The impact of organisational characteristics of staff and facility on infectious disease outbreaks in care homes: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Infectious disease outbreaks are common in care homes, often with substantial impact on the rates of infection and mortality of the residents, who primarily are older people vulnerable to infections. There is growing evidence that organisational characteristics of staff and facility might play a role in infectious disease outbreaks however such evidence have not previously been systematically reviewed. Therefore, this systematic review aims to examine the impact of facility and staff characteristics on the risk of infectious disease outbreaks in care homes. METHODS: Five databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, ProQuest, Web of Science, CINAHL) were searched. Studies considered for inclusion were of any design reporting on an outbreak of any infectious disease in one or more care homes providing care for primarily older people with original data on: facility size, facility location (urban/rural), facility design, use of temporary hired staff, staff compartmentalizing, residence of staff, and/or nursing aides hours per resident. Retrieved studies were screened, assessed for quality using CASP, and analysed employing a narrative synthesis. RESULTS: Sixteen studies (8 cohort studies, 6 cross-sectional studies, 2 case-control) were included from the search which generated 10,424 unique records. COVID-19 was the most commonly reported cause of outbreak (n = 11). The other studies focused on influenza, respiratory and gastrointestinal outbreaks. Most studies reported on the impact of facility size (n = 11) followed by facility design (n = 4), use of temporary hired staff (n = 3), facility location (n = 2), staff compartmentalizing (n = 2), nurse aides hours (n = 2) and residence of staff (n = 1). Findings suggest that urban location and larger facility size may be associated with greater risks of an infectious disease outbreak. Additionally, the risk of a larger outbreak seems lower in larger facilities. Whilst staff compartmentalizing may be associated with lower risk of an outbreak, staff residing in highly infected areas may be associated with greater risk of outbreak. The influence of facility design, use of temporary staff, and nurse aides hours remains unclear. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review suggests that larger facilities have greater risks of infectious disease outbreaks, yet the risk of a larger outbreak seems lower in larger facilities. Due to lack of robust findings the impact of facility and staff characteristics on infectious disease outbreaks remain largely unknown. PROSPERO: CRD42020213585 .

How do macro-level structural determinants affect inequalities in mental health? - a systematic review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: In Europe and elsewhere there is rising concern about inequality in health and increased prevalence of mental ill-health. Structural determinants such as welfare state arrangements may impact on levels of mental health and social inequalities. This systematic review aims to assess the current evidence on whether structural determinants are associated with inequalities in mental health outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of quantitative studies published between 1996 and 2017 based on search results from the following databases Medline, Embase, PsychInfo, Web of Science, Sociological Abstracts and Eric. Studies were included if they focused on inequalities (measured by socio-economic position and gender), structural determinants (i.e. public policies affecting the whole population) and showed a change or comparison in mental health status in one (or more) of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. All studies were assessed for inclusion and study quality by two independent reviewers. Data were extracted and synthesised using narrative analysis. RESULTS: Twenty-one articles (17 studies) met the inclusion criteria. Studies were heterogeneous with regards to methodology, mental health outcomes and policy settings. More comprehensive and gender inclusive welfare states (e.g. Nordic welfare states) had better mental health outcomes, especially for women, and less gender-related inequality. Nordic welfare regimes may also decrease inequalities between lone and couple mothers. A strong welfare state does not buffer against socio-economic inequalities in mental health outcomes. Austerity measures tended to worsen mental health and increase inequalities. Area-based initiatives and educational policy are understudied. CONCLUSION: Although the literature on structural determinants and inequalities in mental health is limited, our review shows some evidence supporting the causal effects of structural determinants on mental health inequalities. The lack of evidence should not be interpreted as lack of effect. Future studies should apply innovative methods to overcome the inherent methodological challenges in this area, as structural determinants potentially affect both levels of mental health and social inequalities.

Socioeconomic inequalities in mortality in 16 European cities.

