The utility of the surprise question by nurses to identify hospitalised older patients nearing the end-of-life and promotion of advance care planning: An interventional study.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To assess the prognostic accuracy of the surprise question (SQ) when used by nurses working in hospital wards to determine 1-year mortality in acutely hospitalised older patients. BACKGROUND: The predictive accuracy of the SQ, when used by general nurses caring for older hospitalised patients, has not been comprehensively studied. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study. METHODS: This cohort study recruited consecutive 10,139 older patients (aged ≥65 years) who were admitted to Taipei City Hospital and were evaluated for the needs of palliative care in 2015. All patients were followed up for 12 months or until their death. The c-statistic value was calculated to indicate the predictive accuracy of the SQ and Palliative Care Screening Tool (PCST). RESULTS: Of all participants, 18.8% and 18.6% had a SQ response of 'no' and a PCST score ≥4, respectively. After controlling for other covariates, an SQ response of 'no' (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 2.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.83-2.31) and a PCST score ≥4 (AHR = 1.50; 95% CI: 1.29-1.75) were found to be the independent predictors for patients' 12-month mortality. The C-statistic values of the SQ and the PCST at recognising patients in their last year of life were .663 and .670, respectively. Moreover, there was moderate concordance (k = .44) between the SQ and the PCST in predicting 12-month mortality. CONCLUSIONS: SQ response of 'no' and a PCST score ≥4 were independent predictors of 12-month mortality in older patients. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The SQ, when used by nurses working in hospital wards, is effective in identifying older patients nearing the end of life, as well as in providing advance care planning for patients. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Patients' palliative care needs at admission were assessed by general nurses using the SQ and PCST.

The association between bedtime and cardiac autonomic control in community-dwelling older adults - The Yilan study, Taiwan.

This study aimed to investigate the association between bedtime and cardiac autonomic function in older adults. This cross-sectional study included community-dwelling older adults aged ≥ 65 years. Self-reported bedtime was categorized as early (< 21:30), intermediate (21:30-22:30), and late (> 22:30). Cardiac autonomic function was evaluated by HRV. The lowest tertiles for each HRV parameter were defined as unhealthy indicators. A total of 3,729 individuals participated, with mean age of 76.3 ± 6.6 years. After controlling for various covariates, late bedtime was associated with a lower risk for unhealthy total power [Odds ratio (OR) = 0.74; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.59-0.93] and low frequency power (OR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.55-0.87) than intermediate bedtime. In contrast, early bedtime was correlated with a higher risk of poor total power (OR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.05-1.45) and high frequency power (OR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.00-1.39). When further specifying sleep duration and physical disability into the regression models, the inverse association between late bedtime and unhealthy HRV remained; however, the association between early bedtime and HRV disappeared. Accordingly, we concluded that in terms of cardiac autonomic function, early bedtime in older adults is not necessarily beneficial for their health outcomes, whereas late bedtime may not be detrimental.Abbreviations: ADL: activity of daily living; BMI: body mass index; CI: confidence interval; GARS: the Groningen Activity Restriction Scale; HADS: The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; HF: high frequency power; HRV: heart rate variability; LF: low frequency power; LF/HF: low frequency to high frequency ratio; OR: odds ratios; TP: total power.

Prescription Patterns of New Use of Fixed-Dose Combination Inhalers in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Long-Acting ß2 Agonists Plus Long-Acting Muscarinic Antagonists versus Long-Acting ß2 Agonists Plus Inhaled Corticosteroids.

