Parliament in action: Drug withdrawals and policy changes in the U.K.

Previous studies on changes in health policies theorize such changes either as crises responses, or as the outcome of longer-term stakeholder conflicts. In this paper, we propose that parliaments function as overlooked, intermediate actors that contribute to translating the interests of stakeholders into policy changes. We study the role of parliament connecting policy makers and stakeholders in the context of drug regulation. Based on three high-profile cases of drug withdrawals between 1991 and 2005 in the United Kingdom (triazolam, rofecoxib, and co-proxamol), we distinguish partisan-political, individual-idiosyncratic, and collective-institutional pathways of parliamentary action on drug withdrawals. Distinguishing direct and indirect actions, we argue that indirect courses of action, including advocacy and educational work, can be just as effective as regular legislative endeavours, under certain conditions.     

The impact of a mosquito net voucher subsidy programme on incremental ownership: The case of the Tanzania National Voucher Scheme

The subsidisation of mosquito nets has been widely used to increase ownership in countries where malaria represents a public health problem. However, an important question that has not been addressed empirically is how far net subsidy programmes increase ownership above the level that would have prevailed in the absence of the subsidy (i.e., incremental ownership). This study addresses that gap by investigating the impact of a large‐scale mosquito net voucher subsidy––the Tanzania National Voucher Scheme (TNVS)––on short‐term demand for unsubsidised commercial nets, estimating a household demand model with nationally representative household survey data. The results suggest that, despite the TNVS using a categorical targeting approach that did not discriminate by wealth, it still led to a large increase in incremental ownership of mosquito nets, with limited evidence of displacement of unsubsidised sales. Although no evidence is found of an additional TNVS voucher decreasing the number of unsubsidised sales in the same period, results indicate that an additional TNVS voucher reduced the probability of purchasing any unsubsidised net in the same period by 14%. The findings also highlight the critical role played by social learning or campaign messaging in increasing mosquito net ownership.     

政府管制与取消管制对药品价格的影响研究——以消化类药品为例

目的:探究政府管制与取消管制对药品价格的影响,为药品定价政策制定提供依据。方法:研究提取全国医药经济信息网数据库中2011年1月-2016年6月64种消化类药品价格水平、用量和费用的月度数据,通过有对照的间断时间序列(interrupted time-series,ITS)模型,分别分析政府管制和取消管制后样本药品的价格水平、用量与费用变化,其中使用固定拉氏价格指数衡量药品价格水平。第一个ITS分析政府管制的影响,利用2011年1月-2015年6月的月度数据,间断点为2012年5月;第二个ITS分析取消管制的影响,利用2014年6月-2016年6月的月度数据,间断点为2015年6月。结果:政府管制政策实施后,短期内干预组药品相比于对照组的价格指数无显著变化(β_6=-0.000 452,P=0.994),但长期增长趋势显著下降(β_7=-0.050 7, P0.001)。在取消管制政策实施后,短期内干预组相较于对照组药品明显下降(β_6=-0.042 7,P=0.005);长期来看,两组药品价格指数变为上升趋势,干预组相较于对照组药品价格指数趋势变化无显著差异(β_7=0.002 83, P=0. 170)。政府管制与取消管制政策实施前后,消化类药品的用量和费用均无显著变化。结论:政府管制可以有效控制药品价格增长趋势,而取消管制在短期可以使药品价格降低,长期来看药品价格仍持续增长,价格管制或取消管制对药品的用量和费用无影响。     

Reduced or painful jaw movement after collision-related injuries: a population-based study

