Birth preparedness, complication readiness and associated factors among pregnant women attending public health facilities in Chelia District, Central Ethiopia (2022): a cross-sectional study

Background
Birth preparedness and complication readiness (BPCR) are essential components of maternal health that encourage proactive planning and decision-making during pregnancy and childbirth. However, there is limited information available regarding the status of BPCR, particularly in our study area. Therefore, this study aimed to assess birth preparedness, complication readiness and associated factors among pregnant women attending public health facilities in the Chelia District.

Methods
A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 410 pregnant women at public health facilities, using a systematic random sampling method. Descriptive statistics, such as frequencies, and summary statistics were calculated for the relevant variables. Bivariate and multivariate binary logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between dependent and independent variables. The strength of the association was measured using an OR with a 95% CI. Statistical significance was determined at a p value of 0.05.

Results
A total of 406 mothers participated in the study, resulting in a 99% response rate. The study found that 245 (60.3%) respondents were well-prepared for birth and complication readiness. Several factors such as: family size (adjusted odds ratios (AOR)=0.18; 95% CI (0.09 to 0.35)), decision-making with husbands (AOR=2.43, 95% CI (1.44 to 3.32)), parity (AOR=0.32; 95% CI (0.16 to 0.62)), lack of awareness about birth preparedness (AOR=0.30; 95% CI (0.16 to 0.57)), not knowing about the existence of a waiting home (AOR=0.31; 95% CI (0.19 to 0.48)) and not participating in a pregnant women’s conference (AOR=0.50; 95% CI (0.32 to 0.79)) were significantly associated with BPCR.

Conclusion
The study found that the level of BPCR is low in the study area. Family size, decision-making with husbands, awareness of maternity waiting homes, participation in pregnant women’s conferences, knowledge about BPCR and parity were significantly associated with BPCR. Therefore, strengthening pregnant women’s conferences, encouraging husband involvement in decision-making and ensuring maternity waiting homes at health facilities are important.

Leggi
Novembre 2024

Research and development investment of Chinese chemical pharmaceutical companies under the national pooled procurement: a retrospective panel data analysis, 2013-2022

Objective
To generate evidence about changes in the research and development (R&D) investment of Chinese chemical pharmaceutical companies before and after the implementation of the national pooled procurement, to respond to the concerns that significant price reductions might negatively affect R&D investment, and to facilitate the evidence-based decision-making for improvement of the national pooled procurement.

Methods
This retrospective study employed the fixed-effects models with robust SEs to analyse the changes in R&D investment intensities of 76 A-share listed Chinese chemical pharmaceutical companies before and after the procurement implementation in 2019. The analyses were based on a panel data set between 2013 and 2022. Subgroup analyses were conducted to account for the heterogeneity of the target companies. The bootstrap hypothesis test method was employed to assess potential variations across the different subgroups.

Results
Following the procurement implementation, the R&D investment intensity (RDI) of the target companies increased by 1.9% (p

Leggi
Novembre 2024

Abstract 4120515: Impact of 2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Heart Failure Guideline Value Statement Publication on Medicare Drug Coverage Policies

Circulation, Volume 150, Issue Suppl_1, Page A4120515-A4120515, November 12, 2024. Background:Patients with heart failure (HF) often have difficulty obtaining life-saving medications due to coverage barriers, such as prior authorizations (PA) and high out of pocket (OOP) costs. To promote better insurance coverage of high value therapies, the AHA/ACC/HFSA added Value Statements to HF guidelines to inform policymakers about medication cost effectiveness. We assessed whether these guidelines influenced Medicare drug coverage policies for two life-saving, costly HF medications: angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitors (ARNI – guideline “high value”) and sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i – guideline “intermediate value”).Methods:We performed an observational study of Medicare drug plans from 4/2020-4/2023 to assess for changes in ARNI and SGLT2i coverage after Value Statement publication (4/2022), and subsequent Medicare plan online update (10/2022). The primary outcome was any barrier to drug coverage (PA, tier ≥ 3 OOP cost-sharing, step therapy, or no coverage). Analysis utilized interrupted time series and difference-in-difference (DiD) approaches. DiD analyses used direct oral anticoagulants as a control due to similar cost and utilization as ARNI and SGLT2i, but with no Value Statement.Results:Among 7,396 Medicare drug plans, 94.3%-97.4% had coverage barriers to ARNI and 93.2%-96.6% to SGLT2i. The majority of barriers were due to tier ≥ 3 OOP cost-sharing requirements (ARNI: 94.3%-95.8%; SGLT2i: 93.2%-95.6%). Coverage barriers remained stable in 4/2022, and declined slightly in 10/2022 (Figure). In DiD analyses, the presence of a Value Statement was associated with a ~1 percentage point decline in coverage barriers for ARNI and SGLT2i.Conclusion:Coverage barriers to ARNI and SGLT2i were common and did not change much in response to Value Statements in HF Guidelines. Increased consideration for Value Statements by Medicare policy-makers is needed to meaningfully improve access to high value therapies.

