Explaining regional variation in elective hip and knee arthroplasties in Finland 2010 - 2017-a register-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: A persistent research finding in industrialised countries has been regional variation in medical practices including elective primary hip and knee arthroplasty. The aim of the study was to examine regional variations in elective total hip and knee arthroplasties over time, and the proportions of these variations which can be explained by individual level or area-level differences in need. METHODS: We obtained secondary data from the Care Register for Health Care to study elective primary hip and knee arthroplasties in total Finnish population aged 25 + years between 2010 and 2017. Two-level Poisson regression models - individuals and hospital regions - were used to study regional differences in the incidence of elective hip and knee arthroplasties in two time periods: 2010 - 2013 and 2014 - 2017. The impact of several individual level explanatory factors (age, socioeconomic position, comorbidities) and area-level factors (need and supply of operations) was measured with the proportional change in variance. Predictions of incidence were measured with incidence rate ratios. The relative differences in risk of the procedures in regions were described with median rate ratios. RESULTS: We found small and over time relatively stable regional variation in hip arthroplasties in Finland, while the variation was larger in knee arthroplasties and decreased during the study period. In 2010 - 2013 individual socioeconomic variables explained 10% of variation in hip and 4% in knee arthroplasties, an effect that did not emerge in 2014 - 2017. The area-level musculoskeletal disorder index reflecting the need for care explained a further 44% of the variation in hip arthroplasties in 2010 - 2013, but only 5% in 2014 - 2017 and respectively 22% and 25% in knee arthroplasties. However, our final models explained the regional differences only partially. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that eligibility criteria in total hip and knee arthroplasty are increasingly consistent between Finnish hospital districts. Factors related to individual level and regional level need both had an important role in explaining regional variations. Further study is needed on the effect of health policy on equity in access to care in these operations.

Change in medical practice over time? A register based study of regional trends in hysterectomy in Finland in 2001-2018.

BACKGROUND: A persistent research finding in Finland and elsewhere has been variation in medical practices both between and within countries. Variation seems to exist especially if medical decision making involves discretion and the best treatment cannot be identified unambiguously. This is true for hysterectomy when performed for benign causes. The aim of the current study was to investigate regional trends in hysterectomy in Finland and the potential convergence of rates over time. METHODS: We used hospital discharge register data on hysterectomies performed, diagnoses, age, and region of residence to examine hospital discharges for women undergoing hysterectomy in 2001-2018 among total female population aged 25 years or older in Finland. We examined hysterectomy rates among biannual cohorts by indication, calculated age-standardised rates and used multilevel models to analyse potential convergence over time. RESULTS: Altogether 131,695 hysterectomies were performed in Finland 2001-2018. We found a decreasing trend, with the age-adjusted overall hysterectomy rate decreasing from 553/100,000 person years in 2001-2002 to 289/100,000 py in 2017-2018. Large but converging regional differences were found. The correlations between hospital district intercepts and slopes in time ranged from - 0.71 to - 0.97 (p < 0.001) suggesting diminishing variation. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that change in hysterectomy practices and more uniformity across regions are achievable goals. Regional variation still exists suggesting differences in medical practices.

Living alone as a risk factor for cancer incidence, case-fatality and all-cause mortality: A nationwide registry study.

Lack of social contacts has been associated with an increased risk of cancer mortality, but it is not known whether living alone increases the risk of cancer incidence or case fatality. We examined the association between living alone with cancer incidence, case-fatality and all-cause mortality in eight most common cancers. All patients with their first cancer diagnosis in 2000-2017 were identified from the nationwide Finnish Cancer Registry. Information on living arrangements was derived from Statistics Finland. The incidence analyses were conducted using Poisson regression. The total Finnish population served as the population at risk. Fine-Gray model was used to estimate case-fatality and Cox proportional regression model all-cause mortality. In men, we found an association between history of living alone and excess lung cancer incidence but living alone seemed to be associated with lower incidence of prostate cancer and skin melanoma. In women, living alone was more consistently associated with higher incidence of all studied cancers. Cancer patients living alone had an 11%-80% statistically significantly increased case-fatality and all-cause mortality in all studied cancers in men and in breast, colorectal and lung cancer in women. Living alone is consistently associated with increased cancer incidence risk in women but only in some cancers in men. Both men and women living alone had an increased risk of all-cause mortality after cancer diagnosis.

