Neonatal inpatient dataset for small and sick newborn care in low- and middle-income countries: systematic development and multi-country operationalisation with NEST360

BACKGROUND

Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP) coverage target 4 necessitates national scale-up of Level-2 Small and Sick Newborn Care (SSNC) (with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)) in 80% of districts by 2025. Routine neonatal inpatient data is important for improving quality of care, targeting equity gaps, and enabling data-driven decision-making at individual, district, and national-levels. Existing neonatal inpatient datasets vary in purpose, size, definitions, and collection processes. We describe the co-design and operationalisation of a core inpatient dataset for use to track outcomes and improve quality of care for small and sick newborns in high-mortality settings.

METHODS

A three-step systematic framework was used to review, co-design, and operationalise this novel neonatal inpatient dataset in four countries (Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, and Nigeria) implementing with the Newborn Essential Solutions and Technologies (NEST360) Alliance. Existing global and national datasets were identified, and variables were mapped according to categories. A priori considerations for variable inclusion were determined by clinicians and policymakers from the four African governments by facilitated group discussions. These included prioritising clinical care and newborn outcomes data, a parsimonious variable list, and electronic data entry. The tool was designed and refined by > 40 implementers and policymakers during a multi-stakeholder workshop and online interactions.

RESULTS

Identified national and international datasets (n = 6) contained a median of 89 (IQR:61-154) variables, with many relating to research-specific initiatives. Maternal antenatal/intrapartum history was the largest variable category (21, 23.3%). The Neonatal Inpatient Dataset (NID) includes 60 core variables organised in six categories: (1) birth details/maternal history; (2) admission details/identifiers; (3) clinical complications/observations; (4) interventions/investigations; (5) discharge outcomes; and (6) diagnosis/cause-of-death. Categories were informed through the mapping process. The NID has been implemented at 69 neonatal units in four African countries and links to a facility-level quality improvement (QI) dashboard used in real-time by facility staff.

CONCLUSION

The NEST360 NID is a novel, parsimonious tool for use in routine information systems to inform inpatient SSNC quality. Available on the NEST360/United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Implementation Toolkit for SSNC, this adaptable tool enables facility and country-level comparisons to accelerate progress toward ENAP targets. Additional linked modules could include neonatal at-risk follow-up, retinopathy of prematurity, and Level-3 intensive care.

Characteristics and in-hospital morbidity trends associated with oral and oropharyngeal cancers in Brazil

Background

Brazil experienced an expansion of the population's access to oral health policies after the creation of the Unified Health System (SUS, Sistema Único de Saúde). Through public policies, the consolidation of Primary Health Care (PHC) and the incorporation of dental care into primary and hospital care took place. The objective of this study was to identify epidemiological aspects, including the temporal trend, of hospital morbidity from oral and oropharyngeal cancer in Brazil, considering hospitalizations for this neoplasm in a hospital network linked to the public care system.

Methods

Observational study based on information on hospital admissions for oral cancer throughout Brazil. The research used data from the Brazilian Cancer Registry Information System. For the temporal series analysis, generalized linear regression model was used with the Prais-Winsten method.

Results

Of the 121,971 patients hospitalized with oral and oropharyngeal cancers, 76.40% were male and 23.60% were female, resulting in a M:F ratio of 3.24:1. Regarding the anatomical region of involvement among hospitalized patients with oral cavity neoplastic lesions, there was a predominance in non-specific places in the mouth, such as the floor of the mouth, soft and hard palate, among others (32.68%), followed by lesions in the region of tongue (28.89%). In this population, the predominant age group was between the fifth decade (31.09%) and sixth decade of life (24.99%); men presented neoplastic lesions of oral and oropharyngeal cancers at an earlier age than women. In all regions of the country, the staging of cases diagnosed in the tertiary health network accredited to the José Alencar Gomes da Silva National Cancer Institute (INCA) was late, with higher tendency for metastasis. The temporal trend of the adjusted in-hospital morbidity rates showed to be increasing in the Northeast, South and Midwest regions for the male gender. For females, they were increasing in the Northeast and South regions.

Conclusions

It is concluded that the distribution of in-hospital morbidity rates of oral and oropharyngeal cancers in the country is irregular. There is a greater number of cases identified by the study in male patients and in the Southeast and South regions; with an increasing tendency of this coefficient in both genders.

Total Hip Replacement in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Trends in Incidence and Complication Rates Over 35 Years

INTRODUCTION

Advances in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) management have made disease remission achievable. We evaluated trends in total hip replacement (THR) and postoperative outcomes in patients with RA in Western Australia (WA) over more than three decades.

METHODS

This was a retrospective analysis of routinely collected prospective data from a state-wide registry containing longitudinally linked administrative health data based on International Classification of Diseases (ICD) diagnostic and procedural codes. We included patients with two or more diagnostic codes for RA (between 1980 and 2015) and studied THR incidence rates (THR IR) and complication rates (revision, peri-prosthetic fracture, infection, venous thrombosis, and mechanical loosening). Survival rates were estimated by Kaplan-Meier method and predictors analyzed by Cox regression.

RESULTS

We followed 9201 RA patients over 111,625 person-years, during which 1560 patients (16.9%) underwent THR. From 1985 to 2015, THR IR (per 1000 RA patient-years) decreased from 20.8 (95% CI 20.1-21.5) to 7.3 (95% CI 7.2-7.5), and 5-year THR-free survival increased from 84.3 to 95.3% (1980-2015). Ten-year prosthetic survival was 91.2%. Complication rates in the first 5 years post-THR decreased significantly from 13.1 to 3.7% (p < 0.001). Mechanical complications such as loosening and periprosthetic fracture rates decreased significantly (> 35%, P < 0.05), while infection and revision did not change over the observation period (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Over the last 30 years in RA patients, THR IR and mechanical complication rates decreased significantly, but the medical complication of infection has not changed significantly.

Changes in Platelet Counts and Thrombocytopenia Risk in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease with Different Etiologies Using Real-World Japanese Data

INTRODUCTION

Thrombocytopenia, a common complication of chronic liver disease (CLD), adversely affects the treatment in patients requiring invasive procedures. Multiple pathophysiological mechanisms contribute to the development of thrombocytopenia; thus, its incidence could differ among CLD etiologies. We investigated the risk of decline in platelet counts and developing thrombocytopenia across different CLDs in a real-world Japanese setting.

METHODS

A Japanese claims database including 25 million patients (April 2008-August 2018) was used. Patients with at least one CLD diagnosis were classified into nine mutually exclusive categories: hepatitis B, hepatitis C, hepatitis B and C, unspecified viral hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis, toxin/drug-induced hepatitis, alcoholic hepatitis, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and others. A random effects model was used to estimate the changes in platelet counts; proportional hazard analyses were used to examine factors associated with the incidence of thrombocytopenia based on the diagnosis. Patients with laboratory test data as variables were included in each analysis.

