Процессный подход в управлении аптечной организацией

АПТЕКИФАРМАЦИЕЙ УПРАВЛЕНИ

Delay to celiac disease diagnosis and its implications for health-related quality of life

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To determine how the delay in diagnosing celiac disease (CD) has developed during recent decades and how this affects the burden of disease in terms of health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and also to consider differences with respect to sex and age.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In collaboration with the Swedish Society for Coeliacs, a questionnaire was sent to 1,560 randomly selected members, divided in equal-sized age- and sex strata, and 1,031 (66%) responded. HRQoL was measured with the EQ-5D descriptive system and was then translated to quality-adjusted life year (QALY) scores. A general population survey was used as comparison.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mean delay to diagnosis from the first symptoms was 9.7 years, and from the first doctor visit it was 5.8 years. The delay has been reduced over time for some age groups, but is still quite long. The mean QALY score during the year prior to initiated treatment was 0.66; it improved after diagnosis and treatment to 0.86, and was then better than that of a general population (0.79).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The delay from first symptoms to CD diagnosis is unacceptably long for many persons. Untreated CD results in poor HRQoL, which improves to the level of the general population if diagnosed and treated. By shortening the diagnostic delay it is possible to reduce this unnecessary burden of disease. Increased awareness of CD as a common health problem is needed, and active case finding should be intensified. Mass screening for CD might be an option in the future.</p

Identity, Empathy and Argument: Immigrants in Culture and Entertainment Journalism in the Scandinavian Press

Cultural and entertainment journalism deals with aesthetic experiences, advice on cultural consumption, as well as reflection and debate on ethical and moral humanistic issues. Does this sub-field of journalism systematically represent immigrants and integration differently than the other news and commentary articles? Comparing immigration discourse in a representative sample of six Scandinavian newspapers between 1970 and 2016 using content analysis we find that cultural journalism, while clearly reverbing with the dominant national issues at the time, did provide alternative perspectives. It not only brought up themes like racism, multiculturalism, national identity and religion more often, but was also more positive, more gender-balanced and more often gave a voice to immigrants than other news did. A closer qualitative reading further suggests a typology of ten main story-types, varying relatively little over time and across national borders. Cultural journalism in this case illustrates how the cultural public sphere can positively contribute to the debate of complicated issues in the public sphere by offering resources for identification, empathy and arguments for specific points of view.publishedVersio

Forest inventory estimation using remotely sensed data as a stratification tool - a simulation study

It is well known that remotely sensed data and forest variables are correlated. For inventories like the Swedish National Forest Inventory (NFI) covering large geographic areas, the design for the sample plot layout is often either systematic sampling or simple random sampling. It is reasonable to assume that the design could be more cost efficient if remotely sensed data are used as auxiliary information. A simulated model has been constructed to evaluate the gain in precision when stratified sampling, based on remotely sensed data, is used. A grid map was created to correspond with a landscape in the northern part of Sweden. First, the map area was divided into forest stands, and a vegetation class was assigned randomly ac­ cording to a probability distribution obtained using NFI data from Norrbotten and Viisterbotten counties, Sweden. Thereafter, for each grid element of the map both wood volume and spectral values were simulated. The wood volumes were simulated using field data from the NFI and the spectral values were simulated with a regression function based on the wood volumes that correspond to a Landsat TM scene with a 30mx30m resolution. Based on the spectral values the grid elements were classified into different strata. Stratified sampling was then performed and compared with simple random sampling without replacement. The comparisons show that the stratified sampling, based on remotely sensed data, produce much more precise inventory estimates of volume than simple random sampling

Bördan av att leva med celiaki och värdet av att bli diagnostiserad

Background: Celiac disease is a chronic disease characterized by intolerance to gluten. It is considered a public health problem affecting about 1% of Western populations, but, with most cases still undiagnosed. A glutenfree diet is the only effective treatment for the disease. Objectives: To investigate the burden of celiac disease and the value of having it diagnosed. Additionally, the implications for a potential future celiac disease mass screening are discussed. Methods: A questionnaire was sent during 2009 to 1,560 randomly selected adult members of the Swedish Society for Coeliacs, in equal-sized age- and sex strata, and 1,031 (66%) responded. Members were asked about symptoms, health-related quality of life as measured by EQ-5D, and health care consumption during the year prior to diagnosis and during the past year. They were also asked about the delay in having their celiac disease diagnosed and the appearance of other immune-mediated diseases. A school-based celiac disease screening of 12-year-olds was performed during 2005-2006. After blood sampling the 7,567 participating children and their parents received a questionnaire including the EQ-5D instrument in order to measure the child’s health-related quality of life. Comparisons were made between children with screening-detected celiac disease, those with previously diagnosed disease and those without the disease. Parents were asked about their willingness to pay for a celiac disease screening of their child, which was compared with the actual cost of a screening. Results: Adult celiac disease patients had a poorer health-related quality of life than the general population, and a high prevalence of symptoms before celiac disease diagnosis. The mean delay from symptoms to diagnosis was 9.7 years. After initiated treatment with a gluten-free diet, health-related quality of life was improved to the level of the general population, and symptom relief and reduction in health care consumption were also reported. For children, health-related quality of life was similar across groups. The average cost per child for a screening was 47 EUR. Parents’ mean willingness to pay for a screening was 79 EUR, median 10 EUR. Conclusion: The delay in celiac disease diagnosis is long, and treatment with a gluten-free diet substantially improved health for clinically detected cases. For screening-detected celiac disease the health benefits are still uncertain. A mass screening might nevertheless be justified to avoid the burden of living with undiagnosed disease, and parents’ willingness to pay indicates that performing it in childhood might be economically motivated. However, as both the cost-effectiveness of a screening and the short- and long term health benefits for screening-detected cases have not yet been sufficiently investigated, it is too early to make a recommendation for a celiac disease mass screening

