Emergence of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 Lineage at Outpatient Testing Site,Berlin, Germany,January–March 2021

Within 5 weeks in 2021, B.1.1.7 became the dominant severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 lineage at an outpatient testing site in Berlin, Germany. Compared with outpatients with wild-type virus infection, patients with B.1.1.7 had similar cycle threshold values, more frequent sore throat and travel history, and less frequent anosmia/ageusia.     

A Multidisciplinary,Community-Based Program to Reduce Unplanned Hospital Admissions

ObjectivesTo evaluate the effect of Hospital Admission Risk Program (HARP) on unplanned hospitalization, bed days, and mortality of enrolled individuals and to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of HARP.DesignA retrospective longitudinal analysis of hospital administrative data.InterventionIndividuals at risk of hospitalization were provided with multidisciplinary, community-based care support managed by care coordinators including integrated care planning, education, monitoring, service linkages, and general practitioner liaison over 6-9 months.Setting and ParticipantsIndividuals who were enrolled into 1 of 8 HARP chronic disease management programs between July 1, 2017, and June 30, 2018, at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia.MethodsHospital admissions between 18 months before and 18 months after HARP enrollment were analyzed. Total hospital costs were compared between 18 months before and 12 months after HARP enrollment.ResultsA total of 1553 individuals with a median age of 71 years (interquartile range 60-81), 63.4% males, were admitted to HARP. Both unplanned hospitalizations and bed days were reduced during the HARP intervention compared to within 3 months before enrollment in each of the HARP management programs. After the HARP intervention, cardiac coach, cardiac heart failure, chronic respiratory, diabetes comanagement, and medication management programs had higher hospitalizations and bed days than individuals’ baseline of at least 3 months before HARP enrollment. Individuals in cardiac heart failure and chronic respiratory management programs had a higher mortality rate than other HARP chronic disease management programs. Individuals in cardiac coach, diabetes comanagement, and medication management programs had lower hospital costs during the HARP intervention compared to within 3 months before HARP enrollment.Conclusions and ImplicationsHARP reduced unplanned hospitalization and bed days but did not return individuals’ hospital use to baseline before the intervention. The variations in mortality between HARP chronic disease management programs implies that condition-specific goals between programs is preferable.     

Prevalence of Vision Loss and Associations With Age-Related Eye Diseases Among Nursing Home Residents Aged ≥65 Years

ObjectivesTo examine data from Delaware nursing homes to determine prevalence of age-related eye diseases (AREDs), vision impairment, and blindness and to compare the findings with the results of 11 US investigations of vision and eye health in nursing homes.DesignThis is a cross-sectional, retrospective study of nursing home patients.Setting and ParticipantsTwenty nursing homes in Delaware participated in the study, yielding comprehensive eye examination records for 2019 study participants.MethodsSummary statistics and regression analyses.ResultsThe overall prevalence of vision impairment or blindness was 63.8% and was above 60% for each age, sex, and race category. Prevalence of vision impairment or blindness was 68.4% among patients with cataracts, 69.4% among patients with macular degeneration, 70.5% among patients with glaucoma, and 68.4% among patients with diabetic retinopathy. Prevalence of blindness was 14.1%. Among patients with AREDs, prevalence of blindness ranged from 15.0% for patients with cataracts to 22.6% for patients with diabetic retinopathy. When compared with other investigations, we found wide variation in vision and eye factors reported and wide variation in the prevalence of those factors. Only 4 studies diagnosed both AREDs and visual function. Seven studies reported AREDs, and 7 reported vision impairment and/or blindness. Vision impairment or blindness ranged from 29% to 67%; cataract ranged from 32% to 83%; macular degeneration ranged from 4.6% to 70.7%. Glaucoma ranged from 5.3% to 41.4%; diabetic retinopathy ranged from 1.7% to 3.1%.Conclusions and ImplicationsComprehensive eye examinations showed that vision impairment and blindness affected 63.8% of nursing home residents. Compared with other studies, there was a wide range of vision factors reported and wide variation in the prevalence of vision impairment or blindness and AREDs. This investigation suggests the importance of eye care in nursing homes and the importance of reporting standard vision and eye health factors to inform policy and practice.     

Antihypertensive Medication Classes and the Risk of Dementia: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

ObjectivesTo systematically review and synthesize the evidence on differential associations between antihypertensive medication (AHM) classes and the risk of incident dementia.DesignSystematic review and random effects frequentist network meta-analysis. Embase, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane library were searched from origin to December 2019.Setting and participantsRandomized controlled trials (RCTs) and prospective cohort studies that compared associations of different AHM classes with incident all-cause dementia and/or Alzheimer's disease over at least 1 year of follow-up.MeasuresAll cause dementia and/or Alzheimer's disease.ResultsFifteen observational studies and 7 RCTs were included. Data on AHM classes were available for 649,790 participants and dementia occurred in 19,600 (3.02%). Network meta-analysis showed that in observational studies, treatment with either calcium channel blockers (CCBs) or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) was associated with lower dementia risks than treatment with other antihypertensives: CCBs vs angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors) (HR=0.84, 95% CI 0.74-0.95), beta blockers (HR=0.83, 95% CI 0.73-0.95) and diuretics (HR=0.89, 95% CI 0.78-1.01) and ARBs vs ACE inhibitors (HR=0.88, 95% CI 0.81-0.97), beta blockers (HR=0.87, 95% CI 0.77-0.99), and diuretics (HR=0.93, 95% CI 0.83-1.05). There were insufficient RCTs to create a robust network based on randomized data alone.Conclusions and ImplicationsRecommending CCBs or ARBs as preferred first-line antihypertensive treatment may significantly reduce the risk of dementia. If corroborated in a randomized setting, these findings reflect a low-cost and scalable opportunity to reduce dementia incidence worldwide.     