RESULTS

The simulation included 68,536 patients. The mean values representing changes in the platelet count were significantly negative in the hepatitis C patients and negative, though non-significant, in the hepatitis B, toxin/drug-induced hepatitis, alcoholic hepatitis, and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis patients. In the proportional hazard analysis, 708 of 22,728 patients had thrombocytopenia. The hazard ratio (HR) was significantly high for patients with hepatitis B (HR, 2.879; p < 0.001), hepatitis C (HR, 1.876; p < 0.001), and hepatitis B and C (HR, 2.992; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

A decreasing tendency in platelet counts was observed in most CLD etiologies, with hepatitis C showing a significant decrease. The incidence of thrombocytopenia was mostly associated with hepatitis B and/or C. Further research is warranted to elucidate the discrepancy between the decline in platelet counts and thrombocytopenia diagnosis, considering the factors relevant to the diagnosis, such as the frequency of outpatient visits and CLD treatment.

Data resource profile: the Korea National Hospital Discharge In-depth Injury Survey

The Korea National Hospital Discharge In-depth Injury Survey (KNHDIS), which was started in 2005, is a national probability survey of general hospitals in Korea with 100 or more beds conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The KNHDIS captures approximately 9% of discharged cases from sampled hospitals using a 2-stage stratified cluster sampling scheme, among which 13% are injury related cases, defined as S00-T98 (injury, poisoning, and certain other consequences of external causes) using International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision codes. The KNHDIS collects information on characteristics of injury-related discharges in order to understand the scale of injuries, identify risk factors, and provide data supporting prevention policies and intervention strategies. The types of data captured include the hospitals’ information, detailed clinical information, and injury-related codes such as the mechanism, activities undertaken when injured (sports, leisure activities, work, treatment, and education), external causes of the injury, and location of the occurrence of the injury based on the International Classification of External Causes of Injuries. Furthermore, the means of transportation, risk factors for suicide, and toxic substances are recoreded. Annual reports of the KNHDIS are publicly accessible to browse via the KDCA website (http://www.kdca.go.kr) and microdata are available free of charge upon request via email (kcdcinjury@korea.kr).

Validity of an algorithm to identify cardiovascular deaths from administrative health records: a multi-database population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND

Cardiovascular death is a common outcome in population-based studies about new healthcare interventions or treatments, such as new prescription medications. Vital statistics registration systems are often the preferred source of information about cause-specific mortality because they capture verified information about the deceased, but they may not always be accessible for linkage with other sources of population-based data. We assessed the validity of an algorithm applied to administrative health records for identifying cardiovascular deaths in population-based data.

METHODS

Administrative health records were from an existing multi-database cohort study about sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, a new class of antidiabetic medications. Data were from 2013 to 2018 for five Canadian provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec) and the United Kingdom (UK) Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). The cardiovascular mortality algorithm was based on in-hospital cardiovascular deaths identified from diagnosis codes and select out-of-hospital deaths. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values (PPV, NPV) were calculated for the cardiovascular mortality algorithm using vital statistics registrations as the reference standard. Overall and stratified estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed; the latter were produced by site, location of death, sex, and age.

RESULTS

The cohort included 20,607 individuals (58.3% male; 77.2% ≥70 years). When compared to vital statistics registrations, the cardiovascular mortality algorithm had overall sensitivity of 64.8% (95% CI 63.6, 66.0); site-specific estimates ranged from 54.8 to 87.3%. Overall specificity was 74.9% (95% CI 74.1, 75.6) and overall PPV was 54.5% (95% CI 53.7, 55.3), while site-specific PPV ranged from 33.9 to 72.8%. The cardiovascular mortality algorithm had sensitivity of 57.1% (95% CI 55.4, 58.8) for in-hospital deaths and 72.3% (95% CI 70.8, 73.9) for out-of-hospital deaths; specificity was 88.8% (95% CI 88.1, 89.5) for in-hospital deaths and 58.5% (95% CI 57.3, 59.7) for out-of-hospital deaths.

CONCLUSIONS

A cardiovascular mortality algorithm applied to administrative health records had moderate validity when compared to vital statistics data. Substantial variation existed across study sites representing different geographic locations and two healthcare systems. These variations may reflect different diagnostic coding practices and healthcare utilization patterns.

Patient Access to an Online Portal for Outpatient Radiological Images and Reports: Two Years' Experience

To assess the incidence of outpatient examinations delivered through a web portal in the Latium Region in 2 years and compare socio-demographic characteristics of these users compared to the total of examinations performed. All radiological exams (including MRI, X-ray and CT) performed from March 2017 to February 2019 were retrospectively analysed. For each exam, anonymized data of users who attended the exam were extracted and their characteristics were compared according to digital access to the reports. Overall, 9068 exams were performed in 6720 patients (55.8% males, median age 58 years, interquartile range (IQR) 46-70) of which 90.2% residents in Rome province, mainly attending a single radiological examination (77.3%). Among all exams, 446 (4.9%) were accessed, of which 190 (4.4%) in the first and 5.4% in the second year (p < 0.041). MRI was the type of exams mostly accessed (175, 7.0%). Being resident in the provinces of the Latium Region other than Rome was associated with a higher access rate (OR = 1.84, p = 0.001). Considering the overall costs sustained to implement a web portal which allows users a personal access to their own reports, if all users would have accessed/downloaded their exams, an overall users' and hospital savings up to €255,808.28 could have been determined. The use of a web portal could represent a consistent economical advantage for the user, the hospital and the environment. Even if increasing over time, the use of web portal is still limited and strategies to increase the use of such systems should be implemented.

The Study on Safety in Hospitals in the Region of Madrid (ESHMAD) design: Screening and analysis of incidents and adverse events

BACKGROUND

A Study related to Safety in Hospitals in the Region of Madrid (ESHMAD) was carried out in order to determine the prevalence, magnitude and characteristics of adverse events in public hospitals. This work aims to define a useful methodology for the multicenter study of adverse events in the Region of Madrid, to set out the preliminary results of the hospital enrollment and to establish a model of a strategy of training of trainers for its implementation.

METHODS

ESHMAD was a multicenter, double phase study for the estimation of adverse events and incidents prevalence across the Region of Madrid. First phase comprehended a 1-day cross-sectional prevalence study, in which it was collected, through a screening guide, information about admission, patient characteristics, intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors, and the possibility of an adverse event or incident had happened during the hospitalization. Second phase was a retrospective nested cohort study, in which it was used a Modular Review Form for reviewing the positive screenings of the first phase, identifying in each possible adverse event or incident the classification of the patient safety event, clinical onset, root, and associated causes and factors, impact, and preventability. A pilot study was performed in an Internal Medicine Unit of a tertiary hospital.

RESULTS

34 public hospitals participated, belonging to 6 healthcare categories and with more than 10,000 hospitalisations aggregate capacity. 72 coordinators were enrolled in the strategy of training of trainers, which was performed through five on-site training workshops. In the pilot study, 45.2% patients were identified with at least one positive event of the screening. Of them, 48.1% (25 positive events) were identified as truly AE, with a result of 0.29 EA per analyzed patient.

CONCLUSIONS

The ESHMAD protocol allows to estimate the prevalence of adverse events, and the strategy of training of trainers facilitated the spread of the research methodology among the participants.

