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Suicide Bereavement Support: A Literature ReviewThe primary aims of this report are to provide a review of literature relating to suicide bereavement support with an emphasis on evidence-based interventions and to identify examples of current suicide bereavement support practice in Ireland and internationally. Therefore this report has five main sections, addressing the following aims: 1. To introduce and provide and understanding of suicide bereavement 2. To identify supports offered to and utilised by individuals bereaved by suicide 3. To summarise evidence for interventions tailored for those bereaved by suicide 4. To present case studies illustrating community responses to suicide internationally 5. To describe policy and case studies of suicide bereavement services in Ireland
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Economic impact of potentially inappropriate prescribing and related adverse events in older people: a cost-utility analysis using Markov models.To determine the economic impact of three drugs commonly involved in potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP) in adults aged ≥65 years, including their adverse effects (AEs): long-term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), benzodiazepines and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) at maximal dose; to assess cost-effectiveness of potential interventions to reduce PIP of each drug. Cost-utility analysis. We developed Markov models incorporating the AEs of each PIP, populated with published estimates of probabilities, health system costs (in 2014 euro) and utilities. A hypothetical cohort of 65 year olds analysed over 35 1-year cycles with discounting at 5% per year. Incremental cost, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios with 95% credible intervals (CIs, generated in probabilistic sensitivity analysis) between each PIP and an appropriate alternative strategy. Models were then used to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of potential interventions to reduce PIP for each of the three drug classes.
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Supporting prescribing in Irish primary care: protocol for a non-randomised pilot study of a general practice pharmacist (GPP) intervention to optimise prescribing in primary care.Prescribing for patients taking multiple medicines (i.e. polypharmacy) is challenging for general practitioners (GPs). Limited evidence suggests that the integration of pharmacists into the general practice team could improve the management of these patients. The aim of this study is to develop and test an intervention involving pharmacists, working within GP practices, to optimise prescribing in Ireland, which has a mixed public and private primary healthcare system. This non-randomised pilot study will use a mixed-methods approach. Four general practices will be purposively sampled and recruited. A pharmacist will join the practice team for 6 months. They will participate in the management of repeat prescribing and undertake medication reviews (which will address high-risk prescribing and potentially inappropriate prescribing, deprescribing and cost-effective and generic prescribing) with adult patients. Pharmacists will also provide prescribing advice regarding the use of preferred drugs, undertake clinical audits, join practice team meetings and facilitate practice-based education. Throughout the 6-month intervention period, anonymised practice-level medication (e.g. medication changes) and cost data will be collected. A nested Patient Reported Outcome Measure (PROM) study will be undertaken during months 4 and 5 of the 6-month intervention period to explore the impact of the intervention in older adults (aged ≥ 65 years). For this, a sub-set of 50 patients aged ≥ 65 years with significant polypharmacy (≥ 10 repeat medicines) will be recruited from each practice and invited to a medication review with the pharmacist. PROMs and healthcare utilisation data will be collected using patient questionnaires, and a 6-week follow-up review conducted. Acceptability of the intervention will be explored using pre- and post-intervention semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders. Quantitative and qualitative data analysis will be undertaken and an economic evaluation conducted. This non-randomised pilot study will provide evidence regarding the feasibility and potential effectiveness of general practice-based pharmacists in Ireland and provide data on whether a randomised controlled trial of this intervention is indicated. It will also provide a deeper understanding as to how a pharmacist working as part of the general practice team will affect organisational processes and professional relationships in a mixed public and private primary healthcare system.
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Trends in vitamin D supplement use in a general female and breast cancer population in Ireland: A repeated cross-sectional study.Vitamin D has been linked with improved survival after breast cancer diagnosis but little is known about prescribing rates. This study investigates trends in vitamin D supplement use in both a general female and breast cancer population. Women with a breast cancer diagnosis were identified from the National Cancer Registry of Ireland (n = 19870). Women who had any vitamin D claim between 2005 and 2011 were identified from pharmacy claims data (n = 8556). Prevalence rates were calculated as a proportion of all eligible women and by age (< 55 years, ≥ 55 years). Poisson regression was used to compare rates of vitamin D prescribing across years (risk ratio (RR), 95% CI). There was a statistically significant increase in women with a claim for vitamin D between 2005-2011, with the largest increase among breast cancer patients aged ≥ 55 years (RR = 2.26; 95% CI, 2.11-2.42). This may have significant public health implications if associations between vitamin D and improved breast cancer survival prove to be causal.
