Multimorbidity Patterns and Their Association with Social Determinants, Mental and Physical Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The challenge posed by multimorbidity makes it necessary to look at new forms of prevention, a fact that has become heightened in the context of the pandemic. We designed a questionnaire to detect multimorbidity patterns in people over 50 and to associate these patterns with mental and physical health, COVID-19, and possible social inequalities. METHODS: This was an observational study conducted through a telephone interview. The sample size was 1592 individuals with multimorbidity. We use Latent Class Analysis to detect patterns and SF-12 scale to measure mental and physical quality-of-life health. We introduced the two dimensions of health and other social determinants in a multinomial regression model. RESULTS: We obtained a model with five patterns (entropy = 0.727): 'Relative Healthy', 'Cardiometabolic', 'Musculoskeletal', 'Musculoskeletal and Mental', and 'Complex Multimorbidity'. We found some differences in mental and physical health among patterns and COVID-19 diagnoses, and some social determinants were significant in the multinomial regression. CONCLUSIONS: We identified that prevention requires the location of certain inequalities associated with the multimorbidity patterns and how physical and mental health have been affected not only by the patterns but also by COVID-19. These findings may be critical in future interventions by health services and governments.

Social inequalities in multimorbidity patterns in Europe: A multilevel latent class analysis using the European Social Survey (ESS).

Multimorbidity is associated with lower quality of life, greater disability and higher use of health services and is one of the main challenges facing governments in Europe. There is a need to identify and characterize patterns of chronic conditions and analyse their association with social determinants not only from an individual point of view but also from a collective point of view. This paper aims to respond to this knowledge gap by detecting patterns of chronic conditions and their social determinants in 19 European countries from a multilevel perspective. We used data from the ESS round 7. The final sample consisted of 18,933 individuals over 18 years of age, and patterns of multimorbidity from 14 chronic conditions were detected through Multilevel Latent Class Analysis, which also allows detecting similarities between countries. Gender, Age, Housing Location, Income Level and Educational Level were used as individual covariates to determine possible associations with social inequalities. The goodness-of-fit indices derived in a model with six multimorbidity patterns and five countries clusters. The six patterns were "Back, Digestive and Headaches", "Allergies and Respiratory", "Complex Multimorbidity", "Cancer and Cardiovascular", "Musculoskeletal" and "Cardiovascular"; the five clusters could be associated with some geographical areas or welfare states. Patterns showed significant differences in the covariates of interest, with differences in education and income being of particular interest. Some significant differences were found among patterns and the country groupings. Our findings show that chronic diseases tend to appear in a combined and interactive way, and socioeconomic differences in the occurrence of patterns are not only of the individual but also of group importance, emphasising how the welfare states in each country can influence in the health of their inhabitants.

Structural determinants of suicide during the global financial crisis in Spain: Integrating explanations to understand a complex public health problem.

INTRODUCTION: Suicide is a complex public health problem in contemporary societies. Macroeconomic downturns derived from the economic crisis have been found to be associated with growing suicide mortality in the United States and in Europe. The present work is aimed to assess the association between the recent economic downturns and suicide patterns using interrupted time series analysis and, particularly, adjusting this relationship by indicators of social cohesion and community values that might provide additional insights on the complex explanation of suicidal trends. METHODS: We combined suicide, social and economic data extracted from the National Statistics Institute (INE), the Eurostat database, and the World Values Survey to assess the association between the socio-economic factors and trends in suicide rates. To study the association between the financial crisis and changes in suicide rates in Spain, we used interrupted time series analysis (ITSA). RESULTS: Our findings confirm that suicides increased after the 2011 recession, but remained moderately constant after the 2008 economic downturn. Suicides particularly increased after the 2011 recession in the 10-14, and 45-64 years old intervals between males and females, and apparently in older groups. However, during the 2008-2011 time period suicide rates decreased during working years (specifically among 40-44, 45-49, and 55-59 years old groups). Our results highlight the importance of social protection against unemployment and, to a lesser extent, social protection in disability and family, in reducing suicides, as well as the economic prosperity of the country. CONCLUSION: This result corroborates that the economic crisis has possibly impacted the growing suicide rates of the most vulnerable groups, but exclusively during the period characterised by economic cuts after the 2011 recession. This study highlights the need to implement tailored policies that protect these collectives against suicide.

