate between these two groups. Between the MRSA and the S. aureus-free groups, MRSA colonization or infection was significantly associated with an increased total hospital cost, a prolonged length of hospital stay and a higher hospital mortality rate among both survivors and non-survivors. It is critical to quantify the clinical and economic impact of MRSA to justify resource allocation for the development of strategies to improve clinical outcomes and to reduce the economic burden.

Background The eastern and western regions of China are different in many ways such as socioeconomic characteristics and health resource distribution. This study aimed to explore the outpatient health-seeking behavior and compare the influencing factors of residents in Zhejiang and Qinghai Province, which represent the situation in eastern and western China. Thus, this research will provide evidence for health resource allocation and health reform. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample selected from 1600 households in Zhejiang and Qinghai province between 2016 to 2017 by the multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling method. Among the 4231 residents aged 15 years or older in the sample, 566 who reported ill-health were selected for data analysis. Two-week outpatient visits and choice of health institutions were used to measure residents’ outpatient health-seeking behavior and assessed using Chi-square tests. The binary logistic regression was adopted to demonstrate the association between explanatory variables and outpatient visits. Results The study revealed that out of the people who reported ill-health, 58 individuals (50.97%) in Zhejiang and 106 (41.41%) in Qinghai went to health institutions to seek medical help (p 0.05). Among these respondents, Self-report severity was the common and significant factor related to their outpatient visits and it had a greater impact on outpatient visits in Zhejiang (4.18, CI 2.23–7.83, p

Background: There are multiple antidiabetic drugs in China, which vary in efficacy and safety. However, no clinical study exists comparing all the alternative drugs simultaneously. This study aims to estimate and compare the efficacy of alternative classes of antidiabetic drugs in the regimen of monotherapy for Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Methods: Systematic literature review was conducted by retrieving databases including CNKI, WanFang, CQVIP, PubMed, Embase, Web-of-Science, ScienceDirect and Cochrane Library, to identify randomized controlled trials (1990-2016) comparing the efficacy of 'antidiabetic drug monotherapy' vs 'placebo/lifestyle intervention' in Chinese T2DM patients. Three-lines eight-classes of antidiabetic drugs were included based on Chinese guideline: 1st line drug (metformin), 2nd line drug (I±-glycosidase inhibitor, sulfonylurea, glinide, DPP-4 inhibitor, thiazolidinedione), 3rd line drug (insulin, GLP-1 receptor agonist). Meta-analyses were used to estimate the efficacy of antidiabetic drug vs placebo/lifestyle intervention. Findings: 99,072 records were identified through database search, with 46 studies finally included. Overall, compared with placebo/lifestyle intervention, metformin, 2nd line drug and 3rd line drug reduced HbA1c level by 1·04%, 0·72% and 1·22%, BMI level by 1·77kg/m2, 0·24kg/m2 and 1·14kg/m2, TC level by 0·64mmol/l, 0·10mmol/l and 0·58mmol/l, SBP level by 3·13mmHg, 1·37mmHg and 3·00mmHg; while increased HDL-C level by 0·19mmol/l, 0·09mmol/l and 0·15mmol/l, respectively. In 2nd line drugs, the top three treatments for reducing HbA1c level were sulfonylurea (WMD:-1·19;95%CI:-1·56,-0·82), α-glycosidase inhibitor (WMD:-0·90;95%CI:-1·32,-0·47), thiazolidinedione (WMD:-0·80;95%CI:-1·31,-0·29); for reducing BMI level were α-glycosidase inhibitor (WMD:-0·64;95%CI:-1·46,0·17), DPP-4 inhibitor (WMD:-0·27;95%CI:-1·12,0·57), thiazolidinedione (WMD:0·11;95%CI:-0·96,1·17); for reducing TC level were DPP-4 inhibitor (WMD:-0·18;95%CI:-0·35,-0·01), α±-glycosidase inhibitor (WMD:-0·30;95%CI:-1·28,0·68), thiazolidinedione (WMD:0·00;95%CI:-0·30,0·31); for increasing HDL-C level were thiazolidinedione (WMD:0·19;95%CI:0·12,0·26), sulfonylurea (WMD:0·02;95%CI:-0·18,0·22), DPP-4 inhibitor (WMD:0·01;95%CI:-0·05,0·06); for reducing SBP level were α-glycosidase inhibitor (WMD:-3·20;95%CI:-8·39,1·99), DPP-4 inhibitor (WMD:-1·85;95%CI:-4·17,0·47), thiazolidinedione (WMD:1·60;95%CI:-5·22,8·42). In 3rd line drugs, insulin (WMD:-2·37;95%CI:-3·79,-0·95) was superior to GLP-1 receptor agonist (WMD:-1·18;95%CI:-1·45,-0·91) in reducing HbA1c level, while no data for the comparison on other outcomes. Interpretation: Pharmacological monotherapies have better efficacy than placebo/lifestyle intervention in Chinese T2DM patients. Funding: None. Declaration of Interest: We declare no competing interests.

