Risultati per: GPG: Versione 5.7.5 (Novembre 2021)

Introduction
Prematurity presents a significant challenge to the global community due to the rapid increase in its incidence and its disproportionate contribution to increased infant mortality rates.

Objective
To assess the survival status and predictors of mortality among preterm neonates.

Design
A multicentre prospective follow-up study was used.

Setting
625 preterm neonates were admitted to hospitals for secondary level of care. The study covers the Bench Maji Zone, Keffa Zone, Sheka Zone, nearby woredas and portions of the Gambella area in Southwest Ethiopia.

Participants
614 preterm neonates with gestational age less than 37 weeks were entered for follow-up and 400 neonates were censored. Neonates with severe fetal malformations and neonates who need urgent referral were excluded from the study.

Results
Overall, 200 (32.57%) participants died with an incidence rate of 61.69 deaths per 1000 person-day observations (95% CI: 53.71 to 70.86). Poor kangaroo mother care (KMC) services (adjusted HR (AHR)=0.19, 95% CI: 0.12 to 0.29), sex (AHR=0.66, 95%, CI: 0.47 to 0.94), not initiating breast feeding (HR=2.78, 95% CI: 1.8 to 4.28), hypothermia (AHR=0.63, 95% CI: 0.44 to 0.92), anaemia (AHR=6.2, 95% CI: 2.34 to 16.43) and gestational age less than 28 weeks (AHR=9.28, 95% CI: 1.78 to 48.42) were independent predictors.

Conclusion and recommendation
The rate of preterm neonatal mortality was high compared with the Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey report nationally. Healthcare workers should encourage KMC services and breastfeeding initiation and prevent preterm neonates from being anaemic to increase their chances of survival.

Background and objectives
On 6 April 2022, the UK government implemented mandatory kilocalorie (kcal) labelling regulations for food and drink products sold in the out-of-home food sector (OHFS) in England. Previous assessments of kcal labelling practices in the UK OHFS found a low prevalence of voluntary implementation and poor compliance with labelling recommendations. This study aimed to examine changes in labelling practices preimplementation versus post implementation of mandatory labelling regulations in 2022.

Methods
In August–December 2021 (preimplementation) and August–November 2022 (post implementation), large OHFS businesses (250 or more employees) subject to labelling regulations were visited. At two time points, a researcher visited the same 117 food outlets (belonging to 90 unique businesses) across four local authorities in England. Outlets were rated for compliance with government regulations for whether kcal labelling was provided at any or all point of choice, provided for all eligible food and drink items, provided per portion for sharing items, if labelling was clear and legible and if kcal reference information was displayed.

Results
There was a significant increase (21% preimplementation vs 80% post implementation, OR=40.98 (95% CI 8.08 to 207.74), p

Annals of Internal Medicine, Ahead of Print.

Annals of Internal Medicine, Ahead of Print.

Objectives
This study aims to identify how real-world data (RWD) have been used in single technology appraisals (STAs) of cancer drugs by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

Design
Cross-sectional study of NICE technology appraisals of cancer drugs for which guidance was issued between January 2011 and December 2021 (n=229). The appraisals were reviewed following a published protocol to extract the data about the use of RWD. The use of RWD was analysed by reviewing the specific ways in which RWD were used and by identifying different patterns of use.

Primary outcome measure
The number of appraisals where RWD are used in the economic modelling.

Results
Most appraisals used RWD in their economic models. The parametric use of RWD was commonly made in the economic models (76% of the included appraisals), whereas non-parametric use was less common (41%). Despite widespread use of RWD, there was no dominant pattern of use. Three sources of RWD (registries, administrative data, chart reviews) were found across the three important parts of the economic model (choice of comparators, overall survival and volume of treatment).

Conclusions
NICE has had a long-standing interest in the use of RWD in STAs. A systematic review of oncology appraisals suggests that RWD have been widely used in diverse parts of the economic models. Between 2011 and 2021, parametric use was more commonly found in economic models than non-parametric use. Nonetheless, there was no clear pattern in the way these data were used. As each appraisal involves a different decision problem and the ability of RWD to provide the information required for the economic modelling varies, appraisals will continue to differ with respect to their use of RWD.

Objectives
Obstetric fistula is a devastating childbirth injury primarily caused by prolonged, obstructed labour. It leaves women incontinent, severely stigmatised and isolated. Fistula repair surgery can restore a woman’s health and well-being. Fistula Foundation, a non-profit organisation, works in partnership with local hospitals and community organisations in Africa and Asia to address key barriers to treatment and to increase the number of women receiving surgical care. This paper presents data on fistula and fistula repair surgery across a large global network of hospitals supported by Fistula Foundation. The data were collected between 2019 and 2021.

