Variations in the use of diagnostic procedures after acute stroke in Europe: results from the BIOMED II study of stroke care

Valid classification of stroke is essential to initiate effective acute management and early secondary prevention strategies. To accurately evaluate stroke subtype a number of diagnostic procedures have to be performed. This study sought to investigate variations in use of diagnostic procedures across selected European hospitals. First-ever stroke patients were sampled over a 1-year period through 11 hospital-based registers across 10 European countries. We defined a diagnostic standard for valid aetiological classification of ischemic stroke including brain imaging, vascular imaging and echocardiography. The impact of socio-demographic, clinical and structural characteristics on performance of the diagnostic standard was assessed using multivariate logistic regression analyses. A total of 1721 patients were included in the study. 83.1% received brain imaging, ranging from 32.8% to 100%. The diagnostic standard was performed in 40.4% of stroke patients, ranging from 0% to 77.2%. Patients with increasing age ( P  < 0.001) and with more severe strokes ( P  = 0.001) were less probably to receive the diagnostic standard. Patients treated in stroke units and neurological departments were more frequently investigated with the diagnostic standard ( P  < 0.001). Less than half of hospitalized stroke patients across Europe underwent diagnostic procedures to allow for aetiological classification of stroke, which may hamper the initiation of effective early management and secondary prevention.     

Approaches for end-of-life care in the field of gynecologic oncology: an exploratory study

We sought to explore the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists (SGO) members' opinions and decisions about end-of-life issues and incurable conditions. A survey was mailed to members of the SGO. Their responses were recorded on a Likert scale and entered into a database. The survey explored opinions, experiences, and decisions in managing terminally ill gynecologic oncology patients. Of 900 surveys, 327 were returned (response rate, 36%). Seventy-three percent were men, 89% were white, and 72% were of Christian denomination. Respondents believed that 97% of patients who are dying realize that they are dying but stated only 40% of these patients initiate conversations about end-of-life issues. In contrast, 92% of respondents stated that they initiate end-of-life discussions with patients. Ninety-two percent of respondents thought that the patients should be allowed to make end-of-life choices independently after the facts are given to them. However, 44% thought that it is important to influence the way information is presented, and 54% believe that the gynecologic oncologist (GO) controls the outcome of end-of-life discussions. Although the physicians' sex, race, religion, and age did not correlate with their treatment decisions, religion did correlate with less fear of death (P = 0.011) and less discomfort when talking with patients about death (P = 0.005). Fifty-four percent of respondents believed that the GO controls the outcome of end-of-life discussions, and 40% believe that their actions prolong the process of dying. Expanding our understanding of what motivates GOs to recommend continued treatment over palliation is important for preserving informed patient-motivated end-of-life decisions.     

Performance measures for evaluating services for people with a first episode of psychosis

Aim: The purpose of this project was to operationalize and apply a previously identified set of performance measures designed to evaluate services for those experiencing a first episode of a schizophrenia spectrum disorder. Methods: Operational definitions were developed for previously identified measures through an iterative process of discussions between clinical experts and health‐care evaluators. Data were collected from existing sources including corporate databases, clinical databases and chart review. Results: Definitions were developed for 44 measures covering seven of eight domains recommended for service level evaluation by the Canadian Institute for Health Information domains. Forty measures could be calculated. Conclusions: The measures represent a comprehensive set of performance measures suitable for the evaluation of services for people with a first‐episode psychosis. The measures could be used by other services in order to establish standards and norms for routine clinical practice.     

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Brazilian primary care: Diagnostic competence and case-finding.

AIMS: The developing world is particularly at risk of an increasing health burden due to an increased prevalence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) secondary to increasing tobacco consumption. However, research is scarce. The objectives of this study were to assess the current competence for diagnosing COPD in primary care in a resource-limited setting in Brazil, and to develop a local patient profile for case-finding. METHODS: 34 general practitioners (GPs) in five areas of northern Brazil recruited adult patients with principal complaints of cough and/or shortness of breath who then had spirometry (n = 142). RESULTS: For the dichotomous variable 'COPD' the degree of agreement between GP diagnosis (n = 64, 18.3%) and spirometric outcome (n = 36, 25.4%) was poor, with Kappa = 0.055 (SE 0.087) and DOR = 1.35. False-positive and false-negative diagnosis proportions were 19.8% and 75%, respectively. Independent risk factors were 'smoking history of more than five pack years' and 'presence of both dyspnoea and cough'. It requires the testing of 2.2 smokers with more than five pack years to detect one patient at risk. CONCLUSIONS: COPD is a common yet underdiagnosed disease in Brazilian primary care. Spirometry improves diagnostic competence and case-finding substantially. If applied in a pre-selected high-risk population, we believe spirometry can be a cost-effective diagnostic tool for case-finding in the resource-limited setting. This study provides important baseline information for effective guideline implementation.     