Background: The clinical guideline recommends use of long-acting ß2 agonists/long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LABA/LAMA) or long-acting ß2 agonists/inhaled corticosteroids (LABA/ICS) combination therapies for patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The fixed-dose combination (FDC) inhalers of LABA/LAMA and LABA/ICS were reimbursed in Taiwan in 2015 and in 2002, respectively. This study aimed to examine prescription patterns of new use of either FDC therapy in real-world practice. Methods: We identified COPD patients who initiated LABA/LAMA FDC or LABA/ICS FDC between 2015 and 2018 from a population-based Taiwanese database with 2 million, randomly sampled beneficiaries enrolled in a single-payer health insurance system. We compared number of LABA/LAMA FDC and LABA/ICS FDC initiators in each calendar year, from different hospital accreditation levels, and cared for by different physician specialties. We also compared baseline patient characteristics between LABA/LAMA FDC and LABA/ICS FDC initiators. Results: A total of 12,455 COPD patients who initiated LABA/LAMA FDC (n=4019) or LABA/ICS FDC (n=8436) were included. Number of LABA/LAMA FDC initiators increased apparently (n=336 in 2015 versus n=1436 in 2018), but number of LABA/ICS FDC initiators decreased obviously (n=2416 in 2015 versus n=1793 in 2018) over time. The preference of use of LABA/LAMA FDC varied across clinical environments. The proportions of LABA/LAMA FDC initiators were more than 30% in the setting of non-primary care clinics (eg, medical centers) and in the services of chest physicians; but were only less than 10% in primary care clinics and non-chest physicians' services (eg, family medicine physicians). LABA/LAMA FDC initiators appeared to be older, male, to have more comorbidities, and to utilize resources more frequently compared to LABA/ICS FDC initiators. Conclusion: This real-world study found evident temporal trends, variations in healthcare provider, and differences in patient characteristics among COPD patients who initiated LABA/LAMA FDC or LABA/ICS FDC.

Predictors for Early and Late Death in Adult Patients with COVID-19: A Cohort Study.

The timing of death in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) varied by their comorbidities and severity of illness. However, few studies have determined predictors of mortality with respect to the timing of death in infectious patients. This cohort study aimed to identify the factors associated with early and late death in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. From 14 May to 31 July 2021, this study consecutively recruited laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted to Taipei City Hospital. All patients with COVID-19 were followed up until death or discharge from the hospital or till 13 August 2021. Mortality in such patients was categorized as early death (death within the first two weeks of hospitalization) or late death (mortality later than two weeks after hospitalization), based on the timing of death. Multinomial logistic regression was used to determine the factors associated with early and late death among such patients. Of 831 recruited patients, the overall mean age was 59.3 years, and 12.2% died during hospitalization. Of the 101 deceased, 66 (65.3%) and 35 (34.7%) died early and late, respectively. After adjusting for demographics and comorbidities, independent predictors for early death included age ≥ 65 years (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 5.27; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.88-9.65), heart failure (AOR = 10.32; 95% CI: 2.28-46.65), and end-stage renal disease (AOR = 11.97; 95% CI: 3.53-40.55). This study found that two thirds of COVID-19 deaths occurred within two weeks of hospitalization. It suggests that hospitalized patients with COVID-19 should be treated carefully and monitored closely for the progression of clinical conditions during treatment, particularly in older patients and in those with comorbidities.

Multivariate analysis of the factors associated with live births during in vitro fertilisation in Southeast Asia: a cross-sectional study of 104,015 in vitro fertilisation records in Taiwan.

PURPOSE: To investigate the factors associated with live births and the interaction between age and the number of embryos transferred after in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment. METHODS: This study analyses data from a population-based-assisted reproductive database of all registered artificial reproduction institutions (n = 80) from 2010 to 2016 in Taiwan. The probability of a live birth in correlation with the treatment parameters was measured with multivariate logistic regression analyses using the generalised additive model (GAM) and Pearson's chi-square exact test. RESULTS: A total of 104,015 IVF treatments performed between 2010 and 2016 were included in our analysis. From these treatments, 31,467 (30.3%) were successfully delivered, and 40,565 test-tube babies were born. Pearson's chi-square exact test indicated that parents' age, cause of infertility, type of ovarian stimulation, additional assisted reproductive technology techniques, donated egg or sperm, fresh or frozen embryo, presence or absence of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, and day of embryo transfer were significantly associated with live births after an IVF cycle (p < 0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis with the GAM revealed that the odds of a live birth with IVF treatment in patients < 34 years of age were 2.55 times higher than that in patients ≥ 45 years of age (odds ratio = 2.55, 95% confidence interval = 1.69-2.90) for patients who underwent a single-embryo transfer (SET); a similar pattern was observed when two or more embryos were transferred. Egg donation, the assisted hatching technique, oral ovarian stimulation agents, and implantation of frozen embryos during SET were shown to improve the chance of a live birth by 29-90%. Implantation of the embryo after the 5th day of culture yielded the highest odds of a live birth. The interaction plot revealed that maternal age, especially < 40 years, was associated with the probability of a live birth. SET and double-embryo transfer showed similar associations with the probability of a live birth across age groups. Transferring more than two embryos might reduce the probability of a live birth during IVF treatment for women ≥ 40 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: Implanting a greater number of embryos did not improve the age-related decrease in fertility for patients undergoing IVF. Therefore, we suggested that ≤ 2 blastocysts could be transferred during IVF treatments for women ≥ 40 years. Transferring a blastocyst on day 5 of culture was associated with a significant increase in the odds of a live birth resulting from IVF.