AIMS: To explore inequalities in total mortality between small areas of 16 European cities for men and women, as well as to analyse the relationship between these geographical inequalities and their socioeconomic indicators. METHODS: A cross-sectional ecological design was used to analyse small areas in 16 European cities (26,229,104 inhabitants). Most cities had mortality data for a period between 2000 and 2008 and population size data for the same period. Socioeconomic indicators included an index of socioeconomic deprivation, unemployment, and educational level. We estimated standardised mortality ratios and controlled for their variability using Bayesian models. We estimated relative risk of mortality and excess number of deaths according to socioeconomic indicators. RESULTS: We observed a consistent pattern of inequality in mortality in almost all cities, with mortality increasing in parallel with socioeconomic deprivation. Socioeconomic inequalities in mortality were more pronounced for men than women, and relative inequalities were greater in Eastern and Northern European cities, and lower in some Western (men) and Southern (women) European cities. The pattern of excess number of deaths was slightly different, with greater inequality in some Western and Northern European cities and also in Budapest, and lower among women in Madrid and Barcelona. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we report a consistent pattern of socioeconomic inequalities in mortality in 16 European cities. Future studies should further explore specific causes of death, in order to determine whether the general pattern observed is consistent for each cause of death.

The influence of sociodemographic factors and close relatives at hospital discharge and post hospital care of older people with complex care needs: nurses' perceptions on health inequity in three Nordic cities.

Hospital discharge of older people in need of both medical and social care following their hospital stay requires extensive coordination. This study aims to examine and compare the views of nurses in three Nordic cities on the influence of sociodemographic factors and having close relatives, for the hospital discharge and post hospital care of older people with complex health and social care needs. Thirty-five semi-structured interviews (Copenhagen n = 11, Tampere n = 8, Stockholm n = 16) with nurses were conducted. The nurses were identified through the researchers' networks, invitation and snowball sampling, and recruited from hospitals, primary care practices, home care units, home nursing units, and geriatric departments. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Interpretations were discussed and agreed within the team. Four main themes and 13 sub-themes were identified. Across the cities, informants reported that the patient's health status, rather than their gender or ethnicity, steered the discharge date and further care. Care costs, commonly reported in Tampere but also in Copenhagen and Stockholm including costs for medications and home help, were considered barriers for disadvantaged older people. Home situation, local arrangements and differences in collaboration between healthcare professionals at different sites also influenced the hospital discharge. Generally, the patient's health status steered the hospital discharge and post-hospital care. Close relatives were regarded important and a potential advantage. Some informants tried to compensate for the absence of close relatives, highlighting the importance of care systems that can compensate for this to minimise avoidable inequity. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10433-022-00701-6.

Family member-based supervision of patients with hypertension: a cluster randomized trial in rural China.

Empirical evidence has suggested that social support from family can help patients take their medicines correctly. This study aims to evaluate the role of a family member-based supervision package in the management of hypertension using a cluster randomized trial in rural China. We recruited patients with hypertension from four villages in Yangzhong and randomly allocated them to the control group (n=288) and the intervention group (n=266). A family member-based supervision package was applied to the intervention group, while the usual service was applied to the controls. Patients were followed for 12 months and completed face-to-face interviews at the end of 6 and 12 months. The primary outcomes were patients' medication adherence and frequency of blood pressure measurement. Secondary outcomes included changes in blood pressure, altered risk behaviours and occurrence of hypertension-related complications. To control for the effects of cluster randomization, multilevel mixed-effects regression models were used to compare group changes. We observed that the intervention improved patients' blood pressure measurement frequency (OR: 9.00, 95% CI: 4.52-17.91) and adherence to antihypertensive treatment (OR: 1.74, 95% CI: 0.91-3.32). Its effect on the blood pressure control rate was significant at the mid-term investigation (OR: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.40-0.93), but the long-term effect was not significant (OR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.64-1.26). After 6 months of intervention, either systolic or diastolic blood pressure was significantly decreased in the intervention group. However, this difference was not significant at the final investigation. Findings from this study revealed that the family member-based supervised therapy may have positive effects on patients' adherence to blood monitoring and hypertensive medications.

