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Biomedical subjects

Michael Goldacre

Publications and source records attributed to Michael Goldacre.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Social class inequalities in childhood mortality and morbidity in an English population.

The objective of this study was to examine the association between social class of the head of household at the time of birth and mortality and morbidity during the first 10 years of life in a cohort of all 117 212 children born to women who both lived, and delivered in hospital, in Oxfordshire or West Berkshire during the period 1 January 1979 to 31 December 1988. Logistic regression was used to estimate social class gradients, with odds ratios (OR), for mortality during the early neonatal period, late neonatal period, post-neonatal period, post-infancy period and throughout the first 10 years of life. Logistic regression was also used to estimate social class gradients, with ORs, for hospital admission rates for 16 broad groups of diseases during years 0-3, 4-6, 7-10 and throughout the first 10 years of life. Poisson regression was used to estimate social class gradients, with effect sizes, for overall hospital admission rates during years 0-3, 4-6, 7-10 and throughout the first 10 years of life. The study revealed a significant social class gradient in mortality during the first 10 years of life (adjusted OR for each decrement in social class category 1.08; [95% confidence interval 1.03, 1.14]). The study also revealed a significant adjusted social class gradient in hospital admission rates for 14 of the 16 groups of diseases during the first 10 years of life. For the majority of these, the social class gradients had attenuated somewhat by the later childhood years. However, the social class gradient persisted throughout the first 10 years of life for diseases of the respiratory system (1.07 [1.05, 1.08]), diseases of the digestive system (1.06 [1.04, 1.09]), and injury and poisoning (1.07 [1.06, 1.09]). In addition, a significant adjusted social class gradient was found in overall hospital admission rates for each age group studied. This study suggests that there are significant social class inequalities in a wide range of adverse child health outcomes.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2005

The association between smoking during pregnancy and hospital inpatient costs in childhood.

Although the health sequelae of smoking during pregnancy are well documented, relatively little is known about its long-term economic implications. The objective of this study was to analyse individual-level data on maternal smoking behaviour and sociodemographic, perinatal and resource utilisation variables in order to estimate the association between smoking during pregnancy and hospital inpatient service utilisation and costs through the first 5 years of the infant's life. Data from the Oxford Record Linkage Study, a collection of birth registrations, death certificates and statistical abstracts of hospital inpatient and day case admissions formed the basis of the investigation. The study population comprised all infants born to women who both lived and delivered in Oxfordshire or West Berkshire during the period 1 January 1980-31 December 1989 (n = 119,028). The cost of each hospital admission, including the initial birth admission, was estimated by multiplying the length of stay by the per diem cost of the respective specialty (pound 1998-1999 sterling). The effect of maternal smoking behaviour on cumulative 5-year hospital inpatient service utilisation and costs was analysed in a series of multivariate analyses, taking account of confounding clinical and sociodemographic factors. Infants born to women who reported smoking during pregnancy were hospitalised for a significantly greater number of days than infants born to women who had either never smoked or had smoked in the past (P < 0.0001). Over the first 5 years of life, the adjusted mean cost difference was estimated at pound sterling 462 (95%CI: pound sterling 353-pound sterling 571) when infants born to women who smoked at least 20 cigarettes per day were compared to infants of non-smoking mothers, and pound sterling 307 (95%CI: pound sterling 221-pound sterling 394) when infants born to women who smoked 10-19 cigarettes per day were compared to infants of non-smoking mothers (P < 0.0001). The results of this study should add an economic dimension to the importance of providing smoking cessation services for pregnant women.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Estimation of numbers of British medical graduates working in the National Health Service: comparison of capture-recapture analysis and exhaustive tracing.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the results of capture-recapture estimates and exhaustive follow-up in identifying the percentage of UK medical graduates who subsequently worked in the British National Health Service (NHS). METHODS: Postal questionnaire survey of all UK-trained doctors who graduated in 1974, with up to three reminders sent to non-respondents. Further exhaustive tracing of non-respondents to obtain whole population estimates of numbers in the NHS. Capture-recapture estimation of numbers working in the NHS, using survey data and Department of Health employment records, for comparison with results from exhaustive tracing. RESULTS: A total of 85.3% (1460/1712) of respondents were working in the NHS, but further exhaustive tracing of non-respondents revealed that only 75.9% (1758/2317) to 79.2% (1835/2317) of the whole cohort were in the NHS. By comparison, capture-recapture analysis estimated that 76.9% (1781/2317) of the cohort were in the NHS (95% CI: 75.9% to 78.0%). CONCLUSIONS: Survey data alone overestimated the percentage of the whole cohort in the NHS. Capture-recapture estimates were very similar to those obtained by exhaustive tracing but were obtained more quickly and for much less clerical effort.

