| 1. |
- Agreus, Lars, et al.
(författare)
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Stor överförskrivning och ökat bruk av protonpumpshämmare : Utbildning och information är en nyckel till att vägleda läkare och allmänhet till rätt användning [Significant over- and misuse of PPIs]
- 2021
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Ingår i: Läkartidningen. - Stockholm, Sweden : Läkartidningen Förlag AB. - 0023-7205 .- 1652-7518. ; 118
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PPIs (Proton-pump inhibitors) offers the best treatment for acid related diseases. The predominant indications for PPI prescription are:GERDeradication of H. pylori-infection in combination with antibioticsH. pylori-negative peptic ulcer healing of and prophylaxis against NSAID/COXIB--induced gastroduodenal lesions acid hypersecretory states such as Zollinger-Ellisons syndrome.The market for PPIs continues to expand in most countries. A significant over- and misuse of PPIs prevails in hospital care as well as in general practice. The predominant reasons for and mechanisms behind the over- and misuse of PPIs are well recognised. The most important consequences of this overprescription of PPIs are increasing medical costs and risk for long-term adverse side effects. Continued education and dedicated information are key factors to guide physicians, medical personnel and patients to adopt to generally accepted principles for and balanced use of PPIs.
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| 2. |
- Borgquist, Lars, et al.
(författare)
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Magsårssjukdomens paradigmskiften – Från högspecialiserad vårdorganisation till egenvård
- 2018
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Ingår i: Läkartidningen. - 0023-7205. ; 115:30-32, s. 1211-1211
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Knowledge development and paradigm shift for peptic ulcer disease is described over a fifty-year period using four levels of knowledge that place demands on the healthcare organization. When medical knowledge reached a healing level, continuity became subordinate. However, accessibility to treatment became more important. An important task for future healthcare will be to define and create broader knowledge structures. Efficiency losses can occur when control instruments apply to medical problems at low levels of knowledge which are not mature for this.
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| 3. |
- Borgquist, Lars, 1944-, et al.
(författare)
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Magsårssjukdomens paradigmskiften – från högspecialiserad vårdorganisation till egenvård [The paradigm shift for peptic ulcer disease]
- 2018
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Ingår i: Läkartidningen. - Stockholm, Sweden : Läkartidningen Förlag AB. - 0023-7205 .- 1652-7518. ; 115
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Knowledge development and paradigm shift for peptic ulcer disease is described over a fifty-year period using four levels of knowledge that place demands on the healthcare organization. When medical knowledge reached a healing level, continuity became subordinate. However, accessibility to treatment became more important. An important task for future healthcare will be to define and create broader knowledge structures. Efficiency losses can occur when control instruments apply to medical problems at low levels of knowledge which are not mature for this.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Engström, Sevek, et al.
(författare)
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Can costs of screening for hypertension and diabetes in dental care and follow-up in primary health care be predicted?
- 2013
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Ingår i: Upsala Journal of Medical Sciences. - : Informa Healthcare / Upsala Medical Society. - 0300-9734 .- 2000-1967. ; 118:4, s. 256-262
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim. The purpose was to assess the direct costs of screening for high blood pressure and blood glucose in dental care and of follow-up in primary health care and, based on these data, arrive at a prediction function. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanStudy population. All subjects coming for routine check-ups at three dental health clinics were invited to have blood pressure or blood glucose measurements; 1,623 agreed to participate. Subjects screening positive were referred to their primary health care centres for follow-up. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanMethods. Information on individual screening time was registered during the screening process, and information on accountable time, costs for the screening staff, overhead costs, and analysis costs for the screening was obtained from the participating dental clinics. The corresponding items in primary care, i.e. consultation time, number of follow-up appointments, accountable time, costs for the follow-up staff, overhead costs, and analysis costs during follow-up were obtained from the primary health care centres. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanResults. The total screening costs per screened subject ranged from (sic)7.4 to (sic)9.2 depending on subgroups, corresponding to 16.7-42.7 staff minutes. The corresponding follow-up costs were (sic)57-(sic)91. The total resource used for screening and follow-up per diagnosis was 563-3,137 staff minutes. There was a strong relationship between resource use and numbers needed to screen (NNS) to find one diagnosis (P andlt; 0.0001, degree of explanation 99%). less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanConclusions. Screening and follow-up costs were moderate and appear to be lower for combined screening of blood pressure and blood glucose than for separate screening. There was a strong relationship between resource use and NNS.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Semark, Birgitta, et al.
