Trends of mortality in Greece 1980-2007: a focus on avoidable mortality.

BACKGROUND: Avoidable mortality (AM) refers to deaths from certain conditions considered avoidable given timely and effective health care. AM rates in Greece between 1980 and 2007 were examined in order to investigate the extent to which health care has contributed to the decline in mortality rates in Greece over recent decades and detect possible shortcomings in the Greek healthcare system. METHODS: Mortality data from the General Secretariat of the National Statistic Service were used. The list of avoidable conditions was the basis of the analysis in which avoidable deaths were classified into conditions amenable to medical care (treatable avoidable mortality) and conditions responsive to health policy (preventable avoidable mortality). Ischaemic heart disease (IHD) was examined separately following relevant studies. Age standardized mortality rates were calculated according to the European Community standard population. RESULTS: A steady decline of the percentage of AM over all-cause mortality was documented (1980-1984:27%; 2000- 2007:22.9%). AM rate fell by 30.5% (1980-1984:217.4/100,000 population; 2000-2007: 151.1/100,000). Treatable mortality rate fell by 48.1%, marking the largest contribution to the decline in AM (1980-1984:110.9/100,000; 2000- 2007:57.5/100,000). Ischaemic heart disease death rate fell by 13.1% (1980-1984:52.7/100,000; 2000-2007:45.8/100,000). Preventable mortality rates fell by 11%, marking a modest contribution to the decline in AM (1980-1984: 53.7/100,000; 2000-2007: 47.8/100,000). CONCLUSIONS: Trends in AM in Greece between 1980-2007 were similar to those of other European countries, with Greece performing particularly well with respect to treatable mortality. Although the decline in AM may also reflect changes in factors that influence mortality, such as disease occurrence, environment and socioeconomic conditions, they are suggestive of the health care system being an important determinant of health improvements in Greece during the recent decades. Further studies are needed in order to access the quality of care and to examine the structure and adequacy of health care in Greece.

Estimating the direct cost of Type 2 diabetes in Greece: the effects of blood glucose regulation on patient cost.

AIMS: To estimate the annual cost of treatment for Type 2 diabetic patients in Greece and investigate the effect of blood glucose regulation on patient cost. METHODS: A multipoint data collection procedure based on the patient records of 51 geographically distributed physicians was used in order to obtain the necessary data for the analysis and the construction of the patient cost model. Patients were classified as controlled (i.e. maintaining blood glucose regulation for the 1 year retrospective time frame of the analysis) and non-controlled (the patients failing to do so in the specified time period). Cost categories included pharmaceutical expenditure, laboratory/diagnostic tests and consultation fees. Costs attributable to hospitalizations due to diabetic complications were not included. Calculations were based on 2007 fees and prices, and costs are expressed in Euros. RESULTS: The average annual cost of treatment for controlled patients was estimated at 981.72 euro (95% confidence interval, 940.66-1023.01 euro), whereas for non-controlled patients it was 1566.12 euro (95% confidence interval, 1485.42-1650.20 euro). Non-controlled patients had 29.7% higher annual pharmaceutical costs (340.50 vs. 441.96 euro), 70% higher costs for laboratory/diagnostic tests (422.54 vs. 718.49 euro) and 85.5% higher consultation costs (218.68 vs. 405.67 euro) compared with their controlled peers. The average cost for a Type 2 diabetic patient in Greece, regardless of blood glucose regulation, was 1297.30 euro (95% confidence interval, 1244.42-1349.61 euro). CONCLUSIONS: Failing to control blood glucose levels within 'glycaemic goals', apart from the clinical consequences, can also have a significant financial impact, resulting in a 59.5% increase in the mean annual patient cost.

[The cost of treating schizophrenia in Greece].

The objective of this study was to estimate the direct annual cost of treating patients with schizophrenia in Greece in 2005. Due to the lack of quantitative data, information on the treatment pathway and medical resource utilization of patients were collected from a consensus panel of 9 psychiatrists and 5 health economists. For estimating the costs a bottom up approach from the National Health System perspective was used. The panel of experts defined three patient categories based on the severity of the disease and the medical setting where treatment is received: (a) outpatient setting, (b) ambulatory care, (c) inpatient setting and long-term care. The annual direct cost of treatment per patient was found to be 3,187 € (2,659-4,166 €) in the first category, 10,135 € (7,429-13,972 €) in the second category and 20,782 € (17,482-25,462 €) in the third category. The total cost of treatment increased with the severity of the disease and the use of hospitalization. Systematic data collection on medical resource utilization must be established at the national level to facilitate further research, guide the efficient use of resources and improve the healthcare provision.