Background China has made great achievements in health insurance coverage and healthcare financing; however, the rate of catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) was 13.0% in China in 2008, which is higher than that in some other countries. There remain some differences in life-style, national customs, medical conditions, and health consciousness in different provinces in China. This study aimed to compare the rates of households with CHE, further to explore the different performance of factors influencing CHE between Zhejiang and Qinghai province, China. Methods Data were derived from the household surveys conducted in Zhejiang and Qinghai. Sampling on multi-stage stratified cluster random method was adopted. Household with CHE occurs when the out-of-pocket payment for health care equals to or exceeds 40% of a household’s income. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify the performance of factors of CHE. Results A total of 1598 households were included in this study, including 995 in Zhejiang and 603 in Qinghai. The average rates of CHE in Zhejiang and Qinghai were 9.6 and 30.5%, respectively. We found that economic status of households and households headed by an employed person are the protective factors for CHE; and number of members with chronic diseases and number of inpatients in household are the risk factors for CHE in the two provinces. Besides, poor/low-insured households in Zhejiang; and households having outpatients and households headed by a minority person in Qinghai are more likely to experience the risk of CHE. Conclusions This study highlights the importance of improving economic development, expanding employment, and adjusting policies to make greater efforts to protect chronic diseases patients, outpatients, and inpatients, further to reduce the risk of CHE. The Chinese government should pay more attention to the actual conditions in different provinces, further to make policy decisions according to the local knowledge.

Quantifying economic and clinical outcomes for interventions could help to reduce third-generation cephalosporin resistance and Escherichia coli or Klebsiella pneumoniae. We aimed to compare the differences in clinical and economic burden between third-generation cephalosporin-resistant E. coli (3GCREC) and third-generation cephalosporin-susceptible E. coli (3GCSEC) cases, and between third-generation cephalosporin-resistant K. pneumoniae (3GCRKP) and third-generation cephalosporin-susceptible K. pneumoniae (3GCSKP) cases. A retrospective and multicenter study was conducted. We collected data from electronic medical records for patients who had clinical samples positive for E. coli or K. pneumoniae isolates during 2013 and 2015. Propensity score matching (PSM) was conducted to minimize the impact of potential confounding variables, including age, sex, insurance, number of diagnoses, Charlson comorbidity index, admission to intensive care unit, surgery, and comorbidities. We also repeated the PSM including length of stay (LOS) before culture. The main indicators included economic costs, LOS and hospital mortality. The proportions of 3GCREC and 3GCRKP in the sampled hospitals were 44.3% and 32.5%, respectively. In the two PSM methods, 1804 pairs and 1521 pairs were generated, and 1815 pairs and 1617 pairs were obtained, respectively. Compared with susceptible cases, those with 3GCREC and 3GCRKP were associated with significantly increased total hospital cost and excess LOS. Inpatients with 3GCRKP were significantly associated with higher hospital mortality compared with 3GCSKP cases, however, there was no significant difference between 3GCREC and 3GCSEC cases. Cost reduction and outcome improvement could be achieved through a preventative approach in terms of both antimicrobial stewardship and preventing the transmission of organisms.

