Violence in first-episode psychosis: evidence from an early intervention in psychosis programme

Background Psychotic disorders are frequently associated with a public perception of dangerousness and belligerence. This situation has contributed to the social stigmatisation of people with severe mental illness and the resulting discrimination that this scenario entails. Despite efforts to demystify such disorders, the association between violent behaviour and psychosis remains unclear. Aims To explore the incidence of the main types of violent offences in a cohort of patients presenting with first-episode psychosis (FEP). Method Participants were recruited from the First Episode Psychosis Intervention Program (CRUPEP) cohort between 2009 and 2016. The main clinical variables were collected, including medical-forensic records of participants registered at the Basque Institute of Forensic Medicine (BIFM), to identify any violent acts in which participants were involved, either as victims or as offenders. Results Overall, 79.5% (n = 182) of the participants had no record of violent crime or offence recorded in the BIFM. Annual crime rates for the 2009–2016 period show a decreasing trend in both the general population (IRR = 0.981, 95% CI 0.978–0.983, P < 0.001) and in the FEP group (IRR = 0.019, 95% CI 0.012–0.028, P < 0.001); this pattern is more pronounced in the FEP group. Victimisation accounted for the vast majority of reported incidents; nevertheless, participants who had committed violent offences were mostly involved in intrafamily violence. Conclusions Individuals with FEP were not involved in a higher number of crimes than the general population. The types of violent acts committed by people with FEP were heterogeneous, with extreme violence being particularly uncommon

Implicacion de los profesionales de atencion primaria en el programa de deteccion precoz de cancer colorrectal del Pais Vasco

OBJETIVO: El Gobierno Vasco (Espana) aprobo en 2008 un programa de deteccion del cancer colorrectal de base poblacional en Atencion Primaria. Se ha logrado una cobertura del 100% con una tasa de participacion media del 68,4%. Los profesionales de medicina y enfermeria desempenan un papel fundamental en su implementacion. El objetivo fue describir las caracteristicas, implicacion y actitudes de los profesionales de la salud que implementan el programa.METODOS: Estudio descriptivo transversal a personal de medicina y enfermeria entre mayo y junio de 2016. Se diseno un cuestionario en linea ad-hoc. Los datos incluian informacion sociodemografica y preguntas relativas a su implicacion en el programa.RESULTADOS: 1.216 profesionales de la salud respondieron al cuestionario (50,7% medicina y 49,3% enfermeria). El 78% eran mujeres. El 75,8% considero que el programa era muy importante, aunque se encontraron diferencias entre profesionales de medicina y de enfermeria. El 89% asistio a formacion y el 34% a jornadas cientificas sobre el cribado por lo menos una vez. Se observaron diferencias entre medicos y profesionales de la enfermeria en cuanto a la asistencia a formacion y jornadas y en la importancia que daban al programa.CONCLUSIONES: Existe un alto nivel de participacion de los profesionales de la atencion primaria de la salud en el programa y lo consideran muy importante. Las diferencias entre los profesionales en cuanto a su opinion y experiencia deben ser tenidas en cuenta en el diseno de los programas, ya que son ellos los que tienen un contacto mas estrecho con la poblacionOBJECTIVE: The Basque Government (Spain) approved a population based Colorectal Cancer Screening Programme in 2008 with its base on Primary Healthcare. Since then, a coverage of 100% of the population and an average participation rate of 68.4% have been achieved. General Practitioners and nurses play a central role on its implementation. The aim of this work was to describe the characteristics, involvement and attitudes of the health professionals that implement the programme. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in Primary Healthcare to general practitioners and nurses between May and June of 2016. An ad-hoc online questionnaire was designed. The data included socio-demographic information and questions regarding their involvement on the programme. RESULTS: 1,216 health professionals answered the questionnaire, 50.7% were general practitioners and 49.3% nurses. 78% of the responders were women. The 75.8% considered the programme very important although differences were found between general practitioners and nurses. The 89% of the professionals attended training and 34% scientific workshops about screening at least once. There were differences between general practitioners and nurses on the attendance to the training and importance they give to the programme, and on their participation on workshops. CONCLUSIONS: There is a high level of involvement of Primary Healthcare professionals in the programme as they consider it very important; this could be one of the keys for its success. The differences between professionals on their opinion and experience should be taken into account on its design, as they are the ones with a closer contact with the population

