Relational continuity may give better clinical outcomes in patients with serious mental illness - a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Continuity of care is considered important for results of treatment of serious mental illness (SMI). Yet, evidence of associations between relational continuity and different medical and social outcomes is sparse. Research approaches differ considerably regarding how to best assess continuity as well as which outcome to study. It has hitherto been difficult to evaluate the importance of relational continuity of care. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate treatment outcomes, including effects on resource use and costs associated with receiving higher relational continuity of care for patients with SMI. METHODS: Eleven databases were searched between January 2000 and February 2021 for studies investigating associations between some measure of relational continuity and health outcomes and costs. All eligible studies were assessed for study relevance and risk of bias by at least two independent reviewers. Only studies with acceptable risk of bias were included. Due to study heterogeneity the synthesis was made narratively, without meta-analysis. The certainty of the summarized result was assessed using GRADE. Study registration number in PROSPERO: CRD42020196518. RESULTS: We identified 8 916 unique references and included 17 studies comprising around 300 000 patients in the review. The results were described with regard to seven outcomes. The results indicated that higher relational continuity of care for patients with serious mental illness may prevent premature deaths and suicide, may lower the number of emergency department (ED) visits and may contribute to a better quality of life compared to patients receiving lower levels of relational continuity of care. The certainty of the evidence was assessed as low or very low for all outcomes. The certainty of results for the outcomes hospitalization, costs, symptoms and functioning, and adherence to drug treatment was very low with the result that no reliable conclusions could be drawn in these areas. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this systematic review indicate that having higher relational continuity of care may have beneficial effects for patients with severe mental illness, and no results have indicated the opposite relationship. There is a need for better studies using clear and distinctive measures of exposure for relational continuity of care.

Factors associated with general practitioners' contacts with sick-listed patients' employers: A Swedish nationwide questionnaire study.

Background: General practitioners' (GP) contacts with sick-listed patients' employers have been shown to be of importance for return to work. This study aimed to explore GPs' contacts with sick-listed patients' employers and factors associated with such contacts. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 4228 GPs responded to a nationwide questionnaire about sickness certification (SC) practices. Outcomes of interest were participation in stakeholder meetings, having other contacts with employers, and satisfaction with employer contacts. Logistic regression models were used to investigate associations with factors related to the GP and the GP's workplace. Results: Among GPs, 34.8% participated in stakeholder meetings and 15.1% had other employer contacts; 39.4% had any or both of these contacts. Of GPs who had contacts with patients' employers, 65.8% were satisfied with the contacts. GPs regularly collaborating with rehabilitation coordinators had the strongest adjusted odds ratio (OR) for participating in stakeholder meetings, OR 2.72 (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.24-3.31), and having other contacts with employers, OR 3.85 (95% CI 2.85-5.21). Other factors positively associated with employer contacts were being a specialist, collaborating with other health professionals, finding employer contacts valuable, and having a joint SC routine/policy at the clinic. GPs who did not find SC problematic, had managerial support, or had enough resources for SC tasks were more likely to be satisfied with their employer contacts. Conclusions: Both physician characteristics and organizational factors had importance for GPs' contacts with sick-listed patients' employers. The findings imply that GPs' collaboration with patients' employers may be improved by interventions targeting both individual and organizational factors.