Bördan av att leva med celiaki och värdet av att bli diagnostiserad

Background: Celiac disease is a chronic disease characterized by intolerance to gluten. It is considered a public health problem affecting about 1% of Western populations, but, with most cases still undiagnosed. A glutenfree diet is the only effective treatment for the disease. Objectives: To investigate the burden of celiac disease and the value of having it diagnosed. Additionally, the implications for a potential future celiac disease mass screening are discussed. Methods: A questionnaire was sent during 2009 to 1,560 randomly selected adult members of the Swedish Society for Coeliacs, in equal-sized age- and sex strata, and 1,031 (66%) responded. Members were asked about symptoms, health-related quality of life as measured by EQ-5D, and health care consumption during the year prior to diagnosis and during the past year. They were also asked about the delay in having their celiac disease diagnosed and the appearance of other immune-mediated diseases. A school-based celiac disease screening of 12-year-olds was performed during 2005-2006. After blood sampling the 7,567 participating children and their parents received a questionnaire including the EQ-5D instrument in order to measure the child’s health-related quality of life. Comparisons were made between children with screening-detected celiac disease, those with previously diagnosed disease and those without the disease. Parents were asked about their willingness to pay for a celiac disease screening of their child, which was compared with the actual cost of a screening. Results: Adult celiac disease patients had a poorer health-related quality of life than the general population, and a high prevalence of symptoms before celiac disease diagnosis. The mean delay from symptoms to diagnosis was 9.7 years. After initiated treatment with a gluten-free diet, health-related quality of life was improved to the level of the general population, and symptom relief and reduction in health care consumption were also reported. For children, health-related quality of life was similar across groups. The average cost per child for a screening was 47 EUR. Parents’ mean willingness to pay for a screening was 79 EUR, median 10 EUR. Conclusion: The delay in celiac disease diagnosis is long, and treatment with a gluten-free diet substantially improved health for clinically detected cases. For screening-detected celiac disease the health benefits are still uncertain. A mass screening might nevertheless be justified to avoid the burden of living with undiagnosed disease, and parents’ willingness to pay indicates that performing it in childhood might be economically motivated. However, as both the cost-effectiveness of a screening and the short- and long term health benefits for screening-detected cases have not yet been sufficiently investigated, it is too early to make a recommendation for a celiac disease mass screening

Poor quality in the reporting and use of statistical methods in public health : the case of unemployment and health

BACKGROUND: It has previously been reported that many research articles fail to fulfill important criteria for statistical analyses, but, to date, these reports have not focused on public health problems. The aim of this study was to investigate the quality of reporting and use of statistical methods in articles analyzing the effect of unemployment on health. METHODS: Forty-one articles were identified and evaluated in terms of how they addressed 12 specified criteria. RESULTS: For most of these criteria, the majority of articles were inadequate. These criteria were conformity with a linear gradient (100 % of the articles), validation of the statistical model (100 %), collinearity of independent variables (97 %), fitting procedure (93 %), goodness of fit test (78 %), selection of variables (68 % for the candidate model; 88 % for the final model), and interactions between independent variables (66 %). Fewer, but still alarmingly many articles, failed to fulfill the criteria coefficients presented in statistical models (48 %), coding of variables (34 %) and discussion of methodological concerns (24 %). There was a lack of explicit reporting of statistical significance/confidence intervals; 34 % of the articles only presented p-values as being above or below the significance level, and 42 % did not present confidence intervals. Events per variable was the only criterion met at an undoubtedly acceptable level (2.5 %). CONCLUSIONS: There were critical methodological shortcomings in the reviewed studies. It is difficult to obtain unbiased estimates, but there clearly needs to be some improvement in the quality of documentation on the use and performance of statistical methods. A suggestion here is that journals not only demand that articles fulfill the criteria within the STROBE statement, but that they include additional criteria to decrease the risk of incorrect conclusions being drawn

Poor quality in the reporting and use of statistical methods in public health : the case of unemployment and health

BACKGROUND: It has previously been reported that many research articles fail to fulfill important criteria for statistical analyses, but, to date, these reports have not focused on public health problems. The aim of this study was to investigate the quality of reporting and use of statistical methods in articles analyzing the effect of unemployment on health. METHODS: Forty-one articles were identified and evaluated in terms of how they addressed 12 specified criteria. RESULTS: For most of these criteria, the majority of articles were inadequate. These criteria were conformity with a linear gradient (100 % of the articles), validation of the statistical model (100 %), collinearity of independent variables (97 %), fitting procedure (93 %), goodness of fit test (78 %), selection of variables (68 % for the candidate model; 88 % for the final model), and interactions between independent variables (66 %). Fewer, but still alarmingly many articles, failed to fulfill the criteria coefficients presented in statistical models (48 %), coding of variables (34 %) and discussion of methodological concerns (24 %). There was a lack of explicit reporting of statistical significance/confidence intervals; 34 % of the articles only presented p-values as being above or below the significance level, and 42 % did not present confidence intervals. Events per variable was the only criterion met at an undoubtedly acceptable level (2.5 %). CONCLUSIONS: There were critical methodological shortcomings in the reviewed studies. It is difficult to obtain unbiased estimates, but there clearly needs to be some improvement in the quality of documentation on the use and performance of statistical methods. A suggestion here is that journals not only demand that articles fulfill the criteria within the STROBE statement, but that they include additional criteria to decrease the risk of incorrect conclusions being drawn