Inequalities in under-five mortality in Mozambique: differentials by region of residence and ethnic affiliation of the mother.

OBJECTIVE: To explore regional and ethnic differentials in under-five mortality in Mozambique in relation to other determinants. DESIGN: Retrospective follow-up study. SETTING: Mozambique. RESULTS: Compared to children of Xitsonga mother's, children of Emakua and Cisena mother's had a mortality risk of 1.47 (CI = 1.06-1.90) and 1.21 (CI = 1.00-1.62) respectively. The excess mortality risks were partly explained by demographic, household environment, socioeconomic factors including region of residence. CONCLUSION: Ethnic affiliation of the mother (measured by the first language the mother spoke) was statistically associated with under-five mortality in Mozambique. Children of mothers of Emakua and Cisena ethnic affiliations and living in the North and Central regions had the worst survival chances. The relation between mother's ethnicity and under-five mortality was largely explained by demographic, socioeconomic and environmental factors.

Validity of measles mortality data using hospital registers and community surveys.

BACKGROUND: Case-fatality rates (CFR) for measles cases have previously been reported to be higher in hospital than in community studies. METHODS: Data on measles morbidity and mortality obtained in community investigations of measles outbreaks in two rural districts in Kenya were compared to data from the same time period on measles morbidity and mortality in children hospitalized with measles in the respective district hospitals. RESULTS: The CFR were found to be considerably lower in the respective district hospitals, 1.7 and 2.1%, than in the community surveys, 8.0% and 9.4%, respectively (relative risk [RR] 0.17, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.10-0.30, and RR = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.05-0.81). CONCLUSIONS: Hospital-based studies of the CFR in measles infection are not representative of measles mortality in the community. It may be misleading to use hospital data in measles control surveillance systems. Further studies are needed of the mortality after discharge of hospitalized measles cases.

Self rated health: Is it as good a predictor of subsequent mortality among adults in lower as well as in higher social classes?

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To analyse the predictive power of self rated health for mortality in different socioeconomic groups. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS: Analysis of mortality rates and risk ratios of death during follow up among 170 223 respondents aged 16 years and above in the Swedish Survey of Living Conditions 1975-1997, in relation to self rated health stated at the interview, by age, sex, socioeconomic group, chronic illness and over time. MAIN RESULTS: There was a strong relation between poor self rated health and mortality, greater at younger ages, similar among men and women and among persons with and without a chronic illness. The relative relation between self rated health and subsequent death was stronger in higher than in lower socioeconomic groups, possibly because of the lower base mortality of these groups. However, the absolute mortality risk differences between persons reporting poor and good self rated health were similar across socioeconomic groups within each sex. The mortality risk difference between persons reporting poor and good self rated health was considerably higher among persons with a chronic illness than among persons without a chronic illness. The mortality risk among persons reporting poor health was increased for shorter (<2 years) as well as longer (10+ years) periods of follow up. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that poor self rated health is a strong predictor of subsequent mortality in all subgroups studied, and that self rated health therefore may be a useful outcome measure.

Class differences in the social consequences of illness?

