scholarly journals Accuracy of the French Administrative Database to Describe Patients’ Medication and Primary Care Visits: A Validation Study

Author(s):  
Anaïs Payen ◽  
Claire Godard-Sebillotte ◽  
Julien Soula ◽  
David Verloop ◽  
Marie-Marguerite Defebvre ◽  
...  

Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of the French health administrative database to describe patients’ medication and primary care visits, in the context of a transitional care intervention including an in-hospital medication reconciliation followed by a structured community follow-up by the patient’s general practitioner and pharmacist. Design: A retrospective cohort study of older persons enrolled in the transitional care intervention between January 1st, 2015 and December 31st, 2018. Results: Only 46.1% of the community follow-up were timely billed, in the 3 months after the patient discharge. The sensitivity of the health administrative database to identify medications was 90.0%. Its positive predictive value was 50.1%. Conclusion: This study reveals that the French health administrative database was poorly reliable to identify both community follow-up and chronic medications.

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. e037064 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vess Stamenova ◽  
Payal Agarwal ◽  
Leah Kelley ◽  
Jamie Fujioka ◽  
Megan Nguyen ◽  
...  

ObjectivesTo evaluate the uptake of a platform for virtual visits in primary care, examine patient and physician preferences for virtual communication methods and report on characteristics of visits and patients experience of care.DesignA retrospective cohort study.SettingPrimary care practices within five regions in Ontario, Canada after 18 months of access to virtual care services.Participants326 primary care providers and 14 291 registered patients.InterventionsProviders used a platform that allowed them to connect with their patients through synchronous (audio/video) and/or asynchronous (secure messaging) communication.Main outcome measuresUser-level data from the platforms including patient demographics, practice characteristics, communication modality used, visit characteristics and patients’ satisfaction.ResultsAmong the participants, 44% of registered patients and 60% of registered providers used the platform at least once. Among patient users, 51% completed at least one virtual visit. The majority of virtual visits (94%) involved secure messaging. The most common patient requests were for medication prescriptions (24%) and follow-up from previous appointment (22%). The most common provider request was to follow-up on test results (59%). Providers indicated that 81% of virtual visits required no follow-up for that issue and 99% of patients reported that they would use virtual care services again.ConclusionsWhile there are a growing number of primary care video visit services, our study found that both patients and providers in rostered practices prefer secure messaging over video. Despite fears that virtual visits would be overused by patients, when patients connected with their own primary care provider, many virtual visits appeared to replace in-person visits, and patients did not overwhelm physicians with requests. This approach may improve access and continuity in primary care.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Kazuhisa Kodama ◽  
Tatsunori Murata ◽  
Naoki Dohi ◽  
Masaaki Nakano ◽  
Toshiaki Yokoi ◽  
...  

Background: As approximately 24% of patients with chronic heart failure are rehospitalized within 1 year and heart failure is aggravated by repeated hospitalizations, greater importance was attached to the prevention of hospitalization. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of pimobendan on rehospitalization of patients with advanced heart failure using a Japanese medical administrative database. Methods: From January 2010 to February 2018, patients hospitalized two or more times for heart failure were selected for analysis. The primary endpoint was the incidence of hospitalizations for heart failure during the follow-up period, which was compared between pimobendan prescription and nonprescription groups after propensity score matching. Results: The total number of patients with heart failure included during the study period was 1 421 110 and we matched 276 patients in both groups. The incidence of rehospitalization throughout the period to completion of follow-up was 365.23/1000 people/yr (95% confidence interval [CI]: 327.78–402.69) in the pimobendan prescription group and 537.81/1000 people/yr (95% CI: 492.36–583.27) in the non-prescription group. The cumulative incidence at 365 days was significantly lower in the pimobendan prescription group (pimobendan prescription group: 35.4% (95% CI: 29.8–41.8), non-prescription group: 51.2% (95% CI: 45.1–57.7), (P < 0.001). The adjusted hazard ratio in the pimobendan prescription group was 0.556 (95% CI: 0.426–0.725, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Pimobendan was suggested to extend the time to rehospitalization for patients with advanced heart failure. It is necessary to verify the results of this study by performing a prospective study. In addition, the influence of pimobendan on general heart failure patients must be examined.


