Estimating proportion of days covered (PDC) using real-world online medicine suppliers' datasets.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The proportion of days covered (PDC) is used to estimate medication adherence by looking at the proportion of days in which a person has access to the medication, over a given period of interest. This study aimed to adapt the PDC algorithm to allow for plausible assumptions about prescription refill behaviour when applied to data from online pharmacy suppliers.

Methods

Three PDC algorithms, the conventional approach (PDC1) and two alternative approaches (PDC2 and PDC3), were used to estimate adherence in a real-world dataset from an online pharmacy. Each algorithm has different denominators and increasing levels of complexity. PDC1, the conventional approach, is the total number of days between first dispensation and a defined end date. PDC2 counts the days until

SUBMITTER: Prieto-Merino D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8715592 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature