scholarly journals Overuse or underuse? Use of healthcare services among irregular migrants in a north-eastern Spanish region

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Andrés Gimeno-Feliu ◽  
Marta Pastor-Sanz ◽  
Beatriz Poblador-Plou ◽  
Amaia Calderón-Larrañaga ◽  
Esperanza Díaz ◽  
...  

Abstract Background There is little verified information on global healthcare utilization by irregular migrants. Understanding how immigrants use healthcare services based on their needs is crucial to establish effective health policy. We compared healthcare utilization between irregular migrants, documented migrants, and Spanish nationals in a Spanish autonomous community. Methods This retrospective, observational study included the total adult population of Aragon, Spain: 930,131 Spanish nationals; 123,432 documented migrants; and 17,152 irregular migrants. Healthcare utilization data were compared between irregular migrants, documented migrants and Spanish nationals for the year 2011. Multivariable standard or zero-inflated negative binomial regression models were generated, adjusting for age, sex, length of stay, and morbidity burden. Results The average annual use of healthcare services was lower for irregular migrants than for documented migrants and Spanish nationals at all levels of care analyzed: primary care (0.5 vs 4 vs 6.7 visits); specialized care (0.2 vs 1.8 vs 2.9 visits); planned hospital admissions (0.3 vs 2 vs 4.23 per 100 individuals), unplanned hospital admissions (0.5 vs 3.5 vs 5.2 per 100 individuals), and emergency room visits (0.4 vs 2.8 vs 2.8 per 10 individuals). The average annual prescription drug expenditure was also lower for irregular migrants (€9) than for documented migrants (€77) and Spanish nationals (€367). These differences were only partially attenuated after adjusting for age, sex, and morbidity burden. Conclusions Under conditions of equal access, healthcare utilization is much lower among irregular migrants than Spanish nationals (and lower than that of documented migrants), regardless of country of origin or length of stay in Spain.

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Nabil Shaaban ◽  
Bárbara Peleteiro ◽  
Maria Rosario O. Martins

Abstract Background This study offers a comprehensive approach to precisely analyze the complexly distributed length of stay among HIV admissions in Portugal. Objective To provide an illustration of statistical techniques for analysing count data using longitudinal predictors of length of stay among HIV hospitalizations in Portugal. Method Registered discharges in the Portuguese National Health Service (NHS) facilities Between January 2009 and December 2017, a total of 26,505 classified under Major Diagnostic Category (MDC) created for patients with HIV infection, with HIV/AIDS as a main or secondary cause of admission, were used to predict length of stay among HIV hospitalizations in Portugal. Several strategies were applied to select the best count fit model that includes the Poisson regression model, zero-inflated Poisson, the negative binomial regression model, and zero-inflated negative binomial regression model. A random hospital effects term has been incorporated into the negative binomial model to examine the dependence between observations within the same hospital. A multivariable analysis has been performed to assess the effect of covariates on length of stay. Results The median length of stay in our study was 11 days (interquartile range: 6–22). Statistical comparisons among the count models revealed that the random-effects negative binomial models provided the best fit with observed data. Admissions among males or admissions associated with TB infection, pneumocystis, cytomegalovirus, candidiasis, toxoplasmosis, or mycobacterium disease exhibit a highly significant increase in length of stay. Perfect trends were observed in which a higher number of diagnoses or procedures lead to significantly higher length of stay. The random-effects term included in our model and refers to unexplained factors specific to each hospital revealed obvious differences in quality among the hospitals included in our study. Conclusions This study provides a comprehensive approach to address unique problems associated with the prediction of length of stay among HIV patients in Portugal.


Author(s):  
Richard Ofori-Asenso ◽  
Ella Zomer ◽  
Ken Chin ◽  
Si Si ◽  
Peter Markey ◽  
...  