(författare)
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Factors influencing the prescription of drugs of different price levels
- 2013
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Ingår i: Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 1053-8569 .- 1099-1557. ; 22:3, s. 286-293
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose Socioeconomic factors have been suggested to influence the prescribing of newer and more expensive drugs. In the present study, individual and health care provider factors were studied in relation to the prevalence of differently priced drugs. Methods Register data for dispensed drugs were retrieved for 18486 individuals in a county council in Sweden. The prevalence of dispensed drugs was combined with data for the individuals gender, age, education, income, foreign background, and type of caregiver. For each of the diagnostic groups (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD], depression, diabetes, and osteoporosis), selected drugs were dichotomized into cost categories, lower and higher price levels. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed using cost category as the dependent variable and the individual and provider factors as independent variables. Results In all four diagnostic groups, differences were observed in the prescription of drugs of lower and higher price levels with regard to the different factors studied. Age and gender affected the prescription of drugs of lower and higher price levels more generally, except for gender in the osteoporosis group. Income, education, foreign background, and type of caregiver affected prescribing patterns but in different ways for the different diagnostic groups. Conclusions Certain individual and provider factors appear to influence the prescribing of drugs of different price levels. Because the average price for the cheaper drugs versus more costly drugs in each diagnostic group was between 19% and 69%, there is a risk that factors other than medical needs are influencing the choice of drug.
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| 10. |
- Agreus, L, et al.
(författare)
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The cost of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, dyspepsia and peptic ulcer disease in Sweden
- 2002
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Ingår i: PharmacoEconomics (Auckland). - 1170-7690 .- 1179-2027. ; 20:5, s. 347-355
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and objective: Dyspepsia, peptic ulcer disease (PUD) and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) involve a substantial cost to Swedish society. There is a lack of up-to-date nationwide cost estimates after 1985. This study was conducted to present a comprehensive and updated cost analysis and study the change over time of the national cost of these disorders. Design and setting: Primarily, data from National Swedish databases and secondly, data from databases from the County of Uppsala for 1997 were used for the calculations and estimations. Perspective: Swedish societal perspective. Results: The total cost to Swedish society of dyspepsia, PUD and GORD in 1997 was $US424 million, or $US63 per adult. Direct costs totalled $US258 million (61%) while indirect costs totalled $US166 million (39%). The highest proportions of costs were due to drugs and sick leave, these being 37 and 34%, respectively. Conclusions: The cost of dyspepsia and GORD is substantial for patients, health providers and society. Since 1985, drug costs have increased substantially while the cost of sick leave has decreased.
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| 11. |
- Agvall, Björn, 1963-, et al.
(författare)
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Cost of heart failure in Swedish primary healthcare
- 2005
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0281-3432 .- 1502-7724. ; 23, s. 227-232
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives. To calculate the cost for patients with heart failure (HF) in a primary healthcare setting. Design. Retrospective study of all available patient data during a period of one year. Setting. Two healthcare centers in Linköping in the southeastern region of Sweden, covering a population of 19 400 inhabitants. Subjects. A total of 115 patients with a diagnosis of HF. Main outcome measures. The healthcare costs for patients with HF and the healthcare utilization concerning hospital days and visits to doctors and nurses in hospital care and primary healthcare. Results. The mean annual cost for a patient with HF was SEK 37 100. There were no significant differences in cost between gender, age, New York Heart Association functional class, and cardiac function. The distribution of cost was 47% for hospital care, 22% for primary healthcare, 18% for medication, 5% for nursing home, and 6% for examinations. Conclusion. Hospital care accounts for the largest cost but the cost in primary healthcare is larger than previously shown. The total annual cost for patients with HF in Sweden is in the range of SEK 5.0–6.7 billion according to this calculation, which is higher than previously known.Read More: http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02813430500197647
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| 12. |
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| 13. |
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| 14. |
- Andersson, David, et al.
