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Biomedical subjects

X Castells

Publications and source records attributed to X Castells.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Impact of differences between eyes on binocular measures of vision in patients with cataracts.

PURPOSE: To assess the association of stereopsis with differences between eyes (better minus worse eye value) and the binocular value of visual acuity and contrast sensitivity, and to analyse binocular summation or inhibition phenomena owing to differences between eyes. METHODS: A cohort of 137 patients with bilateral cataracts (visual acuity of 0.3 LogMAR or worse in both eyes) was followed up through first- and second-eye cataract surgery. The patients were recruited from the ophthalmology departments of two teaching hospitals. Visual acuity, contrast sensitivity (monocular and binocular), and stereopsis were measured preoperatively, after first- and second-eye surgery. Multiple linear regression and local correlation analyses were used. RESULTS: Stereopsis was most strongly influenced by visual acuity in the postoperative period after first-eye surgery (standardized coefficients of 0.382 for difference between eyes and 0.356 for binocular visual acuity) and by contrast sensitivity in the postoperative period after second-eye surgery (standardized coefficients of 0.353 for the difference between eyes and -0.312 for binocular contrast sensitivity). After first-eye surgery, the correlation of the differences between eyes with stereopsis was stronger (between 0.4 and 0.5) when the differences were greater than 0.4 logMAR units for visual acuity. Slight binocular summation was found for contrast sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS: When assessing the indication for and outcomes of cataract surgery, analysis of visual function should include measures of both eyes, rather than measures of the operative eye only, as differences between eyes (better minus worse eye value) may play an important role in binocular measures such as stereopsis.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

[Systematic review of population-based studies of the prevalence of cataracts].

OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of cataracts has increased due to the progressive ageing of the population and the fact that cataracts affect a wide and increasing proportion of the population. The goal of the present study was to describe the prevalence of cataracts through a systematic and exhaustive review of population-based studies. METHODS: A systematic review of population-based studies of the prevalence and incidence of cataracts was performed. Inclusion criteria were: a healthy non- institutionalised population, older than 40 years of age, of white race, with a sample size of greater than 1,000 and published between 1980 and 2002. RESULTS: Ten studies met the inclusion criteria (3 European, 5 from the United States and 2 from Australia), and were performed between 1984 and 2001. The cataract prevalence, according to lens opacity criteria, ranged between 15% and 19%. When the cataract was defined as a lens opacity combined with a decreased visual acuity, the prevalence ranged from 15% to 30%. The overall prevalence increased with age, reaching 40% and more than 60% in populations older than 70 and 75 years respectively. The prevalence among women was higher than that among men, with a more marked increase being evident at older ages than for men. CONCLUSIONS: There were variations among the criteria used to measure the prevalence of cataract, which made it difficult to compare all the studies. Overall the prevalence was higher in the older population, especially among women. The increasing prevalence associated with age predicts an increasing burden of cataract to health services, this being particularly related to the ageing of the population.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Content-based interpretation aids for health-related quality of life measures in clinical practice. An example for the visual function index (VF-14).

BACKGROUND: In spite of a well-established development of instruments, difficulty in interpreting health related quality of life scores may limit its use in clinical practice. OBJECTIVE: To develop generalizable interpretation aids for a measure of perceived functional visual status, the VF-14 index. DESIGN: Item Response Theory (Rasch analysis) was used to analyze the performance of VF-14 items. The 'ruler' aid was derived from the most difficult activity (item) a patient is able to do without difficulty; the 'clinical scenarios' aid, first identified all significantly different clusters of items within the index and then estimated the mean expected difficulty (responses) to perform a benchmark item in each cluster. SETTING: The study was conducted in four hospitals and six ambulatory cataract surgery centers in Barcelona, Spain. PATIENTS: One hundred and ninety-eight patients scheduled for first eye cataracts surgery. MEASUREMENTS: The self-reported VF-14 index and clinical measures were used. RESULTS: All VF-14 items were found unidimensional with three items showing only partial misfit. For a patient with a VF-14 Rasch score of 71, the 'ruler' aid indicated that 'doing fine handwork' would be the most requiring activity he/she would perform without difficulty. The 'clinical scenarios' aid estimated that such a patient would be unable to 'drive at night', would have some difficulty 'reading small print' and no difficulty 'doing fine handwork', 'watching TV' or 'recognizing people'. Concordance between modeled and observed responses was fair to substantial. CONCLUSIONS: Simple content-based interpretation aids for the VF-14 scores were developed that should facilitate its use in clinical practice. These aids should be easily generalizable to other quality of life instruments.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2003

[Use of levofloxacin in the hospital].

