Validation study of the population included in the Danish Schizophrenia Registry.

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to assess the validity of the schizophrenia diagnoses registered in the Danish Schizophrenia Registry (DSR) by comparing with information from medical records. METHODS: The study included a random sample of 390 subjects from the DSR who were representative of each geographic region of Denmark. For each subject in the sample, a medical record review was performed by local psychiatrists to confirm or disconfirm the schizophrenia diagnosis and to give a qualified estimate of the date of diagnosis. Only register data and medical record information were used, and thus the individuals in the sample were not approached. We calculated the positive predictive value, comparing registrations in the DSR with the original medical records as a reference. RESULTS: A total of 325 out of 390 (83%) medical records were reviewed. The positive predictive value was 91% (95% confidence interval (CI): 88-94%), varying between geographic regions from 85% to 100%. The classification of incident versus prevalent disease corresponded with the reference in 93% (95% CI: 80-97%) of cases diagnosed in 2014-2015. CONCLUSIONS: The DSR includes the intended patient population and represents a valid and valuable source for improving quality of care and for research. FUNDING: The study was financed by the Danish Regional Development Fund for Clinical Quality. TRIAL REGISTRATION: not relevant.

The Danish Schizophrenia Registry.

AIM OF DATABASE: To systematically monitor and improve the quality of treatment and care of patients with schizophrenia in Denmark. In addition, the database is accessible as a resource for research. STUDY POPULATION: Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and receiving mental health care in psychiatric hospitals or outpatient clinics. During the first year after the diagnosis, patients are classified as incident patients, and after this period as prevalent patients. MAIN VARIABLES: The registry currently contains 21 clinical quality measures in relation to the following domains: diagnostic evaluation, antipsychotic treatment including adverse reactions, cardiovascular risk factors including laboratory values, family intervention, psychoeducation, postdischarge mental health care, assessment of suicide risk in relation to discharge, and assessment of global functioning. DESCRIPTIVE DATA: The recorded data are available electronically for the reporting clinicians and responsible administrative personnel, and they are updated monthly. The registry publishes the national and regional results of all included quality measures in the annual audit reports. External researchers may obtain access to the data for use in specific research projects by applying to the steering committee. CONCLUSION: The Danish Schizophrenia Registry represents a valuable source of informative data to monitor and improve the quality of care of patients with schizophrenia in Denmark. However, continuous resources and time devoted is necessary to maintain the integrity of the registry and the validity of the data.

[Remedy for shortage or risk for national security? The search for oil in Switzerland]. / Lösung für das Knappheitsproblem oder nationales Risiko? Auf Erdölsuche in der Schweiz.

Over several decades, geologists, entrepreneurs, politicians, and public authorities dealt with a potential petroleum occurrence in Switzerland. They provided scientific expertise, granted concessions, invested capital and sank bore holes. Although the endeavour was never successful economically, it reveals how closely related geopolitical situations and the exploitation of natural resources were. This article investigates the search for crude oil in Switzerland from the 1930s until the 1960s, combining a history of science and technology perspective with a history of the political regulations and economic considerations concerning the extractive industry. It traces the changing fears and hopes about potential oil occurrences in Switzerland: From an investment to overcome future shortages, to the risk of imperial desires if oil would be found in abundance.

[Stress, cortisone and homeostasis. Adrenal cortex hormones and physiological equilibrium, 1936-1960]. / Stress, Cortison und Homöostase. Kunstliche Nebennierenrindenhormone und physiologisches Gleichgewicht, 1936-1960.

This article investigates the emergence of the concept of stress in the 1930s and outlines its changing disciplinary and conceptual frames up until 1960. Originally stress was a physiological concept applied to the hormonal regulation of the body under stressful conditions. Correlated closely with chemical research into corticosteroids for more than a decade, the stress concept finally became a topic in cognitive psychology. One reason for this shift of the concept to another discipline was the fact that the hormones previously linked to the stress concept were successfully transferred from laboratory to medical practice and adopted by disciplines such as rheumatology and dermatology. Thus the stress concept was dissociated from its hormonal context and became a handy formula that allowed postindustrial society to conceive of stress as a matter of individual concern. From a physiological phenomenon stress turned into an object of psychological discourse and individual coping strategies.