An Exploratory Study of Physician Decision-Making When Treating Uncontrolled COPD.

Purpose: Current guidelines recommend triple therapy maintenance inhalers for patients with recurrent exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); however, these maintenance therapies are underutilized. This study aimed to understand how physicians make COPD treatment decisions, and how combination maintenance therapies are utilized in a real-world setting.

Patients And Methods: This exploratory, hypothesis-generating, non-interventional study used a cross-sectional online survey that was administered to a sample of practicing physicians in the United States.

Incidence and Burden of Pertussis Among Infants Less Than 1 Year of Age.

Background: Infant-specific pertussis data, especially among neonates, are limited and variable. This study (NCT01890850) provides overall and age-specific pertussis incidence and associated health care utilization and costs among commercially insured infants in the US.

Methods: Nearly 1.

Impact of the 2002 American society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology guidelines on cervical cancer diagnosis in a geographically diverse population of commercially insured women, 1999-2004.

Objective: To report the impact of the release of the 2002 American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology guidelines on the management of abnormal cytological findings on time to diagnosis of cervical cancer in an insured population.

Methods: This retrospective study identified women with cervical cancer (invasive and carcinoma in situ) through commercially insured administrative claims data. The cervical cancer case definition required a claim for cervical cancer and a claim with a diagnostic procedure (colposcopy, conization, biopsy, or hysterectomy).

Timing of colposcopy after cervical cytologic abnormalities.

Objective: To examine the length of time from Pap test (index Pap) screening to follow-up colposcopy for women with abnormal Pap test results of low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL); atypical squamous cells, cannot exclude high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (ASC-H); or high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL).

Methods: We identified 4,824 women aged 18 to 64 years with the index Pap test results of LSIL, HSIL, or ASC-H from health insurance claims in a large U.S.

Documented tuberculin skin testing among infliximab users following a multi-modal risk communication interventions.

Purpose: Following its licensure, tuberculosis (TB) was reported as a potential adverse effect of infliximab. Subsequently, the product circular was changed to recommend tuberculin skin testing before patients received infliximab, which was reinforced by several risk communication efforts. The aim of this study was to evaluate patterns and predictors of documented tuberculin skin testing in patients before and after manufacturer, federal, and academic risk communications.