Design
Multicentre, retrospective, observational, descriptive study.

Setting and participants
The study analysed deidentified data from 24 568 surgical repairs supported by Fistula Foundation to treat women with obstetric fistula at 110 hospitals in 27 countries.

Results
The data highlight patient characteristics and key trends and outcomes from obstetric fistula repair surgeries and related procedures. Of those surgeries, 87% resulted in a successful outcome (fistula dry and closed) at the time of discharge, highlighting the effectiveness of fistula repair in restoring continence and improving quality of life. Over the period studied, the number of supported surgeries increased by 14%, but there remains an urgent need to strengthen local surgical capacity and improve access to treatment. Women suffered an average of 5.7 years before they received surgery and only 4% of women sought care independently. This underscores the importance of enhancing community awareness and strengthening referral networks.

Conclusions
This research provides essential insight from a vast, global network of hospitals providing highly effective fistula repair surgery. Further investment is needed to strengthen surgical capacity, increase awareness of fistula and remove financial barriers to treatment if stakeholders are to make significant progress towards the United Nations’ ambitious vision of ending fistula by 2030.

Objectives
To assess the distribution and spending by cost-effectiveness category among those drugs with the highest public spending levels in Canada.

Design
Repeated cross-sectional study.

Setting
The Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland.

Main outcomes and measures
Cost-effectiveness assessments by the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) for top-100 brand-name outpatient drugs by gross public plan spending in any year between 2015 and 2021 in Canada Institute for Health Information’s National Prescription Drug Utilization Information System data. Gross public plan spending by cost-effectiveness category.

Results
From 2015 to 2021, 152 brand-name drugs occupied a top-100 rank and were included in the analysis. Of those, 117 had been assessed by CADTH. During the 7-year period, there was an increase in both top-100 drugs with cost-effective (from 18 to 24) and cost-ineffective (from 29 to 41) assessments, while drugs not assessed or with an unclear assessment declined (from 31 to 19 and from 22 to 16, respectively). As a share of spending on top-100 drugs with an assessment, spending on cost-effective drugs was mostly stable at 40%–46% from 2015 to 2021, while spending on cost-ineffective drugs increased from 30% to 45%.

Conclusion
A large and growing share of public drug spending has been allocated to cost-ineffective drugs in Canada. Dedicating large budgets to such treatments prevents spending with greater health impact elsewhere in the healthcare system and could restrain the capacity to pay for groundbreaking pharmaceutical innovation in the future.

Objective
To estimate the impacts of demographic factors and income disparities on the case fatality rate (CFR) of COVID-19 in Hong Kong, taking into account the influence of reporting delays (ie, the duration between symptom onset and case confirmation).

Design
Retrospective observational longitudinal study.

Participants
A total of 7406 symptomatic patients with residence information reported between 23 January 2020 and 2 October 2021.

Main outcome measures
The study examined the disparity in COVID-19 deaths associated with the factors such as age (≥65 vs 0–64 years old groups), gender and the income level of districts (low income vs non-low income). The severe reporting delay ( >10 days) was considered as the mediator for mediation analysis. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was constructed.

Results
We found that CFR was 3.07% in the low-income region, twofold higher than 1.34% in the other regions. Although the severe reporting delay was associated with a hazard ratio (HR) of about 1.9, its mediation effect was only weakly present for age, but not for gender or income level. Hence, high CFR in Hong Kong was largely attributed to the direct effects of the elderly (HR 25.967; 95% CI 14.254 to 47.306) and low income (HR 1.558; 95% CI 1.122 to 2.164).

Conclusion
The disparity in COVID-19 deaths between income regions is not due to reporting delays, but rather to health inequities in Hong Kong. These risks may persist after the discontinuation of test-and-trace measures and extend to other high-threat respiratory pathogens. Urgent actions are required to identify vulnerable groups in low-income regions and understand the underlying causes of health inequities.

Objectives
This study aims to characterise oxycodone’s distribution and opioid-related overdoses in the USA by state from 2000 to 2021.

Design
This is an observational study.

Setting
More than 80 000 Americans died of an opioid overdose in 2021 as the USA continues to struggle with an opioid crisis. Prescription opioids play a substantial role, introducing patients to opioids and providing a supply of drugs that can be redirected to those seeking to misuse them.