Targeting continuity of care and polypharmacy to reduce drug-drug interaction.

Drug-drug interaction (DDI) is common among the elderly, and it can have detrimental effects on patients. However, how DDI can be targeted has been under-researched. This study investigates whether DDI can be reduced by targeting continuity of care (COC) through reducing polypharmacy. Population claims data of Taiwan National Health Insurance were used to conduct a 7-year-long longitudinal study on patients aged ≥ 65 years (n = 2,318,766). Mediation analysis with counterfactual method and a 4-way decomposition of the effect of COC on DDI was conducted. Mediation effect through excessive polypharmacy differed from that through lower-level polypharmacy. Compared with the low COC group, the high COC group demonstrated reduced excess relative risk of DDI by 26% (excess relative risk = - 0.263; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = - 0.263 to - 0.259) to 30% (excess relative risk = - 0.297; 95% CI = - 0.300 to - 0.295) with excessive polypharmacy as the mediator. The risk only reduced by 8% (excess relative risk = - 0.079; 95% CI, - 0.08 to - 0.078) to 10% (excess relative risk = - 0.096; 95% CI, - 0.097 to - 0.095) when the mediator was changed to lower-level polypharmacy. The effect of COC on DDI was mediated by polypharmacy, and the mediation effect was higher with excessive polypharmacy. Therefore, to reduce DDI in the elderly population, different policy interventions should be designed by considering polypharmacy levels to maximize the positive effect of COC on DDI.

Impact of a routine neurosurgical dispatch on emergency air medical transport and outcome of patients with intracranial hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Emergency air medical transport (EAMT) of patients in remote areas with neurological emergencies to higher-level facilities is an integral part of the regionalized healthcare system. EAMT is safe and feasible for head injuries. Debates persist on the high cost, safety, and risk of EAMT, thereby calling for alternatives. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study by including all patients with intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) who visited the Kinmen Hospital from January 2006 to December 2016. Routine neurosurgical dispatch (RNSD) implemented since 2009, dispatches neurosurgeons to Kinmen. EAMT and 90-day mortality were assessed. RESULTS: We enrolled 560 patients: 173 pre-stage and 387 post-stage. RNSD resulted in less EAMT deployment ([adjusted odds ratio AOR] = 0·23, p < 0·001) and lower 90-day mortality ([adjusted hazard ratio AHR] 0·66, p = 0·043). RNSD resulted in decreased EAMT among all subgroups, especially in age ≥81 years (AOR 0.03, p < 0.001), age 41-60 years (AOR 0.10, p < 0.001), traumatic intracranial hemorrhage (TICH) (AOR 0·11, p < 0·001), and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) 9-12 (AOR 0.14, p 0.001). The risk of 90-day mortality was higher in male (AHR 1.81, p = 0·006), GCS 3-8 (AHR 35.52, p < 0·001) and GCS 9-12 (AHR 7.46, p < 0·01) and lower in age 21-40 years (AHR 0.46, p = 0.034). CONCLUSION: Incorporating RNSD with EAMT is a plausible alternative to EAMT with a significant decrease in EAMT and decreased 90-day mortality in patients with ICH compared with non-neurosurgical care with EAMT. Despite a 34% decrease in 90-day mortality after RNSD, patient characteristics such as disease severity, age, and sex still dictated patient outcomes.

Association of HIV Infection and Antiretroviral Therapy With Sudden Cardiac Death.

BACKGROUND: HIV infection potentially increases coronary artery disease and heart failure risks. However, the association between HIV infection and sudden cardiac death (SCD) has not been extensively studied. This nationwide cohort study aimed to determine SCD risks in Taiwanese patients with and without HIV infection. METHODS: Adult people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) since January 1, 2003, were identified from the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control HIV surveillance system. HIV-infected individuals were defined as positive HIV-1 Western blot. A control cohort without HIV infection, matched for age and sex, was selected for comparison from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. All patients were followed up until SCD, mortality for another cause, or till December 31, 2014. A time-dependent Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine the association of HIV and antiretroviral therapy (ART) with SCD. RESULTS: During a mean 5.86-year follow-up, 5342 (4.40%) of 121,530 patients (24,306 PLWHA and 97,224 matched controls) died; among them, 150 (0.12%) died of SCD. Among 150 SCD events, 97 (64.7%) and 53 (33.3%) occurred in PLWHA and controls, respectively, which corresponded to incidences of 68.31 in PLWHA and 9.31 per 100,000 person-years in controls (P < 0.001). After adjusting for age, sex, and comorbidities, HIV infection was an independent risk factor for SCD (adjusted hazard ratio, 8.15; 95% confidence interval: 5.58 to 11.90). SCD incidence was significantly lower in PLWHA receiving ART (adjusted hazard ratio 0.53; 95% confidence interval: 0.32 to 0.87). CONCLUSIONS: HIV infection is an independent risk factor for SCD. SCD rates are low in PLWHA receiving ART.

Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease: A Nationwide Observational Cohort Study.

Alcohol consumption is a significant public health issue worldwide. The rat model and epidemiological studies have both reported conflicting results about the effects of alcohol on the kidneys. We aimed to explore the relationships between alcohol consumption and chronic kidney disease. Data from the National Health Interview Survey, the National Health Insurance research database, and the National Deaths Dataset were used. Standardized in-person interviews were executed in 2001, 2005, and 2009 to obtain the demographic characteristics of study population. The participants were followed up until 2013. The primary outcome was new-onset chronic kidney disease. We analyzed 45,200 adults older than 18 years (50.8% men and 49.2% women), and the overall mean (SD) age was 42.73 (16.64) years. During the 8.5 (3.5) years of follow-up, new-onset chronic kidney disease was recognized in 1535 (5.5%), 292 (2.7%), and 317 (4.9%) non-drinking, social-drinking, and regular-drinking participants, respectively. The participants who were social and regular drinkers had a significantly decreased risk of chronic kidney disease incidence (social drinking: adjusted hazard ratio (HR), 0.85; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.74-0.97; p = 0.018; regular-drinking: AHR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.74-0.98; p = 0.024), with baseline demographics and comorbidities adjusted. In conclusion, social and regular drinkers had decreased risk of chronic kidney disease when compared with non-drinkers.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus Increases the Risk of Incident Heart Failure.

BACKGROUND: Although the HIV can cause myocardial inflammation, the association of HIV infection with subsequent development of heart failure (HF) has not been extensively studied. This nationwide cohort study aimed to determine the risk of incident HF in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). METHODS: We identified PLWHA using the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control and Prevention HIV Surveillance System. An age- and sex-matched control group without HIV infection was selected from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database for comparison. All patients were followed up until December 2014 and were observed for a new diagnosis of HF. A time-dependent Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine the association of HIV and highly active antiretroviral therapy with incident HF, with death as a competing risk event. RESULTS: Of the 120,765 patients (24,153 PLWHA and 96,612 matched controls), 641 (0.53%) had incident HF during a mean follow-up period of 5.84 years, including 192 (0.79%) PLWHA and 449 (0.46%) controls. Time to diagnosis of incident HF was significantly shorter in PLWHA than in those without HIV infection (P < 0.001, the log-rank test). After adjusting for age, sex, and comorbidities, HIV infection was found to be an independent risk factor for incident HF (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.52; 95% confidence interval: 1.27 to 1.82). As the duration of highly active antiretroviral therapy increased, the risk of HF decreased (P = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: HIV infection was an independent risk factor for incident HF. Clinicians need to be aware of the higher risk of HF in PLWHA.

Association of Body Mass Index With Tuberculosis Mortality: A Population-Based Follow-Up Study.

Evidence regarding the association between body mass index (BMI) and mortality in TB patients is limited and inconsistent. We investigated the effect of BMI on TB-specific and non-TB-specific mortality in TB patients. All adult Taiwanese with TB in Taipei, Taiwan, during 2011 to 2012 were included in this retrospective cohort study. Multinomial logistic regression was used to evaluate associations of BMI with cause of death in TB patients. Of the 1608 eligible patients, 83.6% (1345) were successfully treated, 3.3% (53) died of TB-specific causes, and 13.1% (210) died of non-TB-specific causes. Mean age was 64.6 years, and 67.5% of patients were male. After controlling for potential confounders, underweight was significantly associated with higher risks of all-cause mortality (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.66; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21-2.30), TB-specific mortality (AOR, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.18-3.89), and non-TB-specific mortality (AOR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.11-2.25) during TB treatment, while overweight was not. When gender differences on the association of BMI with mortality were considered, underweight only significantly increased risks of TB-specific (AOR, 2.37; 95% CI, 1.19-4.72) and non-TB-specific mortality (AOR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.05-2.37) during treatment in male patients, but not female subjects.T he present findings indicate that underweight was associated with higher risks of TB-specific and non-TB-specific mortality during TB treatment, particularly in male patients.

