Prevalence and disparities in influenza vaccination among patients with COPD: A French nationwide population study.

INTRODUCTION: Despite concordant international recommendations, many surveys found disappointing rates of influenza vaccination in at-risk populations, ranging from 23% in overall COPD population to more than 70% in more severe COPD subjects. Therefore, we assessed the proportion of French COPD patients non-vaccinated for influenza and their clinical and socio-demographic factors. MATERIEL AND METHODS: This was a national retrospective study based on the French health insurance database. We identified "diagnosed COPD", defined as subjects hospitalized at least once in 2017 with a principal or associated diagnosis of COPD, and "suspected COPD" as those who were prescribed at least thrice long-acting bronchodilators (LAB), after exclusion of patients with a principal diagnosis or secondary associated diagnosis of asthma or cystic fibrosis, patients deceased before the influenza season and patients hospitalized in long-term or in palliative care unit. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the association between patients' characteristics and the lack of influenza vaccination. RESULTS: From the national database, 1 474 396 subjects were identified as "suspected COPD" of whom 528 114 were excluded because of previous diagnosis of asthma or cystic fibrosis, and 350 566 as "diagnosed COPD". Among the 1 296 848 patients included, 646 687 patients (53.3%) were vaccinated against influenza. Non-vaccinated subjects were significantly younger (62.1 vs 71.6 years old), more often women (47.9% vs 43.1%) and had fewer comorbidities assessed by Charlson's index (3.0 ± 2.2 vs 4.3 ± 2.1). Lack of vaccination was also associated with a lower LAB usage. Also, non-vaccinated subjects neither had severe exacerbation during the study period. Besides there was a significant heterogeneity in vaccination rate by geographic region, from 47% to 57%. In multivariate analysis, variables independently associated with the lack of influenza vaccination were female gender, younger age, fewer comorbidities and lower socio-economic level. CONCLUSIONS: This study using the French exhaustive health insurance database shows that influenza vaccination among COPD patients remains dramatically low and must become a high-priority public-health strategy.

Pulmonary rehabilitation after severe exacerbation of COPD: a nationwide population study.

BACKGROUND: Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) lead to a significant reduction in quality of life and an increased mortality risk. Current guidelines strongly recommend pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) after a severe exacerbation. Studies reporting referral for PR are scarce, with no report to date in Europe. Therefore, we assessed the proportion of French patients receiving PR after hospitalization for COPD exacerbation and factors associated with referral. METHODS: This was a national retrospective study based on the French health insurance database. Patients hospitalized in 2017 with COPD exacerbation were identified from the exhaustive French medico-administrative database of hospitalizations. In France, referral to PR has required as a stay in a specialized PR center or unit accredited to provide multidisciplinary care (exercise training, education, etc.) and admission within 90 days after discharge was assessed. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the association between patients' characteristics, comorbidities according to the Charlson index, treatment, and PR uptake. RESULTS: Among 48,638 patients aged ≥ 40 years admitted for a COPD exacerbation, 4,182 (8.6%) received PR within 90 days after discharge. General practitioner's (GP) density (number of GPs for the population at regional level) and PR center facilities (number of beds for the population at regional level) were significantly correlated with PR uptake (respectively r = 0.64 and r = 0.71). In multivariate analysis, variables independently associated with PR uptake were female gender (aOR 1.36 [1.28-1.45], p < 0.0001), age (p < 0.0001), comorbidities (p = 0.0013), use of non-invasive ventilation and/or oxygen therapy (aOR 1.52 [1.41-1.64], p < 0.0001) and administration of long-acting bronchodilators (p = 0.0038). CONCLUSION: This study using the French nationally exhaustive health insurance database shows that PR uptake after a severe COPD exacerbation is dramatically low and must become a high-priority management strategy.

Impact de la pandémie COVID-19 sur les évènements indésirables associés aux soins.