(författare)
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Co-morbidity and health care utilisation five years prior to diagnosis for depression : A register-based study in a Swedish population
- 2011
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Ingår i: BMC Public Health. - : BioMed Central. - 1471-2458. ; 11, s. 552-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundDepressive disorders have been associated with a number of co-morbidities, and we hypothesized that patients with a depression diagnosis would be heavy users of health care services, not only when first evaluated for depression, but also for preceding years. The aim of this study was to investigate whether increased health care utilisation and co-morbidity could be seen during five years prior to an initial diagnosis of depression.MethodsWe used a longitudinal register-based study design. The setting comprised the general population in the county of Östergötland, south-east Sweden. All 2470 patients who were 20 years or older in 2006 and who received a new diagnosis of depression (F32 according to ICD-10) in 2006, were selected and followed back to the year 2001, five years before their depression diagnosis. A control group was randomly selected among those who were aged 20 years or over in 2006 and who had received no depression diagnosis during the period 2001-2006.ResultsPredictors of a depression diagnosis were a high number of physician visits, female gender, age below 60, age above 80 and a low socioeconomic status.Patients who received a diagnosis of depression used twice the amount of health care (e.g. physician visits and hospital days) during the five year period prior to diagnosis compared to the control group. A particularly strong increase in health care utilisation was seen the last year before diagnosis. These findings were supported with a high level of co-morbidity as for example musculoskeletal disorders during the whole five-year period for patients with a depression diagnosis.ConclusionsPredictors of a depression diagnosis were a high number of physician visits, female gender, age below 60, age above 80 and a low socioeconomic status. To find early signs of depression in the clinical setting and to use a preventive strategy to handle these patients is important.
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| 15. |
- André, Malin, et al.
(författare)
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Asking for ’rules of thumb’ : a way to discover tacit knowledge in general practice
- 2002
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Ingår i: Family Practice. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0263-2136 .- 1460-2229. ; 19:6, s. 617-622
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background. Research in decision-making has identified heuristics (rules of thumb) as shortcuts to simplify search and choice. Objective. To find out if GPs recognize the use of rules of thumb and if they could describe what they looked like. Methods. An explorative and descriptive study was set up using focus group interviews. The interview guide contained the questions: Do you recognize the use of rules of thumb? Are you able to give some examples? What are the benefits and dangers in using rules of thumb? Where do they come from? The interviews were transcribed and analysed using the templates in the interview guide, and the examples of rules were classified by editing analysis. Results. Four groups with 23 GPs were interviewed. GPs recognized using rules of thumb, producing examples covering different aspects of the consultation. The rules for somatic problems were formulated as axiomatic simplified medical knowledge and taken for granted, while rules for psychosocial problems were formulated as expressions of individual experience and were followed by an explanation. The rules seemed unaffected by the sparse objections given. A GP’s clinical experience was judged a prerequisite for applying the rules. The origin of many rules was via word-of-mouth from a colleague. The GPs acknowledged the benefits of using the rules, thereby simplifying work. Conclusion. GPs recognize the use of rules of thumb as an immediate and semiconscious kind of knowledge that could be called tacit knowledge. Using rules of thumb might explain why practice remains unchanged although educational activities result in more elaborate knowledge.
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| 16. |
- André, Malin, et al.
(författare)
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Clinical Strategies in General Practice : GPs' Perceptions
- 2009
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: General practice operates at the point of intersection between health care as a medical-technological and a humanistic enterprise, as manifested through the coherent attention given to both the patient as a person and to the disease. Objective: To analyse the problem-solving strategies of GPs with regard to problems encountered and presumed patient outcomes throughout the range of problems and patients encountered in the everyday work of the GP. Methods: Sixteen GPs from different areas of Sweden filled out questionnaires concerning 15-30 of their recent consecutive consultations. Results: In 94% of the consultations a somatic problem was registered, in 28% of these together with a psychosocial problem. Only a small fraction (5.8%) was registered as psychosocial problems only. In most of the consultations characterised as somatic, the main emphasis was on the symptoms only, whereas emphasis was given only to the person in consultations where the problem was registered as psychosocial. Immediate problem solving was used in about half of the consultations, where the patients were more often considered to be reassured, cope better and to be satisfied. With increasing psychosocial content of the consultations, the GPs registered more dissatisfaction, both for themselves and their patients. Limitations: The GPs were not randomly selected and the results are based solely on the GPs perceptions. Conclusions: The GPs seemed to adjust their problem solving (immediate or gradual) to the registered problem and furthermore adjust the immediate problem solving, focusing either on the problem or on the patient as a person. This might be regarded as the quintessence of the expert skill of the experienced GP.
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| 17. |
- André, Malin, et al.
