| 1. |
- Alehagen, Urban, et al.
(författare)
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Quality-adjusted life year weights among elderly patients with heart failure
- 2008
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Ingår i: European journal of heart failure. - : Wiley. - 1388-9842. ; 10:10, s. 1033-1039
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background When assessing health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in elderly patients with heart failure (HF), the process of obtaining quality-adjusted life year (QALY) weights is generally complicated and time-consuming. Aim To evaluate whether information regarding HRQoL and QALY weights can be derived directly from the established and widely used New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification system. Methods NYHA functional status was assessed independently both by the individual patients and by the examining cardiologist in 323 elderly patients with symptoms of HF recruited from primary care. HRQoL was evaluated using the SF-36 questionnaire and a time trade-off (TTO) scenario. The TTO technique generates direct QALY weights. Results Both the TTO technique and SF-36 values demonstrated a statistically significant correlation with NYHA functional status. The TTO values also correlated with all SF-36 dimensions. Increasing impairment was associated with statistically significant drops in both SF-36 values and TTO-based QALY weights. For patients in NYHA classes I–IV the QALY weights were 0.77, 0.68, 0.61, and 0.50, respectively. Thus in elderly patients, symptoms of HF have a major impact on perceived quality of life. Conclusion The results of the present study show that QALY weights, an important instrument in the health economic evaluation of treatment strategies, can be derived directly from NYHA classification in elderly HF patients.
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| 2. |
- Bernfort, Lars, et al.
(författare)
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Chronic pain in an elderly population in Sweden : Impact on costs and quality of life
- 2015
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Chronic pain among elderly people has long been a well-known problem, in terms of both societal costs and the quality of life of affected individuals. To estimate the magnitude of the problems associated with chronic pain in an elderly population, data on both costs and quality of life were gathered. A postal questionnaire was sent out to a stratified sample of 10 000 inhabitants 65 years and older in Linköping and Norrköping. The survey included questions on demographics, habits, and life situation, and different kinds of questions and instruments related to well-being (e.g., quality-of-life and pain-specific questions). In the questionnaire respondents were asked whether they were receiving any help—informal care—from a relative. If they answered yes, they were asked for permission to contact the informal caregiver and to provide contact details. The amount of informal care provided by relatives to persons with chronic pain was investigated by use of a questionnaire directed to the caregiving relatives, containing questions about time spent providing informal care.Data on costs were collected from registers of consumption of health care, drugs, and municipal services.The results of the study showed a very clear association between existence and severity of chronic pain and societal costs. The study population was subdivided into three groups with respect to having chronic pain or not, and a pain intensity during the last week of 0–4 (mild), 5–7 (moderate), or 8–10 (severe) on a scale of 0–10. Taking all costs (health care, drugs, municipal services, and informal care) into account, persons in the severe chronic pain group consumed on average 72% more resources than persons in the moderate chronic pain group and 143% more than those in the no or mild chronic pain group. Differences were most pronounced concerning municipal services and informal care costs.Even more alarming are the results on the quality of life of persons in the different groups. On the EQ-5D index, the average value for persons in the no or mild chronic pain group was 0.82. For those in the moderate chronic pain group the average value was 0.64, and for those in the severe chronic pain group the average value was only 0.38. EQ-VAS resulted in less pronounced but still clearly significant differences.It is concluded that this study, reaching a rather large part of the target population, shows that existence and severity of chronic pain among people 65 years and older affects costs to society and the quality of life of affected individuals in a massive way.
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| 3. |
- Bernfort, Lars, et al.