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To investigate adverse social consequences of limiting longstanding illness and the modifying effect of socioeconomic position on these consequences. DESIGN: Cohort study on the panel within the annual Swedish Survey of Living Conditions where participants were interviewed twice with eight years interval 1979-89 and 1986-97. Sociodemographic characteristics, self reported longstanding illness, employment situation and financial conditions were measured at baseline. Social consequences (economic inactivity, unemployment, financial difficulties) of limiting longstanding illness were measured at follow up eight years later. SETTING: National sample for Sweden during a period that partly was characterised by high unemployment and reduction in insurance benefits. PARTICIPANTS: PARTICIPANTS were 13 855 men and women, economically active, not unemployed, without financial difficulties at the first interview and aged 25-64 years at the follow up. MAIN RESULTS: Persons with limiting longstanding illness had a higher risk of adverse social consequences than persons without illness. The effect was modified by socioeconomic position only for labour market exclusion while the effects on unemployment and financial difficulties were equal across socioeconomic groups. CONCLUSIONS: Labour market policies as well as income maintenance policies that deal with social and economical consequences of longstanding illness are important elements of programmes to tackle inequalities in health. Rehabilitation within health care has a similar important part to play in this.

Lone mothers in Sweden: trends in health and socioeconomic circumstances, 1979-1995.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To study trends in the health and socioeconomic circumstances of lone mothers in Sweden over the years 1979-1995, and to make comparisons with couple mothers over the same period. DESIGN: Analysis of data from the annual Survey of Living Conditions (ULF), conducted by Statistics Sweden from 1979-1995. Comparison of demographic, socioeconomic and health status of lone and couple mothers and how these have varied over the 17 years of the study. Main outcome measures include prevalence of self perceived general health and limiting longstanding illness. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: All lone mothers (n = 2776) and couple mothers (n = 16,935) aged 16 to 64 years in a random sample of the Swedish population in a series of cross sectional surveys carried out each year between 1979 and 1995. MAIN RESULTS: The socioeconomic conditions of lone mothers deteriorated during the period 1979-1995, with increasing unemployment and poverty rates. Lone mothers had worse health status than couple mothers throughout the period. In comparison with the first two periods, the prevalence of less than good health increased among both lone and couple mothers from the late 1980s onwards. For lone and couple mothers who were poor, their rates of less than good health were similar in the early 1980s, but in 1992-95 poor lone mothers were significantly more likely to report less than good health than poor couple mothers. Unemployed lone mothers had particularly high rates of ill health throughout the study period. CONCLUSIONS: As in other European countries, lone mothers are emerging as a vulnerable group in society in Sweden, especially in the economic climate of the 1990's. While they had very low rates of poverty and high employment rates in the 1980s, their situation has deteriorated with the economic recession of the 1990's. The health status of lone mothers, particularly those who are unemployed or poor, appears worse than that of couple mothers and in some circumstances may be deteriorating. Further study is needed to elucidate the mechanisms mediating their health disadvantage compared with couple mothers.

The role of income differences in explaining social inequalities in self rated health in Sweden and Britain.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To analyse to what extent differences in income, using two distinct measures-as distribution across quintiles and poverty-explain social inequalities in self rated health, for men and women, in Sweden and Britain. DESIGN: Series of cross sectional surveys, the Swedish Survey of Living Conditions (ULF) and the British General Household Survey (GHS), during the period 1992-95. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Swedish and British men and women aged 25-64 years. Approximately 4000 Swedes and 12 500 Britons are interviewed each year in the cross sectional studies used. The sample contains 15 766 people in the Swedish dataset and 49 604 people in the British dataset. MAIN RESULTS: The magnitude of social inequalities in less than good self rated health was similar in Sweden and in Britain, but adjusting for income differences explained a greater part of these in Britain than in Sweden. In Britain the distribution across income quintiles explained 47% of the social inequalities in self rated health among women and 31% among men, while in Sweden it explained, for women 13% and for men 20%. Poverty explained 22% for British women and 8% for British men of the social inequalities in self rated health, while in Sweden poverty explained much less (men 2.5% and women 0%). CONCLUSIONS: The magnitude of social inequalities in self rated health was similar in Sweden and in Britain. However, the distribution of income across occupational social classes explains a larger part of these inequalities in Britain than in Sweden. One reason for this may be the differential exposure to low income and poverty in the two countries.

Social policies and the pathways to inequalities in health: a comparative analysis of lone mothers in Britain and Sweden.