Methods
The Drug Enforcement Administration annual summary reports from the Automation of Reports and Consolidated Orders System provided weights of oxycodone distributed per state by business type (pharmacies, hospitals and practitioners). Weights were converted to morphine milligram equivalents (MME) per capita and normalised for population. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging ONline Data for Epidemiologic Research provided mortality data for heroin, other opioids, methadone, other synthetic narcotics and other/unspecified narcotics.

Results
There was a sharp 280.13% increase in total MME/person of oxycodone from 2000 to 2010, followed by a slower 54.34% decrease from 2010 to 2021. Florida (2007–2011), Delaware (2003–2020) and Tennessee (2012–2021) displayed consistent and substantial elevations in combined MME/person compared with other states. In the peak year (2010), there was a 15-fold difference between the highest and lowest states. MME/person from only pharmacies, which constituted >94% of the total, showed similar results. Hospitals in Alaska (2000–2001, 2008, 2010–2021), Colorado (2008–2021) and DC (2000–2011) distributed substantially more MME/person over many years compared with other states. Florida stood out in practitioner-distributed oxycodone, with an elevation of almost 15-fold the average state from 2006 to 2010. Opioid-related deaths increased +806% from 2000 to 2021, largely driven by heroin, other opioids and other synthetic narcotics.

Conclusions
Oxycodone distribution across the USA showed marked differences between states and business types over time. Investigation of opioid policies in states of interest may provide insight for future actions to mitigate opioid misuse.

Mantenuti i precedenti profili e introdotti gli incarichi

Objectives
To compare industry payment patterns among US psychiatrists and psychiatric advanced practice clinicians (APCs) and determine how scope of practice laws has influenced these patterns.

Design
Cross-sectional study.

Setting
This study used the publicly available US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Sunshine Act Open Payment database and the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) database for the year 2021.

Participants
All psychiatrists and psychiatric APCs (subdivided into nurse practitioners (NPs) and clinical nurse specialists (CNSs)) included in either database.

Primary and secondary outcome measures
Number and percentage of clinicians receiving industry payments and value of payments received. Total payments and number of transactions by type of payment, payment source and clinician type were also evaluated.

Results
A total of 85 053 psychiatric clinicians (61 011 psychiatrists (71.7%), 21 895 NPs (25.7%), 2147 CNSs (2.5%)) were reviewed; 16 240 (26.6%) psychiatrists received non-research payment from industry, compared with 10 802 (49.3%) NPs and 231 (10.7%) CNSs (p

Objectives
This study sought to determine the prevalence and associated factors of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection ever in life and chronic HBV infection in Armenia.

Design
A population-based cross-sectional seroprevalence study combined with a phone survey of tested individuals.

Setting
All administrative units of Armenia including 10 provinces and capital city Yerevan.

Participants
The study frame was the general adult population of Armenia aged ≥18 years.

Primary and secondary outcome measures
The participants were tested for anti-HBV core antibodies (anti-HBc) and HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) using third-generation enzyme immunoassays. In case of HBsAg positivity, HBV DNA and hepatitis D virus (HDV) RNA PCR tests were performed. Risk factors of HBV infection ever in life (anti-HBc positivity) and chronic HBV infection (HBsAg positivity) were identified through fitting logistic regression models.

Results
The seroprevalence study included 3838 individuals 18 years and older. Of them, 90.7% (3476 individuals) responded to the phone survey. The prevalence of anti-HBc positivity was 14.1% (95% CI 13.1% to 15.2%) and HBsAg positivity 0.8% (95% CI 0.5% to 1.1%). The viral load was over 10 000 IU/mL for 7.9% of HBsAg-positive individuals. None of the participants was positive for HDV. Risk factors for HBsAg positivity included less than secondary education (aOR=6.44; 95% CI 2.2 to 19.1), current smoking (aOR=2.56; 95% CI 1.2 to 5.6), and chronic liver disease (aOR=8.44; 95% CI 3.0 to 23.7). In addition to these, risk factors for anti-HBc positivity included age (aOR=1.04; 95% CI 1.04 to 1.05), imprisonment ever in life (aOR=2.53; 95% CI 1.41 to 4.56), and poor knowledge on infectious diseases (aOR=1.32; 95% CI 1.05 to 1.67), while living in Yerevan (vs provinces) was protective (aOR=0.74; 95% CI 0.59 to 0.93).

Conclusion
This study provided robust estimates of HBV markers among general population of Armenia. Its findings delineated the need to revise HBV testing and treatment strategies considering higher risk population groups, and improve population knowledge on HBV prevention.