(författare)
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Severity of chronic pain in an elderly population in Sweden-impact on costs and quality of life
- 2015
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Ingår i: Pain. - : Elsevier / Lippincott, Williams andamp; Wilkins. - 0304-3959 .- 1872-6623. ; 156:3, s. 521-527
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Chronic pain is associated with large societal costs, but few studies have investigated the total costs of chronic pain with respect to elderly subjects. The elderly usually require informal care, care performed by municipalities, and care for chronic diseases, all factors that can result in extensive financial burdens on elderly patients, their families, and the social services provided by the state. This study aims to quantify the societal cost of chronic pain in people of age 65 years and older and to assess the impact of chronic pain on quality of life. This study collected data from 3 registers concerning health care, drugs, and municipal services and from 2 surveys. A postal questionnaire was used to collect data from a stratified sample of the population 65 years and older in southeastern Sweden. The questionnaire addressed pain intensity and quality of life variables (EQ-5D). A second postal questionnaire was used to collect data from relatives of the elderly patients suffering from chronic pain. A total of 66.5% valid responses of the 10,000 subjects was achieved; 76.9% were categorized as having no or mild chronic pain, 18.9% as having moderate chronic pain, and 4.2% as having severe chronic pain. Consumed resources increased with the severity of chronic pain. Clear differences in EQ-5D were found with respect to the severity of pain. This study found an association between resource use and severity of chronic pain in elderly subjects: the more severe the chronic pain, the more extensive (and expensive) the use of resources.
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| 4. |
- Ernesäter, Annica, et al.
(författare)
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Telephone nurses' communication and response to callers' concern : a mixed methods study
- 2016
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Ingår i: Applied Nursing Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0897-1897 .- 1532-8201. ; 29, s. 116-121
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AimsTo describe telephone nurses’ and callers’ communication, investigate relationships within the dyad and explore telephone nurses’ direct response to callers’ expressions of concernBackgroundTelephone nurses assessing callers’ need of care is a rapidly growing service. Callers with expectations regarding level of care are challenging.MethodRIAS-and content analysis was performed on a criterion sampling of calls (n=25) made by callers who received a recommendation from telephone nurses of a lower level of care than expected.ResultsTelephone nurses mainly ask close-ended questions, whilst open-ended questions are sparsely used. Relationships between callers’ expressions of Concern and telephone nurses responding with Disapprovalwere found. Telephone nurses mainly responded to concern with close-ended medical questions whilst exploration of callers’ reason for concern was sparse.ConclusionTelephone nurses’ reluctance to use open-ended questions and to follow up on callers’ understanding might be a threat to concordance, and a potential threat to patient safety.
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| 5. |
- Faresjö, Tomas, et al.
(författare)
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Educational level is a crucial factor for good perceived health in the local community
- 2010
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Ingår i: SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH. - : Sage. - 1403-4948 .- 1651-1905. ; 38:6, s. 605-610
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims: Educational level is a strong determinant of perceived health, and also an important component in the socioeconomic concept. The aim of this study was to analyze a number of social conditions and lifestyle factors that might explain differences in self-reported health between the populations in two different social environments, one white-collar city and one blue-collar city. These "twin cities" are served by the same healthcare organisation, but differ in terms of social history and current social structure. Methods: The material consisted of responses to a community-based survey of individuals aged between 20 and 64 years, with an overall response rate of 49%. Differences in self-reported health status were tested with chi-square tests and regression analysis. Results: We found significant differences in perceived health between the two populations. These differences in self-reported health could not be explained by differences in demographic factors, lifestyles, or living conditions. However, when the educational level of the respondents was taken into account, the differences in perceived health diminished. Conclusions: Public health in local communities tends to reflect the social history and social heritage of the population. In this study, we found that educational level appears to be a vital factor for good perceived health of the individual in a community.
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| 6. |
- Hallert, Eva, et al.