Cumulative social disadvantage and hospitalisations due to ambulatory care-sensitive conditions in Finland in 2011─2013: a register study.

OBJECTIVES: To study the interplay between several indicators of social disadvantage and hospitalisations due to ambulatory care-sensitive conditions (ACSC) in 2011─2013. To evaluate whether the accumulation of preceding social disadvantage in one point of time or prolongation of social disadvantage had an effect on hospitalisations due to ACSCs. Four common indicators of disadvantage are examined: living alone, low level of education, poverty and unemployment. DESIGN: A population-based register study. SETTING: Nationwide individual-level register data on hospitalisations due to ACSCs for the years 2011-2013 and preceding data on social and socioeconomic factors for the years 2006─2010. PARTICIPANTS: Finnish residents aged 45 or older on 1 January 2011. OUTCOME MEASURE: Hospitalisations due to ACSCs in 2011-2013. The effect of accumulation of preceding disadvantage in one point of time and its prolongation on ACSCs was studied using modified Poisson regression. RESULTS: People with preceding cumulative social disadvantage were more likely to be hospitalised due to ACSCs. The most hazardous combination was simultaneously living alone, low level of education and poverty among the middle-aged individuals (aged 45-64 years) and the elderly (over 64 years). Risk ratio (RR) of being hospitalised due to ACSC was 3.16 (95% CI 3.03-3.29) among middle-aged men and 3.54 (3.36-3.73) among middle-aged women compared with individuals without any of these risk factors when controlling for age and residential area. For the elderly, the RR was 1.61 (1.57-1.66) among men and 1.69 (1.64-1.74) among women. CONCLUSIONS: To improve social equity in healthcare, it is important to recognise not only patients with cumulative disadvantage but also-as this study shows-patients with particular combinations of disadvantage who may be more susceptible. The identification of these vulnerable patient groups is also necessary to reduce the use of more expensive treatment in specialised healthcare.

Mortality related to ambulatory care sensitive hospitalisations in Finland.

Aims: Hospitalisations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions are used as an outcome indicator of access to and quality of primary care. Evidence on mortality related to these hospitalisations is scarce. This study analysed the effect of ambulatory care sensitive condition hospitalisations to subsequent mortality and time or geographical trends in the mortality indicating variations in ambulatory care sensitive conditions outcomes. Methods: This retrospective cohort study used individual-level data from national registers concerning ambulatory care sensitive condition hospitalisations. Crude and age-adjusted 365-day mortality rates for the first ambulatory care sensitive condition-related admission were calculated for vaccine-preventable, acute, and chronic ambulatory care sensitive conditions separately, and for three time periods stratified by gender. The mortality rates were also compared to mortality in the general Finnish population to assess the excess mortality related to ambulatory care sensitive condition hospitalisations. Results: The data comprised a total of 712,904 ambulatory care sensitive condition hospital admissions with the crude 365-day mortality rate of 14.2 per 100 person-years. Mortality for those hospitalised for vaccine-preventable conditions was approximately 10-fold compared to the general population and four-fold in chronic and acute conditions. Of the 10 most common ambulatory care sensitive conditions, bacterial pneumonia and influenza and congestive heart failure were associated with highest age-standardised mortality rates. Conclusions: Hospitalisations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions were shown to be associated with excess mortality in patients compared to the general population. Major differences in mortality were found between different types of ambulatory care sensitive condition admissions. There were also minor differences in mortality between hospital districts. These differences are important to consider when using preventable hospital admissions as an indicator of primary care performance.

