Reducing the Travel Burden for Patients to Access Specialized Medicines in Paraná, Brazil.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the potential reduction in distance and travel time with a hypothetical municipal distribution of specialized component medicines in the state of Paraná.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Distances and travel times from all the 1025 residential locations in the state of Paraná to dispensing pharmacies were calculated in 2 different models: centralized model with drugs dispensed in the 22 state-owned pharmacies and decentralized model with drugs dispensed in the 399 municipal pharmacies.

Increased COVID-19 mortality in patients with schizophrenia: A retrospective study in Brazil.

The risk that COVID-19 poses for mortality risk in individuals with schizophrenia in low- and middle-income countries has only been the subject of a few studies. In this retrospective study, we examined the standardized mortality ratio (SMR), by age group and sex, in a cohort of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (n = 20,417), with second-generation antipsychotics, in a South Brazilian State database (Paraná-Brazil). We performed a linkage with the Brazilian Mortality Information System database between 2020 and 2021.

[Variability in Drug Procurement within Group 1B of the Pharmaceutical Specialized Scheme in Brazil].

In the Brazilian Health System (SUS), drugs covered by the Specialized Pharmaceutical Scheme (CEAF) receive federal funding and can be procured either centrally (Group 1A) or by individual states (Federal Units - UF) (Group 1B). Unlike other countries where national procurement prices are negotiated centrally by the government, public procurement in Brazil follows a public auction procedure, potentially resulting in varying purchase prices. To facilitate price comparisons, it is a legal requirement to register public acquisitions in the Health Prices Registry (BPS).

Cost of Illness in Patients With COVID-19 Admitted in Three Brazilian Public Hospitals.

Objectives: The severity and transmissibility of COVID-19 justifies the need to identify the factors associated with its cost of illness (CoI). This study aimed to identify CoI, cost predictors, and cost drivers in the management of patients with COVID-19 from hospital and Brazil's Public Health System (SUS) perspectives.

Methods: This is a multicenter study that evaluated the CoI in patients diagnosed of COVID-19 who reached hospital discharge or died before being discharged between March and September 2020.

[Economic evaluation of pharmacotherapeutic follow-up in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in community pharmacies].

Objective: Assess economics results of Pharmacotherapeutic Follow-up (PF) in patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 in community pharmacies from additional Health system.

Methods: In a prospective clinic study, 161 patients were divided into two groups, of which only one group received PF for 12 months. From the results, we calculated data of effectiveness and costs.

[Patient satisfaction with pharmacy services: translation and validation of the Pharmacy Services Questionnaire for Brazil].

The aim of this study was to translate into Portuguese and validate the Pharmacy Services Questionnaire (PSQ). The instrument includes 20 questions that measure user satisfaction with pharmacy services, and is organized according to two factors. It uses a Likert scale of answers from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent).

[Translation to portuguese and validation of the Diabetes Quality Of Life Measure (DQOL-Brazil)].

Objective: To evaluate the psychometric properties of Brazilian version of Diabetes Quality of Life measure (DQoL-Brazil).

Methods: The DQOL was translate to Portuguese, following a recommended protocol, and applied to 121 subjects (56.2% females) with average diagnostic to type 2 diabetes of 8.

Validation of the short form of the Spanish hypertension quality of life questionnaire (MINICHAL) for Portuguese (Brazil).

Background: The assessment of quality of life has been considered an essential parameter in understanding the impact of arterial hypertension.

Objective: To translate into portuguese, cross-culturally adapt and validate the questionnaire specific for the assessment of quality of life known as "Mini Cuestionario de Calidad de Vida en Hipertensión Arterial" (MINICHAL).

Methods: Two independent translations of MINICHAL were made into brazilian portuguese.