Data Collection↗
PubMed2003

The impact of preterm birth on hospital inpatient admissions and costs during the first 5 years of life.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the cumulative use and cost of hospital inpatient services to 5 years of age by individuals divided into 4 subgroups by gestational age at birth. DESIGN: Costs applied to the hospital service utilization profile of each infant born in 2 areas covered by the Oxford Record Linkage Study during 1970-1993. SETTING: Oxfordshire and West Berkshire, southern United Kingdom. SUBJECTS: 239 694 individuals divided into 4 subgroups by gestational age at birth: <28 weeks, 28 to 31 weeks, 32 to 36 weeks, >or=37 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Number and duration of hospital admissions during the first 5 years of life and costs, expressed in pound sterling and valued at 1998-1999 prices, of hospital inpatient services. RESULTS: The total duration of hospital admissions for infants born at <28 and at 28 to 31 gestational weeks was 85 and 16 times that for term infants, respectively, once duration of life had been taken into account. Hospital inpatient service costs were significantly higher for preterm infants than for term infants, with the cost differences persisting throughout infancy and early and mid-childhood. Over the first 5 years of life, the adjusted mean cost difference was estimated at pound 14,614 ( 22,798 US dollars) when infants born at <28 weeks gestational age were compared with term infants and pound 11,958 ( 18,654 US dollars) when infants born at 28 to 31 weeks gestational age were compared with term infants. Independent contributions to total cost came from being born: small for gestational age, a multiple, during the 1970s and early 1980s, to a woman of extreme maternal age or who was hospitalized antenatally, and from experiencing extended survival or childhood disease. However, preterm birth remained the strongest predictor of high cost. CONCLUSIONS: Preterm birth is a major predictor of how much an individual will cost hospital service providers during the first 5 years of life.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed2002

GP recruitment and retention: a qualitative analysis of doctors' comments about training for and working in general practice.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: General practice in the UK is experiencing difficulty with medical staff recruitment and retention, with reduced numbers choosing careers in general practice or entering principalships, and increases in less-than-full-time working, career breaks, early retirement and locum employment. Information is scarce about the reasons for these changes and factors that could increase recruitment and retention. The UK Medical Careers Research Group (UKMCRG) regularly surveys cohorts of UK medical graduates to determine their career choices and progression. We also invite written comments from respondents about their careers and the factors that influence them. Most respondents report high levels of job satisfaction. A noteworthy minority, however, make critical comments about general practice. Although their views may not represent those of all general practitioners (GPs), they nonetheless indicate a range of concerns that deserve to be understood. This paper reports on respondents' comments about general practice. ANALYSIS OF DOCTORS' COMMENTS: Training Greater exposure to general practice at undergraduate level could help to promote general practice careers and better inform career decisions. Postgraduate general practice training in hospital-based posts was seen as poor quality, irrelevant and run as if it were of secondary importance to service commitments. In contrast, general practice-based postgraduate training was widely praised for good formal teaching that met educational needs. The quality of vocational training was dependent upon the skills and enthusiasm of individual trainers. Recruitment problems Perceived deterrents to choosing general practice were its portrayal, by some hospital-based teachers, as a second class career compared to hospital medicine, and a perception of low morale amongst current GPs. The choice of a career in general practice was commonly made for lifestyle reasons rather than professional aspirations. Some GPs had encountered difficulties in obtaining posts in general practice suited to their needs, while others perceived discrimination. Newly qualified GPs often sought work as non-principals because they felt too inexperienced for partnership or because their domestic situation prevented them from settling in a particular area. Changes to general practice The 1990 National Health Service (NHS) reforms were largely viewed unfavourably, partly because they had led to a substantial increase in GPs' workloads that was compounded by growing public expectations, and partly because the two-tier system of fund-holding was considered unfair. Fund-holding and, more recently, GP commissioning threatened the GP's role as patient advocate by shifting the responsibility for rationing of health care from government to GPs. Some concerns were also expressed about the introduction of primary care groups (PCGs) and trusts (PCTs). Together, increased workload and the continual process of change had, for some, resulted in work-related stress, low morale, reduced job satisfaction and quality of life. These problems had been partially alleviated by the formation of GP co-operatives. Retention difficulties Loss of GPs' time from the NHS workforce occurs in four ways: reduced working hours, temporary career breaks, leaving the NHS to work elsewhere and early retirement. Child rearing and a desire to pursue interests outside medicine were cited as reasons for seeking shorter working hours or career breaks. A desire to reduce pressure of work was a common reason for seeking shorter working hours, taking career breaks, early retirement or leaving NHS general practice. Other reasons for leaving NHS general practice, temporarily or permanently, were difficulty in finding a GP post suited to individual needs and a desire to work abroad. CONCLUSIONS: A cultural change amongst medical educationalists is needed to promote general practice as a career choice that is equally attractive as hospital practice. The introduction of Pre-Registration House Officer (PRHO) placements in general practice and improved flexibility of GP vocational training schemes, together with plans to improve the quality of Senior House Officer (SHO) training in the future, are welcome developments and should address some of the concerns about poor quality GP training raised by our respondents. The reluctance of newly qualified GPs to enter principalships, and the increasing demand from experienced GPs for less-than-full-time work, indicates a need for a greater variety of contractual arrangements to reflect doctors' desires for more flexible patterns of working in general practice.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