The Classification of Causes of Historical Mortality (CCHM): A proposal of the study of death records.

OBJECTIVE: To compare and contrast the Classification of Causes of Historical Mortality (CCHM) with the International Classification of Diseases 4th Revision (ICD-4) as methodological elements that can be implemented in historical mortality studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a longitudinal descriptive study of the causes of death in two different localities in Spain, namely, Cadiz and Vejer de la Frontera (1900-1950), to compare the International Classification of Diseases 4th Revision (ICD-4) and the Classification of Causes of Historical Mortality (CCHM). This study proposes the CCHM and its use in statistical analyses of mortality, especially from the mid-19th century to the second half of 20th century. It is a methodological instrument based on the theoretical precepts of Thomas McKeown, expanded through knowledge gained in studies of historical mortality and contrasted with editions of the ICD. RESULTS: The results showed several differences between the ICD-4 and the CCHM. The ten main causes of death (CoDs) in the CCHM account for 74.3% in Cadiz, compared to 56.6% accounted for by the ICD-4. According to the ICD-4, the number of infectious CoDs exceed the number of noninfectious ones in Cadiz every year. On the other hand, based on the CCHM, we observed that while infectious CoD causes of death predominated over noninfectious ones, there was a change in trend, with noninfectious CoDs predominating the following year. During the interval from 1915 to 1937 in Vejer de la Frontera, there were 12 deaths due to ill-specified causes (ICD-4: 18.200) and 0 due to ill-defined causes (CCHM: 3.0.0.0). CONCLUSIONS: The CCHM accurately determines the differences between infectious and noninfectious causes of death and explains sociodemographic and health-related aspects in the population and its use in employment, illegitimacy or place-of-death studies. Moreover, it has more advantages, such as the incorporation of new diagnostic expressions, and it can be constantly updated, thus facilitating its use over long periods of time.

Factors associated with the evolution of attitudes towards mental illness in a cohort of nursing students.

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: People with mental health difficulties have poorer physical health than the general population. The stigmatizing attitude of health professionals impacts the quality of care for these people. There is a broad background on the effectiveness of activities based on theoretical training, clinical practices or social contact to improve nursing students' attitudes towards people with mental health difficulties. There is an important need to assess whether the benefits identified in the short term are maintained in the longer term. WHAT DOES THE PAPER ADD TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: The positive evolution of attitudes towards mental illness does not last over time. Some students' attitude towards people with a mental health difficulty worsened in the final stage of their training after completing clinical practices. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: It is necessary for tutors incorporate an understanding of stigma throughout the degree training and to discuss with the students the emotional aspects experienced during the performance of clinical practices. The design of any anti-stigma intervention must include the factor of "time". ABSTRACT: Introduction The stigma of health professionals is a contributing factor to morbi-mortality among people with mental health difficulties. There is a lack of research on long-term outcomes in nursing students. Objective To identify factors associated with the evolution of stigmatizing attitudes towards mental illness in a cohort of students trained in mental health. Method A prospective observational study of the impact of training in mental health care. Age, gender, stigma, level of previous familiarity with mental illness, self-education by Internet, academic performance and the place where practicums are conducted were evaluated on three occasions over 15 months. Results Academic performance, online consultation and the size or origin of the theoretical group were indicators of better attitudes. The positive evolution of attitudes does not last over time. Discussion Instability over time could be explained by students' experience in the practicum, although the time itself has been identified as a determining factor. Practical implications Further studies should be promoted in academia to assess the content of mental health training and its influence on the evolution of the stigmatizing attitude. It is also necessary to address stigma in small groups, where students with better academic results lead anti-stigma activities.