Clustering 5-Year Multidimensional Health Care Trajectory Patterns in Alzheimer's Disease and Related Syndromes

ObjectiveAfter diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and related syndromes (ADRS), personalized care adapted to each patient's needs is recommended to provide a care plan and start symptomatic treatments according to guidelines. Over the past decade, dedicated structures and care have been implemented in various settings. Equal access to ADRS care, health care providers and services is crucial to ensure potential health benefits for everyone. However, the extent of use of recommended services and favorable health care utilization trajectories (HUT) may vary according to individual and contextual characteristics. The aim of this article was to (1) describe HUT patterns after multidimensional clustering of similar trajectories, (2) assess the proportion of individuals presenting favorable HUTs, and (3) identify factors associated with favorable HUTs.DesignCohort study.Setting and participantsA cohort of 103,317 people newly diagnosed with ADRS identified in the French health reimbursement system (SNDS) was followed for 5 years with their monthly utilization on 11 health care dimensions.MethodsFor 3 age groups (65–74, 75–84, ≥85 years), 15 clusters of patients were identified using partitioning around medoids applied to Levenshtein distances. They were qualitatively assessed by pluridisciplinary experts. Individual and contextual determinants of clusters denoting favorable trajectories were identified using mixed random effects multivariable logistic regression models.ResultsClusters with favorable HUTs denoting slow, progressive trajectories centered on at-home care, represented approximatively 25% of the patients. Determinants of favorable HUTs were mostly individual (age, female gender, absence of certain comorbidities, circumstances of ADRS identification, lower deprivation). Contextual determinants were also identified, in particular accessibility to nurses and nursing homes. Inter-territories variance was small but significant in all age groups (from 0.9% to 1.8%).Conclusion and implicationsFavorable HUTs remain the minority and many efforts can still be made to improve HUTs. Qualitative studies could help understanding underlying barriers to favorable HUTs.     

2017—2019年攀枝花市某医院心血管疾病住院患者疾病谱及住院费用分析

目的 分析心血管疾病住院患者疾病谱及住院费用,了解疾病构成的规律特点及经济负担,为心内科疾病诊治工作提供参考依据。方法 回顾性分析攀枝花市某三级医院2017—2019年心血管疾病住院患者资料,从医院相关管理信息系统中导出诊断为心血管疾病的病例条目、详细病历及病例住院费用等数据,采用描述流行病学分析方法对心血管疾病住院患者资料进行分析。结果 共纳入心血管疾病住院患者11 376例,2017—2019年分别有3 492、3 815、4 069例,分别占30.7%、33.5%、35.8%,病例数逐年上升。3年间心血管疾病住院患者的性别分布差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）,年龄分布差异有统计学意义（P<0.01）,心血管疾病住院患者发病呈年轻化趋势。病种均以冠心病和高血压所占比例最大,合计分别占当年心血管疾病住院患者的57.6%、55.5%,2019年则上升至62.8%。3年间心血管疾病住院患者有伴发疾病比例（27.6%、26.1%、25.4%）差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）。心血管疾病住院患者住院天数分布差异有统计学意义（P<0.01）,2019年的患者住院时间<7 d的比例有所上升。2017、2018、2019年该医院心血管疾病住院患者诊治自费费用分别为（5 925.6±285.7）、（5 904.2±264.3）、（5 890.9±230.8）元/人,差异有统计学意义（P<0.01）。结论 2017—2019年攀枝花市某医院心血管疾病住院患者病例数增加,住院患者发病年龄有年轻化趋势,主要病种仍以冠心病和高血压为主,住院天数及自费费用呈下降趋势。     

安徽省新冠肺炎定点医疗机构医院感染管理部门人力资源现状调查

目的 了解安徽省不同级别新冠肺炎定点医疗机构医院感染管理部门人力资源配置现状,分析存在问题及薄弱环节,为健全感控人才队伍建设提供依据。方法 通过调查问卷的形式,于2020年4月对安徽省各级新冠肺炎定点医疗机构医院感染管理部门基本情况、医院感染管理专职人员配置情况进行调查,并对结果进行分析。结果 共调查68所医疗机构,其中省级医院6所,市级医院19所,县级医院43所。省、市、县级医疗机构医院感染管理专职人员配比达标的医院分别占16.67%、26.32%、51.16%。全省医院感染管理专职人员中女性占84.82%;医院感染管理队伍以护理专业为主,占59.53%;高级职称人员仅占21.01%。不同级别医疗机构医院感染管理专职人员在专业、学历分布、医院感染管理工作年限方面比较,差异均有统计学意义（均P<0.05）。结论 安徽省新冠肺炎定点医疗机构医院感染管理部门存在专职人员配备不足、专业单一、学历偏低、职称晋升困难等情况,人力资源配置有待进一步优化,医疗机构及相关管理部门应加强感染监控人才队伍建设,推动疫情防控常态化下感染监控工作的有效落实。