Association of Healthcare Fragmentation and the Survival of Patients With Colorectal Cancer in Colombia.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to identify the association between healthcare fragmentation and survival for patients with colorectal cancer in Colombia. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed using administrative databases, with an electronic algorithm to identify patients with colorectal cancer based on codes. The patients were enrolled between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2016. The exposure variable was fragmentation, which was measured based on the number of different healthcare institutions that treated a patient during the first year after diagnosis. Matching was performed using propensity scores to control for confounding, and the hazard ratio for exposure to higher fragmentation was calculated for the matched sample. RESULTS: A total of 5036 patients with colorectal cancer were identified, 2525 (49.88%) of whom were women. The mean number of network healthcare institutions for the total sample was 5.71 (SD 1.98). The patients in the quartile with higher fragmentation had the highest mortality rate, 35.67 (95% CI 33.63-38.06) per 100 patients. The comparison of higher and lower quartiles of fragmentation resulted in an incidence rate ratio of 1.23 (95% CI 1.04-1.45; P = .02). Of the 5036 patients, 422 (8.38%) were classified as the exposed cohort (higher fragmentation). The total matched sample consisted of 844 subjects, and an HR of 1.26 (95%CI; 1.05-1.51) was estimated. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to more highly fragmented healthcare networks decreases overall 4-year survival for patients with colorectal cancer in Colombia.

Estimated frequency of instrumented vaginal delivery in Colombia between 2015 and 2019. Population registry-based cross-sectional study / Estimación de la frecuencia del parto vaginal instrumentado en Colombia en los años 2015 ­ 2019. Estudio transversal de registros poblacionales

Objectives: To assess the frequency of instrumented delivery in Colombia and by regions between 2015 and 2019. Materials and methods: Cross-sectional study based on population registries. Records of women with a gestational age of more than 28 weeks and vaginal delivery were included. Consecutive sampling was used. The information was taken from live birth certificates of the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE). Sociodemographic and clinical variables were described. The frequency of instrumented deliveries was calculated and described by year and by department. Results: Overall, 3,224,218 live birth records were included. Of these 1,719,405 (53.33 %) were vaginal deliveries and 1,468,726 (45.55 %) were cesarean births. At a national level, the frequency of instrumented deliveries between 2015 and 2019 was 36,087 births (1.11 %); Antioquia and Bogotá, D.C. were the places with the highest occurrence, with 16,201 (4.5 %) and 13,686 (2.52 %), respectively. Conclusions: The occurrence of instrumented vaginal delivery in Colombia is the lowest and tends to diminish. Training of healthcare professionals in this approach during labor must not be abandoned, particularly in Obstetrics and Gynecology training programs. Further studies should be conducted to determine whether the increased adequate use of this technique could contribute to a lower rate of cesarean sections, and also to describe the clinical setting in which its use is safe for both the mother and the fetus. Prospective studies are required to identify the causes leading to the lower use of this obstetric tool as well as the risks and benefits in terms of maternal and perinatal outcomes.

Objetivos: evaluar la frecuencia del parto instrumentado en Colombia y por regiones entre el 2015 y 2019. Materiales y métodos: estudio de corte transversal a partir de registros poblacionales. Se incluyeron los registros de mujeres con edad gestacional mayor a 28 semanas y parto vaginal. Muestreo consecutivo. La información se obtuvo a partir del certificado de nacido vivo del Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística (DANE). Se realizó la descripción de las variables sociodemográficas y clínicas. La frecuencia del parto instrumentado fue calculada y descrita por año y departamento. Resultados: se incluyeron 3.224.218 registros de recién nacidos vivos. De estos, 1.719.405 (53,33 %) correspondieron a partos vaginales, y 1.468.726 (45,55 %) a partos por vía cesárea. La frecuencia nacional del parto instrumentado entre el 2015 y 2019 fue de 36.087 nacimientos (1,11 %); Antioquia y Bogotá, D.C. fueron los lugares con mayor ocurrencia, 16.201 (4,5 %) y 13.686 (2,52 %), respectivamente. Conclusiones: el parto vaginal instrumentado es la vía de parto con menor ocurrencia en Colombia con tendencia a la disminución. La formación en este recurso para el uso durante el trabajo de parto no debe perderse en la formación del profesional de salud, especialmente en los programas de Ginecología y Obstetricia. Se debe evaluar si el aumento en el adecuado uso de esta técnica puede disminuir la tasa de cesáreas observadas actualmente, así como describir los escenarios clínicos donde su uso es seguro para la madre y el feto. Se requieren estudios prospectivos, pues pueden permitir establecer las causas del descenso en el uso de esta herramienta obstétrica, los resultados maternos y perinatales en términos de su riesgo/beneficio.