Medidas de frecuencia utilizadas en estudios de cohortes para evaluar el comportamiento suicida en jóvenes (12-26 años): una revisión sistemática / Measures of frequency used in cohorts studies to evaluate the suicidal behaviour in young people (12-26 years): a systematic review

Introducción: La OMS prioriza para el año 2020 reducir las tasas de suicidio señalando dificultades para dar estimaciones precisas debido a una amplia variedad de factores, entre ellos, aspectos relativos a la propia medición estadística de la conducta suicida. La proporción de muertes por suicidio es del 8,5% para los jóvenes de entre 15-29 años. Objetivo: Revisar la metodología empleada para expresar la frecuencia de la conducta suicida en población joven y describir las características metodológicas de los estudios examinados. Método: Revisión sistemática de estudios longitudinales registrada en PROSPERO. La información extraída fue: año de publicación, revista, tamaño poblacional, muestra, país, diseño, edad, porcentaje de hombres, tiempo de seguimiento y pérdidas, comportamiento suicida, factores de riesgo, aspectos éticos y evaluándose fundamentalmente las medidas de frecuencia empleadas. Resultados: Se identificaron 37.793 documentos, de los cuales fueron seleccionados 82. Ningún estudio define la medida de frecuencia empleada para la conducta suicida, encontrándose hasta 9 formas diferentes de medirla. La población son estudiantes o población general (66%), cohortes de nacimiento (16%) y colectivos específicos. El seguimiento fue de 24 semanas hasta 30 años. Solo un 24,1% de los estudios consideró los aspectos éticos. Conclusiones: Se constata que no existe una sistematización a la hora de medir la frecuencia de presentación de la conducta suicida. La variabilidad metodológica y terminológica utilizada dificulta hacer comparaciones entre los estudios y conocer la verdadera dimensión del problema. Se insta a los investigadores a realizar un esfuerzo para consensuar las medidas de frecuencia empleadas en los estudios de cohortes

Introduction: A priority for the WHO by 2020 is to have reduced the rates of suicide; they indicate difficulties in giving precise estimations due to a wide variety of factors, which include aspects related to the statistical measurements themselves of suicidal behaviour. The proportion of deaths from suicide is 8.5% among young people between 15-29 years of age. Objective: To review the methodology used to express the frequency of suicidal behaviour in young people and to describe the methodological characteristics of the studies reviewed. Method: A systematic review of longitudinal studies registered on PROSPERO. The extracted information included the following: year of publication, journal, population size, sample, country, design, age, percentage of men, follow-up time and losses, suicidal behaviour, risk factors, ethical aspects, fundamentally, evaluating the measures of frequency used. Results: Eighty-two articles were selected from 37,793 documents. None of the studies define the measure of frequency used for suicidal behaviour, there are currently up to 9 different ways of measuring it. The populations are students or the general population (66%), birth cohorts (16%) and specific groups. Follow-up was from 24 weeks to 30 years. Only 24.1% of the studies took ethical aspects into consideration. Conclusions: Researchers must make an effort to reach an agreement on the measures of frequency used in suicidal behaviour studies, as the methodological and terminological variability currently used impedes making any comparisons between different studies or understanding the real dimension of the problem

Measures of frequency used in cohorts studies to evaluate the suicidal behaviour in young people (12-26 years): A systematic review. / Medidas de frecuencia utilizadas en estudios de cohortes para evaluar el comportamiento suicida en jóvenes (12-26 años): una revisión sistemática.

INTRODUCTION: A priority for the WHO by 2020 is to have reduced the rates of suicide; they indicate difficulties in giving precise estimations due to a wide variety of factors, which include aspects related to the statistical measurements themselves of suicidal behaviour. The proportion of deaths from suicide is 8.5% among young people between 15-29 years of age. OBJECTIVE: To review the methodology used to express the frequency of suicidal behaviour in young people and to describe the methodological characteristics of the studies reviewed. METHOD: A systematic review of longitudinal studies registered on PROSPERO. The extracted information included the following: year of publication, journal, population size, sample, country, design, age, percentage of men, follow-up time and losses, suicidal behaviour, risk factors, ethical aspects, fundamentally, evaluating the measures of frequency used. RESULTS: Eighty-two articles were selected from 37,793 documents. None of the studies define the measure of frequency used for suicidal behaviour, there are currently up to 9 different ways of measuring it. The populations are students or the general population (66%), birth cohorts (16%) and specific groups. Follow-up was from 24 weeks to 30 years. Only 24.1% of the studies took ethical aspects into consideration. CONCLUSIONS: Researchers must make an effort to reach an agreement on the measures of frequency used in suicidal behaviour studies, as the methodological and terminological variability currently used impedes making any comparisons between different studies or understanding the real dimension of the problem.