Digital Divide in Perceived Benefits of Online Health Care and Social Welfare Services: National Cross-Sectional Survey Study.

BACKGROUND: The number of online services in health care is increasing rapidly in developed countries. Users are expected to take a more skilled and active role in taking care of their health and prevention of ill health. This induces risks that users (especially those who need the services the most) will drop out of digital services, resulting in a digital divide or exclusion. To ensure wide and equal use of online services, all users must experience them as beneficial. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine associations of (1) demographics (age, gender, and degree of urbanization), (2) self-rated health, (3) socioeconomic position (education, experienced financial hardship, labor market position, and living alone), (4) social participation (voting, satisfaction with relationships, and keeping in touch with friends and family members), and (5) access, skills, and extent of use of information and communication technologies (ICT) with perceived benefits of online health care and social welfare services. Associations were examined separately for perceived health, economic, and collaboration benefits. METHODS: We used a large random sample representative of the Finnish population including 4495 (56.77% women) respondents aged between 20 and 97 years. Analyses of covariance were used to examine the associations of independent variables with perceived benefits. RESULTS: Access to online services, ICT skills, and extent of use were associated with all examined benefits of online services. ICT skills seemed to be the most important factor. Poor self-rated health was also consistently associated with lower levels of perceived benefits. Similarly, those who were keeping in touch with their friends and relatives at least once a week perceived online services more often beneficial in all the examined dimensions. Those who had experienced financial hardship perceived fewer health and economic benefits than others. Those who were satisfied with their relationships reported higher levels of health and collaboration benefits compared with their counterparts. Also age, education, and degree of urbanization had some statistically significant associations with benefits but they seemed to be at least partly explained by differences in access, skills, and extent of use of online services. CONCLUSIONS: According to our results, providing health care services online has the potential to reinforce existing social and health inequalities. Our findings suggest that access to online services, skills to use them, and extent of use play crucial roles in perceiving them as beneficial. Moreover, there is a risk of digital exclusion among those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged, in poor health, or socially isolated. In times when health and social services are increasingly offered online, this digital divide may predispose people with high needs for services to exclusion from them.

Excess mortality from breast cancer in female breast cancer patients with severe mental illness.

Women with a history of severe mental illness (SMI) have elevated breast cancer mortality. Few studies have compared cancer-specific mortality in women with breast cancer with or without SMI to reveal gaps in breast cancer treatment outcomes. We compared breast-cancer specific mortality in women with or without SMI and investigated effects of stage at presentation, comorbidity, and differences in cancer treatment. Women with their first breast cancer diagnosis in 1990-2013 (n = 80,671) were identified from the Finnish Cancer Registry, their preceding hospital admissions due to SMI (n = 4,837) from the Hospital Discharge Register and deaths from the Causes of Death Statistics. Competing risk models were used in statistical analysis. When controlling for age, year of cancer diagnosis, and comorbidity, breast cancer mortality was significantly elevated in patients with SMI. Relative mortality was highest in breast cancer patients with non-affective psychosis, partly explained by stage at presentation. Mortality was also significantly elevated in breast cancer patients with a substance use disorder and mood disorder. Patients with SMI received radiotherapy significantly less often than patients without SMI. Our findings emphasize the need to improve early detection of breast cancer in women with SMI and the collaboration between mental health care and oncological teams.

Employment Status and Personal Income Before and After Onset of a Severe Mental Disorder: A Case-Control Study.