Author(s):  
Agnieszka Lemanska ◽  
Uy Hoang ◽  
Nathan Jeffreys ◽  
Clare Bankhead ◽  
Kam Bhui ◽  
...  

The effect of the 2020 pandemic, and of the national measures introduced to control it, is not yet fully understood. The aim of this study was to investigate how different types of primary care data can help quantify the effect of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis on mental health. A retrospective cohort study investigated changes in weekly counts of mental health consultations and prescriptions. The data were extracted from one the UK’s largest primary care databases between January 1st 2015 and October 31st 2020 (end of follow-up). The 2020 trends were compared to the 2015-19 average with 95% confidence intervals using longitudinal plots and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). A total number of 504 practices (7,057,447 patients) contributed data. During the period of national restrictions, on average, there were 31% (3957 ± 269, p < 0.001) fewer events and 6% (4878 ± 1108, p < 0.001) more prescriptions per week as compared to the 2015-19 average. The number of events was recovering, increasing by 75 (± 29, p = 0.012) per week. Prescriptions returned to the 2015-19 levels by the end of the study (p = 0.854). The significant reduction in the number of consultations represents part of the crisis. Future service planning and quality improvements are needed to reduce the negative effect on health and healthcare.


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. e031627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke Y I Huang ◽  
Samuel J Fogarty ◽  
Arnold C T Ng ◽  
William Y S Wang

ObjectivePrevious studies in cardiac patients noted that early patient follow-up with general practitioners (GPs) after hospital discharge was associated with reduced rates of hospital readmissions. We aimed to identify patient, clinical and hospital factors that may influence GP follow-up of patients discharged from a tertiary cardiology unit.DesignSingle centre retrospective cohort study.SettingAustralian metropolitan tertiary hospital cardiology unit.Participants1079 patients discharged from the hospital cardiology unit within 3 months from May to July 2016.Outcome measuresGP follow-up rates (assessed by telephone communication with patients’ nominated GP practices), demographic, clinical and hospital factors predicting GP follow-up.ResultsWe obtained GP follow-up data on 983 out of 1079 (91.1%) discharges in the study period. Overall, 7, 14 and 30-day GP follow rates were 50.3%, 66.5% and 79.1%, respectively. A number of patient, clinical and hospital factors were associated with early GP follow-up, including pacemaker and defibrillator implantation, older age and having never smoked. Documented recommendation for follow-up in discharge summary was the strongest predictor for 7-day follow-up (p<0.001).ConclusionAfter discharge from a cardiology admission, half of the patients followed up with their GP within 7 days and most patients followed up within 30 days. Patient and hospital factors were associated with GP follow-up rates. Identification of these factors may facilitate prospective interventions to improve early GP follow-up rates.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther Hernandez Castilla ◽  
Lucia Vallejo Serrano ◽  
Monica Saenz Ausejo ◽  
Beatriz Pax Sanchez ◽  
Katharina Ramrath ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
pp. 101053952110005
Author(s):  
Hyunjin Son ◽  
Jeongha Mok ◽  
Miyoung Lee ◽  
Wonseo Park ◽  
Seungjin Kim ◽  
...  

This is a retrospective cohort study using notification data in South Korea. We evaluated the nationwide status, regional differences, and the determinants of treatment outcomes among tuberculosis patients. Treatment success rate improved from 77.0% in 2012 to 86.0% in 2015. The lost to follow-up rate was higher among older people, males, and foreign nationals. Health care facilities designated for the Public-Private Mix (PPM) project showed higher success rate and lower rate of lost to follow-up. Moreover, municipalities with low regional deprivation index had higher PPM project coverage. Since there is a large regional difference in the coverage of the PPM project, an additional community-based support program should be implemented, especially for tuberculosis patients residing in region with low PPM project coverage.