Immediate newborn care and breastfeeding: EN-BIRTH multi-country validation study

BACKGROUND

Immediate newborn care (INC) practices, notably early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF), are fundamental for newborn health. However, coverage tracking currently relies on household survey data in many settings. "Every Newborn Birth Indicators Research Tracking in Hospitals" (EN-BIRTH) was an observational study validating selected maternal and newborn health indicators. This paper reports results for EIBF.

METHODS

The EN-BIRTH study was conducted in five public hospitals in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Tanzania, from July 2017 to July 2018. Clinical observers collected tablet-based, time-stamped data on EIBF and INC practices (skin-to-skin within 1 h of birth, drying, and delayed cord clamping). To assess validity of EIBF measurement, we compared observation as gold standard to register records and women's exit-interview survey reports. Percent agreement was used to assess agreement between EIBF and INC practices. Kaplan Meier survival curves showed timing. Qualitative interviews were conducted to explore barriers/enablers to register recording.

RESULTS

Coverage of EIBF among 7802 newborns observed for ≥1 h was low (10.9, 95% CI 3.8-21.0). Survey-reported (53.2, 95% CI 39.4-66.8) and register-recorded results (85.9, 95% CI 58.1-99.6) overestimated coverage compared to observed levels across all hospitals. Registers did not capture other INC practices apart from breastfeeding. Agreement of EIBF with other INC practices was high for skin-to-skin (69.5-93.9%) at four sites, but fair/poor for delayed cord-clamping (47.3-73.5%) and drying (7.3-29.0%). EIBF and skin-to-skin were the most delayed and EIBF rarely happened after caesarean section (0.5-3.6%). Qualitative findings suggested that focusing on accuracy, as well as completeness, contributes to higher quality with register reporting.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study highlights the importance of tracking EIBF despite measurement challenges and found low coverage levels, particularly after caesarean births. Both survey-reported and register-recorded data over-estimated coverage. EIBF had a strong agreement with skin-to-skin but is not a simple tracer for other INC indicators. Other INC practices are challenging to measure in surveys, not included in registers, and are likely to require special studies or audits. Continued focus on EIBF is crucial to inform efforts to improve provider practices and increase coverage. Investment and innovation are required to improve measurement.

Neonatal resuscitation: EN-BIRTH multi-country validation study

BACKGROUND

Annually, 14 million newborns require stimulation to initiate breathing at birth and 6 million require bag-mask-ventilation (BMV). Many countries have invested in facility-based neonatal resuscitation equipment and training. However, there is no consistent tracking for neonatal resuscitation coverage.

METHODS

The EN-BIRTH study, in five hospitals in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Tanzania (2017-2018), collected time-stamped data for care around birth, including neonatal resuscitation. Researchers surveyed women and extracted data from routine labour ward registers. To assess accuracy, we compared gold standard observed coverage to survey-reported and register-recorded coverage, using absolute difference, validity ratios, and individual-level validation metrics (sensitivity, specificity, percent agreement). We analysed two resuscitation numerators (stimulation, BMV) and three denominators (live births and fresh stillbirths, non-crying, non-breathing). We also examined timeliness of BMV. Qualitative data were collected from health workers and data collectors regarding barriers and enablers to routine recording of resuscitation.

RESULTS

Among 22,752 observed births, 5330 (23.4%) babies did not cry and 3860 (17.0%) did not breathe in the first minute after birth. 16.2% (n = 3688) of babies were stimulated and 4.4% (n = 998) received BMV. Survey-report underestimated coverage of stimulation and BMV. Four of five labour ward registers captured resuscitation numerators. Stimulation had variable accuracy (sensitivity 7.5-40.8%, specificity 66.8-99.5%), BMV accuracy was higher (sensitivity 12.4-48.4%, specificity > 93%), with small absolute differences between observed and recorded BMV. Accuracy did not vary by denominator option. < 1% of BMV was initiated within 1 min of birth. Enablers to register recording included training and data use while barriers included register design, documentation burden, and time pressure.

CONCLUSIONS

Population-based surveys are unlikely to be useful for measuring resuscitation coverage given low validity of exit-survey report. Routine labour ward registers have potential to accurately capture BMV as the numerator. Measuring the true denominator for clinical need is complex; newborns may require BMV if breathing ineffectively or experiencing apnoea after initial drying/stimulation or subsequently at any time. Further denominator research is required to evaluate non-crying as a potential alternative in the context of respectful care. Measuring quality gaps, notably timely provision of resuscitation, is crucial for programme improvement and impact, but unlikely to be feasible in routine systems, requiring audits and special studies.

Chlorhexidine for facility-based umbilical cord care: EN-BIRTH multi-country validation study

BACKGROUND

Umbilical cord hygiene prevents sepsis, a leading cause of neonatal mortality. The World Health Organization recommends 7.1% chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX) application to the umbilicus after home birth in high mortality contexts. In Bangladesh and Nepal, national policies recommend CHX use for all facility births. Population-based household surveys include optional questions on CHX use, but indicator validation studies are lacking. The Every Newborn Birth Indicators Research Tracking in Hospitals (EN-BIRTH) was an observational study assessing measurement validity for maternal and newborn indicators. This paper reports results regarding CHX.

METHODS

The EN-BIRTH study (July 2017-July 2018) included three public hospitals in Bangladesh and Nepal where CHX cord application is routine. Clinical-observers collected tablet-based, time-stamped data regarding cord care during admission to labour and delivery wards as the gold standard to assess accuracy of women's report at exit survey, and of routine-register data. We calculated validity ratios and individual-level validation metrics; analysed coverage, quality and measurement gaps. We conducted qualitative interviews to assess barriers and enablers to routine register-recording.

RESULTS

Umbilical cord care was observed for 12,379 live births. Observer-assessed CHX coverage was very high at 89.3-99.4% in all 3 hospitals, although slightly lower after caesarean births in Azimpur (86.8%), Bangladesh. Exit survey-reported coverage (0.4-45.9%) underestimated the observed coverage with substantial "don't know" responses (55.5-79.4%). Survey-reported validity ratios were all poor (0.01 to 0.38). Register-recorded coverage in the specific column in Bangladesh was underestimated by 0.2% in Kushtia but overestimated by 9.0% in Azimpur. Register-recorded validity ratios were good (0.9 to 1.1) in Bangladesh, and poor (0.8) in Nepal. The non-specific register column in Pokhara, Nepal substantially underestimated coverage (20.7%).

CONCLUSIONS

Exit survey-report highly underestimated observed CHX coverage in all three hospitals. Routine register-recorded coverage was closer to observer-assessed coverage than survey reports in all hospitals, including for caesarean births, and was more accurately captured in hospitals with a specific register column. Inclusion of CHX cord care into registers, and tallied into health management information system platforms, is justified in countries with national policies for facility-based use, but requires implementation research to assess register design and data flow within health information systems.

Kangaroo mother care: EN-BIRTH multi-country validation study

BACKGROUND

Kangaroo mother care (KMC) reduces mortality among stable neonates ≤2000 g. Lack of data tracking coverage and quality of KMC in both surveys and routine information systems impedes scale-up. This paper evaluates KMC measurement as part of the Every Newborn Birth Indicators Research Tracking in Hospitals (EN-BIRTH) study.