Heterogeneity in Blood Pressure Response to 4 Antihypertensive Drugs: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Hypertension is the leading risk factor for premature death worldwide. Multiple blood pressure-lowering therapies are available but the potential for maximizing benefit by personalized targeting of drug classes is unknown. Objective: To investigate and quantify the potential for targeting specific drugs to specific individuals to maximize blood pressure effects. Design, Setting, and Participants: A randomized, double-blind, repeated crossover trial in men and women with grade 1 hypertension at low risk for cardiovascular events at an outpatient research clinic in Sweden. Mixed-effects models were used to assess the extent to which individuals responded better to one treatment than another and to estimate the additional blood pressure lowering achievable by personalized treatment. Interventions: Each participant was scheduled for treatment in random order with 4 different classes of blood pressure-lowering drugs (lisinopril [angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor], candesartan [angiotensin-receptor blocker], hydrochlorothiazide [thiazide], and amlodipine [calcium channel blocker]), with repeated treatments for 2 classes. Main Outcomes and Measures: Ambulatory daytime systolic blood pressure, measured at the end of each treatment period. Results: There were 1468 completed treatment periods (median length, 56 days) recorded in 270 of the 280 randomized participants (54% men; mean age, 64 years). The blood pressure response to different treatments varied considerably between individuals (P < .001), specifically for the choices of lisinopril vs hydrochlorothiazide, lisinopril vs amlodipine, candesartan vs hydrochlorothiazide, and candesartan vs amlodipine. Large differences were excluded for the choices of lisinopril vs candesartan and hydrochlorothiazide vs amlodipine. On average, personalized treatment had the potential to provide an additional 4.4 mm Hg-lower systolic blood pressure. Conclusions and Relevance: These data reveal substantial heterogeneity in blood pressure response to drug therapy for hypertension, findings that may have implications for personalized therapy. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02774460.

Treatment of Provoked Vulvodynia: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Treatment recommendations for provoked vulvodynia (PVD) are based on clinical experiences and there is a need for systematically summarizing the controlled trials in this field. AIM: To provide an overview of randomized controlled trials and non-randomized studies of intervention for PVD, and to assess the certainty of the scientific evidence, in order to advance treatment guidelines. DATA SOURCES: The search was conducted in CINAHL (EBSCO), Cochrane Library, Embase (Embase.com), Ovid MEDLINE, PsycINFO (EBSCO) and Scopus. Databases were searched from January 1, 1990 to January 29, 2021. STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Population: Premenopausal women with PVD. INTERVENTIONS: Pharmacological, surgical, psychosocial and physiotherapy, either alone or as combined/team-based interventions. CONTROL: No treatment, waiting-list, placebo or other defined treatment. OUTCOMES: Pain during intercourse, pain upon pressure or touch of the vaginal opening, sexual function/satisfaction, quality of life, psychological distress, adverse events and complications. STUDY DESIGN: Randomized controlled trials and non-randomized studies of interventions with a control group. STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS: 2 reviewers independently screened citations for eligibility and assessed relevant studies for risk of bias using established tools. The results from each intervention were summarized. Studies were synthesized using a narrative approach, as meta-analyses were not considered appropriate. For each outcome, we assessed the certainty of evidence using grading of recommendations assessment, development, and evaluation (GRADE). RESULTS: Most results of the evaluated studies in this systematic review were found to have very low certainty of evidence, which means that we are unable to draw any conclusions about effects of the interventions. Multimodal physiotherapy compared with lidocaine treatment was the only intervention with some evidential support (low certainty of evidence for significant treatment effects favoring physiotherapy). It was not possible to perform meta-analyses due to a heterogeneity in interventions and comparisons. In addition, there was a heterogeneity in outcome measures, which underlines the need to establish joint core outcome sets. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Our result underscores the need of stringent trials and defined core outcome sets for PVD. STRENGTH AND LIMITATIONS: Standard procedures for systematic reviews and the Population Intervention Comparison Outcome model for clinical questions were used. The strict eligibility criteria resulted in limited number of studies which might have resulted in a loss of important information. CONCLUSION: This systematic review underlines the need for more methodologically stringent trials on interventions for PVD, particularly for multimodal treatments approaches. For future research, there is a demand for joint core outcome sets. Bohm-Starke N, Ramsay KW, Lytsy P, et al. Treatment of Provoked Vulvodynia: A Systematic Review. J Sex Med 2022;19:789-808.