OBJECTIVE: Individuals with severe mental disorders have an impaired ability to work and are likely to receive income transfer payments as their main source of income. However, the magnitude of this phenomenon remains unclear. Using longitudinal population cohort register data, the authors conducted a case-control study to examine the levels of employment and personal income before and after a first hospitalization for a serious mental disorder. METHODS: All individuals (N=50,551) who had been hospitalized for schizophrenia, other nonaffective psychosis, or bipolar disorder in Finland between 1988 and 2015 were identified and matched with five randomly selected participants who were the same sex and who had the same birth year and month. Employment status and earnings, income transfer payments, and total income in euros were measured annually from 1988 to 2015. RESULTS: Individuals with serious mental disorders had notably low levels of employment before, and especially after, the diagnosis of a severe mental disorder. Their total income was mostly constituted of transfer payments, and this was especially true for those diagnosed as having schizophrenia. More than half of all individuals with a serious mental disorder did not have any employment earnings after they received the diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: The current study shows how most individuals in Finland depend solely on income transfer payments after an onset of a severe mental disorder.

The impact of severe mental illness on lung cancer mortality of patients with lung cancer in Finland in 1990-2013: a register-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Although the link between severe mental illness (SMI) and elevated cancer mortality is well established, few studies have examined lung cancer survival and SMI in detail. Our study compared cancer-specific mortality in patients with lung cancer with and without a history of SMI and analysed whether mortality differences could be explained by cancer stage at presentation, comorbidity or differences in cancer treatment. METHODS: We identified patients with their first lung cancer diagnosis in 1990-2013 from the Finnish Cancer Registry, their preceding hospital admissions due to SMI from the Hospital Discharge Register and deaths from the Causes of Death statistics. Competing risk analyses were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for the impact of SMI on mortality. RESULTS: Of the 37,852 lung cancer cases, 12% had a history of SMI. Cancer-specific mortality differences were found between patient groups in some cancer types after controlling for stage at representation and treatment. Men with a history of psychosis had excess mortality risk (HR = 1.24, 1.06-1.45) in squamous cell carcinoma. Similar excess risk was found among women with psychosis in small-cell carcinoma (HR = 1.76, 1.41-2.19) and in squamous cell carcinoma (HR = 1.67, 1.26-2.20) and among women with mood disorders in adenocarcinoma (HR = 1.37, 1.08-1.74). Patient group differences in HRs in five-year mortality did not markedly change from the 1990s. CONCLUSIONS: We found elevated cancer-specific mortality among persons with a history of SMI. Collaboration between patients, mental healthcare professionals and oncological teams is needed to reduce the mortality gap between patients with cancer with and without SMI.

Regional variation of avoidable hospitalisations in a universal health care system: a register-based cohort study from Finland 1996-2013.

OBJECTIVES: A persistent finding in research concerning healthcare and hospital use in Western countries has been regional variation in the medical practices. The aim of the current study was to examine trends in the regional variation of avoidable hospitalisations, that is, hospitalisations due to conditions treatable in ambulatory care in Finland in 1996-2013 and the influence of different healthcare levels on them. SETTING: Use of hospital inpatient care in 1996-2013 among the total population in Finland. PARTICIPANTS: Altogether 1 931 012 hospital inpatient care episodes among all persons residing in Finland identified from administrative registers in Finland in 1996-2013 and alive in 1 January 1996. OUTCOME MEASURES: We examined hospitalisations due to avoidable causes including vaccine-preventable hospitalisations, hospitalisations due to complications of chronic conditions and acute conditions treatable in ambulatory care. We calculated annual age-adjusted rates per 10 000 person-years. Multilevel models were used for studying time trends in regional variation. RESULTS: There was a steep decline in avoidable hospitalisation rates during the study period. The decline occurred almost exclusively in hospitalisations due to chronic conditions, which diminished by about 60%. The overall correlation between hospital district intercepts and slopes in time was -0.46 (p<0.05) among men and -0.20 (ns) among women. Statistically highly significant diminishing variation was found in hospitalisations due to chronic conditions among both men (-0.90) and women (-0.91). The variation was mainly distributed to the hospital district level. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that chronic conditions are managed better in primary care in the whole country than before. Further research is needed on whether this is the case or whether this has more to do with supply of hospital care.