Spanish students' use of the Internet for mental health information and support seeking.

The Internet is a growing source of information for health in general, with university student being online almost daily. Evaluating their use of the Internet for mental health information and support can help understanding if online tools and websites should be used for mental health promotion and, to some extent, care. A survey was conducted with more than 600 students of Law, Nursing and Computer Science of the University of Cadiz in Spain to determine their general use of the Internet and their perceptions and trust in using this medium for mental health information. Data were collected using a 25-item-questionnaire and findings indicated that students had a strong distrust in online mental health information, notwithstanding their daily use of the Internet. The frequency and methods of their research on the Internet correlated with their health status, their medical consultations and with certain socio-demographic characteristics.

Perspectives: the mental health care gap in intellectual disabilities in Spain: impact analysis and knowledge-to-action plan.

BACKGROUND: Intellectual developmental disorder or Intellectual disability (ID) is a prevalent condition with a high impact along the life-span particularly when associated to other mental disorders (MD). SPECIFIC AIM: To estimate the unmet needs and to design a knowledge to action plan to reduce the care gap in ID-MD in Spain. METHOD: We followed a 5-step `maxi' impact assessment and a mixed qualitative/quantitative design including expert panels, secondary analysis of databases and a prospective survey in the 17 regions in Spain. Schizophrenia was used as comparator due to similar prevalence rates and burden. RESULTS: Persons with ID-MD had ten times less outpatient contacts and hospital admissions than patients with schizophrenia. The outpatient case load was 2.31% in ID and 14.6% in schizophrenia. ID had the lowest hospitalization rate amongst all mental disorders but the highest length of stay. The expert panel estimated that half of persons with ID-MD are not adequately assessed and 95% do not receive the required care in Spain. Basic care needs include 6.5 beds and an ID-MD outpatient service per 1 million population. At least 134 specialized psychiatrists and psychologists and 277 beds are needed to reach the minimum standards in Spain. CONCLUSION: This study quantifies the ID-MD care gap in Spain and the basic specialized services needed. In spite of the societal and health implications of ID-MD the knowledge-to-action plan had a modest impact limited at the regions where ID-MD programmes were already implemented. IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH POLICY: Specific priority setting on ID-MH should be incorporated to mental health strategy at the Ministry of Health within a broader health and ID plan. National and regional policies should incorporate an integrative care approach through the life cycle. The development of excellence centers on ID-MD and a national observatory on this topic should be encouraged.

Estudio de un brote epidémico de ámbito poblacional por el virus de la parotiditis G1 en JEREZ de la Frontera / Study of a population-wide epidemic outbreak of mumps virus G1 in Jerez de la Frontera (Spain)

ObjetivosCaracterizar el brote epidémico, evaluar la efectividad vacunal y analizar las medidas de prevención y control.DiseñoEstudio observacional transversal de casos según persona, lugar, tiempo.Emplazamiento: Ciudad Jerez de la Frontera y 8 centros de atención primaria.ParticipantesSe incluyen 116 casos de parotiditis notificados a lo largo de 7 meses, el último caso en junio de 2008.Mediciones principalesVariables principales: edad, sexo, centro de estudio o trabajo, fecha de inicio de los síntomas, descripción clínica, complicaciones, aislamiento y genotipo del virus, antecedentes y composición de las vacunas administradas. Cálculo de la efectividad vacunal total. Se ha realizado una búsqueda activa de casos y estudio de contactos en el medio familiar, laboral y ocio.ResultadosEdad media casos 16,24 años (DE: 10,6). El 68,96% de los casos han sido alumnos y el 31,03% procedían del medio familiar y laboral. Las tasas de coberturas de vacunación antiparotiditis fueron superiores al 90%. La efectividad vacunal completa (2 dosis), en menores de 20 años, ha sido: 99,84% (IC 95%=99,77-99,89), siendo menor en el centro docente con mayor tasa de ataque, inmunizados con la actual vacuna, procedente de cepa Jeryl Lynn: 71,01% (IC 95%=55,85-80,97). El 13,79% de los casos tienen 2 dosis de esta cepa. Iniciado el brote se procedió a vacunar a la población susceptible: 11.381 dosis en el medio docente y 93 en el medio extraescolar.ConclusionesBrote de parotiditis, por virus G1, en población con altas tasas de cobertura de vacuna antiparotiditis, con territorios con baja efectividad con la actual vacuna. La vacunación masiva poblacional ha contribuido a la resolución del brote(AU)