The burden of comorbidity among stroke patients is high. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of comorbidity on the length of stay (LOS), costs, and mortality among older adults hospitalised for acute stroke. Among 776 older adults (mean age 80.1 ± 8.3 years; 46.7% female) hospitalised for acute stroke during July 2013 to December 2015 at a tertiary hospital in Melbourne, Australia, we collected data on LOS, costs, and discharge outcomes. Comorbidity was assessed via the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), where a CCI score of 0–1 was considered low and a CCI ≥ 2 was high. Negative binomial regression and quantile regression were applied to examine the association between CCI and LOS and cost, respectively. Survival was evaluated with the Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression analyses. The median LOS was 1.1 days longer for patients with high CCI than for those with low CCI. In-hospital mortality rate was 18.2% (22.1% for high CCI versus 11.8% for low CCI, p < 0.0001). After controlling for confounders, high CCI was associated with longer LOS (incidence rate ratio [IRR]; 1.35, p < 0.0001) and increased likelihood of in-hospital death (hazard ratio [HR]; 1.91, p = 0.003). The adjusted median, 25th, and 75th percentile costs were AUD$2483 (26.1%), AUD$1446 (28.1%), and AUD$3140 (27.9%) higher for patients with high CCI than for those with low CCI. Among older adults hospitalised for acute stroke, higher global comorbidity (CCI ≥ 2) was associated adverse clinical outcomes. Measures to better manage comorbidities should be considered as part of wider strategies towards mitigating the social and economic impacts of stroke.


Author(s):  
Lynn Robertson ◽  
Dolapo Ayansina ◽  
Marjorie Johnston ◽  
Angharad Marks ◽  
Corri Black

IntroductionMultimorbidity is a complex and growing health challenge. There is no accepted “gold standard” multimorbidity measure for hospital resource planning, and few studies have compared measures in hospitalised patients. AimTo evaluate operationalisation of two multimorbidity measures in routine hospital episode data in NHS Grampian, Scotland. MethodsLinked hospital episode data (Scottish Morbidity Record (SMR)) for the years 2009-2016 were used. Adults admitted to hospital as a general/acute inpatient during 2014 were included. Conditions (ICD-10) were identified from general/acute (SMR01) and psychiatric (SMR04) admissions during the five years prior to first admission in 2014. Two count-based multimorbidity measures were used (Charlson Comorbidity Index and Tonelli et al.), and multimorbidity was defined as ≥2 conditions. Kappa statistics assessed agreement. The association between multimorbidity and length of stay, readmission and mortality was assessed using logistic and negative binomial regression as appropriate. ResultsIn 41,545 adults (median age 62 years, 52.6% female), multimorbidity prevalence was 15.1% (95% CI 14.8%, 15.5%) using Charlson and 27.4% (27.0%, 27.8%) using Tonelli – agreement 85.1% (Kappa 0.57). Multimorbidity prevalence, using both measures, increased with age. Multimorbidity was higher in males (16.5%) than females (13.9%) using the Charlson measure, but similar across genders when measured with Tonelli. After adjusting for covariates, multimorbidity remained associated with longer length of stay (Charlson IRR 1.1 (1.0, 1.2); Tonelli IRR 1.1 (1.0, 1.2)) and readmission (Charlson OR 2.1 (1.9, 2.2); Tonelli OR 2.1 (2.0, 2.2)). Multimorbidity had a stronger association with mortality when measured using Charlson (OR 2.7 (2.5, 2.9)), than using Tonelli (OR (1.8 (1.7, 2.0)). ConclusionsMultimorbidity measures operationalised in hospital episode data identified those at risk of poor outcomes and such operationalised tools will be useful for future multimorbidity research and use in secondary care data systems. Multimorbidity measures are not interchangeable, and the choice of measure should depend on the purpose. Hightlights Operationalisation of two count-based multimorbidity measures using linked electronic hospitalepisode data was evaluated (Charlson and Tonelli). First study to compare the Tonelli measure with another measure for investigating multimor-bidity in hospitalised patients. Multimorbidity prevalence differed depending on measure used, but both multimorbidity mea-sures identified those at risk of poor outcomes. Operationalised multimorbidity tools have uses for future multimorbidity research and use insecondary care data systems. Multimorbidity measures are not interchangeable, and choice of measure should depend onpurpose.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 463-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janneke Berecki-Gisolf ◽  
Bosco Rowland ◽  
Nicola Reavley ◽  
Barbara Minuzzo ◽  
John Toumbourou