Trends of socioeconomic equality in mortality amenable to healthcare and health policy in 1992-2013 in Finland: a population-based register study.

OBJECTIVE: To study trends in socioeconomic equality in mortality amenable to healthcare and health policy interventions. DESIGN: A population-based register study. SETTING: Nationwide data on mortality from the Causes of Death statistics for the years 1992-2013. PARTICIPANTS: All deaths of Finnish inhabitants aged 25-74. OUTCOME MEASURES: Yearly age-standardised rates of mortality amenable to healthcare interventions, alcohol-related mortality, ischaemic heart disease mortality and mortality due to all the other causes by income. Concentration index (C) was used to evaluate the magnitude and changes in income group differences. RESULTS: Significant socioeconomic inequalities favouring the better-off were observed in each mortality category among younger (25-64) and older (65-74) age groups. Inequality was highest in alcohol-related mortality, C was -0.58 (95% CI -0.62 to -0.54) among younger men in 2008 and -0.62 (-0.72 to -0.53) among younger women in 2013. Socioeconomic inequality increased significantly during the study period except for alcohol-related mortality among older women. CONCLUSIONS: The increase in socioeconomic inequality in mortality amenable to healthcare and health policy interventions between 1992 and 2013 suggests that either the means or the implementation of the health policies have been inadequate.

Regional differences in endoscopic sinus surgery in Finland: a nationwide register-based study.

OBJECTIVES: Endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) is a common operation typically performed due to chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). There are limited data on the nationwide ESS rate and factors contributing to its regional variation. The aim was to evaluate factors causing variation of ESS rate. DESIGN: Cross-sectional nationwide observational study. SETTING: A ll patients undergoing ESS in Finland 2013-2015. POPULATION: Nationwide Finnish population aged 15 years or over. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ESS rate per 1000 inhabitants between 2013 and 2015 in all 21 hospital districts and independent factors for multilevel model analyses. METHODS: We used the Finnish register data of all patients with CRS who underwent ESS in 2013-2015. Patients aged under 15 years and those with ESS due to neoplasia were excluded. The age and gender standardised ESS rates were calculated, and multilevel Poisson regression models were used to evaluate variation in ESS in the 21 hospital districts. The likelihood ratio test was applied to assess the statistical significance of random components in the models. RESULTS: The nationwide annual rate of ESS is 0.71 per 1000 people in Finland. Hospital district rates varied from 0.25/1000 (95% CI 0.18 to 0.32) to 1.15/1000 (95% CI 1.09 1.21). Compared with males, females undergo ESS significantly more frequently (57% of the procedures), more often due to CRS without nasal polyps, and at a younger age (mean age 44.2 and 46.2 years, correspondingly). Multilevel analyses showed that lower age (between 24 years and 45 years) and availability/ease of medical services were independently associated with higher ESS rates. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms marked regional variation in the ESS rate in Finland, explained only in part by patients' age and differing availability of medical services. To analyse ESS across different CRS phenotypes or to compare quality registers on ESS properly, more research on regional variation is needed.

The effect of history of severe mental illness on mortality in colorectal cancer cases: a register-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: While the link between mental illness and cancer survival is well established, few studies have focused on colorectal cancer. We examined outcomes of colorectal cancer among persons with a history of severe mental illness (SMI). MATERIAL AND METHODS: We identified patients with their first colorectal cancer diagnosis in 1990-2013 (n = 41,708) from the Finnish Cancer Registry, hospital admissions due to SMI preceding cancer diagnosis (n = 2382) from the Hospital Discharge Register and deaths from the Causes of Death statistics. Cox regression models were used to study the impact on SMI to mortality differences. RESULTS: We found excess colorectal cancer mortality among persons with a history of psychosis and with substance use disorder. When controlling for age, comorbidity, stage at presentation and treatment, excess mortality risk among men with a history of psychosis was 1.72 (1.46-2.04) and women 1.37 (1.20-1.57). Among men with substance use disorder, the excess risk was 1.22 (1.09-1.37). CONCLUSION: Understanding factors contributing to excess mortality among persons with a history of psychosis or substance use requires more detailed clinical studies and studies of care processes among these vulnerable patient groups. Collaboration between patients, mental health care and oncological teams is needed to improve outcomes of care.