METHODS

The EN-BIRTH observational mixed-methods study was conducted in five hospitals in Bangladesh, Nepal and Tanzania from 2017 to 2018. Clinical observers collected time-stamped data as gold standard for mother-baby pairs in KMC wards/corners. To assess accuracy, we compared routine register-recorded and women's exit survey-reported coverage to observed data, using different recommended denominator options (≤2000 g and ≤ 2499 g). We analysed gaps in quality of provision and experience of KMC. In the Tanzanian hospitals, we assessed daily skin-to-skin duration/dose and feeding frequency. Qualitative data were collected from health workers and data collectors regarding barriers and enablers to routine register design, filling and use.

RESULTS

Among 840 mother-baby pairs, compared to observed 100% coverage, both exit-survey reported (99.9%) and register-recorded coverage (92.9%) were highly valid measures with high sensitivity. KMC specific registers outperformed general registers. Enablers to register recording included perceptions of data usefulness, while barriers included duplication of data elements and overburdened health workers. Gaps in KMC quality were identified for position components including wearing a hat. In Temeke Tanzania, 10.6% of babies received daily KMC skin-to-skin duration/dose of ≥20 h and a further 75.3% received 12-19 h. Regular feeding ≥8 times/day was observed for 36.5% babies in Temeke Tanzania and 14.6% in Muhimbili Tanzania. Cup-feeding was the predominant assisted feeding method. Family support during admission was variable, grandmothers co-provided KMC more often in Bangladesh. No facility arrangements for other family members were reported by 45% of women at exit survey.

CONCLUSIONS

Routine hospital KMC register data have potential to track coverage from hospital KMC wards/corners. Women accurately reported KMC at exit survey and evaluation for population-based surveys could be considered. Measurement of content, quality and experience of KMC need consensus on definitions. Prioritising further KMC measurement research is important so that high quality data can be used to accelerate scale-up of high impact care for the most vulnerable.

Stillbirths including intrapartum timing: EN-BIRTH multi-country validation study

BACKGROUND

An estimated >2 million babies stillborn around the world each year lack visibility. Low- and middle-income countries carry 84% of the burden yet have the least data. Most births are now in facilities, hence routine register-recording presents an opportunity to improve counting of stillbirths, but research is limited, particularly regarding accuracy. This paper evaluates register-recorded measurement of hospital stillbirths, classification accuracy, and barriers and enablers to routine recording.

METHODS

The EN-BIRTH mixed-methods, observational study took place in five hospitals in Bangladesh, Nepal and Tanzania (2017-2018). Clinical observers collected time-stamped data on perinatal care and birth outcomes as gold standard. To assess accuracy of routine register-recorded stillbirth rates, we compared birth outcomes recorded in labour ward registers to observation data. We calculated absolute rate differences and individual-level validation metrics (sensitivity, specificity, percent agreement). We assessed misclassification of stillbirths with neonatal deaths. To examine stillbirth appearance (fresh/macerated) as a proxy for timing of death, we compared appearance to observed timing of intrauterine death based on heart rate at admission.

RESULTS

23,072 births were observed including 550 stillbirths. Register-recorded completeness of birth outcomes was > 90%. The observed study stillbirth rate ranged from 3.8 (95%CI = 2.0,7.0) to 50.3 (95%CI = 43.6,58.0)/1000 total births and was under-estimated in routine registers by 1.1 to 7.3 /1000 total births (register: observed ratio 0.9-0.7). Specificity of register-recorded birth outcomes was > 99% and sensitivity varied between hospitals, ranging from 77.7-86.1%. Percent agreement between observer-assessed birth outcome and register-recorded birth outcome was very high across all hospitals and all modes of birth (> 98%). Fresh or macerated stillbirth appearance was a poor proxy for timing of stillbirth. While there were similar numbers of stillbirths misclassified as neonatal deaths (17/430) and neonatal deaths misclassified as stillbirths (21/36), neonatal deaths were proportionately more likely to be misclassified as stillbirths (58.3% vs 4.0%). Enablers to more accurate register-recording of birth outcome included supervision and data use.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results show these routine registers accurately recorded stillbirths. Fresh/macerated appearance was a poor proxy for intrapartum stillbirths, hence more focus on measuring fetal heart rate is crucial to classification and importantly reduction in these preventable deaths.

Antibiotic use for inpatient newborn care with suspected infection: EN-BIRTH multi-country validation study

BACKGROUND

An estimated 30 million neonates require inpatient care annually, many with life-threatening infections. Appropriate antibiotic management is crucial, yet there is no routine measurement of coverage. The Every Newborn Birth Indicators Research Tracking in Hospitals (EN-BIRTH) study aimed to validate maternal and newborn indicators to inform measurement of coverage and quality of care. This paper reports validation of reported antibiotic coverage by exit survey of mothers for hospitalized newborns with clinically-defined infections, including sepsis, meningitis, and pneumonia.

METHODS

EN-BIRTH study was conducted in five hospitals in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Tanzania (July 2017-July 2018). Neonates were included based on case definitions to focus on term/near-term, clinically-defined infection syndromes (sepsis, meningitis, and pneumonia), excluding major congenital abnormalities. Clinical management was abstracted from hospital inpatient case notes (verification) which was considered as the gold standard against which to validate accuracy of women's report. Exit surveys were conducted using questions similar to The Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) approach for coverage of childhood pneumonia treatment. We compared survey-report to case note verified, pooled across the five sites using random effects meta-analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 1015 inpatient neonates admitted in the five hospitals met inclusion criteria with clinically-defined infection syndromes. According to case note verification, 96.7% received an injectable antibiotic, although only 14.5% of them received the recommended course of at least 7 days. Among women surveyed (n = 910), 98.8% (95% CI: 97.8-99.5%) correctly reported their baby was admitted to a neonatal ward. Only 47.1% (30.1-64.5%) reported their baby's diagnosis in terms of sepsis, meningitis, or pneumonia. Around three-quarters of women reported their baby received an injection whilst in hospital, but 12.3% reported the correct antibiotic name. Only 10.6% of the babies had a blood culture and less than 1% had a lumbar puncture.

CONCLUSIONS

Women's report during exit survey consistently underestimated the denominator (reporting the baby had an infection), and even more so the numerator (reporting known injectable antibiotics). Admission to the neonatal ward was accurately reported and may have potential as a contact point indicator for use in household surveys, similar to institutional births. Strengthening capacity and use of laboratory diagnostics including blood culture are essential to promote appropriate use of antibiotics. To track quality of neonatal infection management, we recommend using inpatient records to measure specifics, requiring more research on standardised inpatient records.

Uterotonics for prevention of postpartum haemorrhage: EN-BIRTH multi-country validation study

BACKGROUND

Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is a leading cause of preventable maternal mortality worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends uterotonic administration for every woman after birth to prevent PPH. There are no standardised data collected in large-scale measurement platforms. The Every Newborn Birth Indicators Research Tracking in Hospitals (EN-BIRTH) is an observational study to assess the validity of measurement of maternal and newborn indicators, and this paper reports findings regarding measurement of coverage and quality for uterotonics.