IntroductionThere are multiple antidiabetic drugs available in China, which vary in their efficacy and safety. However, no study exists that compares all the classes of antidiabetic drugs simultaneously. This study aimed to estimate and compare the efficacy of alternative classes of antidiabetic drugs for Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes, either in a monotherapy regimen or combined with metformin.MethodsA systematic literature review was conducted by searching various literature databases to identify relevant randomized controlled trials published from 1990 to 2016. A meta-analysis was conducted to compare the efficacy of antidiabetic drug monotherapy and placebo or lifestyle interventions (i.e., diet and exercise), and antidiabetic drug plus metformin versus metformin alone, in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes. An indirect comparison was used to estimate the efficacy of antidiabetic drug plus metformin versus placebo or lifestyle-intervention using metformin as the common comparator.ResultsThe database search identified 354 relevant studies. Compared with placebo or lifestyle interventions, combination therapies achieved greater reductions in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level (1.9% versus 0.9%), body mass index (BMI) (2.66 versus 0.98 kg/m2), and total cholesterol level (1.07 versus 0.35 mmol/L) than monotherapies. For monotherapies, the top three treatments for reducing HbA1c level were insulin, sulfonylurea, and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist. The top three monotherapies for reducing BMI level were metformin, GLP-1 receptor agonist, and α-glycosidase inhibitor. The top three monotherapies for reducing total cholesterol level were metformin, GLP-1 receptor agonist, and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor. For combination therapies, the top three treatments for reducing HbA1c level were GLP-1 receptor agonist plus metformin, insulin plus metformin, and glinide plus metformin. The top three combination therapies for reducing BMI level were glinide plus metformin, GLP-1 receptor agonist plus metformin, and DPP-4 inhibitor plus metformin. The top three combination therapies for reducing total cholesterol level were insulin plus metformin, GLP-1 receptor agonist plus metformin, and α-glycosidase inhibitor plus metformin.ConclusionsPharmacological treatments had better efficacy than placebo or lifestyle interventions, while combination drug therapies were superior to monotherapies.

Background Multiple drug resistant (MDR) intra-abdominal infections (IAIs) are associated with notable direct and societal costs. As previous studies have not considered the impact of MDR on the total medical costs (TMCs) of IAIs, the present one examines this, as well as further estimates the additional costs at a national level. Methods This is a retrospective study. Firstly, we randomly selected a sample of 40% of all inpatients discharged between 2014 and 2015 from a teaching hospital, due to limits in budget and the large number of patients. Then, we manually selected 254 patients with IAIs according to the International Classification of Disease, 10th revision, using electronic medical records. Eventually, 101 patients with IAIs (64 MDR patients and 37 non-MDR patients) were included after excluding cases without laboratory test results, any pathogens detected, or antimicrobial resistant pathogens. Univariate analysis and a generalized linear model were applied to assess the parameters associated with TMCs. Results Compared to non-MDR patients, those with MDR pathogens were significantly associated with higher TMCs, higher antimicrobial costs, higher antimicrobial usage, larger number of pathogens, and longer length of stay and were more likely to have insurance and combination antimicrobial therapy. In addition, the average TMC among patients with MDR pathogens was ¥ 131801, which is ¥ 90201 higher than those without MDR pathogens. If our results are applied to the whole country, the sum of all attributable TMCs was ¥ 37 billion. The societal costs, furthermore, were ¥111 billion in 2015. Conclusion Our results provide information that should lead to increased efforts to reduce inappropriate antimicrobial therapy, in order to decrease the emergence of MDR pathogens and to reduce their economic burden.

Antibiotic resistance (ABR) is one of the biggest threats to global health, especially in China. This study aims to analyze the published literature on the clinical and economic impact of ABR or multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria compared to susceptible bacteria or non-infection, in mainland China. English and Chinese databases were searched to identify relevant studies evaluating mortality, hospital stay, and hospital costs of ABR. A meta-analysis of mortality was performed using a random effects model. The costs were converted into 2015 United States (US) dollars. Of 13,693 studies identified, 44 eligible studies were included. Twenty-nine investigated the impact of ABR on hospital mortality, 37 were focused on hospital stay, and 21 on hospital costs. Patients with ABR were associated with a greater risk of overall mortality compared to those with susceptibility or those without infection (odds ratio: 2.67 and 3.29, 95% confidence interval: 2.18−3.26 and 1.71−6.33, p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). The extra mean total hospital stay and total hospital cost were reported, ranging from 3 to 46 days, and from US$238 to US$16,496, respectively. Our study indicates that ABR is associated with significantly higher mortality. Moreover, ABR is not always, but usually, associated with significantly longer hospital stay and higher hospital costs.