Facilitators and barriers to participation in population-based colorectal cancer screening programme from the perspective of healthcare professionals: Qualitative research study

Objective High participation determines the success of colorectal cancer screening programmes in reducing incidence and mortality. The factors that determine participation must be studied from the perspective of professionals that implement the programme. The aim was to identify factors that facilitate or hinder the participation of the invited people in the bowel cancer screening programme of the Basque Country (Spain) from professional's perspective. Methods Qualitative design based on individual interviews and focus groups. Thirty-eight primary care professionals who implement the programme participated (administrative staff, nurses and general practitioners). Thematic analysis was performed. Results Professionals show high satisfaction with the programme, and they believe firmly in its benefits. Facilitators for participation include professionals' commitment to the programme, their previous positive experiences, their optimistic attitude towards the prognosis of cancer and their trust in the health system and accessibility. Barriers include invitees' lack of independence to make decisions, fear of a positive test result and patient vulnerability and labour mobility of the health professionals. Conclusions Professionals show a high degree of involvement and identify primary care is an appropriate place to carry out disease prevention. They identify the closeness to patients, the personal attitude and the characteristics of the health system as key factors that influence participation.Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea; Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, Grant/Award Number: SEV-2017-0718; Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness MINECO and FEDER, Grant/Award Number: MTM2016-74931-P; Department of Education, Language Policy and Culture from the Basque Government, Grant/Award Numbers: BERC 2018-2021, IT620-1

Implicacion de los profesionales de atencion primaria en el programa de deteccion precoz de cancer colorrectal del Pais Vasco

OBJETIVO: El Gobierno Vasco (Espana) aprobo en 2008 un programa de deteccion del cancer colorrectal de base poblacional en Atencion Primaria. Se ha logrado una cobertura del 100% con una tasa de participacion media del 68,4%. Los profesionales de medicina y enfermeria desempenan un papel fundamental en su implementacion. El objetivo fue describir las caracteristicas, implicacion y actitudes de los profesionales de la salud que implementan el programa.METODOS: Estudio descriptivo transversal a personal de medicina y enfermeria entre mayo y junio de 2016. Se diseno un cuestionario en linea ad-hoc. Los datos incluian informacion sociodemografica y preguntas relativas a su implicacion en el programa.RESULTADOS: 1.216 profesionales de la salud respondieron al cuestionario (50,7% medicina y 49,3% enfermeria). El 78% eran mujeres. El 75,8% considero que el programa era muy importante, aunque se encontraron diferencias entre profesionales de medicina y de enfermeria. El 89% asistio a formacion y el 34% a jornadas cientificas sobre el cribado por lo menos una vez. Se observaron diferencias entre medicos y profesionales de la enfermeria en cuanto a la asistencia a formacion y jornadas y en la importancia que daban al programa.CONCLUSIONES: Existe un alto nivel de participacion de los profesionales de la atencion primaria de la salud en el programa y lo consideran muy importante. Las diferencias entre los profesionales en cuanto a su opinion y experiencia deben ser tenidas en cuenta en el diseno de los programas, ya que son ellos los que tienen un contacto mas estrecho con la poblacionOBJECTIVE: The Basque Government (Spain) approved a population based Colorectal Cancer Screening Programme in 2008 with its base on Primary Healthcare. Since then, a coverage of 100% of the population and an average participation rate of 68.4% have been achieved. General Practitioners and nurses play a central role on its implementation. The aim of this work was to describe the characteristics, involvement and attitudes of the health professionals that implement the programme. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in Primary Healthcare to general practitioners and nurses between May and June of 2016. An ad-hoc online questionnaire was designed. The data included socio-demographic information and questions regarding their involvement on the programme. RESULTS: 1,216 health professionals answered the questionnaire, 50.7% were general practitioners and 49.3% nurses. 78% of the responders were women. The 75.8% considered the programme very important although differences were found between general practitioners and nurses. The 89% of the professionals attended training and 34% scientific workshops about screening at least once. There were differences between general practitioners and nurses on the attendance to the training and importance they give to the programme, and on their participation on workshops. CONCLUSIONS: There is a high level of involvement of Primary Healthcare professionals in the programme as they consider it very important; this could be one of the keys for its success. The differences between professionals on their opinion and experience should be taken into account on its design, as they are the ones with a closer contact with the population