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Novembre 2024

Abstract 4140139: Cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) in prediction of chronic coronary artery disease: risk, coronary artery lesions, and cardiovascular disease events

Circulation, Volume 150, Issue Suppl_1, Page A4140139-A4140139, November 12, 2024. Introduction:The cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) is a significant metric for evaluating arterial function. The test measures the stiffness of the arteries from the beginning of the aorta to the ankle, and the algorithm used is not influenced by blood pressure. Recent statistics indicate that a high CAVI score has the potential to predict future cardiovascular disease (CVD) occurrences. However, no research has been conducted in Vietnam to investigate this matter.Methods:A prospective study was conducted on 222 patients. Out of these, 162 patients had chronic coronary artery disease (CAD), while the remaining 62 patients were free of CAD. The study took place between October 2019 and December 2022. Participants who fulfilled the criteria were evaluated using the CAVI baseline measurement and clinical and paraclinical parameters. A total of 162 patients with chronic coronary artery disease (CAD) were monitored for cardiovascular disease (CVD) events over a period of 2 years.Results:CAVI in chronic CAD patients (9.21±0.79) was significantly higher compared to those in free-CAD patients (8.48 ± 0.62) with p

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Novembre 2024

Abstract 4146291: Trends and Disparities in Circulatory Disease Prevalence in U.S. Adults: A National Health Interview Survey Database Analysis (2019-2022)

Circulation, Volume 150, Issue Suppl_1, Page A4146291-A4146291, November 12, 2024. Background:Circulatory diseases represent the primary cause of mortality in the US. Comprehending trends and potential disparities in the prevalence of circulatory conditions, such as angina pectoris (AP), myocardial infarction (MI), hypertension (HTN), and coronary heart disease (CHD), is essential for forming public health strategies.Aim:To investigate trends in the prevalence of circulatory conditions, including AP, MI, HTN, and CHD among US adults from 2019 to 2022.Methods:Prevalence percentages for all available circulatory diseases from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) database were retrieved for patients aged >18 years from 2019 to 2022. Annual Percentage Changes (APCs) along with their respective 95% CIs were calculated using regression analysis with Join point. The data was stratified by year, gender, age, race, nativity, veteran status, social vulnerability, employment status, metropolitan statistical area (MSA) status and census region.Results:Between 2019 and 2022, HTN was steadily the most prevalent, staying relatively constant at 27.0% (95% CI: 26.4, 27.7) in 2019 and 27.2% (95% CI: 26.5, 27.8) in 2022. Males consistently had higher prevalence than females with significant increases noted from 2019 to 2022 (APC: 1.0234). Black or African American had the highest prevalence (34.4% in 2022). The South (30.1% in 2022) and the West (22.5% in 2022) had respectively the highest and lowest rates. The second highest prevalence was seen in CHD increasing from 4.6% (95% CI: 4.3, 4.9) in 2019 to 4.9 (95% CI: 4.7, 5.2) in 2020. Males consistently exhibited a higher prevalence than females, with both genders showing significant increases in recent years (Male APC: 3.1448) (Female APC: 2.0165). For MI, a slight decrease was noted from 3.1% (95% CI:2.9, 3.4) in 2019 to 3.0% (95% CI:2.7, 3.2) in 2022. White individuals exhibited the highest prevalence (3.3% in 2022). AP had the lowest overall prevalence staying relatively consistent (1.7% in 2019 and 1.6% in 2022) (Figure 1).Conclusion:Significant trends (Figure 2) in most common circulatory diseases have been identified. Targeted interventions are imperative, particularly for high-risk demographics such as males, older adults, veterans, and unemployed individuals.

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Novembre 2024