scholarly journals Possible associations between callers’ degree-of-worry and their socioeconomic status when contacting out-of-hours services: a prospective cohort study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sita LeBlanc Thilsted ◽  
Fredrik Folke ◽  
Janne S. Tolstrup ◽  
Lau Caspar Thygesen ◽  
Hejdi Gamst-Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Patient Safety ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Marital Status ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Prospective Cohort ◽  
Low Ses ◽  
Telephone Triage ◽  
Annual Household Income ◽  
Out Of Hours

Abstract Background Telephone triage within out-of-hours (OOH) services aims to ascertain the urgency of a caller’s medical condition in order to determine the correct type of health care needed, ensuring patient safety. To improve the triage process by increasing patient-centred communication, a triage tool has been developed, whereby callers are asked to rate their degree-of-worry (DOW) as a measure of self-evaluated urgency. Studies show that low socioeconomic status (SES), being single and non-Western ethnicity are associated to low self-rated health and high morbidity and these factors may also be associated with high DOW. The aim of this paper was to examine if low SES, being single and non-Western ethnicity were associated to high DOW of callers contacting OOH services. Methods A prospective cohort study design, at the OOH services for the Capital Region of Denmark. Over 2 weeks, 6869 of 38,787 callers met the inclusion criteria: ≥18 years, patients themselves or close relative/friend, reported DOW, had a valid personal identification number and gave informed consent. Callers were asked to report their DOW (1 = minimal worry to 5 = maximal worry), which was dichotomized into low (1–3) and high (4, 5) DOW and linked to data from electronical medical records and Statistics Denmark. Socioeconomic factors (education and annual household income), marital status and ethnicity were assessed in relation to DOW by logistic regression. Results High DOW was reported by 38.2% of the participants. Low SES (low educational level; OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.3–1.7 and low annual household income; 1.5, 1.3–1.6) was associated with high DOW and so too was being single; 1.2, 1.1–1.3 and of non-Western ethnicity; 2.9, 2.5–3.4. Conclusions Knowledge of the association of low SES, marital status as single and non-Western ethnicity with high DOW among callers to OOH services may give call handlers a better understanding of callers’ DOW. If this does not correspond to the call handler’s perception of urgency, this knowledge may further encourage patient-centred communication, aid the triage process and increase patient safety. A better understanding of socioeconomic variables and their relation to callers’ DOW gives direction for future research to improve telephone triage of OOH services.

scholarly journals Possible associations between callers’ degree-of-worry and their socioeconomic status when contacting out-of-hours services: a prospective cohort study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sita LeBlanc Thilsted ◽  
Hejdi Gamst-Jensen ◽  
Fredrik Folke ◽  
Janne S. Tolstrup ◽  
Lau Caspar Thygesen
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Patient Safety ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Marital Status ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Prospective Cohort ◽  
Low Ses ◽  
Telephone Triage ◽  
Annual Household Income ◽  
Out Of Hours

Abstract Background: Telephone triage within out-of-hours (OOH) services aims to ascertain the urgency of a caller’s medical condition in order to determine the correct type of health care needed, ensuring patient safety. To improve the triage process by increasing patient‐centred communication, a triage tool has been developed, whereby callers are asked to rate their degree-of-worry (DOW) as a measure of self-evaluated urgency. Studies show that low socioeconomic status (SES), being single and non-Western ethnicity are associated to low self-rated health and morbidity and these factors may also be associated with high DOW. The aim of this paper was to examine if low SES, being single and non-Western ethnicity were associated to high DOW of callers contacting OOH services. Methods: A prospective cohort study design, at the OOH services for the Capital Region of Denmark. Over two weeks, 6,869 of 38,787 callers met the inclusion criteria: ³18 years, patients themselves or close relative/friend, reported DOW, had a valid personal identification number and gave informed consent. Callers were asked to report their DOW (1=minimal worry to 5=maximal worry), which was dichotomized into low (1-3) and high (4-5) DOW and linked to data from electronical medical records and Statistics Denmark. Socioeconomic factors (education and annual household income), marital status and ethnicity were assessed in relation to DOW by logistic regression.Results: High DOW was reported by 38.2% of the participants. Low SES (low educational level; OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.3-1.7 and low annual household income; 1.5, 1.3-1.6) was associated with high DOW and so too was being single; 1.2, 1.1-1.3 and of non-Western ethnicity; 2.9, 2.5-3.4.Conclusions: Knowledge of the association of low SES, marital status as single and non-Western ethnicity with high DOW among callers to OOH services may give call handlers a better understanding of callers’ DOW. If this does not correspond to the call handler’s perception of urgency, this knowledge may further encourage patient-centred communication, aid the triage process and increase patient safety. A better understanding of socioeconomic variables and their relation to callers’ DOW gives direction for future research to improve telephone triage of OOH services.