(författare)
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GPs decision-making - perceiving the patient as a person or a disease
- 2012
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Ingår i: BMC Family Practice. - : BioMed Central. - 1471-2296. ; 13:38
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The aim of this study was to analyse the clinical decision making strategies of GPs with regard to the whole range of problems encountered in everyday work. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanMethods: A prospective questionnaire study was carried through, where 16 General practitioners in Sweden registered consecutively 378 problems in 366 patients. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanResults: 68.3% of the problems were registered as somatic, 5.8% as psychosocial and 25.9% as both somatic and psychosocial. When the problem was characterised as somatic the main emphasis was most often on the symptoms only, and when the problem was psychosocial main emphasis was given to the person. Immediate, inductive, decision-making contrary to gradual, analytical, was used for about half of the problems. Immediate decision-making was less often used when problems were registered as both somatic and psychosocial and focus was on both the symptoms and the person. When immediate decision-making was used the GPs were significantly more often certain of their identification of the problem and significantly more satisfied with their consultation. Rules of thumb in consultations registered as somatic with emphasis on symptoms only did not include any reference to the individual patient. In consultations registered as psychosocial with emphasis on the person, rules of thumb often included reference to the patient as a known person. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanConclusions: The decision-making (immediate or gradual) registered by the GPs seemed to have been adjusted on the symptom or on the patient as a person. Our results indicate that the GPs seem to recognise immediately both problems and persons, hence the quintessence of the expert skill of the GP as developed through experience.
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| 18. |
- André, Malin, et al.
(författare)
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Use of rules of thumb in the consultation in general practice : an act of balance between the individual and the general perspective
- 2003
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Ingår i: Family Practice. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0263-2136 .- 1460-2229. ; 20:5, s. 514-519
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background. Rules of thumb used by GPs could be considered as empirical evidence of intuition and a link between science and practice in general practice. Objective. The purpose of the present study was to analyse the description of the application of rules of thumb with regard to different situations in general practice. Methods. An explorative and descriptive study was started with focus group interviews. Four groups with 23 GPs were interviewed. The interviews were transcribed and analysed, and the rules and their application were classified by an editing analysis. Results. A specific set of rules of thumb was used for rapid assessment, when emergency and psychosocial problems were identified. When the main focus of the problems was identified as somatic or psychosocial, the GPs did not disregard the other aspects but described the use of rules in a simultaneous individualizing and generalizing process. The rules contained probability reasoning and risk assessment. Conclusion. Rules of thumb seemed to serve as a link between theoretical knowledge and practical experience and were used by the GPs in an act of balance between the individual and the general perspective.
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| 19. |
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| 20. |
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| 21. |
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| 22. |
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| 23. |
- Arrelöv, Britt, et al.
(författare)
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Influence of local structural factors on physicians' sick-listing practice : a population-based study
- 2005
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Ingår i: European Journal of Public Health. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1101-1262 .- 1464-360X. ; 15:5, s. 470-4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Physicians have a central role as gatekeepers to the social security system, includingsick-listing. Variation in physicians’ sick-listing practices has been demonstrated in several studies. Theobjective of this study was to determine whether local structural factors affect sick-listing practice.Methods: A total of 57 563 consecutive sick-listing certificates, issued during 4 months in 1995 and2 months in 1996, were collected from the local branches of the National Social Insurance Office ineight Swedish counties. County code, local community population size and presence of a hospital in thearea were used as indicators of local structural factors. Length of the sick-listing certificates and of thesick-listing episodes were used as outcome variables. Results: After ajustment for the influence of categoryof issuing physician, patients’ age, sex and diagnosis (‘case mix’), and type of certificate there was alarge variation of the length of the sick-listing certificates and of the sick-listing episodes betweencounties, between communities of various size and between communities with or without a hospitalin the area. All these factors were independently and significantly correlated to the length of thecertificate and of the sick-listing episode. Conclusions: The results support the hypothesis that physicians’sick-listing practice is influenced by local structural factors.
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| 24. |
- Arrelöv, B, et al.