Gender differences in treatment with antidepressants during first weeks of a sick-leave spell due to depressive episode.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of depression is higher in women; women are more often on sick leave due to depression, and more women than men use antidepressants. The objective of this study was to explore possible gender differences in buying prescribed antidepressants during the first 21 days of a new sick-leave spell due to depressive episode. METHODS: Included were all individuals living in Sweden in working age (18-64 years old) who in 2010 or 2011 began a new sick-leave spell due to depressive episode (ICD-10 F32) lasting at least 21 days (n = 44 863). Register data on sociodemographics, morbidity and dispensed prescription medication were used to investigate associations between gender and buying prescribed antidepressants in the total group and in subgroups, using multiple logistic regression models. RESULTS: The study population consisted of 69.5% women. Within the first 21 days of the sick-leave spell, 48.0% of the men and 42.1% of the women had dispensed prescribed antidepressants. In the adjusted multiple logistic regression model, men had an odds ratio of 1.28 (95% confidence interval 1.23-1.33) as compared with women, for buying prescribed antidepressants. CONCLUSIONS: In this nationwide register study, nearly half of the women and men on sick leave with depressive episode bought prescribed antidepressants during the first three weeks of the sick-leave spell. In the adjusted models, men were more likely to do this. Further studies are needed to elucidate the reasons for this gender difference.

Perspectives on health examination for asylum seekers in relation to health literacy - focus group discussions with Arabic and Somali speaking participants.

BACKGROUND: Asylum seekers coming to most countries are offered a specific health examination. A previous study concluded that a considerable proportion of those taking part of it in Sweden had poor experiences of the communication in and the usefulness of this examination and had poor health literacy. The aim of this study was to explore in greater depth the experiences of the health examination for asylum seekers among Arabic- and Somali-speaking participants in Sweden. A secondary aim was to examine experiences and discuss findings using a health literacy framework. METHODS: Seven focus group discussions were conducted with 28 Arabic and Somali speaking men and women that participated in a health examination for asylum seekers. Data were analyzed by latent content analysis. RESULTS: One overarching theme - beneficial and detrimental - was found to represent the participants' experiences of the health examination for asylum seekers. Three categories were identified that deal with those experiences. The category of "gives some good" describes the examination as something that "gives support and relief" and "cares on a personal level." The category of "causes feelings of insecurity" describes the examination as something that "lacks clarity" and that "does not give protection." The category "causes feelings of disappointment" views the examination as something that "does not fulfil the image of a health examination" and "does not focus on the individual level." CONCLUSION: The health examination for asylum seekers was experienced as beneficial and detrimental at the same time. The feelings were influenced by the experiences of information and communication before, during and after the examination and on how health literate the organizations providing the HEA are. To achieve more satisfied participants, it is crucial that all organizations providing the HEA become health literate and person-centered.

Gender differences in healthcare management of depression: aspects of sick leave and treatment with psychoactive drugs in a Swedish setting.

Purpose: To investigate whether women and men diagnosed with depressive disorder were managed equally in terms of being sick-leave certified and being prescribed psychoactive drugs. Materials and methods: Data from all patients diagnosed with depression during 2010-2015 in Uppsala county, Sweden (n = 19 448) were used to investigate associations between gender and issued sick-leave certificate, prescriptions of anti-depressants, anxiolytics, hypnotics and sedatives, and cognitive behavioral psychotherapy referrals, at different time points up till 180 days after diagnosis. Results: At diagnosis date, 50.1% were prescribed antidepressants; 14.2% anxiolytics; 13.3% hypnotics or sedatives. Corresponding proportion regarding issue of sick-leave certificate among working aged (18-64 years) was 16.6%. Men had higher odds than women of being prescribed antidepressants (OR 1.16; 95% CI 1.09-1.24); anxiolytics (1.10; 95% CI 1.02-1.21), hypnotics and sedatives (OR 1.09; 95% CI 1.00-1.19) and lower odds (among those aged 18-64 years) of being sick-leave certified (OR 0.90; 95% CI 0.82-0.98) in adjusted regression models. There were subtle changes in ORs for outcomes at 3- and 6-month follow-up periods. Conclusions: Men had somewhat higher odds of being prescribed psychoactive drugs and slightly lower odds of being sick-leave certified as compared to women at date when diagnosed with depression. The absolute differences were, however, small and the overall conclusion is that women and men with current diagnosed depressive episode/recurrent depressive disorder are generally managed likewise regarding sick leave and psychoactive treatment.