scholarly journals Possible associations between callers’ degree-of-worry and their socioeconomic status when contacting out-of-hours services: a prospective cohort study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hejdi Gamst-Jensen ◽  
Sita LeBlanc Thilsted ◽  
Fredrik Folke ◽  
Janne S. Tolstrup ◽  
Lau Caspar Thygesen
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Patient Safety ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Marital Status ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Prospective Cohort ◽  
Low Ses ◽  
Telephone Triage ◽  
Annual Household Income ◽  
Out Of Hours

Abstract Background: Telephone triage within out-of-hours (OOH) services aims to ascertain the urgency of a caller’s medical condition in order to determine the correct type of health care needed, ensuring patient safety. To improve the triage process by increasing patient-centred communication, a triage tool has been developed, whereby callers are asked to rate their degree-of-worry (DOW) as a measure of self-evaluated urgency. Studies show that low socioeconomic status (SES), being single and non-Western ethnicity are associated to low self-rated health and morbidity and these factors may also be associated with high DOW. The aim of this paper was to examine if low SES, being single and non-Western ethnicity were associated to high DOW of callers contacting OOH services. Methods: A prospective cohort study design, at the OOH services for the Capital Region of Denmark. Over two weeks, 6,869 of 38,787 callers met the inclusion criteria: ≥18 years, patients themselves or close relative/friend, reported DOW, had a valid personal identification number and gave informed consent. Callers were asked to report their DOW (1 = minimal worry to 5 = maximal worry), which was dichotomized into low (1–3) and high (4–5) DOW and linked to data from electronical medical records and Statistics Denmark. Socioeconomic factors (education and annual household income), marital status and ethnicity were assessed in relation to DOW by logistic regression. Results: High DOW was reported by 38.2% of the participants. Low SES (low educational level; OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.3–1.7 and low annual household income; 1.5, 1.3–1.6) was associated with high DOW and so too was being single; 1.2, 1.1–1.3 and of non-Western ethnicity; 2.9, 2.5–3.4. Conclusions: Knowledge of the association of low SES, marital status as single and non-Western ethnicity with high DOW among callers to OOH services may give call handlers a better understanding of callers’ DOW. If this does not correspond to the call handler’s perception of urgency, this knowledge may further encourage patient-centred communication, aid the triage process and increase patient safety. A better understanding of socioeconomic variables and their relation to callers’ DOW gives direction for future research to improve telephone triage of OOH services.

scholarly journals Possible associations between callers’ degree-of-worry and their socioeconomic status when contacting out-of-hours services: a prospective cohort study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hejdi Gamst-Jensen ◽  
Sita LeBlanc Thilsted ◽  
Fredrik Folke ◽  
Janne S. Tolstrup ◽  
Lau Caspar Thygesen
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Patient Safety ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Marital Status ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Prospective Cohort ◽  
Low Ses ◽  
Telephone Triage ◽  
Annual Household Income ◽  
Out Of Hours

Abstract Background:Telephone triage within out-of-hours (OOH) services aims to ascertain the urgency of a caller’s medical condition in order to determine the correct type of health care needed, ensuring patient safety. To improve the triage process by increasing patient‐centred communication, a triage tool has been developed, whereby callers are asked to rate their degree-of-worry (DOW) as a measure of self-evaluated urgency. Studies show that low socioeconomic status (SES), being single and non-Western ethnicity are associated to low self-rated health and morbidity and these factors may also be associated with high DOW. The aim of this paper was to examine if low SES, being single and non-Western ethnicity were associated to high DOW of callers contacting OOH services. Methods: A prospective cohort study design, at the OOH services for the Capital Region of Denmark. Over two weeks, 6,869 of 38,787 callers met the inclusion criteria: ³18 years, patients themselves or close relative/friend, reported DOW, had a valid personal identification number and gave informed consent. Callers were asked to report their DOW (1=minimal worry to 5=maximal worry), which was dichotomized into low (1-3) and high (4-5) DOW and linked to data from electronical medical records and Statistics Denmark. Socioeconomic factors (education and annual household income), marital status and ethnicity were assessed in relation to DOW by logistic regression.Results: High DOW was reported by 38.2% of the participants. Low SES (low educational level; OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.3-1.7 and low annual household income; 1.5, 1.3-1.6) was associated with high DOW and so too was being single; 1.2, 1.1-1.3 and of non-Western ethnicity; 2.9, 2.5-3.4.Conclusions: Knowledge of the association of low SES, marital status as single and non-Western ethnicity with high DOW among callers to OOH services may give call handlers a better understanding of callers’ DOW. If this does not correspond to the call handler’s perception of urgency, this knowledge may further encourage patient-centred communication, aid the triage process and increase patient safety. A better understanding of socioeconomic variables and their relation to callers’ DOW gives direction for future research to improve telephone triage of OOH services.