Social inequalities in a population based colorectal cancer screening programme in the Basque Country

Background: While it is known that a variety of factors (biological, behavioural and interventional) play a major role in the health of individuals and populations, the importance of the role of social determinants is less clear. The effect of social inequality on population-based screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) could limit the value of such programmes. The present study aims to determine whether such inequalities exist. Methods: Data was obtained from the population-based screening programme administered in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, Spain, with a target population aged 50 to 69, first invited to participate between 2009 and 2011. The magnitude of inequality was analysed using the odds ratio (taking the least disadvantaged socioeconomic quintile as the reference population), the population attributable risk and the relative index of inequality, based on the regression, which is the ratio of the rates in the most and least disadvantaged socioeconomic groups. Results: The target population comprised 242,394 people, with the test kit successfully sent to 95.1 % (230,510). The overall response rate was 64.3 % (67.1 in women and 61.4 % men). Among women, the highest participation was in the third quintile (71.5 %) and the lowest in the first - the least disadvantaged (65.7 %). The lowest and highest rates of people with identified lesions were in the second and fourth quintiles (14.7/1000 and 17.0/1000 respectively). Among men, the response rate was lowest in the fifth - most disadvantaged - quintile (60.2 %). The highest rate of identified lesions was in the fifth quintile; 38 % higher than the first (55.7/1000 compared to 41.0/1000). Conclusions: Sex and socioeconomic group influence the rate of participation in the CRC programme and the rate of lesions found in the participants. Any public health programme is morally and ethically obliged to strive for equity and effectiveness. Improving participation of men and socially disadvantaged groups should be taken in account

Análisis comparativo frente a la evidencia del manejo de la osteoporosis en una comarca de atención primaria

ObjetivoConocer la adecuación a las guías de práctica clínica del proceso diagnostico y terapéutico de la osteoporosis en una comarca.DiseñoEstudio transversal.EmplazamientoComarca de 276.000 habitantes, agrupada en 9 centros de salud.ParticipantesMujeres mayores de 45 años con prescripción de fármacos para la osteoporosis.IntervencionesCuestionario estandarizado rellenado por las pacientes y contrastado con las historias clínicas.Mediciones principalesAdecuación de la indicación de pruebas diagnósticas, proporción de tratamientos soportados en criterios diagnósticos y ajuste de dichos tratamientos a la evidencia.ResultadosAnalizamos a 332 mujeres cuya media de edad fue 65,3 ± 9,6 años. De las mujeres analizadas, el 73,2% (n = 243) tenía indicación de densitometría y sólo el 60,2% (n = 200) la había realizado. El resultado de las densitometrías fue: el 14% (n = 28), normal; el 31% (n = 62), osteopenia, y el 55% (n = 110), osteoporosis. Entre las mujeres con indicación de densitometría, el 39,5% (n = 96) no la había realizado. Entre las mujeres sin factores de riesgo y sin indicación de densitometría (n = 89), el 59,6% (n = 53) la había realizado. Por otro lado, el 78,7% (n = 261) de las mujeres no tenía una densitometría de control. Hubo diferencias estadísticamente significativas (p < 0,05) en la adecuación de las indicaciones de densitometría y de los tratamientos entre las diferentes especialidades. Finalmente, el 42,4% (n = 81) de las mujeres con prueba densitométrica realizada estaban inadecuadamente tratadas.ConclusionesLa indicación de densitometría es claramente mejorable y hay una alta variabilidad en su adecuación en todas las especialidades. La prescripción para la osteoporosis en gran medida no está sustentada en pruebas diagnósticas y se contrapone a los estudios de calidad publicados recientemente.ObjectiveTo find out how physicians are managing osteoporosis in a primary care setting.DesignCross-sectional study.ContextPrimary care setting with a target population of 276 000 inhabitants, grouped into 9 basic health areas, Spain.ParticipantsWomen older than 45 years old on treatments for osteoporosis.InterventionsStandardised questionnaire self-filled in by women and compared with clinical records.Main measurementsSuitability of the indication of diagnostic tests, proportion of treatments supported by diagnostic tests and according to evidence.ResultsThe mean age of the sample was 65.3 (9.6) years. Of the women included, 73.2% (n=243) had an indication for densitometry and only 60.2% (n=200) of them had this performed. The results of the densitometries were: 14% (n=28) normal, 31% (n=62) osteopenia and 55% (n=110) osteoporosis. Based on risk factors, in those women with densitometry indication, 39.5% (n=96) did not have it performed. In those women with no risk factors to justify the indication of densitometry (n=89), 59.6% (n=53) did have it performed. The two-year follow densitometry was not carried out on 78.7% (n=261) of women. Statistically significant differences were observed in the percentages of adequacy of the indications of densitometry and in the percentages of adequacy of the treatments in the different medical specialities analyzed (P<.05). Of the women who had densitometry, 42.4% (n=81) were inadequately treated.ConclusionsThe indication of densitometry is clearly improvable and there is a high variability in its adequacy in all the medical specialities studied.To a great extent, the indication of treatments for osteoporosis is not based on densitometry and is against the recommendations of the evidence based studies recently published