Length of time periods in treatment effect descriptions and willingness to initiate preventive therapy: a randomised survey experiment.

BACKGROUND: Common measures used to describe preventive treatment effects today are proportional, i.e. they compare the proportions of events in relative or absolute terms, however they are not easily interpreted from the patient's perspective and different magnitudes do not seem to clearly discriminate between levels of effect presented to people. METHODS: In this randomised cross-sectional survey experiment, performed in a Swedish population-based sample (n = 1041, response rate 58.6%), the respondents, aged between 40 and 75 years were given information on a hypothetical preventive cardiovascular treatment. Respondents were randomised into groups in which the treatment was described as having the effect of delaying a heart attack for different periods of time (Delay of Event, DoE): 1 month, 6 months or 18 months. Respondents were thereafter asked about their willingness to initiate such therapy, as well as questions about how they valued the proposed therapy. RESULTS: Longer DoE:s were associated with comparatively greater willingness to initiate treatment. The proportions accepting treatment were 81, 71 and 46% when postponement was 18 months, 6 months and 1 month respectively. In adjusted binary logistic regression models the odds ratio for being willing to take therapy was 4.45 (95% CI 2.72-7.30) for a DoE of 6 months, and 6.08 (95% CI 3.61-10.23) for a DoE of 18 months compared with a DoE of 1 month. Greater belief in the necessity of medical treatment increased the odds of being willing to initiate therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Lay people's willingness to initiate preventive therapy was sensitive to the magnitude of the effect presented as DoE. The results indicate that DoE is a comprehensible effect measure, of potential value in shared clinical decision-making.

Strengthened General Self-Efficacy with Multidisciplinary Vocational Rehabilitation in Women on Long-Term Sick Leave: A Randomised Controlled Trial.

Purpose To investigate the effects of two vocational rehabilitation interventions on self-efficacy, for women on long-term sick leave ≥ 1 year due to chronic pain and/or mental illness. Methods This study uses data from a randomised controlled trial consisting of two phases and comprising 401 women on long-term sick leave. They were allocated to either (1) a multidisciplinary team assessment and multimodal intervention (TEAM), (2) acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), or (3) control group. Data were collected through repeated measurements from self-reported questionnaires before intervention, 6 and 12 months later and registry data. Data from measurements of general self-efficacy, sociodemographics, anxiety and depression were analysed with linear regression analyses. Results During the intervention period, the women in the TEAM group's self-efficacy mean increased from 2.29 to 2.74. The adjusted linear regression model, which included group allocation, sociodemographics, self-efficacy pre-treatment, anxiety and depression showed increased self-efficacy for those in the TEAM intervention at 12 months (B = 0.25, 95% CI 0.10-0.41). ACT intervention had no effect on self-efficacy at 12 months (B = 0.02, 95% CI - 0.16 to 0.19). The results in the adjusted model also showed that higher self-efficacy at pre-treatment was associated with a higher level of self-efficacy at 12 months (B = 0.68, 95% CI 0.54-0.81). Conclusion A multidisciplinary team assessment and multimodal intervention increased self-efficacy in women on sick leave for an extremely long time (mean 7.8 years) who had a low mean level of self-efficacy prior to inclusion. Thus, self-efficacy needs to be addressed in vocational rehabilitation.

Health and wellbeing in informal caregivers and non-caregivers: a comparative cross-sectional study of the Swedish general population.

