SARS-CoV2 hospital surveillance and control system with contact tracing for patients and health care workers at a large reference hospital in Spain during the first wave: An observational descriptive study

Background and Aims During the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Preventive Medicine Department and the Occupational Health Department at Hospital Clinic de Barcelona (HCB), a large Spanish referral hospital, developed an innovative comprehensive SARS-CoV2 Surveillance and Control System (CoSy-19) in order to preserve patients' and health care workers' (HCWs) safety. We aim to describe the CoSy-19 and to assess the impact in the number of contacts that new cases generated along this time. Methods Observational descriptive study of the findings of the activity of contact tracing of all cases received at the HCB during the first peak of COVID-19 in Spain (February 25th-May 3rd, 2020). Results A team of 204 professionals and volunteers performed 384 in-hospital contact-tracing studies which generated contacts, detecting 298 transmission chains which suggested preventive measures, generated around 22¿000 follow-ups and more than 30¿000¿days of work leave. The number of contacts that new cases generated decreased during the study period. Conclusion Coordination between Preventive Medicine and Occupational Health departments and agile information systems were necessary to preserve non-COVID activity and workers safety.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Breast cancer risk after diagnosis by screening mammography of nonproliferative or proliferative benign breast disease : a study from a population-based screening program

Benign breast disease increases the risk of breast cancer. This association has scarcely been evaluated in the context of breast cancer screening programs although it is a prevalent finding in mammography screening. We assessed the association of distinct categories of benign breast disease and subsequent risk of breast cancer, as well as the influence of a family history of breast cancer. A retrospective cohort study was conducted in 545,171 women aged 50-69 years biennially screened for breast cancer in Spain. The median of follow-up was 6.1 years. The age-adjusted rate ratio (RR) of breast cancer for women with benign breast disease, histologically classified into nonproliferative and proliferative disease with and without atypia, compared with women without benign breast disease was estimated by Poisson regression analysis. A stratified analysis by family history of breast cancer was performed in a subsample. All tests were two-sided. The age-adjusted RR of breast cancer after diagnosis of benign breast disease was 2.51 (95 % CI: 2.14-2.93) compared with women without benign breast disease. The risk was higher in women with proliferative disease with atypia (RR = 4.56, 95 % CI: 2.06-10.07) followed by those with proliferative disease without atypia (RR = 3.58; 95 % CI = 2.61-4.91). Women with nonproliferative disease and without a family history of breast cancer remained also at increased risk of cancer (OR = 2.23, 95 % CI: 1.86-2.68). An increased risk of breast cancer was observed among screening participants with proliferative or nonproliferative benign breast disease, regardless of a family history of breast cancer. This information may be useful to explore risk-based screening strategies

Análisis temático-textual de las campañas de propaganda en los referendos de 1976, 1978 y 1986 en la prensa de Murcia / José Rocamora Torá; directores, José Perona Sánchez y Encarna Nicolás Marín.

Tesis-Universidad de Murcia.Consulte la tesis en: BCA. GENERAL. ARCHIVO UNIVERSITARIO. T.M. 2945

Historia natural y factores determinantes de la duración de las incapacidades temporales por contingencia común en trabajadores afiliados a la Seguridad Social