Effect of stage, comorbidities and treatment on survival among cancer patients with or without mental illness.

BackgroundEarlier research suggests poorer outcome of cancer care among people with severe mental illness (SMI).AimsTo assess the effect of stage at presentation, comorbidities and treatment on differences in survival among cancer patients with and without a history of SMI in Finland.MethodThe total population with a first cancer diagnosis in 1990-2013 was drawn from the Finnish Cancer Registry. Hospital admissions because of SMI and deaths were obtained from administrative registers. We calculated Kaplan-Meier estimates and Cox regression models to examine survival differences.ResultsWe found excess mortality in people with a history of psychotic and substance use disorders. Cancer stage and comorbidity did not explain mortality differences. Controlling for cancer treatment decreased the differences. The mortality gap between patients with psychosis and cancer patients without SMI increased over time.ConclusionsIntegrated medical and psychiatric care is needed to improve outcomes of cancer care among patients with SMI.

Trends of relative and absolute socioeconomic equity in access to coronary revascularisations in 1995-2010 in Finland: a register study.

BACKGROUND: Resources for coronary revascularisations have increased substantially since the early 1990s in Finland. At the same time, ischaemic heart disease (IHD) mortality has decreased markedly. This study aims to examine how these changes have influenced trends in absolute and relative differences between socioeconomic groups in revascularisations and age group differences in them using IHD mortality as a proxy for need. METHODS: Hospital Discharge Register data on revascularisations among Finns aged 45-84 in 1995-2010 were individually linked to population registers to obtain socio-demographic data. We measured absolute and relative income group differences in revascularisation and IHD mortality with slope index of inequality (SII) and concentration index (C), and relative equity taking need for care into account with horizontal inequity index (HII). RESULTS: The supply of procedures doubled during the years. Socioeconomic distribution of revascularisations was in absolute and relative terms equal in 1995 (Men: SII = -12, C = -0.00; Women, SII = -30, C = -0.03), but differences favouring low-income groups emerged by 2010 (M: SII = -340, C = -0.08; W: SII = -195, C = -0.14). IHD mortality decreased markedly, but absolute and relative differences favouring the better-off existed throughout study years. Absolute differences decreased somewhat (M: SII = -760 in 1995, SII = -681 in 2010; W: SII = -318 in 1995, SII = -211 in 2010), but relative differences increased significantly (M: C = -0.14 in 1995, C = -0.26 in 2010; W: C = -0.15 in 1995, C = -0.25 in 2010). HII was greater than zero in each year indicating inequity favouring the better-off. HII increased from 0.15 to 0.18 among men and from 0.10 to 0.12 among women. We found significant and increasing age group differences in HII. CONCLUSIONS: Despite large increase in supply of revascularisations and decrease in IHD mortality, there is still marked socioeconomic inequity in revascularisations in Finland. However, since changes in absolute distributions of both supply and need for coronary care have favoured low-income groups, absolute inequity can be claimed to have decreased although it cannot be quantified numerically.

