Risk of Cardiovascular Events and Medical Cost of Dapagliflozin and Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitors.

This study compared dapagliflozin, a sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitor, and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i) with regard to cardiovascular (CV) event incidence and direct medical costs during type 2 diabetes treatment. A retrospective cohort study was conducted using national health insurance claims data from September 1, 2014, to June 30, 2018, of patients in Korea. Patients who were prescribed dapagliflozin and DPP-4i for the first time were included.

Correction to: Gap between patient expectation and perception during pharmacist-patient communication at community pharmacy.

In the original publication of the article the order of authors has been interchanged and now the same has been provided correctly in this correction.

Association between proton pump inhibitor use and risk of fracture: A population-based case-control study.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to reconfirm the association between the risk of fracture and proton pump inhibitor use and to establish evidence for defining a high-risk group of patients among proton pump inhibitor users.

Methods: A nested case-control study was performed using data from the National Health Insurance Sharing Service database from the period January 2007 to December 2017. The study population included elderly women aged ≥65 years with claims for peptic ulcer or gastro-esophageal reflux disease.

Comparison of heart failure risk and medical costs between patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus treated with dapagliflozin and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors: a nationwide population-based cohort study.

Background: Dapagliflozin is one of the novel glucose-lowering agents, which has recently been reported to reduce the risk of hospitalization for heart failure (hHF). The present study aimed to compare the differences between the risk of hHF after using dapagliflozin and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i) as second-line drugs for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus using the latest nationwide population data in Korea. Additionally, we aimed to examine the impact of clinical outcomes on direct medical costs in the two groups.

Gap between patient expectation and perception during pharmacist-patient communication at community pharmacy.

Background Assessing and satisfying patient expectation are essential in successful patient-centered communication. Recognizing the gap between patient expectation and perception during pharmacist-patient communication can help to identify communication problems and suggest ways to improve communication. Objective To evaluate the gap between patient expectation and perception of sharing information and communications skills during pharmacist-patient communication.

Assessment of a medication management program targeting hypertension and diabetes patients: Impact on medication adherence.

Background: The National Health Insurance Service in South Korea has conducted a telephone outreach program to improve medication adherence for hypertension and diabetes patients since 2014.

Objectives: To evaluate the direct outcomes of the program.

Methods: Patients were identified among those who visited an outpatient clinic at least twice or used an inpatient service at least once for hypertension or diabetes during 6-month intervals and who were nonadherent based on the proportion of days covered (PDC) calculated.

Real-world prescribing and switching patterns of non-calcium containing phosphate binders in dialysis patients in South Korea .

Objective: Non-calcium containing phosphate binders (non-CPBs) are useful for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia without a concern of hypercalcemia in patients undergoing dialysis. However, due to their relatively high cost, prescribing non-CPBs is restricted in South Korea. This study was conducted to investigate prescribing patterns, especially switching between CPBs and non-CPBs, in dialysis patients in a real-world setting.

A Real-World Analysis of Prescribing Patterns and Non-persistence of Anti-TNFα Therapy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Background And Objectives: Anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNFα) therapy is key to the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). The objective of this study was to investigate prescribing patterns and non-persistence of anti-TNFα therapy for the treatment of IBD in a real-world scenario.

Methods: Data from the Korean National Health Insurance claims database obtained between 2010 and 2014 were evaluated to identify patients with IBD who had received anti-TNFα therapy (infliximab or adalimumab).

The Association between Polypharmacy and Hip Fracture in Osteoporotic Women: A Nested Case-Control Study in South Korea.

Background And Objective: Polypharmacy, regarded as an indicator of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs), may lead to a higher risk of serious health consequences in elderly patients with osteoporosis. Thus, this study aimed to analyze the association between polypharmacy and hip fracture in patients with osteoporosis because only a limited number of studies have reported on this association, with inconsistent results to date.

