| 1. |
- Koster, Max, et al.
(author)
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Refinement of Swedish Administrative Registers to Monitor Stroke Events on the National Level
- 2013
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In: Neuroepidemiology. - Basel : S. Karger. - 0251-5350 .- 1423-0208. ; 40:4, s. 240-246
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Routinely collected databases are kept for administrative purposes. We have refined the analyses of the Swedish National Patient Register and the Cause of Death Register and explored their validity to monitor stroke at the population level. Methods: First-ever strokes (incident cases) and all stroke events were measured by combining the two administrative registers and adding refinements. The administrative registers were validated against the Northern Sweden MONICA, a well-validated population-based epidemiological stroke register. Positive predictive values (PPVs) and sensitivity were calculated. Results: After refinements (restriction to first-ever strokes and additional minor delineations), the PPV of the two administrative registers combined was 94% and sensitivity 92% when compared with all MONICA stroke categories together. For stroke attacks (first and recurrent events together), the PPV in the administrative registers was 85% and sensitivity 91%. The PPV was higher in women than in men, whereas the sensitivity was similar. The PPV was lower but sensitivity higher in people below compared with those above 75 years of age. Both PPV and sensitivity were lower among fatal cases than among cases that survived 28 days. Conclusions: After refinement, Swedish national administrative registers may, with some caveats, be used as a low-resource-consuming alternative to crudely monitor stroke incidence rates at the national level. If further accuracy is strived for, high-quality conventional epidemiological registers are required. Copyright (C) 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel
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| 2. |
- Pantoni, Leonardo, et al.
(author)
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Impact of age-related cerebral white matter changes on the transition to disability -- the LADIS study : rationale, design and methodology.
- 2005
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In: Neuroepidemiology. - : S. Karger AG. - 0251-5350 .- 1423-0208. ; 24:1-2, s. 51-62
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Age-related white matter changes (ARWMC) on brain MRI have been associated with cognitive, motor, mood and urinary disturbances. These factors are known to contribute to disability in elderly people, but the impact of ARWMC and of their progression on the transition to disability is not determined. The LADIS (Leukoaraiosis and Disability in the Elderly) study aims at assessing the role of ARWMC as an independent predictor of the transition to disability in initially nondisabled elderly (65–84 years). Subjects who are not impaired or impaired on only 1 item of the Instrumental Activity of Daily Living (IADL) scale, presenting with different grades of ARWMC severity, were enrolled. Eleven European centers are involved. All the patients were assessed at baseline using an extensive set of clinical and functional tests including global functioning, cognitive, motor, psychiatric and quality of life measures. MRI studies were performed at baseline and will be repeated at the end of the follow-up period to evaluate changes of ARWMC and other lesions. ARWMC were categorized into mild, moderate or severe using the scale of Fazekas et al. For each ARWMC severity class, the primary study outcome is the transition to disability defined as an impairment on 2 or more IADL scale items. Secondary outcomes are the occurrence of dementia, depression, vascular events or death. Six-hundred and thirty-nine subjects (mean age 74.13 ± 5.0 years, M/F: 288/351) were enrolled in a hospital-based setting and are being followed up for up to 3 years. The large and comprehensive set of measures in LADIS enables a comprehensive description of their functional and clinical features to be examined in relation to different morphological patterns and severity of ARWMC. The longitudinal design will give insight into the possible role of ARWMC and their progression as an independent contributor to disability in the elderly, eventually helping to develop preventive strategies to reduce the burden of disability in late life. The study results may also help to standardize, on an international basis, tools and criteria to identify early stages of disability.
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| 3. |
- Söderholm, Anna, et al.
(author)
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Validation of Hospital Performance Measures of Acute Stroke Care Quality. Riksstroke, the Swedish Stroke Register
- 2016
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In: Neuroepidemiology. - : S. Karger AG. - 0251-5350 .- 1423-0208. ; 46:4, s. 229-234
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Registers are increasingly used to monitor stroke care performance. Fair benchmarking requires sufficient data quality. We have validated acute care data in Riksstroke, the Swedish Stroke Register.Methods: Completeness was assessed by comparisons with diagnoses at hospital discharge recorded in the compulsory National Patient Register and content validity by comparisons with (a) key variables identified by European stroke experts, and (b) items recorded in other European stroke care performance registers. Five test cases recorded by 67 hospitals were used to estimate inter-hospital reliability.Results: All 72 Swedish hospitals admitting acute stroke patients participated in Riksstroke. The register was estimated to cover at least 90% of acute stroke patients. It includes 18 of 22 quality indicators identified by international stroke experts and 14 of 15 indicators used by at least 2 stroke performance registers in other European countries. Inter-hospital reliability was high (85%) in 77 of 81 Riksstroke items.Conclusions: A nationwide stroke care register can be maintained with sufficient data quality to permit between-hospital performance benchmarking. Our experiences may serve as a model for other stroke registers while evaluating data quality.
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