Cluster analysis of medical service resources at district hospitals in Taiwan, 2007-2011.

BACKGROUND: A vast amount of the annual/national budget has been spent on the National Health Insurance program in Taiwan. However, the market for district hospitals has become increasingly competitive, and district hospitals are under pressure to optimize the use of health service resources. Therefore, we employed a clustering method to explore variations in input and output service volumes, and investigate resource allocation and health care service efficiency in district hospitals. METHODS: Descriptive and cluster analyses were conducted to examine the district hospitals included in the Ministry of Health and Welfare database during 2007-2011. RESULTS: The results, according to the types of hospital ownership, suggested that the number of public hospitals has decreased and that of private hospitals increased; the largest increase in the number of district hospitals occurred when Taichung City was merged into Taichung County. The descriptive statistics from 2007 to 2011 indicated that 43% and 36.4% of the hospitals had 501-800 occupied beds and 101-200 physicians, respectively, and > 401 medical staff members. However, the number of outpatients and discharged patients exceeded 6001 and 90,001, respectively. In addition, the highest percentage of hospitals (43.9%) had 30,001-60,000 emergency department patients. In 2010, the number of patients varied widely, and the analysis of variance cluster results were nonsignificant (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: District hospitals belonging to low-throughput and low-performance groups were encouraged to improve resource utilization for enhancing health care service efficiency.

Association of pulmonary tuberculosis and ethambutol with incident depressive disorder: a nationwide, population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory responses from chronic infection might affect the brain and increase the risk of depressive disorder. However, the temporal association between chronic infection (eg, tuberculosis [TB]) and incident depressive disorder has not been prospectively evaluated. OBJECTIVE: To determine the association of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and anti-TB drugs with incident depressive disorder (ICD-9-CM codes 296.2x-296.3x, 300.4, and 311.x). METHOD: From January 1, 2000, we identified adult patients with PTB from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. A control cohort without PTB, matched for age (± 5 years), sex, comorbidities, and income level, was selected for comparison. The 2 cohorts were followed until December 31, 2011, and observed for occurrence of depressive disorder. RESULTS: Of the 23,145 patients (4,629 study patients and 18,516 matched controls), 302 (1.3%) had depressive disorder during a mean follow-up period of 6.53 years, including 79 study patients (1.71%) and 223 controls (1.20%). After adjusting for age, sex, comorbidities, and income level in the Cox proportional hazards model, PTB was found to be an independent risk factor of incident depressive disorder (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.74; 95% CI, 1.35-2.25). The risk of incident depressive disorder was significantly higher (adjusted HR, 2.54; 95% CI, 1.19-5.45) in patients with TB who received more than 60 defined daily doses (DDDs) of ethambutol, and the effect was dose-dependent. CONCLUSIONS: PTB patients had a higher risk of incident depressive disorder, particular in those with an ethambutol dose of more than 60 DDDs. Depressive disorder should be sought in patients following tuberculosis.

Factors associated with health-related quality of life among injection drug users at methadone clinics in Taipei, Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is widely used as an indicator of health status. However, few studies have examined predictors of HRQOL among injection drug users (IDUs). We investigated factors associated with HRQOL among IDUs in Taiwan. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, recruited IDUs completed an HRQOL-related interview at methadone clinics in Taipei during 2012-2013. Multiple linear regression was used to identify factors associated with HRQOL. RESULTS: Of 802 eligible participants, 85.4% were male; mean (SD) age was 44.7 (8.7) years. Mean scores for physical, psychological, social, and environmental HRQOL were 13.2, 11.8, 12.5, and 12.5, respectively. In multivariate analysis, social support was significantly associated with better HRQOL in all domains (ß = 0.56, 0.87, 0.83, and 0.64, respectively), while obtaining most income from temporary jobs or other noncriminal sources was significantly associated with worse HRQOL in all domains (ß = -1.00, -1.03, -1.15, and -1.22, respectively). Receiving methadone treatment was associated with good physical and psychological HRQOL (ß = 1.47 and 0.79, respectively), while history of drug overdose (ß = -0.40 and -0.53, respectively), history of cutaneous abscess (ß = -0.45 and -0.53, respectively), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positivity (ß = -0.41 and -0.58, respectively) were associated with lower physical and psychological HRQOL. Male sex (ß = -0.64 and -0.70, respectively) and a greater number of incarcerations (ß = -0.11 and -0.12, respectively) were associated with poor social and environmental HRQOL. CONCLUSION: Poor HRQOL was associated with a number of factors among IDUs at methadone clinics in Taipei, Taiwan. To improve HRQOL in this population, future programs should focus on IDUs with a history of drug overdose. In addition, methadone programs and social support should be integrated to improve HRQOL among this socially marginalized population.

