Assessing quality indicators related to mental health emergency room utilization.

BACKGROUND: This descriptive study compared 2014-15 to 2005-06 data on the quality of mental health services (MHS) in relation to emergency room (ER) use to assess the impact of the 2005 Quebec MH reform regarding access, continuity and appropriateness of care for patients with mental illnesses (PMI). METHODS: Data emanated from the Quebec Integrated Chronic Disease Surveillance System (Quebec/Canada). Participants (865,255 for 2014-15; 817,395 for 2005-06) were age 12 or over, with at least one MI, including substance use disorders (SUD), diagnosed during an ER visit, outpatient treatment or hospitalization. Variables included: access (ER use/frequency, hospitalization rates, outpatient consultations preceding an ER visit), care continuity (outpatient consultations following an ER visit/hospitalization, consecutive returns to the ERs), and care appropriateness (high ER use, recurrence of yearly ER visits, length of hospitalization). Frequency distributions were calculated on sex, age and geographic area for ER visits/hospitalizations in 2014-15, and between 2014 and 15 and 2005-06. RESULTS: PMI accounted for 12 % of the Quebec population in 2014-15 (n = 865,255), of whom 39% visited an ER for any reason. Amount and frequency of ER use and number/length of hospitalizations were almost twice as high for PMI versus patients without MI; 17% of PMI were also high/very high ER users and were frequently hospitalized. Among PMI, ER users were also frequent users of outpatient services despite a lack of follow-up appointments after ER visits or hospitalizations. Findings revealed some positive changes over time, such as decreased ER and hospitalization rates; yet overall access, continuity and appropriateness of care, as measured in this study, remained low. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that the Quebec reform did not produce a substantial impact on ER use or substantially improved care, as hypothesized. Better access and continuity of care should be promoted to reduce the high prevalence of ER use among PMI. Quality improvement in MHS may be realized if ERs are supported by substantial and well-integrated community MH networks.

Patient satisfaction with mental health services based on Andersen's Behavioral Model.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article was to assess the satisfaction of adult patients who received mental health services (MHS) in healthcare networks staffed by multidisciplinary professionals and offering a range of MHS, and to identify variables associated with patient satisfaction. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 325 patients with mental disorders (MDs) among 4 Quebec health service networks. Data were collected using 9 standardized instruments and participant medical records. A 3-factor conceptual framework (predisposing, enabling, and needs-related factors) based on Andersen's Behavioral Model was used, integrating sociodemographic, clinical, needs-related, service utilization, social support, and quality-of-life (QOL) variables. An adjusted multiple linear regression model was performed. RESULTS: The global mean score for patient satisfaction was 4.11 (minimum: 2.0; maximum: 5.0). Among the enabling factors, continuity of care, having a case manager, and help received from services were positively associated with patient satisfaction, whereas being hospitalized was negatively associated. Among the needs-related factors, the number of needs was negatively associated with satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Findings demonstrated higher levels of satisfaction among patients who received good continuity of care and well-managed, frequent services in relation to their needs. Dissatisfaction was higher for patients with serious unmet needs or those hospitalized, which underlines the importance of taking these particular variables into account in the interest of improving MHS delivery and patient recovery.

A typology of satisfaction with mental health services based on Andersen's behavioral model.

OBJECTIVE: Patients with mental disorders (MDs) form a highly heterogeneous group, whose satisfaction with mental health services (MHS) may vary according to different variables. Identifying patient subgroups with similar levels of satisfaction may help identify variables that contribute to satisfaction or dissatisfaction with services. This study established a typology of patient satisfaction with MHS that revealed variables specific to each group. METHODS: The study included 325 patients with MDs across four health service networks offering integrated and diversified services. Data were collected using five standardized instruments, and participant medical records. A conceptual framework was developed, based on Andersen's Behavioral Model, which integrates socio-demographic, clinical, needs-related and service use variables. Using cluster analysis, a typology of patient satisfaction was created. RESULTS: Analyses yielded four patient clusters: two where levels of satisfaction were relatively high and two with lower levels of satisfaction (range 3.74-4.37). Greater care continuity and higher income related to greater patient satisfaction; whereas co-occurring MDs and substance use disorders (SUD), as well as more numerous and severe needs, characterized dissatisfied patients who were frequent users of MHS. CONCLUSIONS: Results highlight the need for continuity of care and adequate socio-economic conditions for increasing patient satisfaction with MHS. Lower levels of satisfaction among patients with common MDs and SUDs suggest the importance of addressing their specific needs to enhance satisfaction and MH recovery.