(författare)
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The influence of change of legislation concerning sickness absence on physicians' performance as certifiers : A population-based study
- 2003
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Ingår i: Health Policy. - 0168-8510 .- 1872-6054. ; 63:3, s. 259-268
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In Sweden, a change of the legislation for sickness absence became effective on 1st October, 1995. The purpose of the change was to reduce costs for sickness absence by exclusion of non-medical criteria for sick-listing, more part-time sick-listing and faster rehabilitation. This study was conducted in order to describe and analyse certification practice of various physician categories, before and after the change in legislation. Thirty-one thousand seven hundred and thirty certificates for sickness absence, collected by the local offices of the National Social Insurance Board in eight Swedish counties, fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The number of certificates decreased temporarily. The number of certified net days, i.e. crude days multiplied by degree, tended to increase and there was no shift from full to partial sick-listing during the period. There were small changes regarding case mix, i.e. patient characteristics, and sick-listing physician category. The results were almost unchanged when these small changes were taken into account. General practitioners issued significantly shorter periods of sick-leave than the other categories both years. The goals of the legislative change were thus not met. The result of the study indicates that other factors than the legislation may be more important for physicians' practice. ⌐ 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 25. |
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| 26. |
- Arrelöv, Britt, 1953-
(författare)
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Towards Understanding of Determinants of Physicians’ Sick-listing Practice and their Interrelations : A Population-based Epidemiological Study
- 2003
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Physicians are supposed to act as sick-listing experts and they possess a role as gate-keepers to the social insurance system. Earlier studies have demonstrated variation between physicians and physician categories regarding sick-listing practice. In addition to the patient's disease and its severity, a number of other factors may be expected to influence sick-listing practice. Most earlier studies have focused on the patient's disease and his or her work place as cause for sickness absence.The aims of this study were to analyse variation of sick-listing practice between physician categories and the influence of physician characteristics on sick-listing practice, the influence of structure, organisation and remuneration of health care on physician sick-listing practice, the influence of local structural factors in the community, and the influence of a legislative change on physician sick-listing practice.The study was conducted as a cross-sectional epidemiological study of 57563 doctors’ certificates for sickness absence, received by 28 local social insurance offices in eight Swedish counties, during four months in 1995 and two months in 1996.Patient age, sex, and diagnostic group, issuing physician category, presence of a hospital in the municipality, municipality population size and county were all significantly and independently correlated to number of net days of sick-listing. Physician characteristics, such as age, sex and degree of specialisation were all associated with number of net days of sick-listing. Physicians working in general practice issued significantly shorter periods of sick-listing than the other physician categories. Reimbursement of general practice and participation in financial co-operation with social insurance were significantly correlated to length of sickness episode issued by general practitioners. A legislative change performed during the study period was associated with small effects in sick-listing practice.In conclusion, a number of factors other than disease and disease severity and other patient and physician linked factors were found to influence the variation of sick-listing practice. It appears that the closer the influencing factor was to the place were the decision was taken, i.e., the patient-physician consultation, the higher the impact on the decision appeared to be.
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| 27. |
- 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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| 28. |
- 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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| 29. |
- 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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| 30. |
- 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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| 31. |
- 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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| 32. |
- 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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| 33. |
- Berg Skoog, Jessica, et al.
(författare)
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Can gender difference in prescription drug use be explained by gender-related morbidity?: a study on a Swedish population during 2006
- 2014
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Ingår i: BMC Public Health. - : BioMed Central. - 1471-2458. ; 14:329
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: It has been reported that there is a difference in drug prescription between males and females. Even after adjustment for multi-morbidity, females tend to use more prescription drugs compared to males. In this study, we wanted to analyse whether the gender difference in drug treatment could be explained by gender-related morbidity. Methods: Data was collected on all individuals 20 years and older in the county of Ostergotland in Sweden. The Johns Hopkins ACG Case-Mix System was used to calculate individual level of multi-morbidity. A report from the Swedish National Institute of Public Health using the WHO term DALY was the basis for gender-related morbidity. Prescription drugs used to treat diseases that mainly affect females were excluded from the analyses. Results: The odds of having prescription drugs for males, compared to females, increased from 0.45 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.44-0.46) to 0.82 (95% CI 0.81-0.83) after exclusion of prescription drugs that are used to treat diseases that mainly affect females. Conclusion: Gender-related morbidity and the use of anti-conception drugs may explain a large part of the difference in prescription drug use between males and females but still there remains a difference between the genders at 18%. This implicates that it is of importance to take the gender-related morbidity into consideration, and to exclude anti-conception drugs, when performing studies regarding difference in drug use between the genders.
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| 34. |
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| 35. |
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| 36. |
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| 37. |
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| 38. |
- Borgquist, Lars, 1944-, et al.
(författare)
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Tankar om medicinsk kunskapsutveckling, prioriteringar och svensk primärvårdsorganisation
- 2016
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Ingår i: Perspektiv på utvärdering, prioritering, implementering och hälsoekonomi. - Linköping : Linköpings universitet. - 9789176857441 ; , s. 7-17
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Bokkapitel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Den medicinska kunskapsutvecklingen har genomgått stora förändringar under de senaste femtio åren. Den ökade kunskapen har påverkat arbetsfördelningen mellan sjukhusvård och primärvård. Dessutom har flera vårdorganisatoriska reformer ägt rum under denna tid. Exempelvis övertogs ansvaret för allmänläkarverksamheten av landstingen från staten 1963. År 1970 hade Sverige högst andel av antalet slutenvårdsplatser i Europa. Samma år ändrades ersättningssystemet för läkare till en fast lön. Fyrtio år senare var andelen slutenvårdsplatser lägst i Europa. Under denna tidsperiod ökade antalet vårdcentraler från ett tjugotal till cirka 1200. Omfördelningen från sjukhusvård till primärvård och öppna vårdformer har liksom den medicinska kunskapsutvecklingen haft konsekvenser för relationerna mellan sjukhus och primärvård. Primärvård har traditionellt definierats med ett organisatoriskt perspektiv medan sjukhusspecialiteter i huvudsak har definierats från ett medicinskt kunskapsområde (1). Men både primärvård och sjukhusspecialiteter har ansvar för medicinska problem på låg och hög kunskapsnivå.
