Journal of public health medicine最新文献

Over recent decades, a great deal of effort has been devoted towards developing instruments that can be used to elicit health state values. All of these instruments are conceptually very different from one another and all suffer from serious inherent biases. In this paper I outline the conceptual foundations and empirical limitations of the three principal health state value elicitation instruments. Given that the conceptual parameters internalized within an instrument influence the elicited health state values, I argue that it is necessary to attain a broad agreement on what the appropriate parameters ought to be. When the appropriate conceptual parameters have been identified we will be in a position to develop the methodology of a single standardized instrument.

Background: The aim of the study was to investigate the feasibility of monitoring older people's health by measuring active life expectancy among older people with and without diabetes using routinely collected primary care data.

Methods: The study comprised the first five rounds of a routine health assessment of those aged 75 years and over belonging to a large Midlands general practice (list size 32,500). A nurse carried out the health assessments in the participant's home. Being active was defined as the ability to perform (without difficulty, help or use of aids) at least six of seven activities of daily living (ADLs). Mortality data were collected through the practice register together with regular linkage to information from the Office for National Statistics. Period health expectancies were calculated for those known or found to be diabetic through the health assessments and for non-diabetic individuals.

Results: Calculation of active life expectancies (ALE) was based on 2,474 persons (212 with and 2,262 without diabetes). At all ages, people with diabetes had lower life expectancy and spent fewer years active. The proportion of remaining life spent active was, however, similar for both groups at younger ages, but by age 85 years people with diabetes spent only 32 per cent of remaining life active compared with 42 per cent for those without diabetes.

Conclusion: Annual health assessments of the over-75s in primary care together with linkage to mortality data provide a feasible method of monitoring older people's health, particularly for subgroups at greater risk of disability. At Strategic Health Authority or Primary Care Trust level these methods can monitor health needs, highlight health inequalities and evaluate intervention strategies.

Background: Patients with coronary heart disease are at high risk of further coronary events. Hence, one of the main priorities in the National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease strategy is the identification and treatment of patients with pre-existing coronary heart disease. We aimed to determine the prevalence of established coronary heart disease in a large primary care population and to compare the management of risk factors in these patients with the standards given in the National Service Framework.

Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study was carried out using data collected from primary care. Sixty-three general practices (total list size 378,021) in four primary care groups in SW London took part. Data collection was confined to 103,613 patients over 44 years of age. We calculated age- and sex-specific and age-standardized prevalence rates, and age-adjusted relative risks for men and women.

Results: A total of 6,778 patients with coronary heart disease were identified (8 per cent of men and 5 per cent of women over 44 years of age). There was a history of myocardial infarction in 30 per cent (1204/3991) of men and 22 per cent (613/2787) of women (relative risk 1.57; 1.37-1.81). Coronary revascularization procedures had been performed in 27 per cent (1068/3991) of men and 11 per cent (312/2787) of women (2.02; 1.73-2.35). Most patients had been assessed for hypertension (89 per cent (3538/3991) of men; 90 per cent (2500/ 2787) of women), but in many patients blood pressure was poorly controlled (26 per cent (902/3538) of men; 27 per cent (678/2500) of women). Total cholesterol had been recently measured in 51 per cent (2018/3991) of men and 44 per cent (1218/2787) of women and was elevated in 44 per cent (881/ 2018) of men and 59 per cent (716/1218) of women (0.74; 0.69-0.79). Statins were prescribed to 49 per cent (1967/3991) of men and 38 per cent (1064/2787) of women (1.06; 1.00-1.12). Aspirin was prescribed to 65 per cent (2586/3991) of men and 59 per cent (1631/2787) of women (1.08; 1.03-1.14). Beta-blockers were prescribed to 20 per cent (181/913) of men and 15 per cent (72/499) of women with a history of myocardial infarction (1.11; 0.85-1.44).

Conclusions: Most patients with coronary heart disease in primary care were being treated with aspirin but less than half with statins or beta-blockers. More men than women were treated with aspirin and statins, even though women had higher cholesterol levels than men. Men were also more likely to have a confirmed diagnosis and to have undergone a coronary revascularization procedure. There is considerable scope for improving the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease and addressing gender inequalities in primary care.

Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate the detection rate by general practitioners (GPs) of mental disorders in a primary health care setting and relating the findings to selected GP characteristics and the patient sociodemographic characteristics.

Methods: The patients were assessed with respect to mental disorders by Hopkins Symptom Checklist 25 (HSCL-25), and the GPs were independently asked to fill in the Goldberg checklist II to assess the patient after consultation. The sample consisted of 10 primary health care clinics in the Gaza Strip, which were randomly selected from the five regions that form the Gaza Strip (Northern, Southern region, Gaza City, Middle region, Khan-Younis and Rafah). Thirty-two GPs and 661 patients participated in the study.

Results: The study showed that the GPs detected only 11.6 per cent of patients with mental disorders at HSCL-25 score >1.75, and that the GP's assessment was not significantly associated with the HSCL-25 scores. GPs with postgraduate psychiatric training performed better in detecting mental disorders, likewise female GPs and those who were more than 40 years old. The results also revealed that the GPs were more able to detect mental disorders among patients older than 25 years, and in female patients.

Conclusions: The GPs' poor detection rate of mental disorders indicates the importance of mental health training for GPs working in primary health care clinics.