| 1. |
- Arvidsson, Eva, et al.
(författare)
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Day-to-day Rationing of Limited Resources in Swedish routine Primary Care : an interview study
- 2013
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Rationing is a reality in all health care, but little is known about day-to-day rationing in routine primary health care (PHC). This study aims to explore strategies to handle limited of resources in Swedish routine primary care.Methods: Data were compiled from 62 interviews with healthcare professionals (general practitioners, nurses, physiotherapists, and managers at primary care centres). A qualitative research method was applied in the analysis.Results: The interviewed staff described perceptions of a general public with high expectations on PHC in combination with a lack of resources. Strategies to cope with scarce resources were avoiding rationing, ad hoc rationing, or planned rationing. Rationing was largely implicit and not based on ethical principles or other defined criteria. Trying to avoid rationing resulted in unintended rationing. Ad hoc rationing had undesired consequences, e.g. inadequate continuity of care and displacing certain patient groups, especially the chronically ill and the elderly. The staff expressed a need for support and for applicable guidelines, and called for policy statements based on priority decisions to help manage the situation.Conclusions: The interviews suggested a need to improve the transparency of priority setting procedures in PHC, although the nature of the PHC setting presents special challenges. Improving transparency could, in turn, improve equity and the efficient use of resources in PHC.
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| 2. |
- Arvidsson, Eva, et al.
(författare)
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Primary care patients' attitudes to priority setting in Sweden
- 2009
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0281-3432 .- 1502-7724. ; 27:2, s. 123-128
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective. To analyse attitudes to priority setting among patients in Swedish primary healthcare. Design. A questionnaire was given to patients comprising statements on attitudes towards prioritizing, on the role of politicians and healthcare staff in prioritizing, and on patient satisfaction with the outcome of their contact with primary healthcare (PHC). Settings. Four healthcare centres in Sweden, chosen through purposive sampling. Participants. All the patients in contact with the health centres during a two-week period in 2004 (2517 questionnaires, 72% returned). Main outcomes. Patient attitudes to priority setting and satisfaction with the outcome of their contact. Results. More than 75% of the patients agreed with statements like Public health services should always provide the best possible care, irrespective of cost. Almost three-quarters of the patients wanted healthcare staff rather than politicians to make decisions on priority setting. Younger patients and males were more positive towards priority setting and they also had a more positive view of the role of politicians. Less than 10% of the patients experienced some kind of economic rationing but the majority of these patients were satisfied with their contact with primary care. Conclusions. Primary care patient opinions concerning priority setting are a challenge for both politicians and GPs. The fact that males and younger patients are less negative to prioritizing may pave the way for a future dialogue between politicians and the general public.
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| 3. |
- Arvidsson, Eva
(författare)
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Priority Setting and Rationing in Primary Health Care
- 2013
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Studies on priority setting in primary health care are rare. Priority setting and rationing in primary health care is important because outcomes from primary health care have significant implications for health care costs and outcomes in the health system as a whole.Aims: The general aim of this thesis has been to study and analyse the prerequisites for priority setting in primary health care in Sweden. This was done by exploring strategies to handle scarce resources in Swedish routine primary health care (Paper I); analysing patients’ attitudes towards priority setting and rationing and patients’ satisfaction with the outcome of their contact with primary health care (Paper II); describing and analysing how general practitioners, nurses, and patients prioritised individual patients in routine primary health care, studying the association between three key priority setting criteria (severity of the health condition, patient benefit, and cost-effectiveness of the medical intervention) and the overall priority assigned by the general practitioners and nurses to individual patients (Paper III); and analysing how the staff, in their clinical practise, perceived the application of the three key priority setting criteria (Paper IV).Methods: Both qualitative (Paper I and IV) and quantitative (Paper II and III) methods were used. Paper I was an interview study with medical staff at 17 primary health care centres. The data for Paper II and Paper III were collected through questionnaires to patients and staff at four purposely selected health care centres during a 2-week period. Paper IV was a focus group study conducted with staff members who practiced priority setting in day-to-day care.Results: The process of coping with scarce resources was categorised as efforts aimed to avoid rationing, ad hoc rationing, or planned rationing. Patients had little understanding of the need for priority setting. Most of them did not experience any kind of rationing and most of those who did were satisfied with the outcome of their contact with primary health care. Patients, compared to medical staff, gave relatively higher priority to acute/minor conditions than to preventive check-ups for chronic conditions when prioritising individual patients in day-today primary health care. When applying the three priority setting criteria in day-to-day primary health care, the criteria largely influenced the overall prioritisation of each patient. General practitioners were most influenced by the expected cost-effectiveness of the intervention and nurses were most influenced by the severity of the condition. Staff perceived the criteria as relevant, but not sufficient. Three additional aspects to consider in priority setting in primary health care were identified, namely viewpoint (medical or patient’s), timeframe (now or later) and evidence level (group or individual).Conclusion: There appears to be a need for, and the potential to, introduce more consistent priority setting in primary health care. The characteristics of primary health care, such as the vast array of health problems, the large number of patients with vague symptoms, early stages of diseases, and combinations of diseases, induce both special possibilities and challenges.