METHODS

The EN-BIRTH study took place in five hospitals in Bangladesh, Nepal and Tanzania, from July 2017 to July 2018. Clinical observers collected tablet-based, time-stamped data. We compared observation data for uterotonics to routine hospital register-records and women's report at exit-interview survey. We analysed the coverage and quality gap for timing and dose of administration. The register design was evaluated against gap analyses and qualitative interview data assessing the barriers and enablers to data recording and use.

RESULTS

Observed uterotonic coverage was high in all five hospitals (> 99%, 95% CI 98.7-99.8%). Survey-report underestimated coverage (79.5 to 91.7%). "Don't know" replies varied (2.1 to 14.4%) and were higher after caesarean (3.7 to 59.3%). Overall, there was low accuracy in survey data for details of uterotonic administration (type and timing). Register-recorded coverage varied in four hospitals capturing uterotonics in a specific column (21.6, 64.5, 97.6, 99.4%). The average coverage measurement gap was 18.1% for register-recorded and 6.0% for survey-reported coverage. Uterotonics were given to 15.9% of women within the "right time" (1 min) and 69.8% within 3 min. Women's report of knowing the purpose of uterotonics after birth ranged from 0.4 to 64.9% between hospitals. Enabling register design and adequate staffing were reported to improve routine recording.

CONCLUSIONS

Routine registers have potential to track uterotonic coverage - register data were highly accurate in two EN-BIRTH hospitals, compared to consistently underestimated coverage by survey-report. Although uterotonic coverage was high, there were gaps in observed quality for timing and dose. Standardisation of register design and implementation could improve data quality and data flow from registers into health management information reporting systems, and requires further assessment.

Electronic data collection for multi-country, hospital-based, clinical observation of maternal and newborn care: EN-BIRTH study experiences

BACKGROUND

Observation of care at birth is challenging with multiple, rapid and potentially concurrent events occurring for mother, newborn and placenta. Design of electronic data (E-data) collection needs to account for these challenges. The Every Newborn Birth Indicators Research Tracking in Hospitals (EN-BIRTH) was an observational study to assess measurement of indicators for priority maternal and newborn interventions and took place in five hospitals in Bangladesh, Nepal and Tanzania (July 2017-July 2018). E-data tools were required to capture individually-linked, timed observation of care, data extraction from hospital register-records or case-notes, and exit-survey data from women.

METHODS

To evaluate this process for EN-BIRTH, we employed a framework organised around five steps for E-data design, data collection and implementation. Using this framework, a mixed methods evaluation synthesised evidence from study documentation, standard operating procedures, stakeholder meetings and design workshops. We undertook focus group discussions with EN-BIRTH researchers to explore experiences from the three different country teams (November-December 2019). Results were organised according to the five a priori steps.

RESULTS

In accordance with the five-step framework, we found: 1) Selection of data collection approach and software: user-centred design principles were applied to meet the challenges for observation of rapid, concurrent events around the time of birth with time-stamping. 2) Design of data collection tools and programming: required extensive pilot testing of tools to be user-focused and to include in-built error messages and data quality alerts. 3) Recruitment and training of data collectors: standardised with an interactive training package including pre/post-course assessment. 4) Data collection, quality assurance, and management: real-time quality assessments with a tracking dashboard and double observation/data extraction for a 5% case subset, were incorporated as part of quality assurance. Internet-based synchronisation during data collection posed intermittent challenges. 5) Data management, cleaning and analysis: E-data collection was perceived to improve data quality and reduce time cleaning.

CONCLUSIONS

The E-Data system, custom-built for EN-BIRTH, was valued by the site teams, particularly for time-stamped clinical observation of complex multiple simultaneous events at birth, without which the study objectives could not have been met. However before selection of a custom-built E-data tool, the development time, higher training and IT support needs, and connectivity challenges need to be considered against the proposed study or programme's purpose, and currently available E-data tool options.

A cross-sectional study of characteristics of bicyclist upper and lower extremity injuries in bicycle-vehicle crashes in Ohio, United States, 2013-2017

Background

Extremity injury is one of the most common injury types for bicyclists. Extremity injury can lead to long-term disability and contribute to adverse health-related quality of life and prolonged absence from work.

Objectives

The objectives of our study were to identify crash factors associated with bicyclist upper and lower extremity injury and characterize type of extremity injury by bicyclist age category.

Methods

We linked the 2013–2017 Ohio police accident report and hospital databases. The logistic regression model was used to model the odds of sustaining upper or lower extremity injury among bicyclists involved in bicycle-vehicle crashes. Bicyclist upper and lower extremity injury were further described by the detailed injured body regions (e.g., forearm and elbow or lower leg) and the nature of injury (e.g., superficial or fracture).

Results

Bicyclists 65 years or older had higher odds (odds ratio [OR] = 1.46, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03–2.08) of sustaining upper extremity injury, bicyclists aged 3–14 years (OR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.09–1.66) and 15–24 years (OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.03–1.49) had higher odds of sustaining lower extremity injury, compared to bicyclists 25–44 years old. In addition, colder weather, bicyclist sex, and intersection-related crashes were associated with bicyclists’ odds of sustaining upper or lower extremity injury. Compared to individuals under 65 years old, bicyclists 65 years or older had a higher percentage of injury to the wrist, hand and finger, or knee. Bicyclists aged 65 years or older also had a higher percentage of fractures.

Conclusions

Our study has identified important factors that were associated with bicyclists’ odds of sustaining an extremity injury. Based on these findings, targeted educational efforts and interventions can be implemented to prevent bicyclists from these injuries.

Modeling the impact of obesity on cost of hip and knee arthroplasty

PURPOSE

This study aimed to determine the proportions of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA) attributable to obesity in Ireland and the associated hospital costs.

METHODS

Sex- and age-specific numbers of primary TKA and THA procedures and length of stay were estimated using Irish population data from the Central Statistics Office (sex and age) and data from the national Hospital Inpatient Enquiry (numbers of TKA and THA procedures, length of stay, diagnostic-related group codes, sex, and age). Population attributable fractions of TKA and THA related to obesity were calculated using relative risks for different weight groups obtained from published literature. Nationally representative weight and height data were available from the 2015 Healthy Ireland Survey (n = 6142) and extrapolated to the Irish population. Diagnostic-related group tariffs from the Healthcare Pricing Office were used to estimate hospital costs of TKA and THA.

RESULTS

In 2015, 2296 TKA and 3411 THA procedures were performed in public hospitals in Ireland. Of those procedures, 43% of TKA and 20% of THA were attributable to obesity. This equates to €16.0 million out of €52.1 million of TKA- and THA-related hospital costs.

CONCLUSIONS

Effective obesity control has potential to decrease the demand for joint replacements and associated costs.

Historical and Epidemiological study of malaria cases of the "Refugee Hospital" in Veria in the context of Anti-Malaria Battle in Greece (1926-1940)

Objectives

This Historical Epidemiological study aims to evaluate malaria in Greek refugees during the 1926-1940 period in the region of Imathia, Central Macedonia, Greece, in the context of the Anti-Malaria Battle in Greece.

