Marvin D. Shepherd

Design, development, and evaluation of visual aids for communicating prescription drug instructions to nonliterate patients in rural Cameroon

In this study, culturally sensitive visual aids designed to help convey drug information to nonliterate female adults who had a prescription for a solid oral dosage form of antibiotic medications were developed and evaluated. The researchers conceptualized the educational messages while a local artist produced the visual aids. Seventy-eight female ambulatory patients were evaluated for comprehension and compliance with antibiotic prescription instructions. The study was conducted in three health centers in Cameroon, West Africa and followed a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up format for three groups: two experimental, and one control. All participants were randomly assigned to either experimental or control groups, 26 patients to each group. Subjects in the experimental groups received visual aids alone or visual aids plus an Advanced Organizer. A comparison of the three groups showed that subjects in the experimental groups scored significantly higher than the control group in both the comprehension and compliance measures.

Outpatient prescription drug use by children enrolled in five drug benefit plans

This study examined prescription drug use among ambulatory children younger than 18 years of age enrolled in five drug benefit plans. Data for this study were obtained from the pharmacy benefit manager who administers the drug benefit plans. During the study period of December 29, 1992, through December 28, 1993, 3144 children younger than 18 years of age (34.0% of the total plan enrollment) were enrolled in the five drug benefit plans. A total of 8547 prescription drugs were dispensed to the study population. The mean prescription price was

Secretin treatment for autistic disorder: A critical analysis

16.38, and the mean duration of therapy was 11.7 days. The mean prescription price was

Extended‐Release, Once‐Daily Morphine (Avinza) for the Treatment of Chronic Nonmalignant Pain: Effect on Pain, Depressive Symptoms, and Cognition

1.56 more for boys than for girls. The most frequently dispensed drugs were antibiotics (42.0%), followed by cold preparations (15.9%). The annual prevalence rate of prescription drug use was 59.1 cases per 100 children. The study population-based annual frequency rate was 3.2 prescriptions per child, and the drug user-based annual frequency rate was 5.5 prescriptions per child. The annual expenditures were

The Formulary Decision-Making Process in a Health Maintenance Organisation Setting

51.85 per child and

The state of health economics and pharmaceoconomics research in Russia: a systematic review

90.39 per drug users, with the out-of-pocket expenditures being

Users’ Perceptions of Mail-Service Pharmacy: This survey of users found that 92% were satisfied with mail order pharmacy) citing prompt) good service and low copayment.

19.09 and

The Role of authorized generics in the prescription drug marketplace

33.04, respectively. The prevalence rate varied little by sex. However, both frequency and expenditure rates differed by sex and decreased with age. Higher levels of cost sharing per prescription were associated with higher prevalence, frequency, and expenditure rates. Larger cost-sharing differentials between generic and brand name drugs were associated with higher rates of generic drug use but were not always associated with lower expenditure rates.

Patients’ willingness to work with peer supporters for chronic medication management

We assessed evidence of the effects of secretin on behavior in individuals with autistic disorder. Articles were obtained through a MEDLINE search of the English‐language literature from January 1966–November 2001; all investigations and case reports on the topic were included. Press releases obtained from the World Wide Web also were included. Secretin, a gastrointestinal hormone, is suggested to improve autistic symptoms, particularly social function and communication. Two formulations, porcine and synthetic human secretin, were evaluated in humans. A small body of literature and popular belief in autistic disorder communities supported the agents efficacy. A number of controlled clinical trials did not show improvement in autistic symptoms with secretin compared with placebo, possibly indicating no role for the drug in autistic disorder.

Inpatient utilization of medical services associated with peripheral arterial disease-related inpatient procedures in the Department of Defense.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the impact of an extended-release, once-daily morphine sulfate formulation on depressive symptoms and neurocognition in patients with chronic nonmalignant pain. DESIGN Prospective, open-label, one-group trial with a pretest-posttest design. SETTING Outpatient pain management clinic. PATIENTS AND INTERVENTION Chronic nonmalignant pain patients inadequately controlled with short-acting opioid analgesics and eligible for treatment with once-daily morphine sulfate were initiated on a dose at or near the morphine-equivalent dose of the short-acting regimen. OUTCOMES The following assessments were made at baseline and 4 weeks after initiating intervention: pain intensity, pain unpleasantness, pain suffering, pain behaviors, Beck Depression Inventory, and cognitive function. RESULTS Eighty-four patients provided usable data. Pain intensity, unpleasantness, and suffering scores were significantly reduced at follow-up (P = 0.001). The mean Beck Depression Inventory scores were significantly lower at follow-up (P = 0.001). Significant improvements were seen in scores at follow-up on the three validated neurocognitive tests: the digit span test, the digit symbol substitution test, and the paced auditory serial addition test (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Achieving adequate pain control with once-daily morphine was associated with a reduction in pain and improvements in depressive symptoms and cognitive functioning in the short term.