BACKGROUND: The authors report the incidence of and factors associated with reduced and/or painful jaw movement after motor vehicle collisions that resulted in whiplash-associated disorders (WADs). METHODS: All adults filing collision-related personal injury claims during an 18-month period in Saskatchewan, Canada, were evaluated via questionnaire to determine demographic characteristics, precollision health (including jaw pain), collision parameters and collision-related symptoms, including reduced and/or painful jaw movement and injury-related neck pain. The authors excluded patients who were hospitalized for more than two days and those who sustained injuries as a pedestrian, bicyclist or motorcyclist. In determining incidence rates, the authors also excluded those who had had jaw pain before the collision. RESULTS: The incidence of reduced and/or painful jaw movement was 14.9 percent (n = 1,158), and it was higher in subjects with WADs (15.8 percent) than in those without WADs (4.7 percent; relative risk = 3.36, 95 percent confidence interval, 2.36 to 4.78). Within the WAD injuries, multivariable logistic regression revealed that the onset of reduced and/or painful jaw movement was associated with female sex; age < 50 years; having hit one's head in the collision; and postinjury symptoms of difficulty swallowing, ringing in the ears, dizziness or unsteadiness, and more intense neck pain. Collision parameters, such as head position at the time of the crash and headrest use and type, were not associated with onset of jaw symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced or painful jaw movement was more common in people with WADs than in those with other collision-related injuries. Among those with WADs, reduced or painful jaw movement was more common in women and younger people. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Reduced or painful jaw movement is an important aspect of WADs, and more studies are needed to determine how to best assess and treat this problem.     

决策树在天津市某区公务员健康状况影响因素分析中的应用

目的了解天津市某区公务员健康状况的影响因素,为提高该人群的健康水平提供依据。方法于2008年9-12月,采用整群抽样的方法抽取天津市某区部分公务员,发放问卷740份,进行健康状况和相关影响因素的问卷调查。利用705份有效问卷,应用SAS8.2 Enterprise Miner模块建立决策树模型,对该区公务员人群的健康状况影响因素进行分析和预测。结果该区公务员总体患病率为47.0%,患病率较高的前4种疾病为高血压(17.87%),高血脂(17.73%),脂肪肝(15.89%),颈、腰椎疾病(12.77%)。决策树筛检出的健康状况影响危险因素(重要性)包括年龄大(1.0000)、吸烟(0.8359)、不按时吃饭(0.7972)、心理健康分值低(0.5860)、体质指数高(0.4748)、被动吸烟(0.3673)、教育系统公务员(0.2876)、文化程度高(0.2832)、饮酒(0.1365);保护性因素(重要性)包括充足的睡眠时间(0.3873)、充足的体育锻炼时间(0.2845)、女性(0.2636)、亚健康分值低(0.2364)。决策树模型ROC曲线下面积为0.8881(95%CI:0.8643～0.9119),预测的准确度为80%。结论公务员人群健康状况不容乐观,各种慢性病患病率较高,是今后开展健康管理的重点群体。     

When Industrial Policies Conflict With Population Health: Potential Impact of Removing Food Subsidies on Obesity Rates

ObjectivesTo model the potential impact on obesity of removing butter, cheese, and sugar subsidies in the Canary Islands.MethodsA simulation model was applied based on a local data set of subsidies and retail prices (2007-2016), data on own-price elasticity estimates, and representative nutritional and health surveys. We estimated marginal obesity prevalence and population attributable fraction to assess the potential impact of the butter, cheese, and sugar subsidies intervention.ResultsThe intervention was predicted to avoid 10 363 obese adults over the study period, because of the reduction of the obesity prevalence by -0.7 percentage points. Overall, the predicted effect was largest in elderly and male groups, although females with a low socioeconomic status experienced the greatest decrease in the prevalence. The population attributable fraction predicted that 4.0% of population with obesity were attributable to the existence of these subsidies.ConclusionsThis analysis provides policy makers with the predicted impact on obesity of the butter, cheese, and sugar subsidies disposal, enabling them to incorporate this health impact into decision making across policy areas in the economic and health field. This study aims to model the potential impact on obesity of removing industrial subsidies for butter, cheese and sugar in the Canary Islands.     