Multiple complications among people with diabetes from Finland: an 18-year follow-up in 1994-2011.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we examined trends in severe diabetes-related complications (acute myocardial infarction, stroke, lower extremity amputation, and end-stage renal disease) and prevalence of multiple complications in a total population with diabetes in Finland during an 18-year period. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The total population with diabetes aged 30 years or older in 1994-2011 was obtained from several Finnish health registers. Only the first episode of each end point was included in the analysis. We examined trends in the prevalence of these end points using age-standardization and changes in these end points were analyzed using repeated-measures Poisson regression models. RESULTS: The prevalence of single comorbidities decreased during the study period, especially for acute myocardial infarction and stroke. The age-adjusted and diabetes duration-adjusted risk of having one of these end points decreased throughout the study period among persons with type 2 diabetes. Among women, the risk ratio was 0.71 (0.63 to 0.79) in 2006-2011 compared to 1994-1999, and among men, the figure was 0.72 (0.66 to 0.78). In type 1 diabetes, the risk of multiple serious complications increased. We further found increased mortality risk among persons with any of these complications irrespective of diabetes type. CONCLUSIONS: Our results concerning the development of risk of complications suggest improvements in the management of diabetes. More attention needs to be paid to the prevention of complications among older persons and those with longer history of diabetes to prevent clustering of complications and to prevent the diabetes epidemic in the population to reduce the public health burden of diabetes.

Regional trends in avoidable hospitalisations due to complications among population with diabetes in Finland in 1996-2011: a register-based cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: Diabetes requires continuous medical care including prevention of acute complications and risk reduction for long-term complications. Diabetic complications impose a substantial burden on public health and care delivery. We examined trends in regional differences in hospitalisations due to diabetes-related complications among the total diabetes population in Finland. RESEARCH DESIGN: A longitudinal register-based cohort study 1996-2011 among a total population with diabetes in Finland. PARTICIPANTS: All persons with diabetes identified from several administrative registers in Finland in 1964-2011 and alive on 1 January 1996. OUTCOME MEASURES: We examined hospitalisations due to diabetes-related short-term and long-term complications, uncomplicated diabetes, myocardial infarction, stroke, lower extremity amputation and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). We calculated annual age-adjusted rates per 10 000 person years and the systematic component of variation. Multilevel models were used for studying time trends in regional variation. RESULTS: There was a steep decline in complication-related hospitalisation rates during the study period. The decline was relatively small in ESRD (30%), whereas rates of hospitalisations for short-term and long-term complications as well as uncomplicated diabetes diminished by about 80%. The overall correlation between hospital district intercepts and slopes in time was -0.72 (p<0.001) among men and -0.99 (p<0.001) among women indicating diminishing variation. Diminishing variation was found in each of the complications studied. The variation was mainly distributed at the health centre level. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that the prevention of complications among persons with diabetes has improved in Finland between 1996 and 2011. The results further suggest that the prevention of complications has become more uniform throughout the country.

Differences in mortality among women with breast cancer by income - a register-based study in Finland.

AIMS: The aim was to assess all-cause and breast cancer mortality by income among women with incident breast cancer and the effect of cancer stage at diagnosis and comorbidity on the differences. METHODS: The 43,439 women (age ⩾30) diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998-2008 in Finland were monitored using individual-level Cancer Registry data supplemented with data from Finnish health care registers and sociodemographic data. RESULTS: Overall mortality was greater among breast cancer patients of the lowest income group than in the highest one; the hazard ratio (HR) for age and incidence year adjusted all-cause mortality was 1.9 (95% CI 1.8-2.1) and for breast cancer mortality 2.0 (95% CI 1.8-2.2). The women from the lowest income group were over-represented in the breast cancer stage 'distant' (10.1% vs. 3.5% among the highest income group). The presence of comorbidities was more common in patients with the lowest income (at least one comorbidity in 54%) than in the highest (24%). The HR adjusted with stage at presentation and comorbidities was 1.6 (95% CI 1.4-1.7) for all-cause mortality and 1.6 (95% CI 1.4-1.7) for breast cancer mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Tumour stage at diagnosis was more severe among lower income groups, and the presence of comorbidities was more common, although this only accounted for a part of the higher breast cancer mortality in these groups. More information is needed about recognition, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer to examine whether the socioeconomic differences of breast cancer mortality are related to care.

Comparative observational study of mortality amenable by health policy and care between rural and urban Finland: no excess segregation of mortality in the capital despite its increasing residential differentiation.