BACKGROUND: Informal caregiving by relatives is a great resource for individuals as well as for society, but the caregiving role is associated with health problems for the caregiver. This study aimed to compare caregivers' self-rated health, number of recent days with poor health and psychological wellbeing with that of non-caregivers in a general Swedish population. METHODS: From 2004 to 2013, 90,845 Swedish people completed a postal questionnaire about their health, number of recent days with poor health during last month, psychological wellbeing and if they were performing caregiving or not. Descriptive statistics, chi-square analysis, ANOVA, logistic regressions and negative binomial regression models were used to investigate associations between being a caregiver or not and health and wellbeing. Negative binomial regression was used to assess the relation between caregiver status and recent days with poor health or functioning. RESULTS: Eleven percent reported having a caregiving role. Caregivers reported poorer self-rated health compared to non-caregivers, also in adjusted models; odds ratio (OR): 1.07 with a 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01-1.13. Caregivers also reported lower psychological wellbeing compared to non-caregivers; OR: 1.22, CI: 1.15-1.30. Caregiving status was associated with more recent days with poor physical health and more recent days with poor mental health. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that caregivers have worse perceptions in self-rated health and psychological wellbeing compared with non-caregivers, indicating that the role of caregiver is adversely associated with health. This association also appears in terms of reporting days of poor health in the last month. The underlying mechanism of these associations, including the potential detrimental health effects of being a caregiver, needs to be investigated in longitudinal studies.

Health literacy and refugees' experiences of the health examination for asylum seekers - a Swedish cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the health examination for asylum seekers in most countries is to identify poor health in order to secure the well-being of seekers of asylum and to guarantee the safety of the population in the host country. Functional health literacy is an individual's ability to read information and instructions about health and to function effectively as a patient in the health system, and comprehensive health literacy is an individual's competence in accessing, understanding, appraising and applying health information. Little is known about refugees' health literacy and their experiences of the health examination for asylum seekers. The purposes of the study were to investigate refugees' experiences of communication during their health examination for asylum seekers and the usefulness of that examination, and whether health literacy is associated with those experiences. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was made among 360 adult refugees speaking Arabic, Dari, Somali or English. Health literacy was measured using the Swedish Functional Health Literacy Scale and the short European Health Literacy Questionnaire. Experiences of communication and the usefulness of the health examination were measured in several questions. Associations were sought using univariate and multivariate statistical models. RESULTS: In the health examination for asylum seekers, a poor quality of communication was experienced by 36 %, receiving little information about health care by 55 %, and receiving little new knowledge by 41 % and/or help by 26 %. Having inadequate as compared to sufficient comprehensive health literacy was associated with the experience of a poorer quality of communication (OR: 9.64, CI 95 %: 3.25-28.58) and the experience of receiving little valuable health care information (OR: 6.54, CI 95 %: 2.45-17.47). Furthermore, having inadequate as compared to sufficient comprehensive health literacy was associated with the experience of not receiving new knowledge (OR: 7.94, CI 95 %: 3.00-21.06) or receiving help with health problems (OR: 8.07, 95 % CI: 2.50-26.07. Functional healthy literacy was not associated with experiences of HEA. CONCLUSION: Refugees' experiences indicate that a low level of comprehensive health literacy can act as a barrier to fulfilling the purposes of the health examination for asylum seekers. Comprehensive health literacy seems to be of greater importance in that context than functional health literacy.

The influence of locus of control on self-rated health in context of chronic disease: a structural equation modeling approach in a cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Self-rated health is a robust predictor of several health outcomes, such as functional ability, health care utilization, morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study is to investigate and explore how health locus of control and disease burden relate to self-rated health among patients at risk for cardiovascular disease. METHODS: In 2009, 414 Swedish patients who were using statins completed a questionnaire about their health, diseases and their views on the three-dimensional health locus of control scale. The scale determines which category of health locus of control - internal, chance or powerful others - a patient most identifies with. The data was analyzed using logistic regression and a structural equation modeling approach. RESULTS: The analyses showed positive associations between internal health locus of control and self-rated health, and a negative association between health locus of control in chance and powerful others and self-rated health. High internal health locus of control was negatively associated with the cumulative burden of diseases, while health locus of control in chance and powerful others were positively associated with burden of diseases. In addition, age and education level had indirect associations with self-rated health through health locus of control. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that self-rated health is positively correlated with internal locus of control and negatively associated with high locus of control in chance and powerful others in patients at high risk for cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, disease burden seems to be negatively associated with self-rated health.