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| 4. |
- Arvidsson, Eva, et al.
(författare)
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Priority setting in primary health care - dilemmas and opportunities: a focus group study
- 2010
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Ingår i: BMC Family Practice. - : BioMed Central. - 1471-2296. ; 11:71
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Swedish health care authorities use three key criteria to produce national guidelines for local priority setting: severity of the health condition, expected patient benefit, and cost-effectiveness of medical intervention. Priority setting in primary health care (PHC) has significant implications for health costs and outcomes in the health care system. Nevertheless, these guidelines have been implemented to a very limited degree in PHC. The objective of the study was to qualitatively assess how general practitioners (GPs) and nurses perceive the application of the three key priority-setting criteria. Methods: Focus groups were held with GPs and nurses at primary health care centres, where the staff had a short period of experience in using the criteria for prioritising in their daily work. Results: The staff found the three key priority-setting criteria (severity, patient benefit, and cost-effectiveness) to be valuable for priority setting in PHC. However, when the criteria were applied in PHC, three additional dimensions were identified: 1) viewpoint (medical or patients), 2) timeframe (now or later), and 3) evidence level (group or individual). Conclusions: The three key priority-setting criteria were useful. Considering the three additional dimensions might enhance implementation of national guidelines in PHC and is probably a prerequisite for the criteria to be useful in priority setting for individual patients.
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| 5. |
- Arvidsson, Eva, et al.
(författare)
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Setting priorities in primary health care - on whose conditions? A questionnaire study
- 2012
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Ingår i: BMC Family Practice. - : BioMed Central. - 1471-2296. ; 13:114
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: In Sweden three key criteria are used for priority setting: severity of the health condition; patient benefit; and cost-effectiveness. They are derived from the ethical principles established by the Swedish parliament 1997 but have been used only to a limited extent in primary care. The aim of this study was to describe and analyse: 1) GPs, nurses, and patients prioritising in routine primary care 2) The association between the three key priority setting criteria and the overall priority assigned by the GPs and nurses to individual patients. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanMethods: Paired questionnaires were distributed to all patients and the GPs or nurses they had contact with during a 2-week period at four health centres in Sweden. The staff registered the health conditions or health problem, and the planned intervention. Then they estimated the severity of the health condition, the expected patient benefit, and the cost-effectiveness of the planned intervention. Both the staff and the patients reported their overall prioritisation of the patient. In total, 1851 paired questionnaires were collected. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanResults: Compared to the medical staff, the patients assigned relatively higher priority to acute/minor conditions than to preventive check-ups for chronic conditions. Severity of the health condition was the priority setting criterion that had the strongest association with the overall priority for the staff as a whole, but for the GPs it was cost-effectiveness. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanConclusions: The challenge for primary care providers is to balance the patients demands with medical needs and cost-effectiveness. Transparent priority setting in primary care might contribute to a greater consensus between GPs and nurses on how to use the key priority setting criteria.
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| 6. |
- Arvidsson, Eva, 1959-, et al.
(författare)
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Så resonerar läkare och sjuksköterskor vid prioriteringar av patienter i primärvård
- 2007
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Studier av prioriteringar i primärvården är särskilt intressanta eftersom det är där de allra flesta av oss kommer i kontakt med hälso- och sjukvården. Det är också i primärvården prioriteringar och olika former av ransonering på grund av begränsade resurser är vanliga. De allra flesta av oss förstår och accepterar att vi inte omedelbart kan få träffa en läkare om det inte rör sig om akuta och allvarliga sjukdomstillstånd. Vi finner många gånger ett råd om egenvård som en tillfredställande lösning för tillfället. Hur olika prioriteringar görs ”bakom kulisserna” är dock många gånger oklart för oss. Vi kan ibland t.ex. undra varför vi får betala för vissa vårdtjänster medan andra är gratis. Osäkerhet om på vilka grunder prioriteringar sker gäller inte bara för patienter utan även sjukvårdspersonal. Erfarenheter från flera olika håll i Sverige pekar på att de etiska riktlinjer som utgör kärnan i riksdagens prioriteringsprinciper är svåra att använda i praktiken. Det är därför angeläget att få mer kunskap om hur prioriteringsprinciper och begrepp uppfattas av sjukvårdspersonalen för att utveckla arbetsformer som är begripliga och förenliga med rådande rutiner.Distriktsläkare, mottagningssköterskor och distriktssköterskor vid fyra vårdcentraler som tidigare deltagit i en prioriteringsstudie har inbjudits att diskutera prioriteringar utifrån ett antal frågeställningar. Resultaten från dessa diskussioner visar bland att olika begrepp tolkas på många olika sätt. En framgångsrik implementering av den etiska plattformen kräver antagligen betydligt mer av öppna diskussioner om prioriteringar och principer i det dagliga vårdarbetet.Två allmänläkare Eva Arvidsson från Kalmar och Malin André från Falun har bidragit med den största insatsen i projektet som för övrigt inbegriper Lars Borgquist från Avdelningen för allmänmedicin vid Linköpings universitet och Kjell Lindström från Primärvårdens utvecklingsenhet i Jönköping. Studien har finansierats av Forskningsrådet för sydöstra sjukvårdsregionen (FORSS).Jag vill på projektgruppens vägnar tacka alla medverkande från vårdcentralerna Lindsdal och Borgholm i Kalmar läns landsting, Öxnehaga i Jönköpings läns landsting och Ryds vårdcentral i Landstinget i Östergötland.Linköping 2007-07-24Per Carlsson
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| 7. |
- Arvidsson, Per M., et al.