Methods: In this nested case-control study using a population-based sample cohort, the target cases were female patients with hip fracture diagnosed with osteoporosis and aged ≥ 50 years.

Association of Parkinsonism or Parkinson Disease with Polypharmacy in the Year Preceding Diagnosis: A Nested Case-Control Study in South Korea.

Introduction: Published studies on the association between polypharmacy and parkinsonism or Parkinson disease are very limited.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate whether polypharmacy is associated with parkinsonism or Parkinson disease in elderly patients.

Methods: From a South Korean national health insurance sample cohort database for 2002-2013, we matched parkinsonism cases (defined by diagnosis codes for parkinsonism/Parkinson disease) and Parkinson disease cases (patients who had records for both Parkinson disease diagnosis and anti-Parkinson disease drug prescriptions) with controls.

A national pharmacoepidemiological study of antibiotic use in Korean paediatric outpatients.

Background: Information on the use of antibiotics in Eastern Asian children is limited. The objectives of this study were to evaluate in Korean paediatric outpatients (1) the nationwide pattern of prescribing antibiotics according to age group and medical institution and (2) the adherence of antibiotic use for acute respiratory tract infections to both national guidelines and European antibiotic prescribing quality indicators.

Method: This population-based study used the national insurance reimbursement database for 2011.

The Association between Polypharmacy and Dementia: A Nested Case-Control Study Based on a 12-Year Longitudinal Cohort Database in South Korea.

Dementia is a major concern among growing chronic diseases in the aging society and its association with polypharmacy has not been adequately assessed. The objective of this study was to determine the association between polypharmacy and dementia through multiple statistical approaches. We conducted a nested case-control study for newly diagnosed dementia cases using the South Korean National Health Insurance Service sample cohort database (2002-2013, n = 1,025,340).

Health Behaviors and Medication Adherence in Elderly Patients.

Purpose: To explore the relationships of selected health behaviors to medication adherence.

Design: A retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Data from Korean national health insurance claims between January 2010 and June 2011.

Prescribed drugs and polypharmacy in healthcare service users in South Korea: an analysis based on National Health Insurance Claims data.

Objective: This study was conducted to analyze and compare the exposure to individually prescribed drugs and the prevalence of polypharmacy according to age group and concomitant disease in South Korea.

Methods: The use of prescribed drugs was evaluated according to average numbers of prescription drugs used daily during a year or month, using the Korean Health Insurance Claims Database, which is representative of over 90% of citizens, in 2010 and 2011. The use of prescribed drugs was also analyzed according to concomitant diseases and age.

Oral Bisphosphonates and Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer Risks in Asians with Osteoporosis: A Nested Case-Control Study Using National Retrospective Cohort Sample Data from Korea.

Background: Bisphosphonate can irritate the gastrointestinal mucosa and increase the risk of esophageal or gastric cancer. The relatively high prevalence of upper gastrointestinal cancers and the widespread use of bisphosphonate in Korea call for further investigation. We conducted a case-control study to evaluate the risk of esophageal or gastric cancer after exposure to oral bisphosphonates in Korean patients with osteoporosis.

Cost-effectiveness of Bedaquiline for the Treatment of Multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis in the Republic of Korea.

Purpose: Bedaquiline is a new drug used for the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of adding bedaquiline to a standard regimen (SR) for treating patients with MDR-TB, including extensively drug-resistant (XDR)-TB, in the Republic of Korea.

Methods: A cohort-based decision-analytic model developed in a previously published study from the United Kingdom was used, with a 20-year time horizon and a 5% discount rate for cost and effectiveness, to evaluate the incremental cost-effectiveness ratios of bedaquiline + SR and SR only.

Patient response to insurer-led intervention for medication adherence - a pilot study based on claims data in Korea.

Objective: This study was designed to investigate patient responses to a medication counseling intervention program piloted by the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS), the national health insurer in Korea, to improve medication management in patients with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, or diabetes.