Associations of Quantity Smoked and Socioeconomic Status With Smoke-Free Homes and Cars Among Daily Smokers

2021 ◽  
pp. 109019812110104
Author(s):  
Annie Pelekanakis ◽  
Jennifer L. O’Loughlin ◽  
Katerina Maximova ◽  
Annie Montreuil ◽  
Jodi Kalubi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Employment Status ◽  
Telephone Survey ◽  
Low Ses ◽  
Annual Household Income ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Shs Exposure ◽  
Independent Association

Introduction An association between socioeconomic status (SES) and smoke-free private spaces among smokers could be due to heavier smoking among low SES smokers. We assessed whether quantity smoked or SES are independently associated with smoke-free homes or cars in daily smokers. Method Data were drawn from a cross-sectional telephone survey (2011–2012) of 750 daily smokers age ≥18 years in Quebec, Canada (45% response). Multivariable logistic regression was used to model the independent association between (a) number of cigarettes smoked per day, and (b) each of educational attainment, annual household income, or active employment status and smoke-free homes or cars. Results Participants were 41.0 years old on average, 57% were female. Median (IQR) number of cigarettes smoked per day was 14 (10, 20). Forty-eight percent of participants reported smoke-free homes; 34% reported smoke-free cars. Quantity smoked was strongly associated with both smoke-free homes and cars. Income and education (but not actively employed) were associated with smoke-free homes. None of the SES indicators were associated with smoke-free cars. Conclusions Interventions targeting smokers to promote smoke-free homes and cars should incorporate components to help smokers reduce quantity smoked or preferably, to quit. Interventions targeting smoke-free homes will also need to address SES inequalities by education and income. Our data suggest that reduction in quantity smoked may help smokers reduce SHS exposure in cars, but that an inequality lens may not be relevant.

scholarly journals Maternal psychological distress, education, household income, and congenital heart defects: a prospective cohort study from the Japan environment and children’s study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasuaki Saijo ◽  
Eiji Yoshioka ◽  
Yukihiro Sato ◽  
Hiroshi Azuma ◽  
Yusuke Tanahashi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Congenital Heart Defects ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Prospective Cohort ◽  
Congenital Heart ◽  
Maternal Education ◽  
Heart Defects ◽  
Maternal Psychological Distress

Abstract Background The influence of maternal psychological distress on infant congenital heart defects (CHDs) has not been thoroughly investigated. Furthermore, there have been no reports on the combined effect of maternal psychological distress and socioeconomic status on infant CHDs. This study aimed to examine whether maternal psychological distress, socioeconomic status, and their combinations were associated with CHD. Methods We conducted a prospective cohort study using data from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, which recruited pregnant women between 2011 and 2014. Maternal psychological distress was evaluated using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale in the first trimester, while maternal education and household income were evaluated in the second and third trimesters. The outcome of infant CHD was determined using the medical records at 1 month of age and/or at birth. Crude- and confounder-adjusted logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the association between maternal psychological distress and education and household income on infant CHD. Results A total of 93,643 pairs of mothers and infants were analyzed, with 1.1% of infants having CHDs. Maternal psychological distress had a significantly higher odds ratio in the crude analysis but not in the adjusted analysis, while maternal education and household income were statistically insignificant. In the analysis of the combination variable of lowest education and psychological distress, the P for trend was statistically significant in the crude and multivariate model excluding anti-depressant medication, but the significance disappeared in the full model (P = 0.050). Conclusions The combination of maternal psychological distress and lower education may be a possible indicator of infant CHD.

scholarly journals Prospective cohort study of socioeconomic status and subsequent unemployment under COVID-19 in Japan

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Makiko Kuroishi ◽  
Tomohisa Nagata ◽  
Ayako Hino ◽  
Seiichiro Tateishi ◽  
Akira Ogami ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Prospective Cohort Study ◽  
Prospective Cohort ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Annual Household Income ◽  
Contract Employees ◽  
Multilevel Logistic Model ◽  
Ongoing Support

Background: This study examined the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and subsequent unemployment. Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted using a self-administrated questionnaire in Japan. SES, personal characteristics, and occupation of recruited workers were surveyed at baseline (December 22-25, 2020); subsequent unemployment was examined at follow-up (February 18-19, 2021). We determined the odds ratios (ORs) of unemployment for SES and other variables using a multilevel logistic model. Results: Among all 19,941 participants, 2.3% reported experience of unemployment through negative reasons. Multivariate analysis showed the OR and 95% confidence interval for unemployment associated with age to be 0.66 (0.47-0.92) for 30-39 years, 0.36 (0.25-0.51) for 40-49, 0.36 (0.25-0.53) for 50-59, and 0.43 (0.27-0.67) for more than 60 compared with 20-29 years. The association with annual household income was 2.96 (1.94-4.50) for <2 million yen and 1.51 (1.03-2.22) for 2-4 million yen compared with >10 million yen. The association with marital status was 1.43 (1.04-1.98) for bereaved/divorced compared with married (working spouse). The association with occupation was 1.75 (1.35-2.29) for temporary or contract employees and 2.11 (1.04-4.30) for agriculture, forestry, or fishing compared with general employees. The association with job type was 1.69 (1.34-2.15) for mainly manual labor. Conclusion: We observed a relationship between SES and subsequent unemployment under COVID-19. It is necessary to provide broad, ongoing support in the form of both short-term assistance and long-term job training and health care.

