The burden of herpes zoster disease in Norway

BackgroundNo national vaccination program against herpes zoster (HZ) is currently in place in Norway. We aimed to quantify the burden of medically attended HZ to assess the need for a vaccination program.MethodsWe linked data from several health registries to identify medically attended HZ cases during 2008–2014 and HZ-associated deaths during1996–2012 in the entire population of Norway. We calculated HZ incidences for primary and hospital care by age, sex, type of health encounter, vaccination status, and co-morbidities among hospital patients. We also estimated HZ-associated mortality and case-fatality.ResultsThe study included 82,064 HZ patients, of whom none were reported as vaccinated against HZ. The crude annual incidence of HZ was 227.1 cases per 100,000 in primary healthcare and 24.8 cases per 100,000 in hospitals. Incidence rates were higher in adults aged ≥50 years (461 per 100,000 in primary care and 57 per 100,000 in hospitals), and women than in men both in primary healthcare (267 vs 188 per 100,000), and hospitals (28 vs 22 per 100,000). Among hospital patients, 47% had complicated zoster and 25% had comorbidities, according to the Charlson comorbidity index. The duration of hospital stay (median 4 days) increased with the severity of comorbidities. The estimated mortality rate was 0.18 per 100,000; and in-hospital case-fatality rate was 1.04%.ConclusionsMedically attended HZ poses a substantial burden in the Norwegian healthcare sector. The majority of the zoster cases occurred among adults aged ≥50 years – the group eligible for zoster vaccination – and increased use of zoster vaccination may be warranted, especially among persons with co-morbidities.     

新冠肺炎疫情下我国农村基层卫生防控能力建设分析

在新冠肺炎的疫情防控中,基层医疗卫生机构对社区防控和关口前移产生重要基础作用。但针对农村基层而言,还存在着人员结构老化、人员素质较低、防控意识不足、信息化基础薄弱等问题。为进一步推动我国农村基层卫生防控能力建设,未来建议加大专业人才队伍建设、将公共卫生机构纳入县域医共体网络、完善农村联防联控体系建设、建立健全信息化互联互通平台、加强对群众的健康教育与宣传、促进地方典型经验的交流。     

Prevalence of shift work disorder among hospital personnel: A cross‐sectional study using objective working hour data

The prevalence of shift work disorder (SWD) has been studied using self‐reported data and the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, Second Edition (ICSD‐2) criteria. We examined the prevalence in relation to ICSD‐2 and ICSD‐3 criteria, work schedules and the number of non‐day shifts (work outside 06:00–18:00 hours) using objective working‐hours data. Secondly, we explored a minimum cut‐off for the occurrence of SWD symptoms. Hospital shift workers without (n = 1,813) and with night shifts (n = 2,917) and permanent night workers (n = 84) answered a survey (response rate 69%) on SWD and fatigue on days off. The prevalence of SWD was calculated for groups with ≥1, ≥3, ≥5 and ≥7 monthly non‐day shifts utilizing the working hours registry. ICSD‐3‐based SWD prevalence was 2.5%–3.7% (shift workers without nights), 2.6%–9.5% (shift workers with nights) and 6.0% (permanent night workers), depending on the cut‐off of non‐day shifts (≥7–1/month, respectively). The ICSD‐2‐based prevalence was higher: 7.1%–9.2%, 5.6%–33.5% and 16.7%, respectively. The prevalence was significantly higher among shift workers with than those without nights (p‐values <.001) when using the cut‐offs of ≥1–3 non‐day shifts. Shift workers with nights who had ≥3 days with ICSD‐3‐based SWD symptoms/month more commonly had fatigue on days off (49.3%) than those below the cut‐off (35.8%, p < .05). The ICSD‐3 criteria provided lower estimates for SWD prevalence than ISCD‐2 criteria, similarly to exclusion of employees with the fewest non‐day shifts. The results suggest that a plausible cut‐off for days with ICSD‐3‐based SWD symptoms is ≥3/month, resulting in 3%–6% prevalence of SWD.     

Multidisciplinary team approach to diabetes. An outlook on providers’ and patients’ perspectives

Objective/BackgroundThis study sought to uncover the perspectives of various stakeholders towards multidisciplinary team (MDT) care, discover new understandings and help inform current practice on MDT care for diabetic patients.Methods5 electronic databases were searched for articles that evaluated patients’ and providers’ perspectives on type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) MDT management. Articles retrieved were sieved, coded and findings were analytically themed together in accordance to Thomas and Harden methodology.Results15 articles were identified with three common themes: interactions between healthcare providers, benefits to patients and constraints and facilitators of the healthcare system. Trust and synergistic teamwork are important factors in promoting effective care. Patients commended MDT's improved accessibility and convenience and felt more welcomed. Often plagued by poor support, lack of manpower and resources, MDTs are less efficient and incapable of realizing their full potential.ConclusionThis review illustrates that the MDT model does improve diabetes treatment outcome, help prevent or reduce complications. Nevertheless, the MDT model can be a double-edged sword as poor interactions between HCPs can hamper quality patient care. The current MDT model is also based on available resources of the health system. More effort is needed to modify the MDT model to meet the changing needs of patients.