Methods And Materials: Interventions were conducted from July to September 2013 through direct mailing followed by two telephone-initiated counseling sessions for the medication discontinuation group (< 80% medication possession ratio (MPR) and ≥ 2 months of discontinuation) and the medication over-possession group (≥ 150% MPR). The telephone intervention was applied through two models: model 1 (counseling by NHIS staff only) and model 2 (counseling by NHIS staff with contract-based working pharmacists in community pharmacies).

Evidence supporting the need for considering the effects of smoking on drug disposition and effectiveness in medication practices: a systematic narrative review.

This study was conducted to provide a narrative overview of interactions between smoking and drug effectiveness/ pharmacokinetics. Database searches were performed to identify review articles published prior to March 10, 2013. Eligible articles reporting altered pharmacokinetic profiles, drug response, or adverse drug effects due to drug-smoking interactions were selected.

Living arrangements, chronic diseases, and prescription drug expenditures among Korean elderly: vulnerability to potential medication underuse.

Background: Insufficient social security combined with family structure changes has resulted in a poverty of the elderly. The objective of this study was to examine an association of living arrangements of the elderly with chronic disease prevalence and prescription drug use.

Methods: 2008 Korea Health Panel Survey (KHPS) data were used in this study.

Cost-utility of ferric carboxymaltose (Ferinject®) for iron-deficiency anemia patients with chronic heart failure in South Korea.

Background: Iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) is prevalent in patients with advanced chronic heart failure (CHF). It affects the patients' overall physical condition and is suggested as a strong outcome predictor in CHF. Recent clinical trials suggested that intravenous iron supplementation improves CHF functional status and quality of life.

Implications of using Cockcroft-Gault and Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study equations to estimate renal function in ethnic Korean patients.

Purpose: Variations in renal function calculations performed with different estimating equations were investigated using data on a large nationally representative sample of Korean adults.

Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional, population-based analysis was conducted using 2007-09 data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Estimated creatinine clearance (CIcr) values for the study sample (n = 16,002) were calculated using the Cockcroft-Gault (CG) formula, and glomerular filtration rate estimates were performed using the four-variable Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) Study equation, with normalization of values for body surface area.

Patient factors affecting frequent potential unnecessary injection use in outpatient care setting.

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of potential unnecessary injection (PUNI) and to identify factors associated with frequent PUNI uses. Population-based National Health Insurance claims data for outpatient health care settings during the six month period from July to December 2011 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients aged 18-80 without severe diseases and visited healthcare centers more than 25 times during study period were included.

What are the patient factors affecting repetitive use of injectable pain relievers in outpatient care settings?

Targeting repeated injection users with education interventions aimed at highlighting the extent of their current use and increasing awareness of the oral preparation options may reduce unnecessary injection use. The aim of this retrospective observational study was to investigate the patient factors related to repeated use of injection formulation analgesics in patients with musculoskeletal disorders who were frequent users of ambulatory healthcare services. Population-based national health insurance claims data for the time period July 2011 - December 2011 were analyzed.

Temporal decrease in overall antibiotic consumption accompanying antibiotic prescribing rate disclosure policy: evidence from analysis of national health insurance claims data in South Korea.

The health insurance review and assessment services, responsible for the assessment of quality and quantity of healthcare providers' services, implemented a public disclosure policy for antibiotic prescribing rate in February 2006. The aim of this study was to investigate changes of overall antibiotic consumption following the policy by analysing national healthcare utilization data from 2005 to 2009. Prescription information of systemic antibiotics excluding antifungals and topical antibiotics was retrospectively collected from the population-based health insurance claims sample data for the five years from 2005 to 2009.

Higher systemic antibiotic consumption in a population of South Korea (2008 - 2009).

This study was conducted to investigate overall systemic antibiotic consumption levels and specific patterns using standardized Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical/Defined Daily Dose (ATC/DDD) methodology. National Health Insurance claims data during 2008 and 2009 was used. Antibiotic prescription data was classified using the ATC system and converted into DDD.