Delineating Care Recipient Burden Constructs: Development and Validation of the CARE-2B Scale for Care Recipient Self-Perceived Burden and Proxy Assessment of Caregiver Burden.

Background And Objectives: Care Recipient Self-Perceived Burden (CR-SPB) to Caregivers is an important but overlooked aspect within the caregiver-care recipient relationship. This study aimed to 1) develop and validate the CARE-2B (Care Recipient's Two Burden) Scale, assessing both CR-SPB and their proxy assessment of caregiver burden (Proxy-CB); 2) examine whether the CR-SPB and Proxy-CB differ from caregiver burden's own assessment and other health and social care constructs.

Research Design And Methods: Data were collected from 504 caregiver-care recipient dyads in the US using an online panel between August 2022 and February 2023.

Understanding caregiver burden from multiple perspectives: dyadic agreement between caregiver and care recipient.

Purpose: Caregiver burden (CB) is typically self-assessed by caregivers. However, an emerging concept is assessment of CB by the recipients of care, i.e.

Comparison of the EQ-HWB and EQ-HWB-S With Other Preference-Based Measures Among United States Informal Caregivers.

Objectives: Several measures have been used or developed to capture the health and well-being of caregivers, including the EQ Health and Well-being (EQ-HWB) and its short form, EQ-HWB-S. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties and construct validity of the EQ-HWB/EQ-HWB-S in a US caregiver population.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted involving 504 caregivers.

Major Cardiovascular Events in Patients with Gout and Associated Cardiovascular Disease or Heart Failure and Chronic Kidney Disease Initiating a Xanthine Oxidase Inhibitor.

Background: Several observational studies and meta-analyses have suggested that treating hyperuricemia in patients with gout and moderate or severe chronic kidney disease (CKD) may improve renal and cardiovascular (CV) outcomes.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of initiating allopurinol or febuxostat treatment on major CV events in patients with gout, preexisting CV disease (CVD) or heart failure (HF), and stage 3 or 4 CKD in a real-world setting.

Methods: Patients with gout (aged >18 years) who initiated allopurinol or febuxostat treatment between 2009 and 2013 after a diagnosis of stage 3 or 4 CKD and CVD-including coronary artery disease (CAD), cerebrovascular disease, and peripheral vascular disease (PVD)-or HF were selected from the MarketScan databases.

Cost Comparison of Urate-Lowering Therapies in Patients with Gout and Moderate-to-Severe Chronic Kidney Disease.

Background: Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at increased risk for developing gout and having refractory disease. Gout flare prevention relies heavily on urate-lowering therapies such as allopurinol and febuxostat, but clinical decision making in patients with moderate-to-severe CKD is complicated by significant comorbidity and the scarcity of real-world cost-effectiveness studies.

Objective: To compare total and disease-specific health care expenditures by line of therapy in allopurinol and febuxostat initiators after diagnosis with gout and moderate-to-severe CKD.

A retrospective, observational study of patient outcomes for critically ill patients receiving parenteral nutrition.

Objective: To evaluate health care-related utilization for critically ill patients receiving parenteral nutrition (PN) administered via a premixed multichamber bag (MCB) or compounded solutions (COM).

Design: A retrospective database analysis of critically ill patients (intensive care unit stay ≥ 3 days) receiving PN and discharged between January 1, 2010, and June 30, 2011, using the Premier Hospital Database. Patients were identified as receiving MCB or COM on the basis of product description codes.

Parenteral nutrition prescribing pattern: a medical chart review of 191 preterm infants.

Background: In 2005, the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism released guidelines for the use of pediatric parenteral nutrition (PN). The purpose of this study was to compare PN prescribing patterns in preterm infants with current guideline recommendations.

Materials And Methods: Six neonatologists in Germany conducted observational, retrospective medical chart reviews on preterm infants <28 days postnatal, hospitalized from October 2009 to April 2011.

Bloodstream infections in patients receiving manufactured parenteral nutrition with vs without lipids: is the use of lipids really deleterious?

Background: This study compared overall bacterial and bloodstream infection rates in patients receiving premixed parenteral nutrition (PN) with vs without lipid emulsion.

Methods: Data from hospitalized patients who were ≥18 years of age and receiving premixed PN between 2005 and 2007 were extracted from the Premier Perspective database. Data were categorized into 2 groups: patients who received premixed PN only and those receiving premixed PN with lipids.

Bloodstream infections associated with parenteral nutrition preparation methods in the United States: a retrospective, large database analysis.

Background: The incidence of bloodstream infection (BSI) among patients receiving parenteral nutrition (PN) is reported to vary widely from 1.3%-39%. BSI rates in a large inpatient population were compared in this study to determine if PN prepared by different methods was associated with BSI.

Nutrition therapy cost analysis in the US: pre-mixed multi-chamber bag vs compounded parenteral nutrition.

Background: Bloodstream infections (BSI) occur in up to 350 000 inpatient admissions each year in the US, with BSI rates among patients receiving parenteral nutrition (PN) varying from 1.3% to 39%. BSI-attributable costs were estimated to approximate $US12 000 per episode in 2000.

Methods to identify and compare parenteral nutrition administered from hospital-compounded and premixed multichamber bags in a retrospective hospital claims database.

Purpose: Use of parenteral nutrition (PN) is indicated for patients who are unable to meet their needs enterally. PN may be administered via custom-compounded mix or commercially available ready-to-use multichamber bags (MCB), but little is known about potential differences in clinical outcomes between these delivery systems. This study was undertaken to assess the feasibility of comparing custom-compounded and MCB PN in a large hospital claims database.