Esta tesis doctoral está basada en el estudio de los factores determinantes de la duración de la incapacidad temporal por contingencia común (ITcc). Se examina la variabilidad geográfica de la duración de la ITcc entre comarcas de Cataluña para episodios de ITcc en general y para dos patologías frecuentes, trastornos musculoesqueléticos (TME) y trastornos mentales. Se utilizan datos de cohortes de episodios de ITcc cedidos por el Institut Català d’Avaluacions Mèdiques i Sanitàries (ICAMS) de la Generalitat de Catalunya. Se analizaron todos los primeros episodios de ITcc finalizados en el año 2007 y 2010 estudiando factores individuales (sexo, edad, diagnóstico, entidad gestora del episodio, régimen de afiliación a la Seguridad Social y rama de actividad económica) y/o contextuales relacionados con recursos sanitarios (número de áreas básicas de salud) y socioeconómicos (cuota de mercado y tasa de desempleo) que podrían explicar la variabilidad observada. Se utilizaron modelos de regresión multinivel de riesgos proporcionales con episodios anidados en comarcas. También se propone un modelo de fragilidad condicional basado en un enfoque Poisson para analizar la duración de la ITcc (u otro evento de interés) en presencia de eventos repetidos para un mismo individuo, y se muestra la utilidad del modelo para analizar dicha duración en grandes bases de datos. Se utilizaron episodios de ITcc finalizados en el año 2007 por trastorno mental y por neoplasia, a partir de los cuales se comparó empíricamente el modelo de fragilidad condicional (CFM) y el enfoque propuesto basado en un modelo de fragilidad condicional Poisson (CFPM).This thesis is based on the study of the determinants of the duration of sickness absence (SA). We examined the geographic variability of the SA duration between comarcas of Catalonia for SA in general and for two common groups of disorders, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and mental health disorders. Cohort data of SA episodes ceded by the Institut Català d’Avaluacions Mèdiques i Sanitàries (ICAMS) of the Generalitat of Catalunya were used. All first SA episodes ending in 2007 and 2010 were analyzed studying individual factors (sex, age, diagnosis, entity managing the sick leave, employment status, and economic activity branch) and contextual factors related to health resources (number of basic health areas) and socioeconomic indicators (market share and unemployment rate) that could explain the observed variability. Multilevel proportional hazard regression models with episodes nested in comarcas were used. This thesis also proposes using a conditional frailty model based on a Poisson approach for analyzing SA duration (or other event of interest) in the presence of repeated events in the same individual, and demonstrates the usefulness of such a model to analyze large datasets. SA episodes ending in 2007, caused by mental health disorders and neoplasms were used, from which the conditional frailty model (CFM) and a novel approach based on a conditional frailty Poisson model (CFPM) were compared empirically

Factores relacionados con la inhibición de la lactancia por medios farmacológicos al nacer en un hospital de referencia español (2011-2017)

Objective To describe the maternal, neonatal and pregnancy characteristics related to inhibition of lactation (IL) with cabergoline. Method We assessed 20,965 occasions of breastfeeding initiation, according to data collected from obstetric records at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona (Spain) between January 2011 and December 2017. Results IL decreased over the study period from 8.78% to 6.18% (odds ratio [OR]: 0.93 per year; 95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 0.90-0.95). Women with a lower educational level (OR: 2.5; 95%CI: 2.0-3.0), mothers living in more depressed areas (OR: 1.08 per 10 extra points over 100; 95%CI: 1.04-1.12), smokers (OR: 2.2; 95%CI: 1.9-2.6), and those with more children (OR: 1.2 for each sibling; 95%CI: 1.1-1.3), preterm birth (OR: 1.8; 95%CI: 1.4-2.3), multiple births (OR: 1.6; 95%CI: 1.2-2.1) and a higher risk pregnancy (OR: 1.3 per risk point; 95%CI: 1.2-1.4) showed a higher prevalence of IL. Compared to women born in Spain, IL was less likely in all other women with the exception of Chinese women (OR: 7.0; 95%CI: 5.7-8.6). These disparities remained during the study period. Conclusions Factors related to lower socioeconomic status and poor health were more likely to be associated with IL. The overall use of cabergoline decreased during the study period while inequalities persisted. Taking these inequalities into account is the first step to addressing them.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Evaluación de la gestión de los casos de incapacidad temporal por contingencia común de más de 15 días en Cataluña

OBJECTIVES: To compare the length of nonwork-related sick leave among cases managed by an insurance company versus those managed by the National Institute of Social Security (NISS). METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of 289,686 cases of sick leave lasting for more than 15 days that began in 2005 after certification by a primary care physician in Catalonia, were reported to the Catalonian Institute of Medical Evaluations, and were followed to term. Of the total, 156,676 cases were managed by the NISS. To account for repeat episodes (approximately 25% of the total), the Wang-Chang estimator was used to calculate the median duration and percentiles; comparisons were made using log-logistic regression with shared gamma frailty models, with calculation of time ratios (TR) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). RESULTS: The median duration of sick leave was 43 days for cases managed by the NISS and 39 days for those managed by the insurance company. This difference was statistically significant both for men employed under contract (TR=0.87; 95% CI: 0.85-0.88) and for those who were self-employed (TR=0.78; 95% CI: 0.75-0.80) as well as for women under contract (TR=0.85; 95% CI: 0.84-0.87) and self-employed women (TR=0.84; 95% CI: 0.81-0.88). These differences persisted after adjustment was performed for age and health region. CONCLUSIONS: For sick leave lasting more than 15 days, these results confirm that cases managed by an insurance company ended earlier than for those managed by the NISS, both for contract and self-employed workers. Further research is needed to explore the reasons for these differences.Este trabajo ha contado con la financiación de una beca (I. Torá) para la realización de un máster en Salud Laboral, concedida mediante convocatoria pública, fruto de un convenio entre la Universitat Pompeu Fabra y el Institut Català d’Avaluacions Mèdiques, con la finalidad exclusiva de financiar esta beca