(författare)
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Changes in sociodemographic characteristics at baseline in two Swedish cohorts of patients with early rheumatoid arthritis diagnosed 1996-98 and 2006-09
- 2015
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology. - : Informa Healthcare. - 0300-9742 .- 1502-7732. ; 44:2, s. 100-105
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: To compare baseline sociodemographic characteristics in two rheumatoid arthritis (RA) cohorts enrolled 10 years apart, and to examine differences with respect to the general population. Method: Clinical and sociodemographic data were collected in 320 early RA patients during 1996-98 (TIRA-1) and 467 patients in 2006-09 (TIRA-2). Multivariate logistic regression tests were performed and intercohort comparisons were related to general population data, obtained from official databases. Results: TIRA-2 patients were older than TIRA-1 (58 vs. 56 years). Women (both cohorts, 67%) were younger than men in TIRA-1 (55 vs. 59 years) and in TIRA-2 (57 vs. 61 years). Disease activity was similar but TIRA-2 women scored worse pain and worse on the HAQ. Approximately 73% were cohabiting, in both cohorts and in the general population. Education was higher in TIRA-2 than in TIRA-2 but still lower than in the general population. Women had consistently higher education than men. Education was associated with age, younger patients having higher education. In both cohorts, lower education was associated with increased disability pension and increased sick leave. Sick leave was lower in TIRA-2 than in TIRA-1 (37% vs. 50%) but disability pension was higher (16% vs. 10%). In TIRA-1, 9% of women had disability pension compared with 17% in TIRA-2. A similar decrease in sick leave and an increase in disability pension were also seen in the general population. Older age and a higher HAQ score were associated with increased sick leave and being in the TIRA-2 cohort was associated with decreased sick leave. Conclusions: TIRA-2 patients were slightly older, better educated, had lower sick leave and higher disability pension than those in TIRA-1. Similar changes were seen simultaneously in the general population. Belonging to the TIRA-2 cohort was associated with decreased sick leave, indicating that societal changes are of importance.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Hansson, Björn T, et al.
(författare)
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Inget stöd för könsskillnader i studie av väntetid till vård
- 2007
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Ingår i: Läkartidningen. - 0023-7205 .- 1652-7518. ; 104:43, s. 3187-3189
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In Sweden the time patients spend on different waiting lists is regularly analysed in follow-up surveys and published on the Internet, but when these figures do not differ between men and women there is an interesting demand for analysing the figures separately for the sexes. With the aim of investigating gender differences we have analysed the time spent on 32 different waiting lists by 44,000 patients in hospital health care including surgery, orthopaedics, otorhinolaryngology, ophthalmology and thoracic surgery. When controlling for the patients' medical need and age we found that there were few significant gender differences regarding the time spent waiting for an appointment or elective surgery. Our conclusion is that it is not sufficient to draw conclusions on unadjusted figures for waiting lists for men and women respectively. Instead we recommend regularly performing regression analysis based on individual raw data.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Nilsen, Per, et al.
(författare)
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Alcohol prevention in Swedish antenatal care : effectiveness and perceptions of the Risk Drinking project counseling model
- 2012
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Ingår i: Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. - : Informa Healthcare / Wiley-Blackwell. - 0001-6349 .- 1600-0412. ; 91:6, s. 736-743
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective. To compare an earlier Swedish antenatal care counseling routine concerning alcohol consumption with an expanded model in terms of effectiveness in achieving abstinence in pregnancy. A further objective was to assess the womens perceptions of the alcohol counseling. Design. Cohort study. Setting. Antenatal care center in a provincial Swedish university town. Population. Women who received alcohol counseling; 1533 in cohort 1 (routine counseling) and 1476 in cohort 2 (expanded model). Approximately 93% of all pregnant women in Linkoping are registered at this center. Methods. Data were collected by means of an anonymous questionnaire. Thirteen questions in the questionnaire were analysed for this study. Main outcome measures. Replies from three questions concerning pre-pregnancy drinking and three questions on drinking during pregnancy. Results. The response rate was 60% for cohort 1 and 64% for cohort 2. Perceptions of the advice from the antenatal care center were generally favorable. Similar proportions of women, approximately 6%, in both cohorts drank at least once during the pregnancy (after pregnancy recognition). There were four predictors for drinking during pregnancy: older age; having previously given birth to a child; frequency of pre-pregnancy drinking; and perceiving the message from antenatal care as small amounts of alcohol during pregnancy dont matter.Conclusions. An expanded counseling model implemented in Swedish antenatal care did not reduce the proportion of women who continued drinking during pregnancy in comparison with a previous counseling model, although the advice provided in the new model was perceived more favorably.
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