The aim of this study is to contribute to the emerging field of health inequalities impact assessment. It develops further a conceptual framework that encompasses the policy context as well as the pathways leading from social position to inequalities in health. It then uses this framework for a comparative analysis of social policies and their points of potential impact on the pathways leading from lone motherhood to ill health in Britain and Sweden. The British General Household Survey and the Swedish Survey of Living Conditions are analysed for the 17 years from 1979 to 1995/96. First, the results show that the health of lone mothers is poor in Sweden as well as in Britain and, most notably, that the magnitude of the differential between lone and couple mothers is of a similar order in Sweden as in Britain. This is despite the more favourable social policies in Sweden, which our results indicate have protected lone mothers from poverty and insecurity in the labour market to a much greater degree than the equivalent British policies over the 1980s and 1990s. Second, the pathways leading to the observed health disadvantage of lone mothers appear to be very different in the two countries in relation to the identified policy entry points. Overall, in Britain, around 50% of the health disadvantage of lone mothers is accounted for by the mediating factors of poverty and joblessness, whereas in Sweden these factors only account for between 3% and 13% of the health gap. The final section discusses the implications of the findings for future policy intervention and research in the two countries.

Inequality in the social consequences of illness: how well do people with long-term illness fare in the British and Swedish labor markets?

The demand for unskilled labor has collapsed across industrialized societies, including Britain and Sweden, and rates of unemployment and economic inactivity have increased. The result is a reduction in total employment, primarily among men. These trends could be expected to hit particularly hard those people with chronic illness. The study tests two opposing hypotheses: (1) the increasingly flexible, deregulated labor market in Britain would result in an increased number of new jobs, and thus better employment opportunities for unskilled workers, including those with chronic illness; (2) the more regulated labor market in Sweden, with the associated health and social policies, would provide greater opportunities for jobs and job security for workers with chronic illness. Analysis of data on men from the British General Household Survey and the Swedish Survey of Living Conditions, 1979-1995, showed that employment rates were higher and rates of unemployment and economic inactivity were lower in Sweden than in Britain, and the differences in these rates across socioeconomic groups and between those with and without chronic illness were smaller in Sweden. The results support the hypothesis that active labor market policies and employment protection may increase the opportunities for people with chronic illness to remain in work.

Contribution of household environment factors to urban childhood mortality in Mozambique.

OBJECTIVES: Household environment factors are known to be associated with child mortality in urban and rural areas of many developing countries. In Mozambique, no study to date has addressed this relationship. This study is aimed to access the contribution of household environment factors to urban childhood mortality in Mozambique. DESIGN: Retrospective follow-up study. SETTING: Urban Mozambique. SUBJECTS: One thousand and forty eight children born in urban areas of Monzambique within five years of the 1997 Demographic and Health Survey. METHODS: Cox regression analysis was performed on a sample of 1048 children born in urban areas of Mozambique within five years of the 1997 Demographic and Health Survey. RESULTS: Children of mother's who lived in households with no toilet facility or with well as a source of drinking water had a high risk of dying compared to children who lived in households with flush toilet and piped water. CONCLUSION: Type of toilet facility and source of drinking water play an important role in the risk of childhood mortality in urban areas of Mozambique and the relationship seems to be mediated partly by demographic and socioeconomic factors.

Measles in infants: a review of studies on incidence, vaccine efficacy and mortality in east Africa.

Control of measles in developing countries is complicated by high incidence and mortality among infants. Hospital-based and community-based studies from East Africa were reviewed with respect to the reported incidence and mortality of measles and vaccine efficacy/seroconversion rates after the administration of measles vaccine to infants. The studies reviewed confirm that measles is particularly severe in infants, and some indicate that vaccination before 9 months with standard vaccine could be effective and have beneficial effects for children aged 6-9 months, while other studies refute this finding. Due to the high incidence and mortality of measles in infants, alternative control strategies are essential to reduce measles mortality. Further studies are needed on the effects of a two-dose schedule vaccinating at 6 and 9 months, which in mathematical modelling shows considerable benefit. Improved management of measles cases, including the administration of vitamin A could be considered as a complementary strategy for reducing measles mortality, especially in infants.