Health literacy among refugees in Sweden - a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Refugees have poorer health compared to indigenous populations, which may be explained by lower health literacy, i.e. not being able to access, understand, appraise or apply health information. This study aims to determine levels of functional and comprehensive health literacy, and factors associated with inadequate health literacy, in refugees coming to Sweden. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was performed among 455 adult refugees speaking Arabic, Dari, Somali or English. Participants in 16 strategically selected language schools for immigrants responded to a questionnaire. Health literacy was measured using the Swedish Functional Health Literacy Scale and the HLS-EU-Q16 questionnaire. Uni- and multivariate statistical methods were used to investigate group differences. RESULTS: The majority of the participating refugees had inadequate or limited functional health literacy and comprehensive health literacy. About 60% of them had inadequate functional health literacy and 27% had inadequate comprehensive health literacy. Low education and/or being born in Somalia were factors associated with an increased risk of having inadequate functional health literacy. Having inadequate functional health literacy was associated with an increased risk of having inadequate comprehensive health literacy. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of refugees in the language schools had limited or poor health literacy. Health literacy should be taken into consideration in contexts and in activities addressing migrants. More research is needed to better understand health literacy among refugees and to develop strategies and methods to increase health literacy and make life easier for those with low health literacy.

A proposal for an additional clinical trial outcome measure assessing preventive effect as delay of events.

Many effect measures used in clinical trials are problematic because they are differentially understood by patients and physicians. The emergence of novel methods such as accelerated failure-time models and quantile regression has shifted the focus of effect measurement from probability measures to time-to-event measures. Such modeling techniques are rapidly evolving, but matching non-parametric descriptive measures are lacking. We propose such a measure, the delay of events, demonstrating treatment effect as a gain in event-free time. We believe this measure to be of value for shared clinical decision-making. The rationale behind the measure is given, and it is conceptually explained using the Kaplan-Meier estimate and the quantile regression framework. A formula for calculation of the delay of events is given. Hypothetical and empirical examples are used to demonstrate the measure. The measure is discussed in relation to other measures highlighting the time effects of preventive treatments. There is a need to further investigate the properties of the measure as well as its role in clinical decision-making.

Cardiovascular risk factor assessments and health behaviours in patients using statins compared to a non-treated population.

BACKGROUND: The perception of cardiovascular risk factors is believed to be associated with a person's willingness to carry out lifestyle changes as well as their willingness to adhere to prescribed preventive medications. Little is known about whether these perceptions differ between statin users and those not using statins, including how these factors relate to health behaviours. PURPOSE: The objective was to investigate and compare the perceptions of known modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease in patients using statins with those of a non-treated population. One further objective was to investigate if statin use was associated with favourable health behaviours. METHOD: Data about health, perception of the importance of cardiovascular risk factors and health behaviours were collected through questionnaires from 829 statin users and 629 non-statin users. Beliefs about risk factors were compared in univariate analyses, and four health behaviours were compared in multivariate regression models. RESULTS: Statin users had better health behaviours in univariate analyses compared to non-statin users. Statin users rated lifestyle-related risk factors as more important contributors for the development of cardiovascular disease than non-statin users. In a multivariate model, statin use was associated with having better eating habits. CONCLUSION: People using statins are more concerned about cardiovascular risk factors compared to non-statin users. The behaviour of taking statins seems to be associated with favourable eating habits.

Misinterpretations of P-values and statistical tests persists among researchers and professionals working with statistics and epidemiology.

