Mental health-related healthcare service utilisation and psychotropic drug dispensation trends in British Columbia during COVID-19 pandemic: a population-based study.

Background: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the population's mental health is vital for informing public health policy and decision-making. However, information on mental health-related healthcare service utilisation trends beyond the first year of the pandemic is limited. Aims: We examined mental health-related healthcare service utilisation patterns and psychotropic drug dispensations in British Columbia, Canada, during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with the prepandemic period. Methods: We conducted a retrospective population-based secondary analysis using administrative health data to capture outpatient physician visits, emergency department visits, hospital admissions and psychotropic drug dispensations. We examined time trends of mental health-related healthcare service utilisation and psychotropic drug dispensations between January to December 2019 (prepandemic period) and January 2020 to December 2021 (pandemic period). In addition, we calculated age-standardised rates and rate ratios to compare mental health-related healthcare service utilisation before and during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, stratified by year, sex, age and condition. Results: By late 2020, except for emergency department visits, utilisation of healthcare services recovered to prepandemic levels. Between 2019 and 2021, the monthly average rate for overall mental health-related outpatient physician visits, emergency department visits and psychotropic drug dispensations increased significantly by 24%, 5% and 8%, respectively. Notable and statistically significant increases were observed among 10-14 year-olds (44% in outpatient physician visits, 30% in emergency department visits, 55% in hospital admissions and 35% in psychotropic drug dispensations) and 15-19 year-olds (45% in outpatient physician visits, 14% in emergency department visits, 18% in hospital admissions and 34% in psychotropic drug dispensations). Additionally, these increases were more prominent among females than males, with some variation for specific mental health-related conditions. Conclusions: The increase in mental health-related healthcare service utilisation and psychotropic drug dispensations during the pandemic likely reflects significant societal consequences of both the pandemic and pandemic management measures. Recovery efforts in British Columbia should consider these findings, especially among the most affected subpopulations, such as adolescents.

Development and implementation of a Heat Alert and Response System in rural British Columbia.

SETTING: In 2018, a regional health authority in British Columbia (BC) initiated a multi-year project to support planning and response to extreme heat. Climate projections indicate that temperatures in the southern interior of BC will continue to increase, with concomitant negative impacts on human health. Successful climate change adaptation must include cross-sectoral action, inclusive of the health sector, to plan for and respond to climate-related events, including extreme heat. INTERVENTION: The objective of this project was to support the development and implementation of a Heat Alert and Response System (HARS) in a small, rural community. The health authority facilitated collaboration among provincial and local governments, community organizations, and First Nations partners to assess community assets, draft a plan for extreme heat, and prepare for a community-supported response during heat events. OUTCOMES: Stakeholders expressed the importance of utilizing existing partnerships and community resources, such as physical and procedural infrastructure, in which to embed the HARS. It was imperative that the plan be simple, concise, and considerate of the community's unique context. Educational materials and a tailored method of dissemination were important for collective and individual risk mitigation. IMPLICATIONS: A community-driven approach that utilized existing assets allowed for integration of HARS within municipal response plans and established infrastructure. The result is a sustainable public health intervention that has the potential to mitigate the negative health effects of extreme heat. Knowledge acquired through this initiative is informing similar HARS planning processes in other rural BC communities.