Severe measles outbreak in western Kenya.

During a measles outbreak investigation in Siaya district clustering of many measles cases were found to be an important determinant for measles mortality. A high proportion of cases were under one year of age. Case fatality rates were higher than previously reported from Kenya, particularly among infants. Vaccine efficacy was 18%. Alternative ways of protecting infants are discussed.

The health and socio-economic circumstances of British lone mothers over the last two decades.

This article examines the trends in the socio-economic circumstances and health of lone mothers compared to couple mothers from 1979 to 1995 in Great Britain using secondary analysis of data from General Household Survey and covering 9,159 lone mothers and 51,922 couple mothers living in private households. The main measures are self perceived general health, limiting long-standing illness, poverty and working status.

Delayed and differential effects of the economic crisis in Sweden in the 1990s on health-related exclusion from the labour market: a health equity assessment.

UNLABELLED: Many OECD countries are currently experiencing economic crisis and introducing counter-measures with unknown effects. To learn from previous experience, we explored whether there were delayed or differential effects of the Swedish recession in the 1990s and the government's response to it for people with limiting longstanding illness or disability (LLSI) from different socioeconomic groups (SEGs), by policy analysis and secondary data analysis of the Swedish Survey of Living Conditions (ULF) from 1978 to 2005. The government policy response involved cutting public expenditure, privatising some services and measures to boost private sector employment. There was a decline in overall employment rates from the early 1990s, particularly among men and women with LLSI and in lower SEGs. Public sector employment declined from 53 to 40 percent among women and from 23 to 14 percent among men. Private sector employment increased modestly for women (from 31 percent to 37 percent), and stayed stable at 59-60 percent among men. Following economic recovery, employment rates continued to decline among men and women with LLSI from manual SEGs, while the employment levels increased among most healthy men and women. There was a concomitant increase in rates of LLSI, sickness absence and rates of disability pension particularly among women in lower SEGs. CONCLUSION: The policy response to the 1990s economic crisis in Sweden had differential consequences, hitting the employment of women in the public sector, especially women with both LLSI and low socioeconomic status. The observed increase in disability pension rates, particularly among women with LLSI in lower SEGs, may be a delayed effect of the policy response to the economic crisis.

Inequality in quality? Regional and educational differences in treatment with fluoroquinolone in urinary tract infection of 236,376 Swedish patients.

BACKGROUND: In an international effort to reduce antibiotic resistance, in part suggested to be the effect of inappropriate antibiotic use, several quality indicators for outpatient antibiotic use have been proposed. In this study, geographical and educational differences in fluoroquinolone prescription in the treatment of urinary tract infection in women are presented. METHODS: The age-adjusted ratio of women who were dispensed fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin or norfloxacin) among all 236,376 women dispensed any of the following antibiotics used in the treatment of lower urinary tract infection were studied: ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, pivmecillinam, trimethoprim and nitrofurantoin. Only the first prescription during July 2006 to June 2007 was studied. Prescription data were linked to information on geographical area, marital status, country of birth and educational attainment, which allowed multivariate analysis of the importance of these factors. RESULTS: The rate of fluoroquinolone prescription varied from 29.5% to 17.1% in the 21 regions in Sweden. Middle-aged women with ≥15 years of schooling were more often prescribed fluoroquinolones compared to those with only 9 years (OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.23 to 1.34). CONCLUSION: Quality indicators in healthcare should be developed bearing in mind the overall level of adherence to guidelines and whether there are regional or socioeconomic or other differentials in their distribution in the population because such differentials in healthcare quality might further contribute to inequalities in health.