Background: The aim was to investigate inferences of statistically significant test results among persons with more or less statistical education and research experience. Methods: A total of 75 doctoral students and 64 statisticians/epidemiologist responded to a web questionnaire about inferences of statistically significant findings. Participants were asked about their education and research experience, and also whether a 'statistically significant' test result (P = 0.024, α-level 0.05) could be inferred as proof or probability statements about the truth or falsehood of the null hypothesis (H0) and the alternative hypothesis (H1). Results: Almost all participants reported having a university degree, and among statisticians/epidemiologist, most reported having a university degree in statistics and were working professionally with statistics. Overall, 9.4% of statisticians/epidemiologist and 24.0% of doctoral students responded that the statistically significant finding proved that H0 is not true, and 73.4% of statisticians/epidemiologists and 53.3% of doctoral students responded that the statistically significant finding indicated that H0 is improbable. Corresponding numbers about inferences about the alternative hypothesis (H1) were 12.0% and 6.2% about proving H1 being true and 62.7 and 62.5% for the conclusion that H1 is probable. Correct inferences to both questions, which is that a statistically significant finding cannot be inferred as either proof or a measure of a hypothesis' probability, were given by 10.7% of doctoral students and 12.5% of statisticians/epidemiologists. Conclusions: Misinterpretation of P-values and statistically significant test results persists also among persons who have substantial statistical education and who work professionally with statistics.

Outcomes associated with higher relational continuity in the treatment of persons with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A systematic review.

Background: Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are chronic conditions where relational continuity of care, as in regularly meeting the same health care provider, creates opportunities for monitoring and adjustment of treatment based on an individual's changing needs, potentially affecting quality of delivered care. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the effects of relational continuity in the treatment of persons with asthma or COPD. Methods: Eleven databases (CINAHL, Medline, PsycINFO, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane Library, Database of Systematic Review of Effects, DARE, Epistemonikos, NICE Evidence Search, KSR Evidence and AHRQ) were searched between January 1, 2000, and February 1 - 4, 2021, for controlled and observational studies about relational continuity and health outcomes for persons with asthma and/or COPD. Inclusion criteria were studies investigating an index or aspect relevant to relational continuity between a health professional/team of health professionals and patients. After screening, and assessment of study relevance and quality by at least two independent reviewers, studies with acceptable risk of bias were included and summary data was extracted from the publications. Main outcomes were mortality, morbidity (including health care utilization) and cost measures. Syntheses without metanalyses were performed due to considerable study heterogeneity. The certainty of the summarized result was assessed using GRADE (the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation). PROSPERO study registration number: CRD42020196518. Findings: We identified 2824 unique references and included 15 studies (14 observational and 1 randomized controlled trial) in the review, from which results were derived for six outcomes. For persons with asthma or COPD we found that higher compared to lower relational continuity of care prevents premature mortality (low certainty; 2 studies, 111 545 participants), lowers risk of emergency department visits (low certainty, 5 studies, 362 305 participates) and risk of hospitalization (moderate certainty, 9 studies, 525 716 participants), and lowers health care costs (low certainty; 4 studies, 390 682 participants). Results regarding treatment adherence (1 study, 971 participants) and patient perceptions (3 studies, 2026 participants) were assessed as having very low certainty. Interpretation: Low to moderate certainty evidence suggests that higher versus lower relational continuity of care for persons with asthma or COPD prevents premature mortality, lowers risks of unplanned health care utilization and reduces health care costs. The results may be of value when planning care for individuals and for policymakers in organizing health care and developing guidelines for treatment and follow-up routines. Funding: None.