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| 39. |
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| 40. |
- Borgquist, Lars, et al.
(författare)
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The Relationship between Health-state Utilities and the SF-12 in a General Population
- 1999
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Ingår i: Medical decision making. - : SAGE. - 1552-681X .- 0272-989X. ; 19:2, s. 128-140
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It would be a major advance if quality-of-life instruments could be translated into health- state utilities. The aim with this study was to investigate the relationship between the SF-12 and health-state utilities, based on responses to a postal questionnaire sent to a random sample of 8,000 inhabitants, aged 20-84 years, in the general population. The questionnaire included the SF-12, a rating-scale (RS) question, and a time-tradeoff (TTO) question; the response rate was 68%. Age, gender, and the 12 items of the SF- 12 were used as explanatory variables in a linear regression analysis of the health- state utilities. The regression models explained about 50% of the variance in the RS answers and about 25% of the variance in the TTO answers. Most of the SF-12 items were related to the health-state utilities in the expected ways, with especially strong results for the RS method. The results suggest that the SF-12 can be converted to health-state utilities, but that further work is needed to reliably estimate the conversion function. Key words: health status; SF-12; rating scale; time-tradeoff; health-related quality of life; health-state utilities; population study. (Med Decis Making 1999;19:128- 140)
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| 41. |
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| 42. |
- Carstensen, John, et al.
(författare)
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How does comorbidity influence healthcare costs? A population-based cross-sectional study of depression, back pain and osteoarthritis
- 2012
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Ingår i: BMJ Open. - : BMJ. - 2044-6055. ; 2, s. e000809-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives To analyse how comorbidity among patients with back pain, depression and osteoarthritis influences healthcare costs per patient. A special focus was made on the distribution of costs for primary healthcare compared with specialist care, hospital care and drugs.Design Population-based cross-sectional study.Setting The County of Östergötland, Sweden.Patients Data on diagnoses and healthcare costs for all 266 354 individuals between 20 and 75 years of age, who were residents of the County of Östergötland, Sweden, in the year 2006, were extracted from the local healthcare register and the national register of drug prescriptions.Main outcome measures The effects of comorbidity on healthcare costs were estimated as interactions in regression models that also included age, sex, number of other health conditions and education.Results The largest diagnosed group was back pain (11 178 patients) followed by depression (7412 patients) and osteoarthritis (5174 patients). The largest comorbidity subgroup was the combination of back pain and depression (772 patients), followed by the combination of back pain and osteoarthritis (527 patients) and the combination of depression and osteoarthritis (206 patients). For patients having both a depression diagnosis and a back pain diagnosis, there was a significant negative interaction effect on total healthcare costs. The average healthcare costs among patients with depression and back pain was SEK 11 806 lower for a patient with both diagnoses. In this comorbidity group, there were tendencies of a positive interaction for general practitioner visits and negative interactions for all other visits and hospital days. Small or no interactions at all were seen between depression diagnoses and osteoarthritis diagnoses.Conclusions A small increase in primary healthcare visits in comorbid back pain and depression patients was accompanied with a substantial reduction in total healthcare costs and in hospital costs. Our results can be of value in analysing the cost effects of comorbidity and how the coordination of primary and secondary care may have an impact on healthcare costs.
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| 43. |
- Engström, Sven, et al.
(författare)
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Data from electronic patient records are suitable for surveillance of antibiotic prescriptions for respiratory tract infections in primary health care
- 2004
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0036-5548 .- 1651-1980. ; 36:2, s. 139-143
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Diagnoses and antibiotic treatments were analysed in relation to respiratory tract infections (RTI). A 1-y retrospective study was made of electronic patient records (EPR) for encounters concerning RTIs in primary health care in Sweden. The study covered a registered population of 102,050 individuals at 12 primary health care centres in 3 counties. Data were recorded on number of episodes, encounters, diagnostic codes and antibiotic prescriptions. The yearly number of episodes of RTIs was 16,964 or 166 per 1000 inhabitants per y. The total number of encounters was 19,965. The most frequent diagnoses were common cold (40%), acute tonsillitis (18%), and acute bronchitis (15%). The yearly number of antibiotic prescriptions was 7961, accounting for 47% of the episodes or 78 per 1000 inhabitants per y. The most frequently prescribed antibiotics were phenoxymethylpenicillin (61%), tetracyclines (18%) and macrolides 8%). Standard EPRs provide a feasible source of clinical information which, taking limitations into consideration, could be used for the follow-up of trends in antibiotic prescribing and of adherence to guidelines with regard to RTIs.
