scholarly journals Japanese National Dementia Plan Is Associated with a Small Shift in Location of Death: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Joost D. Wammes ◽  
Miharu Nakanishi ◽  
Jenny T. van der Steen ◽  
Janet L. MacNeil Vroomen

Background: Japan has one of the highest percentages of persons with dementia and hospital deaths in the world. Hospitals are often not equipped to handle the care complexity required for persons with dementia at the end of life. The National Dementia Orange plan aimed to decrease hospital deaths by expanding time in the community. Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the National Dementia Orange Plan is associated with a decrease in hospitals deaths for persons with dementia. Methods: We used quarterly, cross-sectional, national death certificate data consisting of the total Japanese dementia population 65 years and older, spanning a period from 2009 to 2016. The primary outcome was quarterly adjusted relative risk rates (aRRR) of dying in hospital, nursing home, home, or elsewhere. An interrupted time series analysis was performed to study the slope change over time. Analyses were adjusted for sex and seasonality. Results: 149,638 died with dementia. With the implementation of the Orange Plan, death in nursing home (aRRR 1.08, [1.07–1.08], p <  0.001) and elsewhere (aRRR 1.05, [1.05–1.06], p <  0.001) increased over time compared to hospital death. No changes were found in death at home. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that the National Dementia Orange plan was associated with a small increase in death in nursing home and elsewhere. Hospital death remained the primary location of death. End-of-life strategies should be expanded in national dementia policies to increase aging in the community until death.

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 457-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael O Chaiton ◽  
Robert Schwartz ◽  
Gabrielle Tremblay ◽  
Robert Nugent

IntroductionThis study examines the association of Federal Canadian regulations passed in 2009 addressing flavours (excluding menthol) in small cigars with changes in cigar sales.MethodsQuarterly wholesale unit data as reported to Health Canada from 2001 through 2016 were analysed using interrupted time series analysis. Changes in sales of cigars with and without flavour descriptors were estimated. Analyses were seasonally adjusted. Changes in the flavour types were assessed over time.ResultsThe Federal flavour regulations were associated with a reduction in the sales of flavoured cigars by 59 million units (95% CI −86.0 to −32.4). Increases in sales of cigars with descriptors other than flavours (eg, colour or other ambiguous terms) were observed (9.6 million increase (95% CI −1.3 to 20.5), but the overall level (decline of 49.6 million units (95% CI −73.5 to −25.8) and trend of sales of cigars (6.9 million units per quarter (95% CI −8.1 to −5.7)) declined following the ban. Sensitivity analysis showed that there was no substantial difference in effect over time comparing Ontario and British Columbia, suggesting that other provincial tobacco control legislation was not associated with the changes in levels. Analyses suggested that the level change was sensitive to the specification of the date.ConclusionThis study demonstrates that flavour regulations have the potential to substantially impact tobacco sales. However, exemptions for certain flavours and product types may have reduced the effectiveness of the ban, indicating the need for comprehensive, well-designed regulations.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. e0241132
Author(s):  
Janet L. MacNeil Vroomen ◽  
Camilla Kjellstadli ◽  
Heather G. Allore ◽  
Jenny T. van der Steen ◽  
Bettina Husebo

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne Martin ◽  
Edwin Amalraj Raja ◽  
Steve Turner

Abstract Background Service reconfiguration of inpatient services in a hospital includes complete and partial closure of all emergency inpatient facilities. The “natural experiment” of service reconfiguration may give insight into drivers for emergency admissions to hospital. This study addressed the question does the prevalence of emergency admission to hospital for children change after reconfiguration of inpatient services? Methods There were five service reconfigurations in Scottish hospitals between 2004 and 2018 where emergency admissions to one “reconfigured” hospital were halted (permanently or temporarily) and directed to a second “adjacent” hospital. The number of emergency admissions (standardised to /1000 children in the regional population) per month to the “reconfigured” and “adjacent” hospitals was obtained for five years prior to reconfiguration and up to five years afterwards. An interrupted time series analysis considered the association between reconfiguration and admissions across pairs comprised of “reconfigured” and “adjacent” hospitals, with adjustment for seasonality and an overall rising trend in admissions. Results Of the five episodes of reconfiguration, two were immediate closure, two involved closure only to overnight admissions and one with overnight closure for a period and then closure. In “reconfigured” hospitals there was an average fall of 117 admissions/month [95% CI 78, 156] in the year after reconfiguration compared to the year before, and in “adjacent” hospitals admissions rose by 82/month [32, 131]. Across paired reconfigured and adjacent hospitals, in the months post reconfiguration, the overall number of admissions to one hospital pair slowed, in another pair admissions accelerated, and admission prevalence was unchanged in three pairs. After reconfiguration in one hospital, there was a rise in admissions to a third hospital which was closer than the named “adjacent” hospital. Conclusions There are diverse outcomes for the number of emergency admissions post reconfiguration of inpatient facilities. Factors including resources placed in the community after local reconfiguration, distance to the “adjacent” hospital and local deprivation may be important drivers for admission pathways after reconfiguration. Policy makers considering reconfiguration might consider a number of factors which may be important determinants of admissions post reconfiguration.


2021 ◽  
pp. 140349482110132
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Konieczna ◽  
Sarah Grube Jakobsen ◽  
Christina Petrea Larsen ◽  
Erik Christiansen

Aim: The aim of this study is to analyse the potential impact from the financial crisis (onset in 2009) on suicide rates in Denmark. The hypothesis is that the global financial crisis raised unemployment which leads to raising the suicide rate in Denmark and that the impact is most prominent in men. Method: This study used an ecological study design, including register data from 2001 until 2016 on unemployment, suicide, gender and calendar time which was analysed using Poisson regression models and interrupted time series analysis. Results: The correlation between unemployment and suicide rates was positive in the period and statistically significant for all, but at a moderate level. A dichotomised version of time (calendar year) showed a significant reduction in the suicide rate for women (incidence rate ratio 0.87, P=0.002). Interrupted time series analysis showed a significant decreasing trend for the overall suicide rate and for men in the pre-recession period, which in both cases stagnated after the onset of recession in 2009. The difference between the genders’ suicide rate changed significantly at the onset of recession, as the rate for men increased and the rate for women decreased. Discussion: The Danish social welfare model might have prevented social disintegration and suicide among unemployed, and suicide prevention programmes might have prevented deaths among unemployed and mentally ill individuals. Conclusions: We found some indications for gender-specific differences from the impact of the financial crises on the suicide rate. We recommend that men should be specifically targeted for appropriate prevention programmes during periods of economic downturn.


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