Intestinal parasitic infections in suburban government schools,Lak Hok subdistrict,Muang Pathum Thani,Thailand

ObjectiveTo provide baseline information of parasitic infections in 3 suburban government schools, Lakhok subdistrict of Muang Pathum Thani, Thailand.MethodsThis study was conducted between May-June 2010 using simple direct smear and modified formalin ether and from a population of 1 253 in 3 suburban government schools.ResultsTotal samples of 202 registered and participated. The average of prevalence of infection from 3 schools was 13.9%, there were 13.7%, 14.3% and 13.9% in N, S and R school, respectively with no significant difference between schools (P>0.05). The infection rates did not show significant difference between genders (P>0.05). The highest rate of infection was 20.4% in Pathom 2 (8 years) students and the lowest was 4% in Pathom 1 (7 years) with statistically difference between age groups (P<0.05). The highest prevalence of pathogenic protozoa was Giardia lamblia (G. lamblia) which was found in 50% of infected cases, followed by 25% of Entamoeba histolytica (E. histolytica) and Blastocystis hominis (B. hominis). The highest prevalence of non-pathogenic protozoa was Endolimax nana (E. nana) which was found in 88.9%, followed by 11.1% of Entamoeba coli (E. coli). Mixed infections between Blastocystis hominis (B. hominis) and Endolimax nana (E. nana) were reported at 7.1%. The only helminthic infection found in this study area was hookworm, found in 1 student (3.8%). The formalin ether concentration technique showed a higher efficacy of detection (78%-100%) than the simple direct smear method (0%-50%).ConclusionsSurveillance of Protozoan infections may need to be focused on suburban areas.     

基于清晰集定性比较分析的地方政府县域医共体创新实践影响因素及其组合路径分析

背景地方政府创新的影响因素分析一直是地方治理创新研究的重要议题。目的探究影响地方政府县域医共体创新实践的因素，并分析其组合路径。方法于2021年3月，以中国医院协会医共体分会举办的第二届"寻找县域医共体实践价值案例"评选活动的初选结果为案例源，将"政策创新类型"作为结果变量（中央主导型创新/地方回应型创新=0，地方自发型创新=1），以经济发展水平、行政层级、地理区位、问题属性及平台作为条件变量，采用清晰集定性比较分析（csQCA）法，通过必要条件分析、充分条件组合分析，探究影响地方政府县域医共体创新实践的因素并构建地方政府县域医共体创新实践的影响路径模型。结果5个条件变量一致性均<0.9，即经济发展水平、行政层级、地理区位、问题属性及平台均不是地方自发型创新的必要条件。条件变量组合分析（基于中间解）结果显示，共得到5组前因条件组合，分别为：经济发展水平*~地理区位*平台，行政层级*~地理区位*平台，经济发展水平*问题属性*平台，~经济发展水平*地理区位*~问题属性*平台，经济发展水平*行政层级*地理区位*问题属性（*表示"且"，~表示"非"）。5组前因条件组合一致性指标均为1，原始覆盖率为0.14~0.43，净覆盖率为0.14~0.43，总体覆盖率为1。地方政府县域医共体创新实践主要呈现出两类模式，即平台型创新模式和动机型创新模式。结论若要实现高水平的医共体创新实践，应该关注政策与当地经济发展水平之间的强相关性，激活地方政府的主动创新意愿，以及加强对县域医共体的平台支持。本研究对于理解地方政府县域医共体创新实践的机理乃至地方政府创新都具有一定价值。     

陕西两县县域医疗服务体系建设的分析与思考

对陕西省府谷、子长两县的医药卫生体制改革情况进行了分析,阐述在县级公立医院综合改革、卫生管理县镇一体化、农民基本医疗保障均等化三个方面的特色做法及创新之处,探讨改革过程中存在的问题,并针对公立医院与政府的定位及职责提出政策建议,以期为全国其他地区县级医院改革提供理论支持与决策参考.