Milk supplementation increases mid-upper arm circumference and haemoglobin level among pregnant women in Kupang, Indonesia: Evidence from a regression discontinuity design

@#Introduction: The high prevalence of chronic energy deficiency (CED) and anaemia among pregnant women in Indonesia is worrying. Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) is one of the provinces in Indonesia with the highest prevalence of CED. This study aimed to determine the effect of fortified milk supplementation on changes in mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) and haemoglobin level among pregnant women. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted in three locations of Community Health Centers in NTT from May to August 2019. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 69 pregnant women who were divided into two groups based on haemoglobin levels; the intervention group consisted of 31 pregnant women with haemoglobin levels below 11 g/dL, and control group consisted of 38 pregnant women with haemoglobin levels above 11 g/dL. Intervention group was provided with fortified milk supplementation, while control group received education about prevention of CED and anaemia. Data were analysed using regression discontinuity design with haemoglobin of 11 g/dL as cut-off. Results: Using regression discontinuity method, we were able to determine the effect of milk supplementation based on haemoglobin levels and confirm the result that milk supplementation significantly increased MUAC by 4.69 cm. Despite no discontinuity found, a positive increase of 0.98 g/dL in haemoglobin level was important to note. Conclusion: Milk supplementation of 300 kcal/day for three months significantly increased MUAC and to some extent, increased haemoglobin level. Thus, it should be considered when planning nutrition programmes to improve the nutritional status of pregnant women.

Study on the influence of Beijing Medical Reform on the hospitalization expenses of medical and surgical patients in a hospital / 中华医院管理杂志

Objective:To analyze the impact of Beijing Medical Reform on inpatient costs of medical and surgical patients in a hospital, and to provide reference for the hospital to explore the path of patient cost control.Methods:Based on the data of medical and surgical inpatients′ expenses from June 2016 to December 2019 in a hospital in Beijing, breakpoint regression method was used to analyze the impact of the two reforms(namely the comprehensive reform of separation of medicine and pharmacy and the comprehensive reform of medical consumption linkage)on the level of medical and surgical inpatients′ expenses and the cost structure of drugs and consumables.Results:The two reforms controlled the rapid rise of hospitalization expenses and reduced the proportion of drugs and medical consumption. The effect of the reforms on the total cost control of internal medical patients was better than that of surgical patients.For internal medical patients, the reform of separation of medicine and pharmacy played a greater role in the proportion of medicine; For surgical patients, the two reforms had effectively reduced the proportion of consumables, and the proportion of drugs had gradually decreased.Conclusions:The two reforms have effectively controlled the growth trend of hospitalization expenses, and changed the cost structure of drugs and consumables.