BackgroundInjuries are one of the three leading causes of morbidity and mortality for young people internationally. Although community risk factors are modifiable causes of youth injury, there has been limited evaluation of community interventions. Communities That Care (CTC) offers a coalition training process to increase evidence-based practices that reduce youth injury risk factors.MethodUsing a non-experimental design, this study made use of population-based hospital admissions data to evaluate the impact on injuries for 15 communities that implemented CTC between 2001 and 2017 in Victoria, Australia. Negative binomial regression models evaluated trends in injury admissions (all, unintentional and transport), comparing CTC and non-CTC communities across different age groups.ResultsStatistically significant relative reductions in all hospital injury admissions in 0–4 year olds were associated with communities completing the CTC process and in 0–19 year olds when communities began their second cycle of CTC. When analysed by subgroup, a similar pattern was observed with unintentional injuries but not with transport injuries.ConclusionThe findings support CTC coalition training as an intervention strategy for preventing youth hospital injury admissions. However, future studies should consider stronger research designs, confirm findings in different community contexts, use other data sources and evaluate intervention mechanisms.


2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 697-706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasper V. Been ◽  
Christopher Millett ◽  
John Tayu Lee ◽  
Constant P. van Schayck ◽  
Aziz Sheikh

Second-hand smoke exposure is a major risk factor for respiratory tract infections (RTIs). Although evidence suggests important early-life health benefits of smoke-free public environments, the impact on childhood RTIs is unclear. We investigated the association between England's smoke-free legislation and childhood RTI hospitalisations.We used the Hospital Episode Statistics database to obtain nationwide data on hospital admissions for acute RTIs among children (<15 years of age) from 2001 to 2012. Hospitalisation counts were disaggregated by month, age group, sex and small-area level, and linked to urbanisation, region, deprivation index and corresponding population estimates. Negative binomial regression analyses were adjusted for confounders, seasonal variation, temporal autocorrelation, population-size changes and underlying incidence trends. Models allowed for sudden and gradual changes following the smoke-free legislation. We performed sensitivity and subgroup analyses, and estimated number of events prevented.We analysed 1 651 675 hospital admissions. Introduction of smoke-free legislation was followed by an immediate reduction in RTI admissions (−3.5%, 95% CI −4.7– −2.3%), this mainly being attributable to a decrease in lower RTI admissions (−13.8%, 95% CI −15.6– −12.0%). The reductions in admissions for upper RTI were more incremental.The introduction of national smoke-free legislation in England was associated with ∼11 000 fewer hospital admissions per year for RTIs in children.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingunn Lund ◽  
Njål Andersen ◽  
Marte Handal ◽  
Helga Ask ◽  
Svetlana Skurtveit ◽  
...  

Abstract Background and aims: Previous research have shown that certain risk constellations of parental drinking, mental health, and years of education were prospectively associated with increased risk of offspring receiving a diagnosis and/or treatment for anxiety/depression. We know less about how such constellations may relate to other aspects of offspring’s mental health -- including recurring healthcare utilization. We examined offspring's recurring utilization of healthcare services for these disorders, as measured both by the duration of and the number of contacts with services during a 7-year study period, as a function of parental risk constellations.Design: Longitudinal cohort design combining health survey and registry data. Participants and setting: The sample included 8773 offspring from 6696 two-parent families who participated in the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study in Norway. Measurements: The exposures were five constellations of parental risks, derived previously from latent profile analysis, characterized by drinking frequencies and quantities, years of education, and mental health. The outcomes were the number of years in contact with, and the total number of contacts with the healthcare services for anxiety/depression in offspring as recorded in healthcare registries during 2008-2014. Associations were examined using zero-inflated negative binomial regression models while accounting for demographics and offspring’s early mental health.Results: Parental risk constellations were not significantly associated with offspring’s’ recurring use of healthcare services for anxiety and depression during the study period, neither in terms of the number of utilization years or the number of contacts. These were primarily a function of offspring’s own characteristics, such as male gender and early mental health problems. Conclusions: Parental risk constellations were not prospectively associated with recurring utilization of healthcare services for anxiety and depression disorders among the offspring during the 7-year study period; offspring from 4 risky constellations were no more likely to use such services for longer period of time or to use them on more occasions than offspring from the low-risk constellation. Seen in conjunction with previous research, parental risk constellations may be thus more informative for understanding the etiology of offspring’s anxiety/depression, than for understanding of other aspects, including recurrence of healthcare utilization in offspring.