Since early 2020, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, physicians have continued to report adverse events associated with care. Patients also continued to participate in the hospital satisfaction surveys. To date, no study in France has measured the impact of the pandemic on adverse events and patient satisfaction. We looked at the characteristics of these adverse events in relation to the pandemic and put patients' feelings into perspective. A qualitative and observational retrospective study of the REX and MCO48 databases was carried out. The quantitative study of the REX database was supplemented by a qualitative analysis of the declarations. The adverse events more often affects middle-aged men aged 60 years, while deaths occur in older patients with more complex pathologies and more urgent management. The nature of these events is different depending on the reporting period: Those reported in the first wave are more urgent, occur less frequently in the operating room than in the emergency room, and are considered less preventable than those reported in the second wave. The latter are more similar to the events that usually occur. The implementation of effective barriers, particularly within the teams, has made it possible to reduce the impact of the second wave on the occurrence of these events, the role of communication seems essential. The overall patient satisfaction score as well as those for medical and paramedical care has increased, which may reflect patient solidarity with caregivers. The attitude of active resilience on the part of all actors has been a major element in risk management during this crisis and it is essential to capitalize on these collaborative processes for the future.

Quality indicators in hemodialysis: A 5-year experience of national campaigns in France.

BACKGROUND: End stage kidney disease (ESKD) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Hemodialysis (HD) is the main technique used for kidney replacement therapy. Dialyzed patients are expected to live less than one half as long as their counterparts without ESKD. Improving quality of care may help to improve mortality in this population. METHODS: The French National Authority for Health has carried out three consecutive national campaigns over 5 years for the assessment of quality indicators (QCI) during HD. QCI included anemia management, iron status evaluation, nutritional status assessment, and annual transplantation access. RESULTS: From 2013 to 2017, 227 health facilities participated, and 33,319 files were analyzed. Median age was 72 years old (IQR25-75 = 61-81), and 58.25% of patients were men. Median time in HD was 39.4 months (IQR25-75 = 20.7-72.7). Most of the patients underwent in-center HD (85.41%). Overweight and obese patients accounted, respectively, for 28.39% and 21.32%, and malnutrition was present in 38.61%. A contra-indication for renal transplantation was found in 68.3% of patients. All QCI improved over 5 years. CONCLUSION: Developing QCI based on guidelines is crucial to assure appropriate care of HD patients. Repeating campaigns over 5 years in France improves the quality of care among physicians.

La politique nationale des indicateurs de qualité et de sécurité des soins.

THE NATIONAL POLICY OF CARE QUALITY AND SAFETY INDICATORS: Care quality and safety indicators, piloted by the national health authority, are tools forming part of a global programme of improvement of quality and safety of care. The national scheme for measuring the quality and safety of care provides, for all healthcare facilities, dashboards for managing care quality and safety. Currently focused on the public and private hospital sector, it needs to evolve to widen its scope to include community care and the medical-social sector.

Development and feasibility of a set of quality indicators relative to the timeliness and organisation of care for new breast cancer patients undergoing surgery.

BACKGROUND: Because breast cancer is a major public health issue, it is particularly important to measure the quality of the care provided to patients. Survival rates are affected by the timeliness of care, and waiting times constitute key quality criteria. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a set of quality indicators (QIs) relative to the timeliness and organisation of care in new patients with infiltrating, non-inflammatory and metastasis-free breast cancer undergoing surgery. The ultimate aim was to use these QIs to compare hospitals. METHODS: The method of QI construction and testing was developed by COMPAQ-HPST. We first derived a set of 8 QIs from consensus guidelines with the aid of experts and professional associations and then tested their metrological properties in a panel of 60 volunteer hospitals. We assessed feasibility using a grid exploring 5 dimensions, discriminatory power using the Gini coefficient as a measure of dispersion, and inter-observer reliability using the Kappa coefficient. RESULTS: Overall, 3728 records were included in the analyses. All 8 QIs showed acceptable feasibility (but one QI was subject to misinterpretation), fairly strong agreement between observers (Kappa = 0.66), and wide variations in implementation among hospitals (Gini coefficient < 0.45 except for QI 6 (patient information)). They are thus suitable for use to compare hospitals and measure quality improvement. CONCLUSIONS: Of the 8 QIs, 3 are ready for nationwide implementation (time to surgery, time to postoperative multidisciplinary team meeting (MDTM), conformity of MDTM). Four are suitable for use only in hospitals offering surgery with on-site postoperative treatment (waiting time to first appointment after surgery, patient information, time to first postoperative treatment, and traceability of information relating to prognosis). Currently, in the French healthcare system, a patient receives cancer care from different institutions whose databases cannot as yet be easily merged. Nationwide implementation of QIs covering the entire care pathway will thus be a challenge.