ObjectivesTo characterize the mumps outbreak, assess the effectiveness of vaccines and discuss prevention and control measures.DesignObservational cross-sectional study of cases by person, place, and time.LocationCity Jerez de la Frontera and 8 Primary Care centres.ParticipantsA total of 116 cases of mumps were reported throughout seven months, with the last case in June 2008.MeasurementsMain outcomes: age, sex, place of study or work, symptoms start date, clinical description, complications, and genotype of virus isolation, history and vaccination compositions. Calculation of total vaccine effectiveness. Active case finding and contact studies were performed on the families, work places and leisure areas.ResultsThe mean age of the cases was 16.24 years(SD 10.6). The majority (68.96%) of the cases were children at school and 31.03% arose from family and work areas. Mumps vaccine coverage rates were above 90%. The complete vaccine effectiveness (2 doses); for those under 20 years-old it was: 99.84% (95% CI=99.77 - 99.89), being lower in schools with the highest attack rate, immunised with current vaccine from Jeryl Lynn strain: 71.01% (95% CI=55.85 80.97). Two doses of this strain were used in 13.79% of the cases. Susceptible populations were vaccinated at the start of the outbreak: 11,381 doses used in schools and 93 outside schools.ConclusionsAn outbreak of mumps virus G 1 population with high rates of mumps vaccine coverage, with areas with low vaccine effectiveness with current vaccine. Mass vaccination of population has contributed to the resolution of the outbreak(AU)

Development and spatial representation of synthetic indexes of outpatient mental health care in Andalusia (Spain).

INTRODUCTION: There is a need to develop composite indicators to monitor mental health care in countries such as Spain, where there is wide variability of care systems in 17 different regions. The aim of this study is to generate and to test the usability of synthetic indexes in Andalusia (Southern Spain). METHOD: Seven mental health indicators were selected by expert opinion from a previous list of simple indicators used to compare mental health care systems across Spain (Psicost-74). A Geographical Information Systems (GIS) was used to delineate 71 sectors based on the catchment areas of the mental health centers in Andalusia. Synthetic indexes were obtained through linear combinations of simple indicators via Principal Components Analysis (PCA), using activity data from the Mental Health Information System of Andalusia (SISMA). Maps of these indexes were drawn for 71 catchment areas. RESULTS: Two synthetic indexes were obtained and showed high consistency in the PCA. The Care Load Index (component 1) related to population size and total outpatient care provided within the area. The Case Load Index (component 2) related to assisted morbidity in relation to the population size. The care load index was higher in populated urban areas, whereas the case load was higher in rural areas. DISCUSSION: Care and case load indexes show a different pattern in urban and rural areas. This may be related to a different underlying model of care related to the degree of urbanisation. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) improved recognition and assessment of the spatial phenomena related to the mental health care system, and support policy decision making process in mental health.

Índices multivariantes de gestión para el Hospital Clínico de la Universidad de Chile / Multivariant indices of Hospital management for the Clinical Hospital of the University of Chile

El objetivo del presente trabajo es obtener índices útiles para la gestión hospitalaria mediante la utilización de técnicas estadísticas multivariantes descriptivas. Para ello durante el primer trimestre del año 2004 se analizó la información del Hospital Clínico de la Universidad de Chile correspondiente a los egresos hospitalarios del año 2003. Se estudiaron las variables monitorizadas por la Gerencia de Operaciones del Hospital Universitario: número de egresos, tasa de letalidad, tasa de reingresos, número de consultas externas, número de días de camas ocupadas e índice de complejidad quirúrgica. Las variables se midieron para un total de 24.345 egresos. Aplicamos la técnica de análisis de componentes principales (ACP), y se utilizó la matriz de correlaciones R. Se seleccionaron las dos primeras componentes, con un porcentaje acumulado de variabilidad de 75,92 %: 47,02 % la primera y 28,90 % la segunda. La primera componente puede ser asimilada a un nuevo índice que tiene que ver con la dificultad de los casos atendidos; la hemos llamado "complejidad asistencial". La segunda explicaría la cuantía de personas atendidas, y la hemos llamado "demanda asistencial". Ambos índices permiten dar una clasificación de los servicios hospitalarios