2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (4_suppl) ◽  
pp. 361-361
Author(s):  
Aileen Deng ◽  
Atrayee Basu Mallick

361 Background: In 2009, adults had 4.7 million cancer-related hospitalizations. Adult hospital stays with cancer identified as the principal diagnosis cost $20.1 billion and accounted for 6% of adult inpatient hospital costs. GI cancer-related healthcare utilization has not been well-defined. The aim of this study was to evaluate the trends in the incidence and costs of GI cancer-related hospital admissions in the U.S. Methods: We reviewed the National Inpatient Sample Database (NIS) from 1997-2014. All patients with principle discharge diagnoses of esophageal, stomach, colon, rectum and anus, liver and intrahepatic bile duct and pancreas cancer were analyzed. Temporal trends in the number of hospital admissions, length of stay, hospitalization cost and mortality rates were obtained by HCUPnet. Results: GI cancer-related hospital admissions decreased from 230,537 in 1997 to 221,220 in 2014. Although the number of hospital admissions decreased for esophageal (12,157 to 11,885), stomach (23,528 to 21,800), colon (110,939 to 90,135), rectum and anus cancer (43,807 to 40,160), it has increased for liver and intrahepatic bile duct (11,243 to 21,775, p < 0.001) and pancreas cancer (28,862 to 35,465, p < 0.001). While the mean length of stay decreased from 9.6 days in 1997 to 7.6 days in 2014, the mean hospital charges per patient (adjusted for inflation) increased 127% from $34,747 in 1997 to $78,742 in 2014. The highest increase in mean hospital charges per patient were in liver and intrahepatic bile duct ($27,128 to $74,619 (175%), p < 0.001), rectum and anus ($32,566 to $80,789 (148%), p < 0.001) and pancreas cancer ($33,562 to $75,981 (126%), p < 0.001). Conclusions: GI cancer-related hospital admissions decreased from 1997 to 2014. Despite decrease in the mean length of hospital stay, the costs of hospitalizations have increased substantially, especially in liver and intrahepatic bile duct, rectum and anus and pancreas cancer. Our study suggests that shorter length of stay alone has not reduced costs of hospitalizations in GI cancers. There remains a growing need to understand healthcare costs and to develop effective value-based interventions in GI cancer-related hospital admissions.


2021 ◽  
pp. 105566562110366
Author(s):  
Mohammed Junaid ◽  
Linda Slack-Smith ◽  
Kingsley Wong ◽  
Gareth Baynam ◽  
Hanny Calache ◽  
...  

Objective To describe patterns and demographic characteristics of total-population hospital admissions with a diagnosis of Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS) in Australia. Data Source Population summary data for inpatient hospitals admissions (public and private) with a principal diagnosis of TCS (ICD10-AM-Q87.04) were obtained from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare National Hospital Morbidity Database for a 11-year period (2002-2013). Main Outcome Measures The primary outcome was hospital separation rate (HSR), calculated by dividing the number of hospital separations by estimated resident population per year. Trends in HSR s adjusted for age and sex were investigated by negative binomial regression presented as annual percent change and the association of rates with age and sex was expressed as incidence rate ratio. Results In 244 admissions identified, we observed an increase of 4.55% (95% confidence interval [CI] −1.78, 11.29) in HSR's over the 11-year period. Rates were higher during infancy (1.87 [95% CI 1.42, 2.42]), declining markedly with increasing age. The average length of hospital stay was 6.09 days (95% CI 5.78, 6.40) per episode, but longer for females and infants. Conclusions Findings indicate an increase in hospitalization rates, especially among infants and females which potentially relates to early airway intervention procedures possibly influenced by sex specific-disease severity and phenotypic variability of TCS. Awareness of the TCS phenotype and improved access to genetic testing may support more personalized and efficient care. Total-population administrative data offers a potential to better understand the health burden of rare craniofacial diseases.