BACKGROUND: Large cities are often claimed to display more distinct geographical and socioeconomic health inequalities than other areas due to increasing residential differentiation. Our aim was to assess whether geographical inequalities in mortality within the capital (City of Helsinki) both exceeded that in other types of geographical areas in Finland, and whether those differences were dependent on socioeconomic inequalities. METHODS: We analysed the inequality of distribution separately for overall, ischemic heart disease and alcohol-related mortality, and mortality amenable (AM) to health care interventions in 1992-2008 in three types of geographical areas in Finland: City of Helsinki, other large cities, and small towns and rural areas. Mortality data were acquired as secondary data from the Causes of Death statistics from Statistics Finland. The assessment of changing geographical differences over time, that is geographical inequalities, was performed using Gini coefficients. As some of these differences might arise from socioeconomic factors, we assessed socioeconomic differences with concentration indices in parallel to an analysis of geographical differences. To conclude the analysis, we compared the changes over time of these inequalities between the three geographical areas. RESULTS: While mortality rates mainly decreased, alcohol-related mortality in the lowest income quintile increased. Statistically significant differences over time were found in all mortality groups, varying between geographical areas. Socioeconomic differences existed in all mortality groups and geographical areas. In the study period, geographical differences in mortality remained relatively stable but income differences increased substantially. For instance, the values of concentration indices for AM changed by 54 % in men (p < 0.027) and by 62 % in women (p < 0.016). Only slight differences existed in the time trends of Gini or in the concentration indices between the geographical areas. CONCLUSIONS: No geographical or income-related differences in the distribution of mortality existed between Helsinki and other urban or rural areas of Finland. This suggests that the effect of increasing residential differentiation in the capital may have been mitigated by the policies of positive discrimination and social mixing. One of the main reasons for the increase in health inequalities was growth of alcohol-related mortality, especially among those with the lowest incomes.

Excess Mortality in Patients with Severe Mental Disorders in 1996-2010 in Finland.

Unselected population-based nationwide studies on the excess mortality of individuals with severe mental disorders are scarce with regard to several important causes of death. Using comprehensive register data, we set out to examine excess mortality and its trends among patients with severe mental disorders compared to the total population. Patients aged 25-74 and hospitalised with severe mental disorders in 1990-2010 in Finland were identified using the national hospital discharge register and linked individually to population register data on mortality and demographics. We studied mortality in the period 1996-2010 among patients with psychotic disorders, psychoactive substance use disorders, and mood disorders by several causes of death. In addition to all-cause mortality, we examined mortality amenable to health care interventions, ischaemic heart disease mortality, disease mortality, and alcohol-related mortality. Patients with severe mental disorders had a clearly higher mortality rate than the total population throughout the study period regardless of cause of death, with the exception of alcohol-related mortality among male patients with psychotic disorders without comorbidity with substance use disorders. The all-cause mortality rate ratio of patients with psychotic disorders compared to the total population was 3.48 (95% confidence interval 2.98-4.06) among men and 3.75 (95% CI 3.08-4.55) among women in the period 2008-10. The corresponding rate ratio of patients with psychoactive substance use disorders was 5.33 (95% CI 4.87-5.82) among men and 7.54 (95% CI 6.30-9.03) among women. Overall, the mortality of the total population and patients with severe mental disorders decreased between 1996 and 2010. However, the mortality rate ratio of patients with psychotic disorders and patients with psychoactive substance use disorders compared to the total population increased in general during the study period. Exceptions were alcohol-related mortality among patients with psychoactive substance use disorders and female patients with psychotic disorders, as well as amenable mortality among male patients with psychotic disorders. The mortality rate ratio of persons with mood disorders compared to the total population decreased. The markedly high mortality amenable to health care intervention among patients with severe mental disorders found in our study suggests indirectly that they may receive poorer quality somatic care. The results highlight the challenges in co-ordinating mental and somatic health services.