Health needs assessment in patients assisted by a pharmaceutical non-profit charitable organisation: a preliminary pharmacoepidemiological survey based on the analysis of drug dispensation within Italy’s Banco Farmaceutico
We performed a health needs assessment of the vulnerable population cared for by the <em>Banco Farmaceutico</em>, an Italian nonprofit charitable organization that supplies medicines for many centers belonging to different charities. Drugs dispensed in the first half of 2014 by a represe...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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PAGEPress Publications
2015-06-01
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| Series: | Italian Journal of Medicine |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.italjmed.org/index.php/ijm/article/view/590 |
| _version_ | 1827615875002269696 |
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| author | Silvia Bini Antonello E. Rigamonti Francesco Fiorini Pietro A. Bertazzi Gian Francesco Fiorini Silvano G. Cella |
| author_facet | Silvia Bini Antonello E. Rigamonti Francesco Fiorini Pietro A. Bertazzi Gian Francesco Fiorini Silvano G. Cella |
| author_sort | Silvia Bini |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We performed a health needs assessment of the vulnerable population cared for by the <em>Banco Farmaceutico</em>, an Italian nonprofit charitable organization that supplies medicines for many centers belonging to different charities. Drugs dispensed in the first half of 2014 by a representative sample of these centers were examined. An independently conducted telephone interview on our centers complemented this data. Adult males and migrants constituted the majority of the user population, and the most dispensed drugs were those for the respiratory system. Of all patients, 40% presented with a chronic problem and more than half needed polypharmacy. Users seek help spontaneously in 70% of the cases, with the centers being able to meet 80% of the existing demand. Patients that could not be managed were referred to local hospitals or collaborating doctors and reasons were explored. We believe our study to be a first attempt to characterise a growing population that is also increasingly represented in emergency departments and internal medicine wards. It is also an evaluation of the quality of data collected by charitable institutions, highlighting a significant need for improvement as they could be the only basis to monitor the health needs of this type of population. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T09:17:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7ed00c60d2c148d7b78f62b90656da9c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1877-9344 1877-9352 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T09:17:53Z |
| publishDate | 2015-06-01 |
| publisher | PAGEPress Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Italian Journal of Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-7ed00c60d2c148d7b78f62b90656da9c2023-12-02T07:05:07ZengPAGEPress PublicationsItalian Journal of Medicine1877-93441877-93522015-06-0110211111810.4081/itjm.2015.590480Health needs assessment in patients assisted by a pharmaceutical non-profit charitable organisation: a preliminary pharmacoepidemiological survey based on the analysis of drug dispensation within Italy’s Banco FarmaceuticoSilvia Bini0Antonello E. Rigamonti1Francesco Fiorini2Pietro A. Bertazzi3Gian Francesco Fiorini4Silvano G. Cella5Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of MilanoDepartment of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of MilanoKing’s College London School of Medicine, Guy’s Campus, LondonDepartment of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of MilanoMaggiore General Hospital, CremaDepartment of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of MilanoWe performed a health needs assessment of the vulnerable population cared for by the <em>Banco Farmaceutico</em>, an Italian nonprofit charitable organization that supplies medicines for many centers belonging to different charities. Drugs dispensed in the first half of 2014 by a representative sample of these centers were examined. An independently conducted telephone interview on our centers complemented this data. Adult males and migrants constituted the majority of the user population, and the most dispensed drugs were those for the respiratory system. Of all patients, 40% presented with a chronic problem and more than half needed polypharmacy. Users seek help spontaneously in 70% of the cases, with the centers being able to meet 80% of the existing demand. Patients that could not be managed were referred to local hospitals or collaborating doctors and reasons were explored. We believe our study to be a first attempt to characterise a growing population that is also increasingly represented in emergency departments and internal medicine wards. It is also an evaluation of the quality of data collected by charitable institutions, highlighting a significant need for improvement as they could be the only basis to monitor the health needs of this type of population.http://www.italjmed.org/index.php/ijm/article/view/590Pharmacoepidemiologypovertyhealth needs assessmentdrug dispensationcharities. |
| spellingShingle | Silvia Bini Antonello E. Rigamonti Francesco Fiorini Pietro A. Bertazzi Gian Francesco Fiorini Silvano G. Cella Health needs assessment in patients assisted by a pharmaceutical non-profit charitable organisation: a preliminary pharmacoepidemiological survey based on the analysis of drug dispensation within Italy’s Banco Farmaceutico Italian Journal of Medicine Pharmacoepidemiology poverty health needs assessment drug dispensation charities. |
| title | Health needs assessment in patients assisted by a pharmaceutical non-profit charitable organisation: a preliminary pharmacoepidemiological survey based on the analysis of drug dispensation within Italy’s Banco Farmaceutico |
| title_full | Health needs assessment in patients assisted by a pharmaceutical non-profit charitable organisation: a preliminary pharmacoepidemiological survey based on the analysis of drug dispensation within Italy’s Banco Farmaceutico |
| title_fullStr | Health needs assessment in patients assisted by a pharmaceutical non-profit charitable organisation: a preliminary pharmacoepidemiological survey based on the analysis of drug dispensation within Italy’s Banco Farmaceutico |
| title_full_unstemmed | Health needs assessment in patients assisted by a pharmaceutical non-profit charitable organisation: a preliminary pharmacoepidemiological survey based on the analysis of drug dispensation within Italy’s Banco Farmaceutico |
| title_short | Health needs assessment in patients assisted by a pharmaceutical non-profit charitable organisation: a preliminary pharmacoepidemiological survey based on the analysis of drug dispensation within Italy’s Banco Farmaceutico |
| title_sort | health needs assessment in patients assisted by a pharmaceutical non profit charitable organisation a preliminary pharmacoepidemiological survey based on the analysis of drug dispensation within italy s banco farmaceutico |
| topic | Pharmacoepidemiology poverty health needs assessment drug dispensation charities. |
| url | http://www.italjmed.org/index.php/ijm/article/view/590 |
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