2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon Ivar Elstad

Aims: Health care should be allocated fairly, irrespective of patients’ social standing. Previous research suggests that highly educated patients are prioritized in Norwegian hospitals. This study examines this contentious issue by a design which addresses two methodological challenges. Control for differences in medical needs is approximated by analysing patients who died from same causes of death. Area fixed effects are used for avoiding that observed educational inequalities are contaminated by geographical differences. Methods: Men and women who died 2009–2011 at age 55–94 were examined ( N=103,000) with register data from Statistics Norway and the Norwegian Patient Registry. Educational differences in quantity of hospital-based medical care during the 12–24 months before death were analysed, separate for main causes of death. Multivariate negative binomial regression models were estimated, with fixed effects for residential areas. Results: High-educated patients who died from cancers had significantly more outpatient consultations at somatic hospitals than low-educated patients during an average observation period of 18 months prior to death. Similar, but weaker, educational inequalities appeared for outpatient visits for patients whose deaths were due to other causes. Also, educational inequalities in number of hospital admissions were marked for those who died from cancers, but insignificant for patients who died from other causes. Conclusions: Even when medical needs are similar for mortally ill patients, those with high education tend to receive more medical services in Norwegian somatic hospitals than patients with low education. The roles played by physicians and patients in generating these patterns should be explored further.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Selina Rajan ◽  
Sujit D Rathod ◽  
Nagendra P Luitel ◽  
Adrianna Murphy ◽  
Tessa Roberts ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Despite attempts to improve universal healthcare coverage (UHC) in low income countries like Nepal, most healthcare utilization is still financed by out-of-pocket (OOP) payments, with detrimental effects on the poorest and most in need. Evidence from high income countries shows that depression is associated with increased healthcare utilization, which may lead to increased OOP expenditures, placing greater stress on families. To inform policies for integrating mental healthcare into UHC in LMIC, we must understand general healthcare utilization and OOP expenditure patterns in people with depression. Aims: We examined associations between symptoms of depression and frequency and type of general healthcare utilization and OOP expenditure among adults in Chitwan District, Nepal. Methods: We analysed data from a population-based survey of 2040 adults in 2013, who completed the PHQ-9 screening tool for depression and answered questions about general healthcare utilization. We modelled associations between increasing PHQ-9 score and healthcare utilization frequency and OOP expenditure using negative binomial regression. We also compared sector-specific utilization of outpatient healthcare and their related costs among adults with and without probable depression, determined by a PHQ-9 score of 10 or more. Results: We classified 80 (3.6%) participants with probable depression, 70.9% of whom used some form of general healthcare in the past year compared to 43.9% of people without probable depression. Mean annual OOP healthcare expenditures were $118 USD in people with probable depression, compared to $110 USD in people without. With each unit increase in PHQ-9 score, there was a 14% increase in total healthcare visits (95% CI 7%-22%, p<0.0001) and $9 USD increase in OOP expenditures (95% CI $2-$17; p<0.0001). People with depression sought most general healthcare from pharmacists (30.1%) but reported the greatest expenditure on specialist doctors ($36 USD). Conclusions: In this population-based sample from Central Nepal, we identified dose-dependent increases in healthcare utilization and OOP expenditure with increasing PHQ-9 scores. Strengthening UHC to include early detection and treatment for people affected by depression as an integrated component of general healthcare should lead to a reduction in financial pressures on families, which is likely to reduce the incidence of depression in Nepal.


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