Occupational health impact of the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic: Surveillance of sickness absence

Objectives: Workplace absences due to illness can disrupt usual operations and increase costs for businesses. This study of sickness absence due to influenza and influenza-related illness presents a unique opportunity to characterise and measure the impact of the 2009 (H1N1) pandemic, by comparing trends during the pandemic to those of previous years, and adding this information to that obtained by traditional epidemiological surveillance systems. Methods: We compared the numbers of cases of sickness absence due to illness caused by influenza and influenza-related illness in 2007-2009, and in the first 3 months of 2010 in Catalonia (n=811 940) using a time series approach. Trends were examined by economic activity, age and gender. The weekly endemic-epidemic index (EEI) was calculated and its 95% CI obtained with the delta method, with observed and expected cases considered as independent random variables. Results: Influenza activity peaked earlier in 2009 and yielded more cases than in previous years. Week 46 (in November 2009) had the highest number of new cases resulting in sickness absence (EEI 20.99; 95% CI 9.44 to 46.69). Women and the 'education, health and other social activities' sector were the most affected. Conclusions: Results indicate that the new H1N1 pandemic had a significant impact on business, with shifts in the timing of peak incidence, a doubling in the number of cases, and changes in the distribution of cases by economic activity sector and gender. Traditional epidemiological surveillance systems could benefit from the addition of information based on sickness absence data.Peer Reviewe

Duración de los episodios de incapacidad temporal por contingencia común según regiones sanitarias en Cataluña

Fundamentos: En este estudio se analizó la duración de los episodios de incapacidad temporal por contingencia común en Cataluña según regiones sanitarias. Partiendo de la hipótesis de una distribución homogénea de las duraciones entre las regiones sanitarias. Métodos: Estudio de cohorte retrospectiva de 811.790 episodios obtenidos del Institut Català d�Avaluacions Mèdiques iniciados el año 2005 y seguidos hasta su finalización, cómo máximo julio de 2007, donde se describió la mediana de la duración en días de los episodios para cada una de las siete regiones sanitarias de Cataluña. La probabilidad de volver al trabajo se representó según las curvas de supervivencia de Wang_Chang y se comparó la duración mediana (DM) tomando como referencia la Región Sanitaria Barcelona, estratificando por sexo. Resultados: La región de Camp de Tarragona registra la menor duración de 5 días. Por contra, los episodios ocurridos en el Alt Pirineu i Aran presentaron una mayor duración de 13 días. Para la región de Barcelona la duración fue 7 días, al igual que para Cataluña Central. En Girona fue de 8 días, y en Lleida y Terres de l�Ebre de 9 días. Conclusiones: Existen diferencias significativas en las duraciones de los episodios entre las regiones sanitarias de Cataluña, que se mantienen después de ajustar por la edad, la gestión del episodio y el régimen de Seguridad Social, tanto para hombres como para mujere

Duración de los episodios de incapacidad temporal por contingencia común según regiones sanitarias en Catalunya

Fundamentos: En este estudio se analizó la duración de los episodios de incapacidad temporal por contingencia común en Cataluña según regiones sanitarias. Partiendo de la hipótesis de una distribución homogénea de las duraciones entre las regiones sanitarias. Métodos: Estudio de cohorte retrospectiva de 811.790 episodios obtenidos del Institut Català d’Avaluacions Mèdiques iniciados el año 2005 y seguidos hasta su finalización, cómo máximo julio de 2007, donde se describió la mediana de la duración en días de los episodios para cada una de las siete regiones sanitarias de Cataluña. La probabilidad de volver al trabajo se representó según las curvas de supervivencia de Wang_Chang y se comparó la duración mediana (DM) tomando como referencia la Región Sanitaria Barcelona, estratificando por sexo. Resultados: La región de Camp de Tarragona registra la menor duración de 5 días. Por contra, los episodios ocurridos en el Alt Pirineu i Aran presentaron una mayor duración de 13 días. Para la región de Barcelona la duración fue 7 días, al igual que para Cataluña Central. En Girona fue de 8 días, y en Lleida y Terres de l’Ebre de 9 días. Conclusiones: Existen diferencias significativas en las duraciones de los episodios entre las regiones sanitarias de Cataluña, que se mantienen después de ajustar por la edad, la gestión del episodio y el régimen de Seguridad Social, tanto para hombres como para mujeres