Objective: To undertake a 1-year prospective economic evaluation of ciprofloxacin compared with usual antibacterial care (any antibacterial other than a quinolone) for the treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis (AECB) in adults presenting with a type I or type II AECB. Design:...

Medically intractable epilepsy (MIE) is a chronic disabling condition that primarily affects the young. Inadequately treated, it can produce life-long disability associated with high rates of social isolation, unemployment, depression, suicide and premature mortality. Recent advances in...

Telemedicine and disease management are relatively new concepts in healthcare delivery. Disease management focuses on the patient throughout the entire course of the disease, and aims to improve both the clinical outcomes for the patient and the overall cost effectiveness of the treatment...

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common cause of morbidity and mortality and is associated with the consumption of considerable health resources worldwide. Initial treatment of patients with CAP is often empirical. Growing concern about the increasing prevalence of atypical organisms is...

Introduction: The objective of this study was to assess the cost effectiveness of a continuous combined oral preparation of norethisterone (norethindrone) acetate and ethinylestradiol (NA/EE) [FemHRT(R)] as both a first-line and second-line therapy for menopausal women. Perspective: Third-party...

Background: Current hypertension guidelines differ in their recommendations for first-line antihypertensive therapy. Objective: To evaluate the cost effectiveness of ACE inhibitor therapy as antihypertensive first-line therapy as compared with conventional antihypertensive therapy with...

Background: Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) present a treatment challenge and result in a large economic burden, requiring careful evaluation of the clinical efficacy and cost effectiveness of new treatment modalities. DFU clinical trials of the bio-engineered skin substitute Apligraf(R) (Novartis...

Objective: To compare the expected costs and outcomes of alternative strategies for the management of patients with erosive oesophagitis. Design: There were 3 components to the overall analytic approach. First, a decision model was constructed to compare expected costs and outcomes of 6...

Objective: To assess the short-term direct medical costs and effectiveness associated with achieving recommended glycaemic goals using commonly prescribed first-line oral antihyperglycaemic medications in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Materials and Methods: A literature-based, decision-tree model...

Objective: To assess the cost effectiveness of the addition of folinic acid to fluorouracil plus levamisole in patients with colon cancer from the perspective of the German Social Health Insurance. Study Design and Methods: Patients with International Union Against Cancer (Union International...