The effect of primary care on potentially avoidable hospitalizations in France: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Potentially avoidable hospitalizations are an indirect measure of access to primary care. However, the role and quality of primary care might vary by geographical location. The main objective was to assess the impact of primary care on geographic variations of potentially avoidable hospitalizations in Occitanie, France. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of claims and socio-economic data for the French Occitanie region in 2014. In order to account for spatial heterogeneity, the region was split into two zones based on socio-economic traits: median pre-tax income and unemployment rate. Age- and sex-adjusted hospital discharge potentially avoidable hospitalization rates were calculated at the ZIP-code level. Demographic, socio-economic, and epidemiological determinants were retrieved, as well as data on supply of, access to and utilization of primary care. RESULTS: 72% of PAH are attributable to two chronic conditions: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and heart failure. In Zone 1, the potentially avoidable hospitalization rate was positively associated with premature mortality and with the number of specialist encounters by patients. It was negatively associated with the density of nurses. In Zone 2, the potentially avoidable hospitalization rate was positively associated with premature mortality, with access to general practitioners, and with the number of nurse encounters by patients. It was negatively associated with the proportion of the population having at least one general practitioner encounter and with the density of nurses. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the role of primary care in potentially avoidable hospitalizations might be geography dependent.

Incidence and Characteristics of Congenital Cataract Surgery in France from 2010 to 2012: The EPISAFE Program.

INTRODUCTION: Prevention of visual impairment due to congenital cataract is an international priority as part of VISION 2020 - The Right to Sight, the joint initiative of the World Health Organization and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. The present study is part of the Epidemiology and Safety (EPISAFE) collaborative program aiming at assessing the epidemiology and safety of interventions in ophthalmology. METHODS: All children who underwent cataract surgery before the age of 1 year in France between January 2010 and December 2012 were identified by using the Programme de Médicalisation des Systèmes d'Information. RESULTS: In 3 years, 532 children (699 eyes; 46.6% girls) had cataract surgery before the age of 1 year; 31.4% had bilateral surgery. During the first year of life, the incidence of cataract surgery was 2.15/10,000 births. The median (interquartile range) age at surgery was 3.5 (2.2-4.8) months for children with unilateral cataract and 4.0 (2.2-7.2) months for children with bilateral cataract. Of the 699 operated eyes, 76.49% received intraocular lens implantation during the cataract surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of congenital cataract surgery observed in France is close to that in the literature in the industrialized world, which is estimated at 1-3/10,000 births. The timing of surgery is critical for visual development. Surgery was performed younger in children with monocular cataracts than in those with bilateral cataracts.

Incidence, Risk Factors, and Impact of Age on Retinal Detachment after Cataract Surgery in France: A National Population Study.

PURPOSE: To assess the incidence, risk factors, and impact of age on retinal detachment (RD) after cataract surgery. DESIGN: Cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: All patients older than 40 years of age who underwent a primary cataract surgery in France between January 2009 and December 2012. METHODS: A Cox proportional-hazard regression model was used to analyze risk factors of RD after cataract surgery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Risk factors of RD after cataract surgery. RESULTS: Over 4 years, 2680167 eyes in 1787021 patients (59.4% women; mean age, 73.9±9.5 years) underwent cataract surgery. A total of 11 424 patients experienced RD after cataract surgery, with an estimated risk of 0.99% at 4 years after surgery. The odds ratio associated with increased risk of RD was 3.87 (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.79-3.95) for cataract surgery itself. The multiadjusted hazard ratio (HR) associated with increased risk of RD was 5.22 (95% CI, 5.05-5.39) for patients 40 to 54 years of age, 3.69 (95% CI, 3.60-3.79) for those 55 to 64 years of age, and 1.98 (95% CI, 1.93-2.03) for those 65 to 74 years of age as compared with those 75 years of age or older. Retinal detachment was associated with high myopia (HR, 6.12; 95% CI, 5.84-6.41), vitrectomy for perioperative capsular rupture (HR, 4.36; 95% CI, 4.07-4.68), history of eye trauma (HR, 3.98; 95% CI, 3.69-4.30), extracapsular extraction (HR, 3.11; 95% CI, 2.94-3.30), male gender (HR, 2.39; 95% CI, 2.35-2.44), and history of diabetes (HR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.15-1.21). In myopic patients, the multiadjusted HR associated with increased risk of RD was 25.02 (95% CI, 24.76-25.18) for patients 40 to 54 years of age, 20.37 (95% CI, 20.21-20.53) for those 55 to 64 years of age, and 17.05 (95% CI, 16.85-17.25) for those 65 to 74 years of age as compared with nonmyopic patients 75 years of age or older. CONCLUSIONS: We provide a hierarchy of risk factors for RD onset: high myopia, young age, capsular rupture, history of eye trauma, extracapsular extraction technique, male gender, and diabetes. Young age was an additional risk factor in myopic patients.

Incidence and Characteristics of Cataract Surgery in France from 2009 to 2012: A National Population Study.

PURPOSE: To report age- and sex-specific incidence rates of cataract surgery in France and evaluate the trends of cataract surgery from 2009 to 2012. DESIGN: Cohort study. SUBJECTS: Data for all patients who underwent primary cataract surgery in France between January 2009 and December 2012 were collected from the national database. METHODS: Annual incidence rates were calculated and adjusted to the corresponding-year national population data from the French National Institute of Statistics. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to assess the time between surgeries for both eyes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Age- and sex-specific incidence of cataract surgery. RESULTS: Over the 4 years, 2 717 203 eyes in 1 817 865 patients (59.1% were women; mean age, 73.5±0.015 years) underwent cataract surgery. Between 2009 and 2012, the total number of operated eyes per year increased, from 634 070 to 723 172 (+14.0%), and the number of patients with 1 or both eyes undergoing cataract surgery decreased, from 475 301 to 449 318 (-5.5%). The incidence of cataract surgery increased from 9.86 to 11.08/1000 person-years and that of operated patients (1 or both eyes) decreased from 7.39 to 6.89/1000 person-years. The incidence of cataract surgery ranged from 1.06/1000 person-years for patients aged 40 to 49 years to 65.94/1000 person-years for those aged 80 to 89 years. Between 2009 and 2012, the probability of second-eye surgery 12 months after the first-eye surgery increased from 40.6% to 51.2% (P < 0.0001). The median interval for surgery between eyes was 29 (interquartile range, 14-86) days. The rate of posterior capsular tear was 0.20%, with a higher proportion from extracapsular extraction than phacoemulsification (7.9% vs. 0.15%; P < 0.0001). The proportion of patients who underwent cataract surgery with a history of high myopia, eye trauma, or retinal detachment was 0.49%, 0.21%, and 0.80%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study documented the incidence and trends in cataract surgery in the overall population in France. Between 2009 and 2012, the number of people undergoing cataract surgery slightly decreased, but the total number of operated eyes increased because the proportion of surgeries on the second eye increased.

Increased prevalence of depression, smoking, heavy drinking and use of psycho-active drugs among unemployed men in France.

BACKGROUND: We document in the present study the relation between unemployment and the prevalence of health problems and risk behaviour in France. METHODS: Using data from the 1991-1992 French National Health Survey, adjustments are made for potential confounders, and relative risks (RR) are estimated for overweight, major physical diseases, depression, and addictive behaviours. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Unemployed men are found to have significantly higher prevalences of depression (RR: 2.6), smoking (RR: 1.5 for regular and 1.7 for heavy), heavy drinking (RR: 1.7) and consumption of psycho-active drugs (RR: 3.6) than the working population.