This study aims to obtain useful indices for hospital management, based on descriptive multivariate techniques. Data on the hospital admissions in 2003 was analyzed during the first trimester of 2004 in the Clinical Hospital of the University of Chile. The variables monitored by the Operations Management Department in the University Hospital were studied: number of discharges, lethality rate, re-admissions rate, number of outpatient consultations, number of stays and surgical complexity index. The variables were considered for a total of 24,345 discharges. The Principal Components Analysis (PCA) technique was applied and the R correlation matrix was used. The first two principal components were selected, with an accumulated variability percentage of 75.92 %: 47.02 % for the first and 28.90 % for the second one. The first component may be assimilated to a new index representing the difficulty of the attended cases, which we have termed "Case Complexity". The second principal component would explain the number of attended persons, which we have termed "Case Load". These two indices allow us to classify hospital services

A comparison of standard inhalers for asthma with and without alcohol as the propellant on the measurement of alcohol in breath.

Because most bronchodilator inhalers contain propellant gases or a small amount of ethanol as a co-solvent, the potential for these products to generate false readings on a evidential breath alcohol instrument was evaluated in 69 volunteers with clinically stable asthma. All subjects underwent a breath test on an infrared breath alcohol analyzer (Alcotest 7110, Dräger, Lübeck, Germany) before the use of the asthma inhaler and 1 and 5 min after inhalation. The effects of antiasthmatic medications delivered by metered dose inhalers (MDIs) with alcohol as a vehicle, alcohol-free MDIs, and dry powder inhalers were assessed in homogeneous groups of four to five patients. All subjects were alcohol-free on the preliminary breath test. One minute after inhalation, negative readings were only observed in 25 (36.2%) of subjects. In 62.3% of patients, apparent alcohol results were considered interferences or unstable readings by the breath-test instrument. One subject showed a final positive breath alcohol level (0.07 mg/L). After the use of dry powder inhalers, valid results without interferences were obtained. However, 89.6% of patients in which bronchodilators were delivered by MDIs (with propellant gases in the aerosol) showed altered partial readings and labeled the final output as "invalid," but tests performed 5 min after the use of inhalers were valid and correct in all cases. MDIs with propellants as a vehicle may cause false positive breath alcohol readings in some patients. These effects are transient and may be prevented by a 5-10-min interval between the use of MDIs and breath alcohol testing.

Factores condicionantes de la utilización de los servicios sanitarios / Conditioning factors of utilisation of heatlh services

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[Patient autonomy and information and clinical documentation-related rights within the context of Spanish Law 41/2002]. / La autonomía del paciente y los derechos en materia de información y documentación clínica en el contexto de la Ley 41/2002.

Law 41/2002 Regulating Patient Autonomy and Health Documentation and Information-Related Rights and Obligations regulates matters which the General Health Law of 1986 had fallen short in its attempt to regulate, such as the right to health information, informed consent, health documentation, clinical records and other clinical information. This Law likewise classifies the ways in which capabilities may be limited and attributes physicians with authority over the evaluation thereof. In keeping with the Oviedo Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine, this study includes the guiding principles of the new bioethics, such as an individual's right to privacy of the health-related information, living wills (or advance medical directives), the patient's right to antonomy and to take part in the decision-making process, the refusal of treatment or teenagers being of legal age for health-related decision-making purposes. Said Law, a primary law nation-wide, means a major advancement in physician-patient relations and must be further expanded upon with regard to numerous aspects thereof by the Autonomous Communities. This study is aimed at describing this body of law and at analysing the repercussions thereof on citizen relations, health professionals and the National Health System as regards the matter of clinical documentation and information.

