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Biomedical subjects

Sue Ward

Publications and source records attributed to Sue Ward.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Methodological issues in the economic analysis of cancer treatments.

Cost-effectiveness analysis may be applied to the full range of interventions that make up a cancer service, including screening programmes and early treatments, diagnostic test and referral processes, surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and palliative care. Numerous methodologies have been employed within existing models of cancer interventions. However, not all methodologies are equal; inappropriate modelling approaches may bias cost-effectiveness results. Generic guidelines for good practice in decision-analytic modelling provide a useful basis for critically appraising cost-effectiveness models, yet explicit consideration of a range of cancer-specific issues is required to avoid bias in cost-effectiveness results. These cancer-specific issues include the appropriate representation of relevant costs and health effects associated with unplanned treatments for metastatic disease administered beyond disease progression, the appropriate extrapolation of long-term outcomes and resources from clinical trials, assumptions concerning the nature of the event hazard function beyond the duration of the trial, and relationships between surrogate outcomes and final outcomes.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗
PubMed2005

Eczema and dry skin in older people: identification and management.

Skin conditions affect up to 70% of older people. Among the commonest are those which are caused by or present as dry, itchy skin. This article discusses the three most common of these--asteatotic, gravitational and discoid eczemas--and offers straightforward advice that nurses can pass on to their patients for how to mitigate and manage these conditions. Central to this is avoidance of soaps and the use of emollients.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed2004

Cost-utility analysis of imatinib mesylate for the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia in the chronic phase.

BACKGROUND: Imatinib mesylate is a targeted therapy for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to estimate the incremental cost-utility of imatinib mesylate compared with hydroxyurea in patients with chronic-phase CML for whom first-line treatment with interferon-alpha failed to produce a response. METHODS: A Markov model was developed to simulate disease progression for hypothetical patients receiving imatinib mesylate or hydroxyurea, who had not previously responded to interferon-a therapy, to determine outcomes in terms of quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). Costs were estimated from the perspective of the United Kingdom National Health Service. Patient data were derived from previously published trials. RESULTS: The Markov model simulated the transitions of a hypothetical sample of 1000 chronic-phase CML patients using 1 monthly cycle over the lifetime of the patient sample. Median survival rates were estimated to be 77 months for imatinib mesylate-treated patients and 56 months for hydroxyurea-treated patients. Patients receiving imatinib mesylate accrued 5.95 QALYs, whereas hydroxyurea-treated patients accrued 3.49 QALYs. The estimated per-patient lifetime costs were 110,103 pound sterlings for patients in the imatinib mesylate group and 15,566 pound sterlings for patients in the hydroxyurea group (year-2001 values). The estimated year-2001 incremental cost per QALY gained from using imatinib mesylate compared with hydroxyurea in chronic phase CML was 38,468 pound sterlings. CONCLUSIONS: In the present model analysis, imatinib mesylate as a second-line treatment for patients with chronic phase CML was found to offer considerable health benefits to patients, but at a cost to the payer. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was 38,468 pound sterlings (year-2001 values).

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMedDate not supplied

On fertile ground.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Family Planning Services↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluating a respiratory intermediate care team.

This article examines the work of a respiratory intermediate care team. Findings from an audit and a patient satisfaction postal questionnaire are presented to assess the effectiveness of the team's work and evaluate the effect of specialist nursing teams on hospital bed days and patient preference. From the evaluation it is apparent that the respiratory intermediate care team is an effective means of saving hospital bed days through prevention of admission and early discharge in patients with chronic respiratory disease. The results of the patient satisfaction postal questionnaire show that the majority of patients find hospital-at-home style care favourable because they feel well-supported at home to self-manage their condition. This outcome is important because it indicates that specialist nursing teams in primary care are valuable to patients and save the NHS money.

Acute Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The effective management of atopic dermatitis in school-age children.

The terms atopic eczema and atopic dermatitis (AD) are synonymous. In this article, the latter term is used. AD can affect all age groups but is most commonly associated with children. It is a dry-skin condition, the severity of which can vary from person to person. It is not contagious. In mild forms of the condition the skin is dry, hot and itchy, while in more severe cases the skin can be broken, raw and bleeding, or produce vesicles and papules that may become eroded.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