Variation in antibiotic treatment for diabetic patients with serious foot infections: a retrospective observational study.

Background: Diabetic foot infections are common, serious, and diverse. There is uncertainty about optimal antibiotic treatment, and probably substantial variation in practice. Our aim was to document whether this is the case: A finding that would raise questions about the comparative cost-effectiveness of different regimens and also open the possibility of examining costs and outcomes to determine which should be preferred.

Impact of surgical site infections on length of stay and costs in selected colorectal procedures.

Background: Length of stay (LOS) and inpatient costs for open-abdomen colorectal procedures have not been examined recently. The aim of this study was to determine LOS and costs for several colorectal procedures in the context of factors potentially associated with surgical site infection (SSI).

Methods: We used a large U.

Burden of illness associated with lower urinary tract symptoms including overactive bladder/urinary incontinence.

Objectives: To determine the effect of lower urinary tract symptoms, including overactive bladder/urinary incontinence, on health outcomes.

Methods: Data were obtained from the 2006 U.S.

Comparative costs of ertapenem and cefotetan as prophylaxis for elective colorectal surgery.

Background And Purpose: The costs of treating surgical site infections can be considerable. There is a cost associated with the prophylactic use of antibiotics; however, the use of prophylactic agents may reduce infection rates and lengths of stay, thus offsetting the overall treatment cost and potentially generating cost savings to hospitals. This project was intended to determine the potential cost impact of using ertapenem 1 g vs.

Defining success in diabetes disease management: digging deeper in the data.

We evaluated the effectiveness of a diabetes life coach program designed to address the concerns of limited coordination and collaboration of care for chronically ill patients in the physician office. The program emphasized lipid, blood pressure, and glycemic control, using personal coaching, group classes, reminders, and customized feedback. The target population was all health plan members over age 18 with type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus in 6 primary care practice sites in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia.

Cost analysis of five antimicrobial regimens for the treatment of intra-abdominal infection.

Background: Cost of treatment is an important consideration in antimicrobial agent selection for intra-abdominal infection. We analyzed the relation between the total cost of inpatient stay and the initial selection of antimicrobial agent.

Methods: Actual costs of inpatient care were calculated for 1,234 patients treated at 22 hospitals with one of five antimicrobial regimens: Ampicillin/sulbactam (n = 428), ertapenem (n = 143), ceftriaxone (n = 101), levofloxacin (n = 245), or piperacillin/tazobactam (n = 317) for intra-abdominal infections.

High- versus low-dose fluconazole therapy for empiric treatment of suspected invasive candidiasis among high-risk patients in the intensive care unit: a cost-effectiveness analysis.

Background: High-dose fluconazole is an alternative for patients with candidemia caused by Candida glabrata or other Candida species with decreased fluconazole susceptibility. However, empiric high-dose fluconazole is not currently recommended and may result in higher drug costs and toxicity.

Objective: To determine the cost-effectiveness of using empiric high-dose fluconazole in intensive care unit (ICU) with suspected invasive candidiasis.

Comparative costs of ertapenem and piperacillin-tazobactam in the treatment of diabetic foot infections.

Purpose: To evaluate potential cost savings, trial data were used to determine the clinical outcomes for i.v. ertapenem given once daily and i.

Economic analysis of inadequate fluconazole therapy in non-neutropenic patients with candidaemia: a multi-institutional study.

Mortality significantly increases in patients with candidaemia who receive inappropriate fluconazole therapy. The goals of this study were to compare hospital length of stay and costs for non-neutropenic patients with candidaemia treated with fluconazole based on the empirical dose and time until initiation of therapy. A retrospective cohort study was conducted of patients with candidaemia who were prescribed fluconazole at the onset of candidaemia or later.

Inadequacy of fluconazole dosing in patients with candidemia based on Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) guidelines.

Introduction: Based on Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) guidelines, inappropriate fluconazole therapy in patients with candidemia is defined as an empiric dose <6 mg/kg/d, <12 mg/kg/d after Candida glabrata identification, or continued fluconazole use after identification of Candida krusei. However, the extent to which inappropriate antifungal therapy is due to improper dosing or drug selection has not been well investigated. The objectives of this study were to assess the incidence of inappropriate fluconazole therapy in patients with candidemia and to identify variables associated with inappropriate therapy.

Association of fluconazole area under the concentration-time curve/MIC and dose/MIC ratios with mortality in nonneutropenic patients with candidemia.

The present study tested in vitro susceptibility of Candida bloodstream isolates to fluconazole to determine if the ratio of the fluconazole area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) or weight-normalized daily dose (dose(wn)) to MIC correlated with mortality. Fluconazole susceptibility and outcome data were determined for 77 patients with a positive Candida blood culture between 2002 and 2005. The most commonly isolated Candida species were C.

Adherence to infectious diseases society of America guidelines for empiric therapy for patients with community-acquired pneumonia in a commercially insured cohort.

Background: There is little published research addressing how the 2003 Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) guidelines for empiric therapy of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) are implemented in clinical practice.

Objective: This study was designed to describe antibiotic treatment patterns among patients with CAP treated in ambulatory settings in light of the IDSA guidelines.

Methods: Health insurance claims data from a large managed care organization with -30 million enrollees located in geographically diverse regions of the United States were analyzed.