(författare)
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Hemodynamic forces using four-dimensional flow MRI : An independent biomarker of cardiac function in heart failure with left ventricular dyssynchrony?
- 2018
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Ingår i: American Journal of Physiology - Heart and Circulatory Physiology. - : American Physiological Society. - 0363-6135 .- 1522-1539. ; 315:6, s. 1627-1639
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Patients with heart failure with left ventricular (LV) dyssynchrony often do not respond to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), indicating that the pathophysiology is insufficiently understood. Intracardiac hemodynamic forces computed from four-dimensional (4-D) flow MRI have been proposed as a new measure of cardiac function. We therefore aimed to investigate how hemodynamic forces are altered in LV dyssynchrony. Thirty-one patients with heart failure and LV dyssynchrony and 39 control subjects underwent cardiac MRI with the acquisition of 4-D flow. Hemodynamic forces were computed using Navier-Stokes equations and integrated over the manually delineated LV volume. The ratio between transverse (lateral-septal and inferior-anterior) and longitudinal (apical-basal) forces was calculated for systole and diastole separately and compared with QRS duration, aortic valve opening delay, global longitudinal strain, and ejection fraction (EF). Patients exhibited hemodynamic force patterns that were significantly altered compared with control subjects, including loss of longitudinal forces in diastole (force ratio, control subjects vs. patients: 0.32 vs. 0.90, P < 0.0001) and increased transverse force magnitudes. The systolic force ratio was correlated with global longitudinal strain and EF (P < 0.01). The diastolic force ratio separated patients from control subjects (area under the curve: 0.98, P < 0.0001) but was not correlated to other dyssynchrony measures (P > 0.05 for all). Hemodynamic forces by 4-D flow represent a new approach to the quantification of LV dyssynchrony. Diastolic force patterns separate healthy from diseased ventricles. Different force patterns in patients indicate the possible use of force analysis for risk stratification and CRT implantation guidance. NEW & NOTEWORTHY In this report, we demonstrate that patients with heart failure with left ventricular dyssynchrony exhibit significantly altered hemodynamic forces compared with normal. Force patterns in patients mechanistically reflect left ventricular dysfunction on the organ level, largely independent of traditional dyssynchrony measures. Force analysis may help clinical decision making and could potentially be used to improve therapy outcomes.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Arvidsson, Per, et al.
(författare)
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Vortex ring behavior provides the epigenetic blueprint for the human heart.
- 2016
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The laws of fluid dynamics govern vortex ring formation and precede cardiac development by billions of years, suggesting that diastolic vortex ring formation is instrumental in defining the shape of the heart. Using novel and validated magnetic resonance imaging measurements, we show that the healthy left ventricle moves in tandem with the expanding vortex ring, indicating that cardiac form and function is epigenetically optimized to accommodate vortex ring formation for volume pumping. Healthy hearts demonstrate a strong coupling between vortex and cardiac volumes (R(2) = 0.83), but this optimized phenotype is lost in heart failure, suggesting restoration of normal vortex ring dynamics as a new, and possibly important consideration for individualized heart failure treatment. Vortex ring volume was unrelated to early rapid filling (E-wave) velocity in patients and controls. Characteristics of vortex-wall interaction provide unique physiologic and mechanistic information about cardiac diastolic function that may be applied to guide the design and implantation of prosthetic valves, and have potential clinical utility as therapeutic targets for tailored medicine or measures of cardiac health.
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| 10. |
- Axelsson, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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”Alla vägar bär till Rom” eller ”Får man göra hur man vill”
- 2006
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Ingår i: [Host publication title missing].
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Projektet hade som mål att introducera ett simuleringsprogram redan i andra årskursen. Initiativet kom ursprungligen från utbildningsnämnden för Bioteknik och Kemiteknik, som startade ett antal beräkningsteknikprojekt för att stärka teknologerna färdigheter i beräkningsteknik. Projektet genomfördes av 11 frivilliga (av 108) ”testpiloter” i kursen Transportprocesser. Vi ersatte ett av de tre beräkningsprojekten, som normalt ingår i kursen, med ett Femlab-projekt (numera Comsol Multiphysics). Med detta kan man simulera tämligen avancerade strömningsförlopp. Projektet var mycket lyckosamt. De som gjorde detta projekt uppnådde samma insikt i strömningslära som övriga men på ett helt annat sätt – och dessutom genom att jobba helt på egen hand. Resultatet visar också att användningen av ”learning outcomes” eller ”läranderesultat”, som ett sätt att formulera kursmål, faktiskt kan innebära att vi kan se fler möjligheter att genomföra kurser på.
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