Flexible multiplex PCR to detect SARS-CoV-2, coronavirus OC43 and influenza A virus in nasopharyngeal swab samples

Introduction Quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) is the leading tool to detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Given that it will almost certainly continue to coexist with other respiratory viruses in the coming years, our study aimed to design a multiplex PCR system not affected by supplier outages and with reduced cost compared to the existing commercially available kits. Methods and results In this study, combinations of four primers/probe sets were used to construct a flexible RT-qPCR assay which is capable of discriminating between SARS-CoV-2 and the seasonal human coronavirus HCoV-OC43, or even influenza A virus. Additionally, the human RPP30 gene was used as an internal control. To demonstrate the robustness of the assay, it was applied to a collection of 150 clinical samples. The results showed 100% sensitivity and specificity compared to the automatized system used at the hospital and were better when indeterminate samples were analysed. Conclusions This study provides an efficient method for the simultaneous detection of SARS-CoV-2, HCoV-OC43 and influenza A virus, and its efficacy has been tested on clinical samples showing outstanding results. Significance and impact of the study The multiplex RT-qPCR design offers an accessible and economical alternative to commercial detection kits for hospitals and laboratories with limited economic resources or facing situations of supply shortage.This research was funded by Basque Government, grants numbers 2020333042 and IT1362‐19. LM‐S have received a predoctoral Grant from Basque Government

Incidence of Diabetes Mellitus and Associated Risk Factors in the Adult Population of the Basque Country, Spain

The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence of diabetes mellitus in the Basque Country and the risk factors involved in the disease by reassessing an adult population after 7 years of follow-up. In the previous prevalence study, 847 people older than 18 years were randomly selected from all over the Basque Country and were invited to answer a medical questionnaire, followed by a physical examination and an oral glucose tolerance test. In the reassessment, the same variables were collected and the resulting cohort comprised 517 individuals of whom 43 had diabetes at baseline. The cumulative incidence of diabetes was 4.64% in 7 years and the raw incidence rate was 6.56 cases/1000 person-years (95%CI: 4.11-9.93). Among the incident cases, 59% were undiagnosed. The most strongly associated markers by univariate analyses were age >60 years, dyslipidaemia, prediabetes and insulin resistance. We also found association with hypertension, obesity, family history of diabetes and low education level. Multivariate analysis adjusted for age and sex showed that a set of risk factors assessed together (dyslipidaemia, waist-to-hip-ratio and family history of diabetes) had great predictive value (AUC-ROC=0.899, 95%CI: 0.846-0.953, p=0.942), which suggests the need for early intervention before the onset of prediabetesThis work was partially supported by grants from the Department of Health of the Basque Country Government (2015111020); ISCIII (PI14/01104), co-funded by ERDF/ESF, "A way to make Europe"/"Investing in your future"; UPV/EHU (IT1281-19); Menarini Group Spain (BCA16/029); Endocrine-European Reference Network (EndoERN 739527); and CIBERDEM (Spanish Biomedical Research Centre in Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Disorders). The study funders were not involved in the design of the study; the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; writing the report; and did not impose any restrictions regarding the publication of the report

