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OBJECTIVE: To assess the direct and indirect costs of diagnosing and treating community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), correlating those costs with CAP severity at diagnosis and identifying the major cost drivers.METHODS: This was a prospective cost analysis study using bottom-up costing. Clinical severity and mortality risk were assessed with the pneumonia severity index (PSI) and the mental Confusion
INTRODUCTION: South-eastern European socioeconomic transition followed by extensive health systems reforms has completely changed the pharmaceuticals market landscape in the region. Serbia, as the largest Western Balkans market, may serve as an example of such changes.METHODS: Descriptive trend analysis of national-level dispensing of medicines in Serbia 2004-2012 was performed.RESULTS: Total publ
PURPOSE: To assess and compare the costs of first-line monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) treatment protocols in breast cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and colorectal carcinoma in South-Eastern Europe.METHODS: A retrospective, bottom-up case series study design was implemented with one-year time horizon and payer's perspective. The study sample size was 265 patients (breast cancer, N=137; colorectal cancer
Lesch Alcoholism Typology (LAT) is one of the most widely used clinical typologies of alcohol addiction. Study tested whether introduction of LAT software in clinical practice leaded to improved outcomes and reduced costs. Retrospective matched-pairs case-control cost comparison study was conducted at the Regional Addiction Center of the University Clinic in Serbia involving 250 patients during th
The 10th consecutive World Health Economics conference was organized jointly by International Health Economics Association and European Conference on Health Economics Association and took place at The Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland in July 2014. It has attracted broad participation from the global professional community devoted to health economics teaching,research and policy applications. It ha
OBJECTIVE: Current radiation therapy capacities in Serbia and most of Eastern Europe are heavily lagging behind population needs. The primary study aim was assessment of direct costs of cancer medical care for patients suffering from cancer with assigned radiotherapy-based treatment protocols. Identification of key cost drivers and trends during 2010-2013 comparing brachytherapy and teleradiothera
The Japanese pharmaceutical market, the world's second largest, is traditionally renowned for the domination of patented drugs and the weakest generics share among major established economies. An in-depth observation of published evidence in Japanese/English language provided closer insight into current trends in Japanese domestic legislation and pharmaceutical market development. Recent governmen
The main objective of this study was to examine the rate of three dimensions of depressive symptoms in medical student population in Serbia, and to find out whether this rate had changed over the period often years. This cross-sectional study included 615 medical students (F = 61% and M = 39%), mean age = 23.60 (SD = 1.541), who were tested in five non-consecutive surveys between 2002 and 2012. De
BACKGROUND: Pegylated interferon alfa plus ribavirin protocol is currently considered the most efficient hepatitis C treatment. However, no evidence of costs comparison among common viral genotypes has been published.OBJECTIVES: We aimed to assess core drivers of hepatitis C medical care costs and compare cost effectiveness of this treatment among patients infected by hepatitis C virus with genoty
OBJECTIVE: To conduct a study on attitudes, knowledge, and use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies in Serbia. Available data about CAM therapies in the region are scarce, opinions lacking from health sector. Balkan region countries had a delay in issuing national policies on CAM therapies.METHODS: The questionnaire used was based on previously validated CAM Health Belief Ques
AIMS: To support the Serbian Expert Board in setting up reimbursement for modern pharmacotherapeutic support, we compared a Serbian sample of alcohol-dependent patients with an Austrian sample, in order to detect differences that might inhibit the introduction of anti-craving medications in Serbia.METHODS: One hundred and twenty-seven (116 males) alcohol-dependent patients in Serbia and 136 in Aus
OBJECTIVE: Assessment of costs matrix and patterns of prescribing of radiology diagnostic, radiation therapy, nuclear medicine, and interventional radiology services. Another aim of the study was insight into drivers of inappropriate resource allocation.METHODS: An in-depth, retrospective bottom-up trend analysis of services consumption patterns and expenses was conducted from the perspective of t
The past 23 years of post-socialist restructuring of health system funding and management patterns has brought many changes to small Balkan markets, putting them under increasing pressure to keep pace with advancing globalization. Socioeconomic inequalities in healthcare access are still growing across the region. This uneven development is marked by the substantial difficulties encountered by loc
INTRODUCTION: The aim of our study was to develop and use a population pharmacokinetic model for assessment of individual valproate clearance in children and young adults suffering from epilepsy.MATERIAL AND METHODS: The analysis was performed using 52 steady-state concentrations of valproate collected from 26 epileptic patients during the routine clinical practice in our hospital. The mean values
Topiramate pharmacokinetics is influenced by individual factors such as patient age, renal function and co-treatment. The aim of this study was to develop a population pharmacokinetic model of topiramate to assist dosage adjustments in individual patients. Steady-state topiramate plasma concentrations in patients with epilepsy were determined by HPLC using fluorescent labelling. Demographic, bioch
Topiramate is biochemically classified as a fructopyranose sulphamate. Discovered as early as 1979, during middle 1980's it was approved in many countries for the treatment of epilepsies and migraine prevention. More recently, in the experimental stage, possible new indications have been disclosed: treatment of obesity, bipolar disorder, also cessation of smoking, neuropathic pain, cerebral pseudo
BACKGROUND/AIM: High morbidity and mortality rates, chronic course of disease and numerous clinical complications, make diabetes mellitus (DM) type 2 bear significant financial burden for healthcare system of Serbia. The aim of this study was to compare true disease-related expenses measured in the random sample of patients originating from the Central Serbia in 2007 and national estimate of total