Materials and methods

The archives of the Refugee Hospital of Veria, Imathia were examined (March 5, 1926 to October 27, 1940); this is a report of previously unpublished primary material comprising 15,921 cases, of whom 8,408 patients were hospitalized due to malaria. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent risk factors for hospitalization due to malaria; adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs) were estimated.

Results

Residence in lower elevation (adjusted OR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92-0.97, per increments of elevation), refugee status (from Bulgaria/Balkans, Caucasus, Constantinople and Thrace, Pontus and inland of Turkey), female gender, and younger age (adjusted OR per 10-year increase = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.86-0.90) correlated independently with hospitalization due to malaria.

Conclusions

Malaria was the leading cause of admission to the hospital in the region of Imathia during the studied period. The association with elevation reflects the aggravating role of marshes before the drainage of Lake Giannitsa.

Comparing healthcare cost associated with the use of enzyme-inducing and non-enzyme active antiepileptic drugs in elderly patients with epilepsy in the UK: a long-term retrospective, matched cohort study

BACKGROUND

In elderly patients (≥65 years of age) with epilepsy who take medications for comorbid conditions, some antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) may alter the metabolism of other treatments and increase the risk of adverse consequences and healthcare utilisation. This analysis compares healthcare costs associated with enzyme-inducing AEDs (EIAEDs) and non-enzyme active AEDs (nEAAEDs) use in elderly patients with epilepsy.

METHODS

This retrospective matched cohort study used the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) of UK primary care medical records, linked to the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) database. Selected patients with epilepsy were ≥ 65 years and prescribed an EIAED or nEAAED between 2001 and 2010 (index) after ≥1 year without AEDs (baseline) and followed until the first occurrence of the following: end of HES data coverage, end of GP registration, or death; practice's up-to-standard status or addition of an AED belonging to another cohort or discontinuation of the last AED of that cohort. Propensity score matching reduced confounding factor effects between cohorts. Key outcomes included time to cohort treatment failure, time to index AED treatment failure, and direct healthcare costs in 2014 Pound Sterling (£) values.

RESULTS

Overall, 1425 elderly patients were included: 964 with EIAEDs and 461 with nEAAEDs. At baseline, the EIAED cohort was older (mean age, 76.2 vs. 75.1 years) and a higher proportion were male. Baseline direct healthcare costs were similar. After matching (n = 210 each), and over the entire follow-up period, median monthly direct healthcare costs were higher for patients taking EIAEDs than nEAAEDs (£403 vs. £317; p = 0.0150, Mann-Whitney U). Costs were higher for patients remaining in the EIAED cohort after 3 follow-up years. The median time to cohort treatment failure for the EIAED cohort was 1110 days vs. 1175 days for the nEAAED cohort.

CONCLUSION

Newly treated elderly patients with epilepsy were more likely to be prescribed EIAEDs than nEAAEDs. In matched cohorts, elderly patients with epilepsy treated with EIAEDs had higher average total direct and epilepsy-related healthcare costs than nEAAED-treated patients; this difference was greater than previously reported in the overall adult population. Changing treatment practices could improve patient care and reduce costs.

Hospital and healthcare insurance system record-based epidemiological study of myasthenia gravis in southern and northern China

OBJECTIVE

This is the first cross-region epidemiological study of myasthenia gravis (MG) in China. We estimated the incidence, prevalence, and medical costs of MG in southern China and explored the differences between the southern and northern Chinese populations.

METHODS

We collected and analyzed records from 20 hospitals in the southern city, Guangzhou, 13 hospitals in the northern city, Harbin, and two healthcare insurance systems: job based and residence based in Guangzhou during 2000-2017.

RESULTS

(1) The estimated annual incidence of MG was 1.55-3.66 per 100,000, and the estimated prevalence of MG was 2.19-11.07 per 100,000 in southern China based on insurance records. (2) The proportion of hospitalized MG patients in the south-based hospital records was three times as high as that in the north-based hospital records. (3) Female MG prevalence was significantly higher than male MG prevalence in Guangzhou, while the similar gender difference in Harbin was not statistically significant due to higher variation in earlier years. (4) The average expense was $35-42 for each outpatient service and $2526-2673 for each hospitalization expense in the south. (5) Contrary to the increase of insurance-based estimate of MG prevalence, the proportion of hospitalized MG patients did not increase over the years, suggesting rising awareness and utilization of health insurance.

CONCLUSIONS

The southern MG population had a significantly higher prevalence and a lower response threshold to medication than the northern MG population. These results are calling for further investigations on the genetic, cultural, and environmental variations of the Chinese MG populations between north and south.

Establishing a hospital transfusion management system promotes appropriate clinical use of human albumin in Japan: a nationwide retrospective study

BACKGROUND

Despite international recommendations to establish hospital transfusion management systems to promote appropriate use of blood products, the general efficacy of establishing such systems has not been proven. This study aimed to validate the effect of establishing such systems for promoting the appropriate use of human albumin.

METHODS

In this retrospective observational study, we used a Japanese Diagnosis Procedure Combination (DPC) database from fiscal year 2012 to 2016, which included inpatient records from approximately 1200 hospitals for payment processes in the national medical insurance system. From this existing database, containing approximately 8 million inpatient records per year, we selected patients with emergency due to "bleeding," "sepsis," and "burn injury," by using the International Classification of Diseases and Injuries 10th revision (ICD-10) codes, and hospitals that had one or more patients for each disease group in each fiscal year. We conducted multivariable logistic regression analysis to estimate the relationship between human albumin administration and the state of the hospital transfusion management system. We evaluated temporal trends of mortality rate and length of stay as an indicator of care quality.

RESULTS

Overall, 139,853 eligible patients admitted to 682 hospitals were selected. The results of the multivariable logistic regression analysis show that patients who were admitted to hospitals with an established hospital transfusion department introducing good practice criteria of blood products were less likely to be administered human albumin compared with those who were admitted to hospitals not introducing it, by approximately 30% for each of the three disease groups; adjusted odds ratios (95% confidential intervals) were 0.70 (0.59-0.83), 0.75 (0.69-0.81), and 0.71 (0.58-0.87) in the "bleeding," "sepsis," and "burn injury" groups, respectively. The temporal trends evaluation shows that there were no increasing trends of mortality rate and average length of stay against decreasing trends of human albumin administration in any disease groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Establishing a hospital transfusion department responsible for promoting appropriate clinical use of blood products could reduce human albumin administration for critically ill patients without loss of care quality. These findings provide support for policy makers and hospital managers to consider establishing such systems.

Validity of Danish register diagnoses of myocardial infarction and stroke against experts in people with screen-detected diabetes

BACKGROUND

Administrative patient registers are often used to estimate morbidity in epidemiological studies. The validity of register data is thus important. This study aims to assess the positive predictive value of myocardial infarction and stroke registered in the Danish National Patient Register, and to examine the association between cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular disease based on register data or validated diagnoses in a well-defined diabetes population.