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| 44. |
- Engström, Sven, et al.
(författare)
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Excessive use of rapid tests in respiratory tract infections in Swedish primary health care
- 2004
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0036-5548 .- 1651-1980. ; 36:3, s. 213-218
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A 1-y retrospective study of problem oriented electronic patient records, for encounters concerning respiratory tract infection, was performed. The aim was to analyse the management of respiratory tract infections in primary health care in terms of diagnostic coding, tests and antibiotic treatment using data from electronic patient records. 12 primary health care centres with a registered population of 102,050 residents in 3 counties in southeast Sweden participated. Data were retrieved electronically from records of patient encounters concerning respiratory tract infections. The data were: patient age and gender, date of contact, diagnostic code, CRP and GABHS tests and results, as well as antibiotic prescriptions. In a total of 19,965 encounters, the most frequent diagnoses were common cold (40%), acute tonsillitis (18%), and acute bronchitis (15%). A total of 4445 GABHS tests (in 22% of encounters) and 6141 CRP tests (31%) were performed, and both tests were done in 1910 encounters (10%). A total of 7934 antibiotic prescriptions were registered. The proportion of patients tested and prescribed an antibiotic varied greatly between centres. We found an excessive, and much varying, use of rapid tests in encounters for respiratory tract infections. Data retrieval from electronic patient record systems was a feasible method to study the use of laboratory tests in relation to pharmacological treatment.
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| 45. |
- Engström, Sven G, et al.
(författare)
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The importance of comorbidity in analysing patient costs in Swedish primary care
- 2006
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Ingår i: BMC Public Health. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2458. ; 36:6, s. 36-42
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background The objective was to explore the usefulness of the morbidity risk adjustment system Adjusted Clinical Groups® (ACG), in comparison with age and gender, in explaining and estimating patient costs on an individual level in Swedish primary health care. Data were retrieved from two primary health care centres in southeastern Sweden.MethodsA cross-sectional observational study. Data from electronic patient registers from the two centres were retrieved for 2001 and 2002, and patients were grouped into ACGs, expressing the individual combination of diagnoses and thus the comorbidity. Costs per patient were calculated for both years in both centres. Cost data from one centre were used to create ACG weights. These weights were then applied to patients at the other centre. Correlations between individual patient costs, age, gender and ACG weights were studied. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed in order to explain and estimate patient costs.ResultsThe variation in individual patient costs was substantial within age groups as well as within ACG weight groups. About 37.7% of the individual patient costs could be explained by ACG weights, and age and gender added about 0.8%. The individual patient costs in 2001 estimated 22.0% of patient costs in 2002, whereas ACG weights estimated 14.3%.Conclusion ACGs was an important factor in explaining and estimating individual patient costs in primary health care. Costs were explained to only a minor extent by age and gender. However, the usefulness of the ACG system appears to be sensitive to the accuracy of classification and coding of diagnoses by physicians.
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| 46. |
- Engström, Sven, et al.
(författare)
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Hög personlig läkarkontinuitet i primärvård förenad med färre besök på akutmottagning : En populationsbaserad studie i Jönköpings sjukvårdsregion
- 2019
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Ingår i: Läkartidningen. - : Läkartidningen Förlag. - 0023-7205 .- 1652-7518. ; 116:51-52
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- HUVUDBUDSKAPHög personlig läkarkontinuitet i primärvård var förenad med lägre antal läkarbesök på akutmottagningar.Sambandet mellan hög personlig läkarkontinuitet och lägre antal läkarbesök på akutmottagning var störst för gruppen yngre vuxna.God tillgänglighet till läkarbesök på vårdcentral var inte förenad med lägre antal akutmottagningsbesök.God tillgänglighet till telefonrådgivning av sjuksköterska på vårdcentral var inte förenad med lägre antal akutmottagningsbesök.
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| 47. |
- Engström, Sven, et al.