Comparing the Efficacy of Multidisciplinary Assessment and Treatment, or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, with Treatment as Usual on Health Outcomes in Women on Long-Term Sick Leave-A Randomised Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Chronic pain and mental disorders are common reasons for long term sick leave. The study objective was to evaluate the efficacy of a multidisciplinary assessment and treatment program including acceptance and commitment therapy (TEAM) and stand-alone acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), compared with treatment as usual (Control) on health outcomes in women on long-term sick leave. METHOD: Participants (n = 308), women of working age on long term sick leave due to musculoskeletal pain and/or common mental disorders, were randomized to TEAM (n = 102), ACT (n = 102) or Control (n = 104). Participants in the multidisciplinary assessment treatment program received ACT, but also medical assessment, occupational therapy and social counselling. The second intervention included ACT only. Health outcomes were assessed over 12 months using adjusted linear mixed models. The results showed significant interaction effects for both ACT and TEAM compared with Control in anxiety (ACT [p < 0.05]; TEAM [p < 0.001]), depression (ACT [p < 0.001]; TEAM [p < 0.001]) and general well-being (ACT [p < 0.05]; TEAM [p < 0.001]). For self-rated pain, there was a significant interaction effect in favour of ACT (p < 0.05), and for satisfaction with life in favour of TEAM (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Both ACT alone and multidisciplinary assessment and treatment including ACT were superior to treatment as usual in clinical outcomes.

Effects of apixaban compared with warfarin as gain in event-free time - a novel assessment of the results of the ARISTOTLE trial.

BACKGROUND: A novel approach to determine the effect of a treatment is to calculate the delay of event, which estimates the gain of event-free time. The aim of this study was to estimate gains in event-free time for stroke or systemic embolism, death, bleeding events, and the composite of these events, in patients with atrial fibrillation randomized to either warfarin or apixaban in the Apixaban for Reduction in Stroke and Other Thromboembolic Events in Atrial Fibrillation trial (ARISTOTLE). DESIGN: The ARISTOTLE study was a randomized double-blind trial comparing apixaban with warfarin. METHODS: Laplace regression was used to estimate the delay in time to the outcomes between the apixaban and the warfarin group in 6, 12, 18 and 22 months of follow-up. RESULTS: The gain in event-free time for apixaban versus warfarin was 181 (95% confidence interval 76 to 287) days for stroke or systemic embolism and 55 (-4 to 114) days for death after 22 months of follow-up. The corresponding gains in event-free times for major and intracranial bleeding were 206 (130 to 281) and 392 (249 to 535) days, respectively. The overall gain for the composite of all these events was a gain of 116 (60 to 171) days. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with atrial fibrillation, 22 months of treatment with apixaban, as compared with warfarin, provided gains of approximately 6 months in event-free time for stroke or systemic embolism, 7 months for major bleeding and 13 months for intracranial bleeding.

Living environment, social support, and informal caregiving are associated with healthcare seeking behaviour and adherence to medication treatment: A cross-sectional population study.

Despite the well-known associations between local environment and health, few studies have focused on environment and healthcare utilisation, for instance healthcare seeking behaviour or adherence. This study was aimed at analysing housing type, behaviour based on perceived local outdoor safety, social support, informal caregiving, demographics, socioeconomics, and long-term illness, and associations with health-seeking and adherence behaviours at a population level. This study used data from the Swedish National Public Health Survey 2004-2014, an annually repeated, large sample, cross-sectional, population-based survey study. In all, questionnaires from 100,433 individuals were returned by post, making the response rate 52.9% (100,433/190,000). Descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regressions were used to investigate associations between explanatory variables and the outcomes of refraining from seeking care and non-adherence behaviour. Living in rented apartment, lodger, a dorm or other was associated with reporting refraining from seeking care (adjusted OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.00-1.22), and non-adherence (adjusted OR 1.22; 95% CI 1.13-1.31). Refraining from going out due to a perceived unsafe neighbourhood was associated with refraining from seeking care (adjusted OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.51-1.67) and non-adherence (adjusted OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.17-1.36). Social support and status as an informal caregiver was associated with higher odds of refraining from seeking medical care and non-adherence. This study suggests that living in rental housing, refraining from going out due to neighbourhood safety concerns, lack of social support or informal caregiver status are associated with lower health-seeking behaviour and non-adherence to prescribed medication.