Prevalence and factors associated with HIV infection among injection drug users at methadone clinics in Taipei, Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Methadone treatment was introduced in Taiwan in 2006 as a harm-reduction program for injection drug users (IDUs), among whom HIV was endemic. We examined the association of HIV serostatus with demographic characteristics, substance use, and sexual behaviors among IDUs at methadone clinics in Taipei, Taiwan. METHODS: During 2012-2013, IDUs at methadone clinics in Taipei were recruited to complete a risk assessment interview and undergo serologic testing for HIV infection. Correlates of HIV infection were identified by multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Of the 827 eligible participants, 85.9% were male, median age was 45 years, and mean years of injecting was 18.0 (range 1-56). The prevalence of HIV infection was 17.7%. In multivariate analysis, HIV infection was significantly associated with age ≤ 45 years (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.62, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-2.62), being divorced (AOR = 1.67, 95% CI 1.06-2.62), deriving the majority of income during the previous 6 months from temporary jobs or other noncriminal sources (AOR = 1.53, 95% CI 1.02-2.30), unstable housing during the previous 6 months (AOR = 1.47, 95% CI 1.003-2.15), higher number of incarcerations (AOR = 1.14, 95% CI 1.03-1.26), and a history of overdose (AOR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.01-2.28). CONCLUSIONS: Taiwanese IDUs at methadone clinics have a relatively high HIV prevalence, which was associated with younger age and history of overdose. It is imperative to educate IDUs' about HIV transmission, particularly for the younger and overdosed IDUs.

Directly observed therapy reduces tuberculosis-specific mortality: a population-based follow-up study in Taipei, Taiwan.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of directly observed therapy (DOT) on tuberculosis-specific mortality and non-TB-specific mortality and identify prognostic factors associated with mortality among adults with culture-positive pulmonary TB (PTB). METHODS: All adult Taiwanese with PTB in Taipei, Taiwan were included in a retrospective cohort study in 2006-2010. Backward stepwise multinomial logistic regression was used to identify risk factors associated with each mortality outcome. RESULTS: Mean age of the 3,487 patients was 64.2 years and 70.4% were male. Among 2471 patients on DOT, 4.2% (105) died of TB-specific causes and 15.4% (381) died of non-TB-specific causes. Among 1016 patients on SAT, 4.4% (45) died of TB-specific causes and 11.8% (120) died of non-TB-specific causes. , After adjustment for potential confounders, the odds ratio for TB-specific mortality was 0.45 (95% CI: 0.30-0.69) among patients treated with DOT as compared with those on self-administered treatment. Independent predictors of TB-specific and non-TB-specific mortality included older age (ie, 65-79 and ≥80 years vs. 18-49 years), being unemployed, a positive sputum smear for acid-fast bacilli, and TB notification from a general ward or intensive care unit (reference: outpatient services). Male sex, end-stage renal disease requiring dialysis, malignancy, and pleural effusion on chest radiography were associated with increased risk of non-TB-specific mortality, while presence of lung cavities on chest radiography was associated with lower risk. CONCLUSIONS: DOT reduced TB-specific mortality by 55% among patients with PTB, after controlling for confounders. DOT should be given to all TB patients to further reduce TB-specific mortality.