Factors influencing participation in colorectal cancer screening programs in Spain

To analyze the sociodemographic and organizational factors influencing participation in population-based colorectal cancer screening programs (CRCSP) in Spain, a retrospective study was conducted in a cohort of people invited to participate in the first 3 screening rounds of 6 CRCSP from 2000 to 2012. Mixed logistic regression models were used to analyze the relationship between sociodemographic and organizational factors, such as the type of fecal occult blood test (FOBT) used and the FOBT delivery type. The analysis was performed separately in groups (Initial screening-first invitation, Subsequent invitation for previous never-responders, Subsequent invitation-regular, Subsequent invitation-irregular intervals). The results showed that, in the Initial screening-first invitation group, participation was higher in women than in men in all age groups (OR 1.05 in persons aged 50–59 years and OR 1.12 in those aged 60–69 years). Participation was also higher when no action was required to receive the FOBT kit, independently of the type of screening (Initial screening-first invitation [OR 2.24], Subsequent invitation for previous never-responders [OR 2.14], Subsequent invitation-regular [OR 2.03], Subsequent invitation-irregular intervals [OR 9.38]) and when quantitative rather than qualitative immunological FOBT (FIT) was offered (Initial screening-first invitation [OR 0.70], Subsequent invitation for previous never-responders [OR 0.12], Subsequent invitation-regular [OR 0.20]) or guaiac testing (Initial screening-first invitation [OR 0.81], Subsequent invitation for previous never-responders [OR 0.88], Subsequent invitation-regular [OR 0.73]). In conclusion, the results of this study show that screening participation could be enhanced by inclusion of the FOBT kit with the screening invitation and the use of the quantitative FIT.This Project was funded by the Fondo de Investigación Sanitario with cofunding from FEDER [PI12/00944

Effectiveness of a Structured Group Intervention Based on Pain Neuroscience Education for Patients with Fibromyalgia in Primary Care: a Multicentre Randomized Open-Label Controlled Trial

Background There has been increased interest in pain neuroscience education (PNE) as a therapeutic approach for the management of fibromyalgia (FM). Methods A multicentre randomized, open-label, controlled trial was conducted to assess the effectiveness of a structured group intervention based on PNE in patients with FM. A total of 139 patients were included in the study and randomized to the intervention group (7 group sessions of education in neurobiology of pain) or to the control group (treatment as usual only). The primary outcome was the improvement of functional status and pain measured with the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), and secondary outcomes were the reduction in the impact of pain and other symptoms (catastrophizing, anxiety and depression) and number of patients reaching no worse than moderate functional impairment (FIQ score <39). Differences between groups were calculated by linear mixed-effects (intention-to-treat approach) and mediational models through path analyses. Results At 1 year, improvements in FIQ scores were higher in the intervention group with moderate or high effect size, and decreases of >= 20% in 69.1% of patients (20.9% in the control group) and of >= 50% in 39.7% (4.5% in the control group). Also, 52.9% of patients had a FIQ <39 points (13.4% in the control group). Conclusions In this sample of patients with FM, the improvement in quality of life and control of symptoms obtained by adding a PNE intervention showed promising results, equalling or surpassing previously reported outcomes. Significance A structured group intervention based on pain neuroscience education for 1 year in patients with fibromyalgia was associated with significant amelioration of the impact of the disease on scores of the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, the Health Assessment Questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Pain Catastrophizing Scale and the Polysymptomatic Distress Scale as compared with only treatment as usual. These findings are clinically relevant considering the challenges posed by fibromyalgia to clinicians and patients alike.Partial reduction of routine work tasks of the principal investigator, MJ Barrenengoa-Cuadra, was supported by a grant from OSI Bilbao Basurto Osakidetza, Basque country, Spain (the grant was paid to the Health Service to substitute MJ Barrenengoa-Cuadra while research work)