Publications by authors named "P A Kearney"

Purpose: Uncontrolled hypertension causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Several prescribing guidelines have been created to address this, however, prescriber adherence to guidelines is influenced by various sociodemographic patient factors. This study aims to determine the effects of these patient factors on prescriber adherence to antihypertensive prescription guidelines.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the effectiveness of a prior approval policy for reimbursement of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in Ireland, aiming to manage costs while ensuring oversight of medicines.
  • Utilizing data from the Irish Health Service Executive, the research compares the prescribing frequencies and costs of DOACs and warfarin from 2018 to 2021, analyzing changes after the removal of approval requirements.
  • Results reveal an overall increase in OAC prescriptions by nearly 20%, but the removal of prior approval had only a minimal impact on the prescribing trends for DOACs, highlighting the need for careful policy considerations in future healthcare decisions.
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Introduction: Diabetes is one of the leading causes of chronic kidney disease. Social deprivation is recognised as a risk factor for complications of diabetes, including diabetic kidney disease. The effect of deprivation on rate of decline in renal function has not been explored in the Irish Health System to date.

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Background: Biological maturity and relative age player selection biases are well documented in youth sports. However, there has been limited examination of the relationship between these biases.

Aim: This study investigated the presence, strength, and independence of relative age and biological maturity selection biases in Gaelic football.

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Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF), a common, frequently asymptomatic cardiac arrhythmia, is a major risk factor for stroke. Identification of AF enables effective preventive treatment to be offered, potentially reducing stroke risk by up to two-thirds. There is international consensus that opportunistic AF screening is valuable though uncertainty remains about the optimum screening location and method.

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