Cost and reimbursement analysis of end-of-life cancer inpatients. The case of the Greek public healthcare sector.

Background: While hospital-based Palliative Care services are usually covered through the main funding healthcare framework, traditional reimbursement methods have been criticized for their appropriateness. The present study investigates for the first time the case of treating end-of-life cancer patients in a Greek public hospital in terms of cost and reimbursement.

Methods: This retrospective observational study used health administrative data of 135 deceased cancer patients who were hospitalized in the end of their lives.

Scales for assessing medication adherence in patients with hypertension.

Background: the choice of the appropriate tool for assessing level of medication adherence is a significant barrier in scientific research.

Aims: to translate into Greek and test the reliability of the Hill-Bone and A-14 scales among patients with hypertension. Also, to compare patients' responses in the Hill-Bone scale, A-14 scale and Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS).

Necessity of the Periodical Ultrasound Assessment of the Peripheral Venous System in Intensive Care Unit Patients.

The utility of periodic sonographic assessment and monitoring for early diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in patients hospitalized in intensive care units (ICUs) was investigated. Of 314 patients hospitalized in an ICU over a 24-mo period, 248 were examined. The first examination of the patients was carried out within the first 48 h of ICU admission, and weekly examination followed until discharge.

A novel mortality prediction model for the current population in an adult intensive care unit.

Background: The accurate and reliable mortality prediction is very useful, in critical care medicine. There are various new variables proposed in the literature that could potentially increase the predictive ability for death in ICU of the new predictive scoring model.

Objective: To develop and validate a new intensive care unit (ICU) mortality prediction model, using data that are routinely collected during the first 24 h of ICU admission, and compare its performance to the most widely used conventional scoring systems.

Clinical factors affecting costs in patients receiving systemic antifungal therapy in intensive care units in Greece: Results from the ESTIMATOR study.

Unlabelled: Invasive fungal infections are common in intensive care units (ICUs) but there is a great variability in factors affecting costs of different antifungal treatment strategies in clinical practice. To determine factors affecting treatment cost in adult ICU patients with or without documented invasive fungal infection receiving systemic antifungal therapy (SAT) we have performed a prospective, multicentre, observational study enrolling patients receiving SAT in participating ICUs in Greece. During the study period, 155 patients received SAT at 14 participating ICUs: 37 (23.