METHODS

We included 1533 individuals found with screen-detected type 2 diabetes in the ADDITION-Denmark study in 2001-2006. All individuals were followed for cardiovascular outcomes until the end of 2014. Hospital discharge codes for myocardial infarction and stroke were identified in the Danish National Patient Register. Hospital medical records and other clinically relevant information were collected and an independent adjudication committee evaluated all possible events. The positive predictive value for myocardial infarction and stroke were calculated as the proportion of cases recorded in the Danish National Patient Register confirmed by the adjudication committee.

RESULTS

The positive predictive value was 75% (95% CI: 64;84) for MI and 70% (95% CI: 54;80) for stroke. The association between cardiovascular risk factors and incident cardiovascular disease did not depend on using register-based or verified diagnoses. However, a tendency was seen towards stronger associations when using verified diagnoses.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results show that studies using only register-based diagnoses are likely to misclassify cardiovascular outcomes. Moreover, the results suggest that the magnitude of associations between cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular outcomes may be underestimated when using register-based diagnoses.

Accuracy of general hospital dementia diagnoses in England: Sensitivity, specificity, and predictors of diagnostic accuracy 2008-2016

INTRODUCTION

Recognizing dementia in general hospitals allows for tailored care. We aimed to assess hospital dementia diagnosis accuracy, changes over time, and predictors of correct identification.

METHOD

Retrospective cohort study of people over 65 years, using data from a large mental health care database as gold standard, linked to 2008-2016 English hospital data.

RESULTS

In 21,387 people who had 138,455 admissions, we found sensitivity and specificity of dementia recording, respectively, to be 78.0% and 92.0% for each person's complete records, and 63.3% and 96.6% for each nonelective admission. Diagnostic sensitivity increased between 2008 and 16. Accurate general hospital recording of the presence of dementia was lower in ethnic minority groups, younger, single people, and those with physical illness.

DISCUSSION

Dementia diagnosis recording in general hospitals is increasing but remains less likely in some groups. Clinicians should be aware of this inequity and have a higher index of clinical suspicion in these groups.

A Review of Data Quality Assessment in Emergency Medical Services

INTRODUCTION

Data quality is an important issue in emergency medicine. The unique characteristics of emergency care services, such as high turn-over and the speed of work may increase the possibility of making errors in the related settings. Therefore, regular data quality assessment is necessary to avoid the consequences of low quality data. This study aimed to identify the main dimensions of data quality which had been assessed, the assessment approaches, and generally, the status of data quality in the emergency medical services.

METHODS

The review was conducted in 2016. Related articles were identified by searching databases, including Scopus, Science Direct, PubMed and Web of Science. All of the review and research papers related to data quality assessment in the emergency care services and published between 2000 and 2015 (n=34) were included in the study.

RESULTS

The findings showed that the five dimensions of data quality; namely, data completeness, accuracy, consistency, accessibility, and timeliness had been investigated in the field of emergency medical services. Regarding the assessment methods, quantitative research methods were used more than the qualitative or the mixed methods. Overall, the results of these studies showed that data completeness and data accuracy requires more attention to be improved.

CONCLUSION

In the future studies, choosing a clear and a consistent definition of data quality is required. Moreover, the use of qualitative research methods or the mixed methods is suggested, as data users' perspectives can provide a broader picture of the reasons for poor quality data.

Health care cost associated with the use of enzyme-inducing and non-enzyme-active antiepileptic drugs in the UK: a long-term retrospective matched cohort study

Background

Some antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) induce expression of hepatic enzymes. This can contribute to comorbidities via interference with metabolic pathways and concomitant drug metabolization, thereby increasing the likelihood of health care interventions. Using medical records, we compared the direct health care cost in patients initiating epilepsy therapy with enzyme-inducing AEDs (EIAEDs) vs non-enzyme-active AEDs (nEAAEDs) over up to 12 years.

Methods

Patients with untreated epilepsy were indexed in the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink and Hospital Episode Statistics database when prescribed a new EIAED or nEAAED between January 2001 and December 2010. Propensity score matching reduced confounding factors between cohorts. Patients were followed until cohort treatment failure or data cut-off. The primary outcome was the median standardized monthly direct health care cost during follow-up in 2014 £GBP, calculated using published reference costs and compared using a Mann–Whitney U test.

Results

The unmatched EIAED cohort (n = 2752) was older (54 vs 46 years), more likely to be male, had more comorbidities, and higher health care resource use/cost during the 1-year pre-index period (median £3014 vs £2516) than the nEAAED cohort (n = 2,137). The most common index EIAED and nEAAED were carbamazepine (63.3%) and lamotrigine (58.0%), respectively. After matching, cohorts had similar features (n = 951 each). Over up to 12 years of follow-up, the median standardized monthly direct health care cost was £229 for the EIAED and £188 for the nEAAED cohorts (p = 0.0091). The median cost was higher for the EIAED cohort in every year of follow-up. In the two cohorts, 25.1% and 20.1% of total mean cost during follow-up was epilepsy-related, with approximately 4.6% and 3.0% for AED acquisition, respectively. The median time to cohort treatment failure was shorter in the matched EIAED cohort (468 vs 1194 days).

Conclusions

Patients in the UK who initiated epilepsy therapy with an EIAED appeared to be at higher risk of complications associated with enzyme induction. In long-term matched cohort analyses, the median total direct health care cost associated with EIAED therapy was higher than with nEAAEDs. Changing current treatment practices could potentially improve patient outcomes and reduce costs.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12883-017-0837-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Prevalence of Human Hydatidosis Based on Hospital Records in Hamadan West of Iran from 2006 to 2013

BACKGROUND

The reservoir and intermediate hosts of Echinococcus granulsus and human hydatidosis are more prevalent in the Alborz and Zagros Mountains slop due to rich pastures for sheep raising. Many cases of hydatid cysts operate in local hospitals annually. The present study aimed to review the epidemiologic characteristics of the hydatidosis patients.

METHODS

In this descriptive study, the medical files of 182 hydatidosis patients from main public and private hospitals in Hamadan Province, western Iran from 2006 to 2013 were reviewed. The data collected from eight general hospitals including demographic data, clinical and diagnostic measures, surgical approaches, and outcome were entered into the prepared checklist and analyzed by descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

All patients were diagnosed and operated giving an average of 26 cases per year, or 1.5 cases per 100000 inhabitants. The site of cysts was as follows: liver 70.9%, lung 24.7%, and in both these organs 2.2%. The ratio of male and female patients was approximately 1:1. Mean age of patients was 44.5±21.5 yr at range of 3 to 91 yr. The majority the patients were illiterate (32.2%) and resided in the rural areas (61.7%), and their occupations were housewives (36.8%). Almost 90% of patients diagnosed by imaging methods and 8% had history of surgery for cyst.

CONCLUSION

Hydatidosis is a major health problem still in this region and more extensive epidemiological investigations of CE is necessary to better determine the prevalence, economic impact and risk factors for the disease control.

