Hannah Jackson
Doctor of Philosophy
Hannah Jackson is a Ph.D. Candidate within the School of Public Health at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) whose research focuses on the field of health economics and its intersection with maternal healthcare.
Her thesis entitled “The pharmacoeconomics of medication use in pregnancy: An exploration of costs and equity” exemplifies Hannah’s commitment to broadening our understanding of the social, political, and economic forces that shape the distribution of healthcare resources amongst pregnant women.
With a Bachelor of Pharmacy and a Master of Public Health, along with extensive experience as a clinical pharmacist, Hannah is equipped with a strong foundation to tackle the complex challenges surrounding women’s access to medications during pregnancy.
RESEARCH THESIS
The pharmacoeconomics of medication use in pregnancy: An exploration of costs and equity.
Background
Medication use during pregnancy is common, with evidence suggesting >80% of women take at least one medication during pregnancy. Moreover, women are entering pregnancy with higher rates of obesity and advanced maternal age, which contribute to the rising incidence of maternal chronic disease and pregnancy-related complications. Some of these medical conditions (e.g., diabetes, iron deficiency anaemia, pre-eclampsia) may require episodic or ongoing management with pharmaceutical agents. Despite a growing demand for medication use during pregnancy, pregnant women are commonly excluded from clinical studies, leaving them and their healthcare professionals with insufficient data to guide the safe, effective, and efficient use of medications during pregnancy. Overcoming the regulatory and legislative barriers to address this information gap is a complex challenge.
Objective
This body of research aims to analyse and describe the cost and equity implications associated with women’s access to medication during pregnancy.
Methods
The theoretical and conceptual framework is of this research is underpinned by economic evaluation and the provision of value-based health care. Initially, a review of the structural determinants of health inequities that impact access to medications during pregnancy will be undertaken to illuminate the highly upstream factors that act as barriers to medication access. Subsequently, a series of studies will explore the real-world costs and equity implications associated with women’s access to medications during pregnancy utilising a population-level linked administrative dataset, Maternity1000, which contains information on 250,000 women who gave birth in Queensland, Australia, between 1 January 2013 and 30th June 2018.
Expected Outcomes/ Impact
It is anticipated that gaining deeper insights into the structural factors influencing resource allocation decisions in maternal health care and describing the real-world economic and equity implications of these decisions will stimulate system-level changes that enable more efficient and equitable allocation of publicly funded resources for pregnant populations, ultimately enhancing maternal health outcomes.
Supervision team
- Professor Emily Callander
- Associate Professor Luke Grzeskowiak
- Associate Professor Joanne Enticott
- Dr Sarah Wise
Publications
- Jackson, H., Grzeskowiak, L. E., Enticott, J., & Callander, E. (2023). Pharmacoepidemiology and costs of medications dispensed during pregnancy: A retrospective population-based study. BJOG, 130(11), 1317-1327. doi:10.1111/1471-0528.17472
- Jackson, H., Grzeskowiak, L. E., Enticott, J., & Callander, E. (5-8 March 2023). Pharmacoepidemiology and costs of medications dispensed during pregnancy: A retrospective population-based study using routinely collected data in Australia [Paper presentation]. Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand (PSANZ) 2023 Annual Congress “Laneways to Better Perinatal Outcomes”, Melbourne Convention Centre, Melbourne, Victoria. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 59 Suppl 1, p.25. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpc.16356