[Control of medical practitioners' prescription of flunitrazepam preparations in the County of Copenhagen and municipality of Frederiksberg]. / Tilsyn med laegers ordination af flunitrazepampraeparater i Københavns Amt og Frederiksberg Kommune.

Aiming to limit the misuse of Flunitrazepam medicaments, these were made subject to registered prescription from 11.3.1996. At the same time, The National Board of Health informed every medical practitioner of the recommended daily dose and duration of treatment. A systematic superintendence was established in the region. Medical practitioners prescribing more than four times the recommended dose were identified and applied to one respectively two years after implementation of the prescription registration. In most regions of Denmark the superintendence of the Medical Officers has been occasional. Consumption development was surveyed in the period of 1.1.1996-30.6.1998. At the end of the period the consumption was reduced with 90% in the region and with 85% in the rest of Denmark. The consumption level was at the end of the period significantly lower in this region compared to the rest of Denmark.

Social differences in health in an affluent Danish county.

The aim of the present study was to examine whether selected health indicators were related to the level of social conditions in the municipalities in an affluent Danish county with a tax system aiming at narrowing income differences and with the same free health facilities for all. The 18 municipalities were separated into three groups by a sum score calculated on the basis of 10 social status variables. For each of the three groups average mortality, hospital discharge rates, cancer incidence and health services use were calculated with data from National Registers. There was a distinct gradient in all-cause, infant and cause-specific mortality, cancer incidence and use of health services related to level of social conditions. Apart from the incidence of breast cancer and melanoma, and use of general practice, all the analysed health indicators were most frequent in the group of the least affluent municipalities. It is concluded that even in an affluent county, the variation in the socioeconomic characteristics of neighbouring municipalities could be related to differences in health.

[Treatment of accidents occurring in a municipality in general practice and emergency clinics]. / Ulykker i en kommune behandlet i almen praksis og på skadestue.

In one Danish municipality inhabited by 9433 persons, 9119 were registered in the health security system as group 1-secured (i.e. full public health coverage). Fifteen general practitioners in seven practices participated in a one year-project by registering accidents where the general practitioner was the primary treatment contact. These general practitioners were allocated 84.5% of the group 1-secured persons in the municipality. The general practitioners were the primary contact persons in 466 accidents. The one year contact incidence rate was 61 per 1000 secured persons. During the same period the total number of inhabitants of the municipality made 1006 contacts to the local emergency rooms as a direct consequence of accidents. The one year rate of contact incidence for emergency rooms was 107 per 1000 inhabitants. The total rate of contact incidences to medical practitioners in the local health system is calculated to be 166 per 1000 inhabitants. The general practitioners saw more children and more accidents that had taken place in schools and day care-centres. Injuries caused by acute muscular overtraining led more frequently to contact with general practice. Fewer fractures and open wounds due to accidents were registered in general practice than in the emergency room. During the daytime working hours, the general practitioner was contacted more frequently than the emergency room.

[Prescription of benzodiazepines by general practitioners--how can habits be changed?]. / Praktiserende laegers ordination af benzodiazepiner--hvorledes aendres ordinationspraksis?

During the period 23.11.1987-6.12.1987, the medical offices of health in the County of Copenhagen and in Frederiksberg undertook an analysis of prescriptions with the object of illustrating the prescriptions of benzodiazepines by ten general practitioners. The investigation included a total of 260 prescriptions for benzodiazepines. On an average, 92 defined daily doses were prescribed per 1,000 women over 15 and 52 defined daily doses per 1,000 men over 15 years. An age-corrected review of the prescriptions revealed scatter in the prescriptions by the practitioners of approximately 300% (29-102 defined daily doses per 1,000 patients per day). All of the practitioners prescribed most for women in the age group 40-70 years. Compared with a corresponding investigation in Roskilde County in 1986, the general practitioners prescribed fewer defined daily doses at a time, after the possibility for repeated issue of prescriptions for benzodiazepines was annulled as from 1.1.1987.