The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the dispensing of systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT) in Ireland: A population based study

Bibliographic Details
Title: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the dispensing of systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT) in Ireland: A population based study
Authors: Peter M. Barrett, Fionn P. Daly, Mengyang Zhang, Aislinn O'Reilly, Patricia Heckmann, Paula Tierney, Deirdre Murray, Maeve Mullooly, Kathleen Bennett
Source: Public Health in Practice, Vol 8, Iss , Pp 100557- (2024)
Publisher Information: Elsevier, 2024.
Publication Year: 2024
Collection: LCC:Public aspects of medicine
Subject Terms: COVID-19, Systemic anti-cancer treatment, Cancer care, Interrupted time series, Public aspects of medicine, RA1-1270
More Details: Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic had considerable implications for cancer related care. This study aimed to examine its impact on the dispensing of systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT) in Ireland. Study design: A repeated cross-sectional design was used which involved a quasi-experimental interrupted time series analysis (ITSA), and autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models. Methods: This nationally representative study utilised monthly pharmacy claims (i.e. dispensing) data from community and hospital schemes. Dispensed items among individuals prescribed any SACT from January 2019 to April 2021 were included. Results: During the study period, 641,273 SACT items were dispensed, including 57,199 chemotherapeutic agents (8.9 %), 15,970 immunotherapeutic agents (2.5 %), 87,813 targeted therapies (13.7 %), and 480,291 (74.9 %) endocrine therapies. There were on average 3.3 and 4.1 fewer immunotherapy and targeted therapy agents, respectively, dispensed per 100,000 population per month post-March 2020 (vs. expected), compared to the level prior to March 2020. For endocrine therapy, there was a significant slowing of the trend post-March 2020 compared to the pre-pandemic period (slope change = −1.72, 95 % CI -2.9 to −0.5; p
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 2666-5352
97765228
Relation: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666535224000946; https://doaj.org/toc/2666-5352
DOI: 10.1016/j.puhip.2024.100557
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/c4e977652286407891014b12840b0515
Accession Number: edsdoj.4e977652286407891014b12840b0515
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:26665352
97765228
DOI:10.1016/j.puhip.2024.100557
Published in:Public Health in Practice
Language:English