La autonomía del paciente y los derechos en materia de información y documentación clínica en el contexto de la ley 41/2002 / Patient autonomy and information and clinical documentation-related rights within the context of Spanish law 41/2002

La Ley 41/2002 Reguladora de la Autonomía del Paciente y de Derechos y Obligaciones en Materia de Información y Documentación Sanitaria, reglamenta cuestiones que la Ley General de Sanidad de 1986 trataba de forma insuficiente, como el derecho a la información sanitaria, el consentimiento informado, la documentación sanitaria, la historia clínica y demás información clínica. Así mismo, clasifica las formas de limitación de la capacidad y atribuye a los médicos la competencia de evaluarla. En consonancia con el Convenio de Oviedo sobre los Derechos del Hombre y la Biomedicina, recoge los principios rectores de la nueva bioética, como son el derecho a la intimidad de la información relativa a la salud de las personas, las voluntades anticipadas, el derecho a la autonomía del paciente y su participación en la toma de decisiones, la negativa a tratamiento o la mayoría de edad para las decisiones sanitarias en los adolescentes. Dicha ley, de carácter básico estatal, supone un gran avance en las relaciones médico-enfermo, y deberá ser desarrollada en numerosos aspectos por las diferentes Comunidades Autónomas. La finalidad del presente trabajo es una descripción de éste texto legal, y analizar su repercusión en las relaciones del ciudadano, los profesionales sanitarios y el Sistema Nacional de Salud en materia de información y documentación clínica (AU)

Health Documentation and Information-Related Rights and Obligations regulates matters which the General Health Law of 1986 had fallen short in its attempt to regulate, such as the right to health information, informed consent, health documentation, clinical records and other clinical information. This Law likewise classifies the ways in which capabilities may be limited and attributes physicians with authority over the evaluation thereof. In keeping with the Oviedo Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine, this study includes the guiding principles of the new bioethics, such as an individual's right to privacy of the health-related information, living wills (or advance medical directives), the patient's right to autonomy and to take part in the decision-making process, the refusal of treatment or teenagers being of legal age for health-related decision-making purposes. Said Law, a primary law nation-wide, means a major advancement in physician-patient relations and must be further expanded upon with regard to numerous aspects thereof by the Autonomous Communities. This study is aimed at describing this body of law and at analysing the repercussions thereof on citizen relations, health professionals and the National Health System as regards the matter of clinical documentation and information (AU)

Nuevo escenario para el Sistema Nacional de Salud: transferencias y novedades legislativas / New scenario for the National HEalth System: transfers and legislative news

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Creación de índices de gestión hospitalaria mediante análisis de componentes principales / Construction of hospital management indices using principal component analysis

Objetivo. Obtener índices útiles para la gestión hospitalaria basados en técnicas estadísticas multivariantes descriptivas. Material y métodos. Durante 1999 y 2000 se recogió información del Hospital de Algeciras correspondiente a los ingresos hospitalarios del periodo 1997-1998. Se estudiaron las variables habitualmente monitorizadas por el Servicio Andaluz de Salud, del Sistema Nacional de Salud Español: número de ingresos, mortalidad, número de reingresos, número de consultas externas, índice case-mix, número de estancias e índice funcional. Las variables se midieron en un total de 22 486 ingresos. Aplicamos la técnica de análisis de componentes principales (ACP), y se utilizó la matriz de correlaciones R. Resultados. Se seleccionaron las dos primeras componentes, con un porcentaje acumulado de variabilidad de 62.67 por ciento. Conclusiones. La primera componente puede ser asimilada a un nuevo índice que tiene que ver con la cuantía de personas atendidas, llamado demanda asistencial. La segunda explicaría la dificultad de los casos atendidos; le hemos llamado complejidad asistencial. Ambos índices permiten dar una clasificación de los servicios hospitalarios

[Influence of asthma inhalers on a breath alcohol test]. / Influencia del uso de inhaladores en la estimación del grado de alcoholemia mediante determinación de etanol en aire espirado.

BACKGROUND: People and authorities are worried about interferences in breath alcohol measurements. The influence of different inhalers on breath alcohol tests is analysed in this paper. PATIENTS AND METHOD: We included 60 patients treated with different inhalers. They underwent a breath alcohol test before treatment and 1, 2, 3, 5 and 10 min after it. RESULTS: Every medication led to positive readings within the first minutes of its administration. However, all values reached zero at 10 min. Patients administered higher doses and those who did not use a spacer device were found to have higher reading values. CONCLUSIONS: Asthma inhalers, including those without alcohol contents, lead to positive readings of breath alcohol measuring devices within the first minutes. However, these interferences are no longer detected at 10 min.