Prevalence and correlates of major chronic illnesses among older Kuwaiti nationals in two governorates

To provide community-based information on the prevalence of diabetes, hypertension and heart disease and to highlight their significant correlates. Data were collected in a cross-sectional household survey of 2,487 Kuwaiti nationals aged 50 and over in 2005/2006. A Proportionately representative sample of 1,451 respondents from a relatively more urban area [Capital] and 1,036 respondents from a relatively less urban area [Ahmadi] were interviewed. A proxy respondent was used in 5.4% of cases. Among the 2,605 potentially eligible persons approached, 2,487 [95.5%] participated. Doctor-diagnosed prevalences of hypertension, diabetes and heart disease in the two governorates were reported to be 53.4, 50.6 and 17.5%, respectively. If the prevalence in the two governorates is reflective of the nation, a remarkable increase seems to have occurred since 1996, The prevalence of each of the three diseases increased linearly by age among both sexes. Comorbidity of the three diseases increased from 3.6 to 9.4 and to 20.9% among those aged 50-59, 60-69 and >/= 70 years, respectively. Logistic regression showed the prevalence of chronic illnesses to be significantly higher among persons who were older, retired, non-Bedouin, less educated, had higher income, were less socially active, were obese and had poorer exercise behavior. The prevalence of diabetes and heart disease was significantly lower among women than men. Judging from data on two gavernorates, the prevalence of diabetes, hypertension and heart disease is likely to have increased to alarmingly high levels among older Kuwaitis, highlighting the need for focused intervention programs in order to reduce morbidity and increase healthy life years

Towards defining socioeconomic and demographic inequalities that may affect health in Kuwait

The experience of several developed Western countries shows that mortality and health differences between socioeconomic groups continue to persist, and may even be increasing. However, there is no agreed upon, or 'standard' way of measuring socioeconomic status [SES]. In Kuwait questions pertaining to social inequalities in health, and accurate measurement of SES remain to be answered. This paper presents several ideas about the variables that should be examined to define SES. Characteristics of women residing in the most developed and least developed areas are compared to assess the range of inequality in the country. Except for literacy levels, large differences exist for most variables. Previous research and data do not provide a clear idea of any systematic difference in health by social class. This may be partially a result of weaknesses in measurement. The need for reliable data on outcome measures of health as well as indicators of social class is emphasized

Hospital information system and computer- based patient record architecture.

Modern information technology is critical to providing quality health care in Kuwait. The information system architecture for a hospital information system, and ultimately a computer-based patient record system, should be carefully planned. A phased approach to implementation ensures the best solution. This paper provides an informational review of the concept of the information infrastructure required for designing health information systems

need for a master patient index [MPI] locator: a case study of the potential use of HL7 MPI locator in Kuwait

Quality health care depends on continuity of care. In a system where health care is dispersed among different locations, it is imperative that there be a means to identify where a particular individual has received care and to obtain information necessary to make care decisions. This must be done with certainty and often with speed. There are a number of elements that must be in place to make that happen. The need for a universal patient identifier and a master patient index [MPI] locator system is described for Kuwait where computerization of all Ministry of Health facilities is being planned

Patient perception of health and emergency room utilization before and after the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait

This paper analyzes whether patients visiting the Medical Emergency Rooms [ERs] perceive their general health to have deteriorated, improved or stayed the same one year before the Iraqi occupation and one year after the liberation. The paper also examines the impact of such perceptions on the utilization of an ER. Data were collected by means of a survey of the ER attendees in Kuwait's six general hospitals during January and February 1993. Sixty percent of the respondents perceived their health to have been better one year before the invasion, about 30% perceived no change, while 10% said their health had improved one year after the liberation. A significantly larger percentage of women and wealthier people perceived a deterioration. Regarding ER utilization, 56% reported at least one visit before and after the occupation. The average number of visits was 9.68 before the invasion and 10.09 after the liberation. Perception of health was not significantly associated with the number of visits

Excessive utilization of hospital emergency services in pre-occupation Kuwait: trends and differentials

During the 1980s, an astonishing increase in the use of hospital emergency rooms [ER] has occurred. Between 1975 and 1988, the number of ER visits increased from 9 per 100 persons to 63 per 100 persons. This trend has intensified following the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq. Excessive utilization of the ER is considered a serious problem by both health planners and policy makers. Through analysis of published reports and interviews with health administrators, the following major reasons for the high use of ER were identified: [1] short working hours of the primary health care [PHC] facilities; [2] patient's perceptions that hospital services are better than PHC; [3] the larger variety of diagnostic tests and medicines available in the hospital; [4] the ease of access to the hospital's ER facilitated by informal referrals through friends; [5] the accomodation accorded to Kuwaiti nationals by the doctors, the majority of whom are expatriate workers in Kuwait

Quality of birth and death notifications in Kuwait

It is generally agreed that the coverage of the vital events of births and deaths is fairly complete in Kuwait where 99% of all births and 65% of all deaths occur in a hospital. However some items of the notifications have a very large number of missing data. On the birth notification, the items that are most often poorly recorded are medical complications, prenatal visits and length of gestation. On the death notification, information on sociodemographic features of the deceased's parents is missing in approximately 90% of the cases, although the cause of death is completely reported. A majority of the items on the fetal death notification have more than 20% of the information missing. A comparison of notification items with matching information obtained from a survey of mothers indicates a relatively high level of reliability for several items. The need for improvement in data quality is highlighted, and suggestions to reduce the level of missing data are offered