Prevalences and associated risk factors of HCV/HIV co-infection and HCV mono-infection among injecting drug users in a methadone maintenance treatment program in Taipei, Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Injecting drug users (IDUs) in Taiwan contributed significantly to an HIV/AIDS epidemic in 2005. In addition, studies that identified risk factors of HCV/HIV co-infection among IDUs were sparse. This study aimed to identify risk factors of HCV/HIV co-infection and HCV mono-infection, as compared with seronegativity, among injecting drug users (IDUs) at a large methadone maintenance treatment program (MMTP) in Taipei, Taiwan. METHODS: Data from enrollment interviews and HCV and HIV testing completed by IDUs upon admission to the Taipei City Hospital MMTP from 2006-2010 were included in this cross-sectional analysis. HCV and HIV testing was repeated among re-enrollees whose HCV or HIV test results were negative at the preceding enrollment. Backward stepwise multinomial logistic regression was used to identify risk factors associated with HCV/HIV co-infection and HCV mono-infection. RESULTS: Of the 1,447 IDUs enrolled, the prevalences of HCV/HIV co-infection, HCV mono-infection, and HIV mono-infection were 13.1%, 78.0%, and 0.4%, respectively. In backward stepwise multinomial regression analysis, after controlling for potential confounders, syringe sharing in the 6 months before MMTP enrollment was significantly positively associated with HCV/HIV co-infection (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=27.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] 13.30-57.76). Incarceration was also significantly positively associated with HCV/HIV co-infection (AOR=2.01, 95% CI 1.71-2.37) and HCV mono-infection (AOR=1.77, 95% CI 1.52-2.06), whereas smoking amphetamine in the 6 months before MMTP enrollment was significantly inversely associated with HCV/HIV co-infection (AOR=0.44, 95% CI 0.25-0.76) and HCV mono-infection (AOR=0.49, 95% CI 0.32-0.75). HCV seroincidence was 45.25/100 person-years at risk (PYAR; 95% CI 24.74-75.92/100 PYAR) and HIV seroincidence was 0.53/100 PYAR (95% CI 0.06-1.91/100 PYAR) among re-enrolled IDUs who were HCV- or HIV-negative at the preceding enrollment. CONCLUSIONS: IDUs enrolled in Taipei MMTPs had very high prevalences of HCV/HIV co-infection and HCV mono-infection. Interventions such as expansion of syringe exchange programs and education regarding HCV/HIV prevention should be implemented for this high-risk group of drug users.

Risk factors for unfavorable outcome of pulmonary tuberculosis in adults in Taipei, Taiwan.

This study was undertaken to identify factors associated with unfavorable outcomes in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in Taipei, Taiwan in 2007-2008. Taiwanese adults with culture-positive PTB diagnosed in Taipei during the study period were included in this retrospective cohort study. Unfavorable outcomes were classified as treatment default, death, treatment failure, or transfer. Of 1616 eligible patients, 22.6% (365) had unfavorable outcomes, mainly death. After controlling for patient sociodemographic factors, clinical findings, and underlying disease, independent risk factors for unfavorable outcomes included advanced age, unemployment, end-stage renal disease requiring dialysis, malignancy, acid-fast bacilius smear-positivity, multidrug-resistant TB, and notification from ordinary ward or intensive care unit. In contrast, patients receiving directly observed treatment, and with a high school or higher education were significantly less likely to have unfavorable outcomes. This study advanced our understanding by revealing that a high school or higher education might lower the risk of an unfavorable outcome. Our results also confirmed the risk factors for unfavorable outcomes shown in previous research. Future TB control programmes in Taiwan should target particularly high-risk patients including those who had lower educational levels.

An innovative participatory method for newly democratic societies: The "civic groups forum" on national health insurance reform in Taiwan.

Echoing the advocates of deliberative methods sensitive to specific socio-political contexts, we designed the "civic groups forum" method and tested it in 2003 in Taiwan. Our goals were to design a participatory method that suited newly democratic countries and to engage people in discussing national health insurance premium reform in Taiwan. This innovative forum emphasized: (1) civic groups as the participants and (2) engaging a moderate number of participants. We combined and modified the methods of the consensus conference and deliberative polling to design the civic groups forum. Comprehensible reading materials, expert lectures, expert testimony, and group discussions were provided to enhance deliberative discussion of policy issues. A total of 74 group representatives from four types of civic groups-health care provider associations, labor unions, social welfare organizations, and patient organizations-participated. We conducted a before-and-after comparison to evaluate the method, using a self-administered questionnaire to collect data on participants' policy preferences, National Health Insurance policy literacy, comments, and socio-demographic characteristics. We also used in-depth interviews and participant observation to collect complementary information. After the forum, the social welfare and the patient organizations showed increased deliberation skills, empowerment, and confidence in policy involvement compared to the health care provider associations and the labor unions. We also found that when participants are civic group representatives, it is suitable to design an open-structured, early involvement, and participant-controlled format.