RéSUMé: Lieu En 2018, une régie régionale de la santé de la Colombie-Britannique a lancé un projet pluriannuel de soutien de la planification et des interventions face à la chaleur extrême. Selon les projections climatiques, les températures dans l'intérieur méridional de la province continueront d'augmenter, ce qui aura des effets nuisibles sur la santé humaine. Pour se préparer aux phénomènes climatiques comme la chaleur extrême et pour intervenir efficacement, les mesures d'adaptation doivent être intersectorielles et englober le secteur de la santé.Intervention Le projet visait à soutenir la création et la mise en œuvre d'un système d'alerte et d'intervention à la chaleur (SAIC) dans une petite communauté rurale. La régie de la santé a facilité la collaboration entre le gouvernement provincial, l'administration locale, les organismes associatifs et les partenaires des Premières Nations pour évaluer les actifs communautaires, dresser un plan en cas de chaleur extrême et se préparer à intervenir avec l'aide de la communauté durant les épisodes de chaleur.Résultats Les acteurs ont souligné l'importance d'utiliser les partenariats et les ressources communautaires existants, comme les infrastructures matérielles et administratives, et d'y intégrer le SAIC. Il fallait absolument que le plan soit simple et concis et qu'il tienne compte du contexte particulier de la communauté. Il a été jugé important d'avoir du matériel pédagogique et une méthode de diffusion créés sur mesure pour atténuer les risques individuels et collectifs.Conséquences Une approche communautaire utilisant les actifs existants a permis d'intégrer le SAIC dans les plans d'intervention municipaux et les infrastructures établies. Il en est résulté une intervention sanitaire durable qui peut potentiellement atténuer les effets néfastes de la chaleur extrême sur la santé. Les connaissances acquises grâce à cette initiative éclairent aujourd'hui des processus de planification de SAIC similaires dans d'autres communautés rurales de la Colombie-Britannique.

An analysis of redactions in Canada's Common Drug Review Clinical Review Reports and how they relate to the patients' voice.

IMPORTANCE: Canada's Common Drug Review (CDR) evaluates drug data from published and unpublished research, as well as input from patient groups, to recommend provincial coverage. Currently, the CDR process gives manufacturers the opportunity to redact information in the final publicly available report. Patients often have strong feelings regarding the efficacy, harms, health-related quality of life (HRQL), and cost associated with the drugs under review and their redacted data. Highlighting Canada's approach will hopefully build on the growing international concern regarding transparency of clinical study data. OBJECTIVE: The purpose was to objectively examine and classify completed, publicly available CDR-Clinical Review Reports (CRR) for redactions, and compare them to the patients' reported interests as patient-centred outcomes. METHODS: Two independent reviewers searched for and examined publicly available CDR-CRR from November 2013-September 2016 through the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) on-line database. Both reviewers separately classified the redactions and patient-reported interests into the following categories: efficacy, harms, HRQL and costs. All discrepancies were rectified by consensus involving a third reviewer. RESULTS: Fifty-two completed CDR-CRR were reviewed. 48 (92%) included patient-reported interests and 40 (77%) had redactions classified in the following categories: efficacy (75%), costs (48%), harms (38%), HRQL (23%). 89% of redactions were outcomes identified as patient-reported interests (69% efficacy, 42% harms, 36% cost, 33% HRQL). When examining drug characteristics, biological agents were statistically associated with increased odds of redactions with respect to either efficacy (OR 3.4, 95% CI 1.0 to 11.6) or harms (OR 3.5, 95% CI 1.02 to 12.4) compared with non-biological agents. CONCLUSIONS: Whether data from the CDR-CRR used in the decision-making should be fully disclosed to the public is controversial. Our findings suggest clinical data (efficacy, harms, HRQL) matters to patients and should be publicly available within the CDR-CRR. Canada trails Europe and the USA regarding the transparency of clinical study data. This lack of transparency relates to the patient voice, and limits movement towards patient-centred care and patient-engaged research, restricting real-world value measurement.

The rapidly emerging ESBL-producing Escherichia coli O25-ST131 clone carries LPS core synthesis genes of the K-12 type.

The clone Escherichia coli O25 ST131, typically producing extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs), has spread globally and became the dominant type among extraintestinal isolates at many parts of the world. However, the reasons behind the emergence and success of this clone are only partially understood. We compared the core type genes by PCR of ESBL-producing and ESBL-nonproducing strains isolated from urinary tract infections in the United Arab Emirates and found a surprisingly high frequency of the K-12 core type (44.6%) among members of the former group, while in the latter one, it was as low (3.7%), as reported earlier. The high figure was almost entirely attributable to the presence of members of the clone O25 ST131 among ESBL producers. Strains from the same clone isolated in Europe also carried the K-12 core type genes. Sequencing the entire core operon of an O25 ST131 isolate revealed a high level of similarity to known K-12 core gene sequences and an almost complete identity with a recently sequenced non-O25 ST131 fecal isolate. The exact chemical structure and whether and how this unusual core type contributed to the sudden emergence of ST131 require further investigations.