Measuring care trajectories using health administrative databases: a population-based investigation of transitions from emergency to acute care

Background

A patient’s trajectory through the healthcare system affects resource use and outcomes. Data fields in population-based administrative health databases are potentially valuable resources for constructing care trajectories for entire populations, provided they can capture patient transitions between healthcare services. This study describes patient transitions from the emergency department (ED) to other healthcare settings, and ascertains whether the discharge disposition field recorded in the ED data was a reliable source of patient transition information from the emergency to the acute care settings.

Methods

Administrative health databases from the province of Saskatchewan, Canada (population 1.1 million) were used to identify patients with at least one ED visit to provincial teaching hospitals (n = 5) between April 1, 2006 and March 31, 2012. Discharge disposition from ED was described using frequencies and percentages; and it includes categories such as home, transfer to other facilities, and died. The kappa statistic with 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CIs) was used to measure agreement between the discharge disposition field in the ED data and hospital admission records.

Results

We identified N = 1,062,861 visits for 371,480 patients to EDs over the six-year study period. Three-quarters of the discharges were to home, 16.1 % were to acute care in the same facility in which the ED was located, and 1.6 % resulted in a patient transfer to a different acute care facility. Agreement between the discharge disposition field in the ED data and hospital admission records was good when the emergency and acute care departments were in the same facility (κ = 0.77, 95 % CI 0.77, 0.77). For transfers to a different acute care facility, agreement was only fair (κ = 0.36, 95 % CI 0.35, 0.36).

Conclusions

The majority of patients who attended EDs did not transition to another healthcare setting. For those who transitioned to acute care, accuracy of the discharge disposition field depended on whether the two services were provided in the same facility. Using the hospital data as reference, we conclude that the discharge disposition field in the ED data is not reliable for measuring transitions from ED to acute care.

Usefulness of hospital emergency department records to explore access to injury care in Nepal

Background

Injuries are a major public health problem worldwide. Despite increasing morbidity and mortality from injuries in Nepal, it is not recognised in the government’s policy and programmes and few population-based studies have been published. This study describes the usefulness of hospital emergency department records to explore access to injury care in Nepal.

Methods

A retrospective ED-based study was conducted at a governmental hospital in Nepal to review the routinely collected data for 1 year (1 January 2010 to 31 December 2010). The study was designed to provide cross-sectional data to describe the distribution of injuries by age, gender, ethnic group and injury mechanism.

Results

Results showed that twice as many males as females attended the emergency department (14.6 vs. 7.0 per 1000), attendance varied by age with most (39.8 %) attendances in young adults of working age and over half of attendances were from just two ethnic groups (Brahmin (26 %) and Tamang (25.5 %). Road traffic injuries were the most common cause of injury (37.6 %).

Conclusions

This study therefore showed the feasibility of using routinely collected hospital emergency department data to monitor injury inequalities in Nepal.

Patterns of surgical presentation at an African regional referral hospital: surveillance as a step towards improving access to care

PURPOSE

Surgical disease is being increasingly recognized as a significant health burden in Africa. Efforts have been made to describe surgical disease and capacity at the district hospital level. Little is known about patterns seen at regional hospitals supporting the district hospital network.

METHODS

This retrospective study was conducted at Uganda's Soroti Regional Referral Hospital, serving eight districts. Data were collected from July 2010 to March 2012 using operative and inpatient records as available. Univariate and bivariate analyses were performed to explore patterns of procedures performed and in-patient diagnoses.

RESULTS

There were 8511 procedures recorded in the operative log between July 2010 and June 2011, averaging 709 per month. Caesarian sections (41 %), dilation and evacuations (28 %), and laparotomies (19 %) were most frequent. Referrals to Soroti averaged 260 per month, while transfers out averaged 5 patients per month. Inpatient records documented 2949 surgically related diagnoses between July 2010 and May 2011. In patients >4 years old, 21 % of mortality was due to surgical disease, 29 % of which was trauma-related. Women comprised 80 % of violent injury. Common hospital record elements, such as demographic data, important clinical information, and operative notes were absent from these data sources.

CONCLUSIONS

The World Health Assembly recently recognized strengthening of first referral hospitals as a crucial element to achieving universal health coverage. Inconsistencies in recordkeeping despite the large volume of surgical disease suggest that sustainable surveillance systems and capacity building at the referral hospital level are potential building blocks to improving access to surgical care.

Language barriers and patient safety risks in hospital care. A mixed methods study

INTRODUCTION

A language barrier has been shown to be a threat for quality of hospital care. International studies highlighted a lack of adequate noticing, reporting, and bridging of a language barrier. However, studies on the link between language proficiency and patient safety are scarce, especially in Europe. The present study investigates patient safety risks due to language barriers during hospitalization, and the way language barriers are detected, reported, and bridged in Dutch hospital care.

METHODS

We combined quantitative and qualitative methods in a sample of 576 ethnic minority patients who were hospitalized on 30 wards within four urban hospitals. The nursing and medical records of 17 hospital admissions of patients with language barriers were qualitatively analyzed, and complemented by 12 in-depth interviews with care providers and patients and/or their relatives to identify patient safety risks during hospitalization. The medical records of all 576 patients were screened for language barrier reports. The results were compared to patients' self-reported Dutch language proficiency. The policies of wards regarding bridging language barriers were compared with the reported use of interpreters in the medical records.

RESULTS

Situations in hospital care where a language barrier threatened patient safety included daily nursing tasks (i.e. medication administration, pain management, fluid balance management) and patient-physician interaction concerning diagnosis, risk communication and acute situations. In 30% of the patients that reported a low Dutch proficiency, no language barrier was documented in the patient record. Relatives of patients often functioned as interpreter for them and professional interpreters were hardly used.

DISCUSSION

The present study showed a wide variety of risky situations in hospital care for patients with language barriers. These risks can be reduced by adequately bridging the language barrier, which, in the first place, demands adequate detecting and reporting of a language barrier. This is currently not sufficiently done in most Dutch hospitals. Moreover, new solutions to bridge language barriers are needed for situations such as routine safety checks performed by nurses, in which a professional or even informal interpreter is not feasible.

Nationwide individual record linkage study showed poor agreement of causes of death and hospital diagnoses at individual level but reasonable agreement at population level

OBJECTIVES

To investigate to what extent underlying and multiple causes of death represent end-of-life morbidity in individuals and at population level.

STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING

Cause of death and national hospital data were individually linked for all deaths at the age of 50-84 years, in 2005 in the Netherlands (n = 86,987). The individual agreement of diseases registered as a diagnosis of discharge in the last 2 years of life and underlying and multiple causes of death recorded was assessed. Cause-of-death ranking was compared with ranking of hospital diagnoses.

RESULTS

The percentage of persons with a hospital diagnosis registered as the underlying cause of death was <30% for most diseases, except for cerebrovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchiectasis, acute myocardial infarction (40-60%), and cancers (70-90%). Low Cohen's kappa values confirmed poor individual agreement between hospital diagnoses and underlying and secondary causes of death recorded. At population level, however, frequency rankings of underlying and multiple causes of death agreed reasonably well with frequency ranking of hospital diagnoses (Spearman ρ of 0.58-0.60 and 0.61-0.63).

CONCLUSION

Underlying and multiple causes of death poorly represent diseases present at the end of life in individuals but show reasonably well which diseases are most common at population level.