Pharmacogenetics of acenocoumarol pharmacodynamics.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the respective contribution of the different cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C9 genetic polymorphisms to the interindividual variability of acenocoumarol pharmacodynamic response. METHODS: A total of 263 healthy volunteers were genotyped for CYP2C9*2, CYP2C9*3, CYP2C9*4, and CYP2C9*5 alleles, as well as for the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, reduced, quinone oxidoreductase 1 genetic polymorphism (NQO1*2). Moreover, the 5'-flanking region of the CYP2C9 gene was investigated for new polymorphisms, and haplotype analysis was then performed. Finally, CYP2C9 phenotype was evaluated after a single oral dose of 4 mg of acenocoumarol. Factor VII coagulant activity was measured before and 24 hours after acenocoumarol intake. RESULTS: The CYP2C9*3 allele was the only nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) influencing acenocoumarol pharmacodynamics; the percentages of remaining factor VII were 60% +/- 19%, 39% +/- 17%, and 17% for CYP2C9*1/CYP2C9*1, CYP2C9*1/CYP2C9*3, and CYP2C9*3/CYP2C9*3 subjects, respectively (P =.001). Among the white subjects, the CYP2C9 promoter showed the existence of 6 SNPs at positions G-1538A, T-1189C, G-1097A, G-982A, T-640 del, and G-620T with allelic frequencies of 0.085, 0.0398, 0.136, 0.086, 0.005, and 0.0138, respectively. Four major haplotypes could be inferred among white subjects. The haplotype that contains the CYP2C9*3 allele was the only one influencing acenocoumarol pharmacodynamics, explaining 14.3% of its interindividual variability. Body weight explained 5% of acenocoumarol pharmacodynamic variability, whereas the NQO1*2 allele had no significant effect. CONCLUSION: Overall, CYP2C9-related genetic variability accounts for 14% of the interindividual variability in acenocoumarol pharmacodynamic response. The information found by haplotype analysis is mainly related to the CYP2C9*3 SNP.

Frequency of cytochrome P450 2C9 allelic variants in the Chinese and French populations.

Cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) is a polymorphic enzyme responsible for the metabolism of different drugs with low therapeutic index such as oral anticoagulants. CYP2C9*2 and CYP2C9*3 are two single nucleotide polymorphic allelic variants. The frequency of these alleles in different ethnic populations is extremely variable. In this study, we compared the frequencies of CYP2C9 allelic variants among 394 Chinese living in Shanghai to 151 French Caucasians living in Paris. The allelic frequencies of CYP2C9 variants of the Chinese and the French subjects were 0.963, 0.001, 0.036 and 0.77, 0.15, 0.08 for CYP2C9*1, CYP2C9*2, CYP2C9*3, respectively. Chinese CYP2C9*3 allelic frequency was twice as lower as the French subjects, but three times higher than Korean (0.036 vs. 0.011). The CYP2C9*2 allele could be detected in only one Chinese subject, whereas it represented the major allelic variant in French Caucasians. The low frequency of the CYP2C9*2 and CYP2C9*3 allelic variants in Chinese subjects does not justify their detection in clinical practice, unlike French Caucasians.