Trajectories of Alcohol Use and Binge Drinking Among Pregnant Inuit Women.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated trajectories of alcohol use and binge drinking among Inuit women starting from a year before pregnancy until a year after delivery, examined transition rates between time periods, and established whether specific factors could be identified as predictors of changes in alcohol behaviors. METHODS: Drinking trajectories and movement among alcohol users and binge drinkers (i.e. non-binging and binging) were explored by Markov modeling across time periods. Two hundred and forty-eight Inuit women from Arctic Quebec were interviewed at mid-pregnancy, and at 1 and 11 months postpartum to obtain descriptive data on alcohol use during the year before pregnancy, the conception period, the pregnancy and the year after delivery. RESULTS: The proportions of drinkers and bingers were 73 and 54% during the year prior to pregnancy and 62 and 33% after delivery. Both alcohol use and binge drinking trajectories demonstrated a significant drop in prevalence between the year before conception to the conception period. We also noted high probabilities of becoming an abstainer or not binging at this time. However, up to 60% of women continued to drink alcohol during pregnancy. Women in couples and not consuming marijuana were more likely to decrease their binge drinking at conception. CONCLUSIONS: This study emphasizes the importance of including the period around conception in the definition of drinking patterns during pregnancy. The importance of considering alcohol consumption in a multidimensional way (personal, familial and social determinants) is also addressed while trying to minimize problems both for the fetus and the mother.

Ethnocultural community leaders' views and perceptions on biobanks and population specific genomic research: a qualitative research study.

Substantial investments were made in population based biobanks over the past decade. Ethnocultural community members are both sponsors and beneficiaries of biobanks. In addition, the success of biobank projects depends on community support and participation. Yet there are few empirical data on views, perceptions and interests of ethnocultural communities on biobanks. This silent gap in genomics, ethics and policy literatures has to be addressed. We conducted a qualitative research study with in-depth interviews of ethnocultural community leaders (e.g., members of the Canadian Parliament, school commissioners) on their perspectives concerning population specific genomics research and biobanks. An equal partnership model where public is not only informed, but also involved in decision-making processes was perceived as an essential democratic requisite. These empirical data on ethnocultural community leaders' views, interests and perceptions identify several key socio-cultural and ethical factors that can be decisive for effective and sustainable community involvement in biobanks.

Drinking motives supporting binge drinking of Inuit adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: Binge drinking has been identified as a public health concern among several Indigenous communities in Canada. Drinking motives have been shown to significantly influence drinking patterns among youth, but no research has been conducted among Inuit populations. This article assesses whether specific drinking motives are related to the number of binge drinking episodes among Inuit adolescents from Nunavik. METHODS: The data are drawn from the Nunavik Child Development Study, a longitudinal study conducted in the Canadian Arctic. Questions on alcohol use, binge drinking and drinking motives were asked to 174 adolescents (mean age of 18.5 years). Analyses of variance were used to test the relation between drinking motives and number of binge drinking episodes over the last year. RESULTS: Most Inuit participants mentioned drinking for enhancement reasons. A higher number of binge drinking episodes were reported among both adolescent males and adolescent females who frequently endorse enhancement motives, while social and coping motives have been exclusively related to binge drinking episodes among males. CONCLUSION: Findings highlight that motivational aspects supporting binge drinking among Inuit adolescents vary across sex and slightly contrast with studies conducted in non-Indigenous populations. Culturally relevant preventive interventions that target motivational aspects and take into account sex differences are needed.

[Emergency Department Use in Quebec for Patients with Mental Disorders, including Substance use Disorders]. / Utilisation de l'urgence au Québec des patients avec des troubles mentaux incluant les troubles liés aux substances psychoactives.

Objectives This study investigated emergency department (ED) use, reasons for emergency visits, hospitalization rates, and duration of hospitalization in 2014-15 for a cohort of patients with mental disorders (MDs) including substance use disorders (SUDs), regarding sex, age and residential areas. Results were compared with data from patients without MDs for 2014-15, and with another cohort from 2000-01, which marked the beginning of primary care reform in Quebec and elsewhere, with the aim of measuring ED use over time. Methods Based on data from the Quebec Integrated Chronic Disease Surveillance System (QICDSS), participants included patients age 12 and over, diagnosed with at least one MD (or SUD) during an ED visit, hospitalization, or outpatient consultation in 2014-15 and 2000-01. Frequency distributions for ED visits and hospitalizations were produced, as well as for MDs or SUDs exclusively, or for co-occurring MDs-SUDs, and among high or very high ED users (4 to 11 visits/year, ≥12 visits/year), by gender, age (12-17, 18-24, 25-44, 45-64, and 65 and over) and residential area (Montreal, urban areas:>100,000, semi-urban areas: <100,000, and rural areas: <10,000). The age-standardized method based on the age structure of the 2014-15 population was used to compare data from 2014-15 to 2000-01. Frequency distributions for patients with and without MDs, and on ED and hospitalization rates were also produced for 2014-15. Results For the Quebec population, 12% had MDs including SUDs, of whom 39% had visited an ED, a decrease of 6% since 2000-01. Approximately twice as many patients with MDs had ED visits or hospitalizations, compared to patients without MDs. Nearly 17% of patients were high or very high ED users; and 34% were hospitalized. ED use was higher among patients 65 years and older, and those living in rural areas. Sixty-eight percent of ED visits for MDs exclusively were made by patients affected by anxiety-depression; whereas 51% of visits for SUDs exclusively were alcohol-related. Physical illnesses were the main reason for ED visits and hospitalizations; yet patients with severe MDs, co-occurring MDs and SUDs as well as those with more frequent ED visits tended to use EDs more for MD reasons. Conclusion This study demonstrated a very high volume of ED visits and hospitalizations among patients with MDs, including SUDs, compared to patients without MDs. Co-occurring disorders, especially physical conditions and multiple and severe MDs, contributed to frequent ED use and hospitalizations. Better care management, including more comprehensive personal care, for patients with MDs including SUDs and co-occurring disorders is needed, as well as the deployment of strategies that provide integrated mental health and medical care, particularly in Montreal where ED use by patients with predominantly severe and co-occurring MDs and physical illnesses, is more frequent.