IntroductionThe aim of the study was to estimate the cost-effectiveness of esophageal cancer (EC) screening compared to non-screening in China.MethodsA Markov model was conducted that followed the history of EC. Screening strategies targeted a population aged 40-69 years, classified into six age groups. Each age group had three cohorts: screening without follow-up, screening with yearly follow-up for low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (LGIN), and non-screening. Life years (LYs) and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) presented the effectiveness and utility. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) and incremental cost-utility ratio (ICUR) were evaluating indicators. Eighteen cohorts from 100,000 hypothetical individuals were used to run the model, until aged 79 years or death. Costs were changed into USD using the purchasing power parity of 3.506 in 2017. The willingness-to-pay was set as three times the gross domestic product per capita (USD 51,340.6) in 2017. A sensitivity analysis was introduced to assess model robustness.ResultsScreening with follow-up compared to non-screening, ages 40-44, 45-49, and 50-54 years, showed cost-effectiveness, with one LY gained costing USD 6,875.0, USD 9,204.6, and USD 25,278.6, respectively. Ages 40-44 and 45-49 years explained cost-utility, with ICURs of USD 6,709.4/QALY and USD 13,991.4/QALY, respectively. Screening without follow-up compared to non-screening, ages 40-54 years, addressed cost-effectiveness, with one LY gained costing USD 6,934.8, USD 9,760.0, and USD 35,126.0 in ages 40-44, 45-49, and 50-54 years, respectively; the 40-44 years age group demonstrated cost-utility with an ICUR of USD 8,512.3/QALY. Screening with follow-up compared to screening without follow-up, all ages, explained cost-effectiveness and cost-utility. The probabilistic sensitivity analysis supported the outcome of the base cohort analysis.ConclusionsCompared to non-screening, screening with follow-up targeting ages 40-54 years was highly recommended with the ICER as the evaluated indicator, whereas it targeting ages 40-49 years was suggested with the ICUR as indicator.

Objective To estimate the long-term cost-effectiveness of dapagliflozin versus acarbose as monotherapy in treatment-naive patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in China. Methods The Cardiff Diabetes Model, an economic model designed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of comparator therapies in diabetes was used to simulate disease progression and estimate the long-term effect of treatments on patients. Systematic literature reviews, hospital surveys, meta-analysis and indirect treatment comparison were conducted to obtain model-required patient profiles, clinical data and costs. Health insurance costs (2015¥) were estimated over 40 years from a healthcare payer perspective. Univariate and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed. Results The model predicted that dapagliflozin had lower incidences of cardiovascular events, hypoglycemia and mortality events, was associated with a mean incremental benefit of 0.25 quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and with a lower cost of ¥8,439 compared with acarbose. This resulted in a cost saving of ¥33,786 per QALY gained with dapagliflozin. Sensitivity analyses determined that the results are robust. Conclusion Dapagliflozin is dominant compared with acarbose as monotherapy for Chinese T2DM patients, with a little QALY gain and lower costs. Dapagliflozin offers a well-tolerated and cost-effective alternative medication for treatment-naive patients in China, and may have a direct impact in reducing the disease burden of T2DM.

INTRODUCTION:Multiple drug resistance (MDR) intra-abdominal infections (IAIs) are associated with noteworthy direct and societal costs. Compared to previous studies, the present one takes both resistance rate and total medical costs (TMCs) into consideration, focusing on the impact of MDR on TMCs in IAIs, as well as further estimating the additional costs at a national level.METHODS:All inpatients discharged between 1 January 2014, and 31 December 2015 from a teaching hospital were included. Due to limits in budget and the large number of inpatients, the randombetween (bottom, top) function was applied to randomly select 40 percent of patients per year. Subsequently, we manually screened out 254 patients with IAIs, according to the International Classification of Disease (tenth revision) and electronic medical records. Eventually, 101 IAIs patients were included, in which 37 were infected by non-MDR bacteria and 64 by MDR bacteria. The Kruskal-wallis non-parametric test and multiple linear regression were employed to analyze the effect of single and multiple variables on TMCs.RESULTS:Compared to patients with non-MDR infections, those with MDR were associated with significantly higher TMCs, higher antimicrobial costs, increased insurance, combination antimicrobial therapy, higher usage of antimicrobial agents, greater number of pathogens, longer length of stay, and longer intensive care unit stays. In addition, the average TMCs among patients with MDR were CNY131,801.17 (1USD was equal to CNY 6.227 in 2015), which were CNY 90,200.99 higher than those with non-MDR infections. If our results are generalizable to the whole country, the total attributable TMCs are estimated to be CNY37.06 billion, and the societal costs of CNY111.18 billion in 2015.CONCLUSIONS:This real-world data analysis demonstrated the significant excessive burden MDR infections are posing to the current Chinese healthcare system in terms of both TMCs and healthcare resource utilization. Enhanced antimicrobial stewardship in China is necessary to curb the distribution of MDR bacteria.