2019 ◽  
Vol 153 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-58
Author(s):  
Arden R. Barry ◽  
Chantal E. Chris

Background: This study sought to characterize the real-world treatment of chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) in patients on opioid therapy in primary care. Methods: A retrospective cohort study from 2014-18 was conducted at a multidisciplinary primary care clinic in Chilliwack, British Columbia. Included were adults on daily opioid therapy for CNCP. Patients receiving palliative care or ≤1 visit were excluded. Outcomes of interest included use of opioid/nonopioid pharmacotherapy, number/frequency of visits and proportion of patients able to reduce/discontinue opioid therapy. Results: Seventy patients (mean age 53 years, 53% male, 51% back pain) were included. Median follow-up was 6 visits over 12 months. Sixty-two patients (89%) reduced their opioid dose, 6 patients had no change and 2 patients required a dose increase. Mean opioid dose was reduced from 183 to 70 mg morphine equivalents daily. Twenty-four patients (34%) discontinued opioid therapy, 6 patients (9%) transitioned to opioid agonist therapy and 6 patients (9%) breached their opioid treatment agreement. Nonopioid pharmacotherapy included nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (64%), gabapentinoids (63%), tricyclic antidepressants (56%) and nabilone (51%). Discussion: Over half of patients were no longer on opioid therapy by the end of the study. Most patients had a disorder (e.g., back pain) for which opioids are generally not recommended. Overall mean opioid dose was reduced from baseline by approximately 60% over 1 year. Lack of access to specialized pain treatments may have accounted for high nonopioid pharmacotherapy usage. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that treatment of CNCP and opioid tapering can successfully be achieved in a primary care setting. Can Pharm J (Ott) 2020;153:xx-xx.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. e039541
Author(s):  
Jun Ho Ji ◽  
Mi Hyeon Jin ◽  
Jung-Hun Kang ◽  
Soon Il Lee ◽  
Suee Lee ◽  
...  

ObjectivesTo investigate the associations between heavy metal exposure and serum ferritin levels, physical measurements and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM).DesignA retrospective cohort study.SettingChangwon, the location of this study, is a Korean representative industrial city. Data were obtained from medical check-ups between 2002 and 2018.ParticipantsA total of 34 814 male subjects were included. Of them, 1035 subjects with lead exposure, 200 subjects with cadmium exposure and the 33 579 remaining were assigned to cohort A, cohort B and the control cohort, respectively. Data including personal history of alcohol and smoking, age, height, weight, the follow-up duration, haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting blood sugar (FBS), ferritin levels, and lead and cadmium levels within 1 year after exposure were collected.Primary outcome measureIn subjects without diabetes, changes in FBS and HbA1c were analysed through repeated tests at intervals of 1 year or longer after the occupational exposure to heavy metals.ResultsIn Cohort A, DM was diagnosed in 33 subjects. There was a significant difference in lead concentrations between the subjects diagnosed with DM and those without DM during the follow-up period (3.94±2.92 mg/dL vs 2.81±2.03 mg/dL, p=0.002). Simple exposure to heavy metals (lead and cadmium) was not associated with DM in Cox regression models (lead exposure (HR) 1.01, 95% CI: 0.58 to 1.77, p 0.971; cadmium exposure HR 1.48, 95% CI: 0.61 to 3.55, p=0.385). Annual changes in FBS according to lead concentration at the beginning of exposure showed a positive correlation (r=0.072, p=0.032).ConclusionOur findings demonstrated that simple occupational exposure to heavy metals lead and cadmium was not associated with the incidence of DM. However, lead concentrations at the beginning of the exposure might be an indicator of DM and glucose elevations.


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