scholarly journals Self-rated worry is associated with hospital admission in out-of-hours telephone triage – a prospective cohort study

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hejdi Gamst-Jensen ◽  
Erika Frischknecht Christensen ◽  
Freddy Lippert ◽  
Fredrik Folke ◽  
Ingrid Egerod ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Hospital Admission ◽  
Prospective Cohort Study ◽  
Prospective Cohort ◽  
Telephone Triage ◽  
Out Of Hours

scholarly journals The individual and combined associations of depression and socioeconomic status with risk of major cardiovascular events: a prospective cohort study

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Regina Prigge ◽  
Sarah H Wild ◽  
Caroline A Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Prospective Cohort ◽  
Cardiovascular Events ◽  
Low Ses ◽  
Major Cardiovascular Events ◽  
High Area ◽  
Low Education ◽  
The Individual

Objective: We aimed to investigate the individual and combined associations of depression and low socioeconomic status (SES) with risk of major cardiovascular events (MCVE), defined as first-ever fatal or non-fatal stroke or myocardial infarction, in a large prospective cohort study. Methods: We used data from 466,238 UK Biobank participants, aged 40 - 69 years without cardiovascular disease, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia at baseline. We performed Cox proportional hazard models to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of the individual and combined associations of depression and each of educational attainment, area-based deprivation and income with risk of MCVE. We assessed effect modification and explored interaction on the additive and multiplicative scale. Results: Depression, low education, high area-based deprivation and low income were individually associated with increased risks of MCVE (adjusted HR, 95% CI: 1.28, 1.19 - 1.38; 1.20, 1.14 - 1.27; 1.17, 1.11 - 1.23; and 1.22, 1.16 - 1.29, respectively). Depression was associated with increased risks of MCVE among individuals with high and low SES. Individuals with depression and each of low education, high area-based deprivation and low income were at particularly high risk of MCVE (HR, 95% CI: 1.50, 1.38 - 1.63; 1.63, 1.46 - 1.82; 1.31, 1.23 - 1.40, respectively). There was interaction between depression and area-based deprivation on multiplicative and additive scales but no interaction with education or income. Conclusion: Depression was associated with increased risks of MCVE among individuals with high and low SES, with particularly high risks among those living in areas of high deprivation.

scholarly journals Maternal Psychological Distress, Education, Household Income, and Congenital Heart Defects: A Prospective Cohort Study from The Japan Environment and Children’s Study Running Title Maternal Psychological Distress and Congenital Heart Defects

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasuaki Saijo ◽  
Eiji Yoshioka ◽  
Yukihiro Sato ◽  
Hiroshi Azuma ◽  
Yusuke Tanahashi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Congenital Heart Defects ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Prospective Cohort ◽  
Congenital Heart ◽  
Maternal Education ◽  
Heart Defects ◽  
Maternal Psychological Distress

Abstract Background: The influence of maternal psychological distress on infant congenital heart defects (CHDs) has not been thoroughly investigated. Furthermore, there have been no reports on the combined effect of maternal psychological distress and socioeconomic status on infant CHDs. This study aimed to examine whether maternal psychological distress, socioeconomic status, and their combinations were associated with CHD.Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study using data from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, which recruited pregnant women between 2011 and 2014. Maternal psychological distress was evaluated using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale in the first trimester, while maternal education and household income were evaluated in the second and third trimesters. The outcome of infant CHD was determined using the medical records at 1 month of age and/or at birth. Crude and adjusted logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the association between maternal psychological distress and education and household income on infant CHD.Results: A total of 93,643 pairs of mothers and infants were analyzed, with 1.1% of infants having CHDs. Maternal psychological distress had a significantly higher odds ratio in the crude analysis but not in the adjusted analysis, while maternal education and household income were statistically insignificant. In the analysis of the combination variable of lowest education and psychological distress, the trend for p was statistically significant in the crude and adjusted analyses.Conclusions: The combination of maternal psychological distress and lower education may be a possible indicator of infant CHD.

scholarly journals Marital status and 5-year mortality: A population-based prospective cohort study

Public Health ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 170 ◽  
pp. 45-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Lindström ◽  
M. Rosvall
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Marital Status ◽  
Prospective Cohort Study ◽  
Prospective Cohort ◽  
Population Based
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