(författare)
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Hög personlig läkarkontinuitet i primärvård förenad med färre besök på akutmottagning [Personal physician continuity in primary care associated with fewer emergency room visits]
- 2019
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Ingår i: Läkartidningen. - Stockholm, Sweden : Sveriges Läkarförbund. - 0023-7205 .- 1652-7518. ; 116
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Overloading of the emergency departments in hospitals is, in Sweden, a common problem that is often blamed on lack of access to primary care. We have conducted a cross-sectional study comprising more than 40% of the 347 837 inhabitants of Region Jönköping with access to complete individual data on healthcare consumption, personal doctor continuity, socio-economics, and accessibility data for all of the regions health centres. Individuals with high personal continuity at their own health centre had significantly fewer emergency room visits compared to those with the lowest continuity: for younger adults 55% and for elderly 34% fewer emergency room visits. Access to doctor consultations or to counselling nurses in primary care was not associated with a lower number of emergency room visits. Our results show the importance of personal doctor continuity also for the group of younger adults.
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| 48. |
- Engström, Sven, et al.
(författare)
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Is general practice effective? : A systematic literature review
- 2001
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0281-3432 .- 1502-7724. ; 19:2, s. 131-144
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective - To find evidence of the effectiveness of physicians working in primary care. Design - Systematic literature search in the Medline and Cochrane databases. Material - Out of 7223 titles found in the search, 45 studies, comparing, from different aspects, primary care with specialist care, were extracted. Main outcome measures - Health indicators, health care costs, quality of health care. Results - Primary care contributed to improved public health, as expressed through different health parameters, and a lower utilisation of medical care leading to lower costs. Physicians working in primary care, in comparison with other specialists, took care of many diseases without loss of quality and often at lower cost. The organisation of primary care was important in respect of reimbursement by capita tion, more group practices, higher personal continuity, and having generalists as primary care physicians. Conclusions - To compare the effectiveness of primary care and specialist care is a complex task and there are limitations in all studies. However, we have found evidence that increased accessibility to physicians working in primary care contributes to better health and lower total costs in the health care system. It is also clear that studies with evaluation of how to most effectively organise primary care are far too few. There is an extensive need for future research in this area, a suitable task for collaborative research between the Nordic countries.
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| 49. |
- Engström, Sven, 1949-
(författare)
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Quality, costs and the role of primary health care
- 2004
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The general aim of this thesis is to describe and analyse the role of primary care in health care systems in terms of health, health care utilisation and costs, and to study the feasibility of retrieval of data from computerised medical records to monitor medical quality.The thesis includes five studies, a systematic literature review, a register study of utilisation of hospital and primary care, a study based on data from computerised medical records of individual patients cost for primary care, and two studies of management of respiratory infections in primary care based on data from computerised medical records of twelve health centres.The general findings of the literature review were that an expansion of the primary care component of the health care system would most likely result in better health, lower hospital care consumption and lower expenses for care. The personal physician and continuity of care were core elements to achieve this, and the significance of the way primary care is organised and funded was evident.In the register study fifty health centres were compared. Age and rates of outpatient hospital visits were the most important factors explaining the variation of rates of hospitalisations between the health centres’ areas. Hospital district also influenced hospitalisation rates in the different health centres’ areas, indicating that the health care structure in the district per se was an important factor. The rates of visits to general practitioners correlated negatively with rates of hospitalisations.The study of costs in primary care showed that the variation in the costs of the individual patients was substantial, also within age groups and within the diagnosis-related Adjusted Clinical Groups (ACG). Age and gender explained a smaller part of the variation in costs per patient in primary care. Adding the ACG weight had a major influence on improving the ability to explain the variation in costs at patient level. The ACG system might be of value in the calculation of weighted capitation in Swedish primary care, but appears to be sensitive to the thoroughness with which physicians register diagnoses.The retrieval of data from computerised medical records comprised a total number of 19 965 encounters for respiratory tract infections i.e. 199 per 1000 inhabitants during the year 2001. Most frequent diagnoses were common cold, acute tonsillitis, and acute bronchitis. The number of antibioticprescriptions was 7 961, accounting for 47% of the episodes. The most commonly prescribed antibiotics were phenoxymethylpenicillin (61%), tetracyclines (18%) and macrolides (8%).A rapid test was performed in 43% of the encounters: for C-reactive protein (CRP) in 31%; for Group A beta-haemolytic streptococci (StrepA) in 22%; and both tests were performed in 10% of the encounters. The findings in the study indicate that StrepA and CRP tests were used too frequently and often with minor contributions to patient management. The frequencies of tests and of antibiotic prescriptions varied greatly between health centres in a way that hardly could be explained by differences in morbidity.Computerised medical records provided a source of clinical information, which might be a feasible and pragmatic method for studying daily practice, and for follow-up of adherence to guidelines in general practice.
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| 50. |
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