Alcohol use among Inuit pregnant women: Validity of alcohol ascertainment measures over time.

BACKGROUND: Frequency and quantity of alcohol consumed by women are two important indicators of the risks associated with drinking during pregnancy. Some studies have compared the validity of maternal alcohol report obtained during and after pregnancy. However, to date none have examined alcohol use in a Native Canadian population, such as the Inuit. Effective measurement methods are necessary to better understand why children from some communities seem at increased risk of alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorders. METHODS: Prospective and retrospective drinking interviews were obtained from a sub-sample of 67 women included in the Nunavik Child Development Study (NCDS), Nunavik, Canada (1995-2010; N=248). Number of days of alcohol consumption and binge drinking (five drinks or more per episode) across pregnancy as well as ounces of absolute alcohol per day and per drinking day among users were collected using timeline follow-back interviews administered both during pregnancy and again 11years after delivery. Consistency of alcohol reports over time, as well as significant differences for alcohol quantities described by users between interviews were examined. Sociodemographic characteristics associated with alcohol use reports were also assessed. RESULTS: The proportion of positive reports of alcohol and binge drinking during pregnancy was higher when women were interviewed prospectively during pregnancy than retrospectively. We observed a fair to moderate agreement of alcohol report between interview periods. By contrast, the number of binge drinking days during pregnancy was slightly higher among alcohol users when documented retrospectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings endorse the conclusion that prospective alcohol measures provide more reliable ascertainment and likely generate more valid information about the proportion of children prenatally exposed to alcohol in the Inuit population.

Temporal trends of alcohol and drug use among Inuit of Northern Quebec, Canada.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol and drug use is a serious health problem for many indigenous populations across Canada, including Inuit. The literature on substance use in these populations is too sparse to devise public health interventions. OBJECTIVE: The present article portrays alcohol and drug use among Inuit living in Nunavik (Northern Quebec) between the 1990s and 2000s, and identifies socio-demographic characteristics related to substance use. DESIGN: The Santé Québec Health Survey (1992) and the Nunavik Inuit Health Survey Qanuippitaa (2004) served as databases for this empirical work. Statistical comparisons were made of substance use variables in the 2 samples. Proportions were compared by chi-square tests (p≤0.05) with benchmarking of statistics for all of Quebec and, when available, all of Canada. RESULTS: Alcohol and drug use among Inuit increased significantly between 1992 and 2004, particularly among young adults. Alcohol users consumed significantly more alcohol per drinking episode than other Canadians in both time periods. Considerable cannabis use was widespread. In 2004, no significant differences in frequencies of heavy drinking episodes were observed by gender, with 60% of drug users consuming alcohol on a regular basis. CONCLUSIONS: As in other populations from North America, this study profiles the increase in substance use among Inuit from Nunavik in the first part of the last 20 years. We observed distinct substance use patterns among them in comparison to other Canadians. Such findings, if replicated in the coming years, emphasize the need for major, culturally-relevant public health interventions in this population.

Tridimensionality of alcohol use in Canada: Patterns of drinking, contexts and motivations to drink in the definition of Canadian drinking profiles according to gender.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this paper is to examine whether there is an underlying multidimensional typology of drinking according to gender among a population presenting heterogeneous drinking profiles in Canada. METHODS: Latent class analysis was chosen to analyze the degree of statistical relationship among three indicators of drinking practices: patterns of drinking - i.e., frequency and quantity; contexts; and motivations to drink. Multivariate multilogistic regressions were conducted to explore the composition of each typology by age and education. Participants were selected from the Canadian GENACIS survey (Gender, Alcohol, and Culture: An International Study) and comprised 871 men and 843 women (N = 1,714) aged between 18 and 77 years and being regular alcohol drinkers (consumption at least once a month). Respondents to the GENACIS questionnaire completed questions on use, contexts and reasons to drink as well as socio-economic questions (age and education), adjusted by Canadian province of residence. RESULTS: Six profiles were distinguished among men and five among women. Men and women share four drinking patterns but present distinctive characteristics of drinking. We also observed variability in the relationship according to socio-economic status and gender. CONCLUSION: Our results confirmed the complexity and variability of drinking practices according to gender in Canada and the necessity to focus on gender and social dimensions in order to enhance our understanding of alcohol use. This study also reinforces the idea of adapting promotion strategies and interventions in public health by gender and social status in order to make them more efficient.