Association Between Outpatient Follow-Up and Pediatric Emergency Department Asthma Visits

Background. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) guidelines recommend that patients receive a follow-up outpatient asthma visit after being discharged from an emergency department (ED) for asthma. Objective. To measure the frequency of follow-up outpatient asthma visits and its association with repeat ED asthma visit. Design. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of children with asthma using claims data from a university-based managed care organization from 01 1998 to 10 2000. We performed a multivariate survival analysis using Cox proportional hazards model to determine the effect of follow-up outpatient asthma visits on the likelihood of a repeat ED asthma visit, after controlling for severity of illness, patient age, gender, insurance, and the specialty of the primary care provider. Results: A total of 561 children had 780 ED asthma visits. Of these, 103 (17%) had a repeat ED asthma visit within 1 year. Almost two-thirds of children (66%) did not receive outpatient follow-up for asthma within 30 days of an ED asthma visit. Outpatient asthma visits within 30 days of an ED asthma visit are associated with an increased likelihood (relative risk = 1.80; 95% confidence interval 1.19, 2.72) for repeat ED asthma visits within 1 year. Conclusions. Most patients do not have outpatient follow-up after an ED asthma visit. However, those patients that present for outpatient follow-up have an increased likelihood for repeat ED asthma visits. For the primary care provider, these outpatient follow-up visits signal an increased risk that a patient will return to the ED for asthma and are a key opportunity to prevent future ED asthma visits.     

北京农村居民健康状况及卫生服务需求调查

目的了解北京农村居民健康状况及卫生服务需求特点。方法从昌平区、顺义区、大兴区、房山区随机抽取25～64岁农民1605人进行统一问卷调查。结果农民高血压自报患病率为22．4％，超重和肥胖率为56．1％；现在吸烟率为34．4％，缺乏运动率为41．6％；家庭主要经济支出为学生上学(35．3％)，建房(25．4％)和疾病(21．2％)；54．9％家庭医疗费用支出占总收入的10％以上；最关心的健康问题主要是慢性疾病防治(70．2％)；最希望获得的健康知识是慢性病预防知识(72％)；希望获得健康知识的途径是广播和电视(81％)；家庭最希望获得的医疗保健服务是方便看病和获得药物(73．8％)。结论慢性病给农民带来沉重负担，并成为农民关心的主要健康问题。     

Effect of a Low-Cost Intervention on Recording Body Mass Index in Patients'' Records

PURPOSE: Evaluate the effectiveness of body mass index (BMI) tables placed in exam rooms as an intervention to encourage providers to calculate and record BMI scores in patients' medical records. DESIGN: In a prospective cohort design, medical record data for 276 adult patients at a federally funded community health center in New England were examined from August 2000 to August 2002 following the intervention. METHODS: Prominent, multicolored, laminated BMI tables were posted in the exam rooms of one of the study site's three primary health care teams. Medical record data collected included documentation of BMI calculation in medical records, documentation of an obesity diagnosis, and inclusion of heights and current weights. Frequency distributions were calculated; chi-square tests were used to identify associations. FINDINGS: In contrast to the comparison teams, patients on the intervention team were more likely to have BMI recorded in the medical record. A statistically significant increase in the diagnosis of obesity was observed throughout the health center after the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Posting BMI tables in exam rooms contributed to increased BMI documentation in patients' medical records.     

The morality of efficiency in health care--some uncomfortable implications.

There are some general considerations which have implications for the delivery and finance of health care in all countries, not only Canada and the USA. Beginning with two propositions: that access to health care is a right of citizenship, which should not depend on individual income and wealth; and that the objective of health services is to maximise the impact on the nation's health of the resources available; the paper examines the ethical justification for pursuing efficiency in health care provision. The different meanings of efficiency are discussed in detail, and the use of quantitative indicators of health benefit, such as the QALY, placed in context. It is argued that the determination of health care resource allocations should take account of costs at both the macro planning level and the micro level of the individual doctor-patient relationship. Given the starting points the overall conclusion is that it is ethical to be efficient, since to be inefficient implies failure to achieve the ethical objective of maximising health benefits from available resources.