University of Rhode Island DigitalCommons@URI Open Access Dissertations 2019 POLYPHARMACY IN CANCER PATIENTS: HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, EXPENDITURES, AND ADVERSE EVENTS Zachary R. Babcock University of Rhode Island,
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss Recommended Citation Babcock, Zachary R., "POLYPHARMACY IN CANCER PATIENTS: HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, EXPENDITURES, AND ADVERSE EVENTS" (2019). Open Access Dissertations. Paper 869. https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss/869 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@URI. It has been accepted for inclusion in Open Access Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@URI. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. POLYPHARMACY IN CANCER PATIENTS: HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, EXPENDITURES, AND ADVERSE EVENTS BY ZACHARY R BABCOCK A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 2019 DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DISSERTATION OF ZACHARY R BABCOCK APPROVED: Dissertation Committee: Major Professor Stephen J. Kogut Ami Vyas Aisling Caffrey Mary Greaney Nasser H. Zawia DEAN OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND 2019 Abstract Polypharmacy (PP), often defined as the use of five or more medications, is highly prevalent in patients with cancer. As the quantity of medications for treating cancer and comorbid conditions in patients with cancer become more numerous and diverse, it is important to understand the various ways in which patient health and economic outcomes may be adversely affected by prescribed medications. The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate three distinct associations between PP and the lives of patients living with cancer by estimating how PP (1) affects health- related quality of life (HRQoL), (2) is associated with healthcare expenditures, and (3) affects health complications (HCs).