Levofloxacin is a new, recently commercialized fluoroquinolone. We aimed to assess the use of levofloxacin after its inclusion in the hospital drug guide. In a prospective observational study, patients treated with levofloxacin in a university hospital were selected from July 2000 to June 2001. Using a structured questionnaire, data were recorded on patients' demographic characteristics and comorbidities, indications for levofloxacin use and previous use of other antibiotics. In addition, the adherence to the instructions for use as recommended by the antibiotic subcommittee of the hospital, and the use of other alternative antibiotics were analyzed. Ninety-seven patients were treated [mean age 67 years; range 17-93; 64 men], of whom 83 (85.6%) had comorbidity and 51 (52.6%) a possible allergy to the betalactam antibiotics. The treatment began after the use of other antibiotics in 47 (48.5%) patients. The main clinical indications were pneumonia (54; 55.7%) and acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis (25; 25.8%). The use of other antibiotics was possible in 56 (57.7%) patients, and levofloxacin was only used according to the recommended indications in 41 (42.3%). Levofloxacin is mainly used in the treatment of patients with respiratory infections, those who are allergic to the betalactam antibiotics and those previously treated with other antibiotics; however, in many cases, the use of other antibiotics may still be possible. As part of the antibiotic policy, it is necessary to define the indications of use for new antibiotics introduced in the hospital and surveillance studies need to be developed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Participation in a colorectal cancer screening programme: influence of the method of contacting the target population.

We assessed the effect of two different methods of contacting the target population on the rate of participation in a colorectal cancer screening programme. All individuals aged between 50 and 74 years enlisted in one primary health care centre in Barcelona (Spain) were included in a prospective randomized controlled trial. An invitation letter signed by a doctor together with two containers for faecal sample collection were sent by post to subjects in the 'standard' group (n = 1060), while subjects in the 'study' group (direct contact, n = 965) were visited by a trained non-health professional who supplied them with the same documentation as the standard group. The screening test consisted of an immunological method for the detection of faecal blood which does not require any prior specific dietary measures. Specimens were collected on two successive days. A significantly higher participation was observed in the study group (557/965, 57.7%) compared with the standard group (388/1060, 36.5%, P < 0.005). Specimen collection correctness was also higher in the study group (419/557, 75.1%) compared with the standard group (262/388, 67.5%, P < 0.014). There were no differences in terms of either age group or sex for the participation, nor for degree of correctness of specimen collection. Participation and specimen collection can be raised in colorectal cancer screening programmes by means of an invitation made through direct contact by a suitably trained non-health professional.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

A randomized controlled trial comparing three invitation strategies in a breast cancer screening program.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to compare the response received by a population-based breast cancer screening program, according to three different invitation strategies: letters sent by mail from the program (program group), letters sent by mail from the Primary Health Care Team (PHT group), and direct contact through a trained professional (direct contact group). METHODS: We used a cluster-randomized controlled trial with assignment to invitation group using home address. Nine hundred eighty-six women of Barcelona (Spain), ages 50 to 64 years, were invited to participate in the program. The main outcome used was the response rate after the first invitation. RESULTS: Five hundred sixty-four women accepted the invitation (57.2%). The highest response rate was achieved in the direct contact group (63.5%), followed by the PHT group (55.6%), the program group being the one that attained the lowest response rate (52.1%). The direct contact group had a higher probability of participating than the PHT group (RR = 1.14, P = 0.037) or the program group (RR = 1.22, P = 0.003). The response rate in the direct contact group was 72.1% when the letter was received by the subject herself. The increase in response occurred particularly among women of lower educational level. CONCLUSIONS: Inviting women to participate in a breast cancer screening program through direct contact by trained personnel increased participation rate compared with mailed-letter methods. The positive effect appeared restricted to women with lower educational levels.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed2001

Outcomes and costs of outpatient and inpatient cataract surgery: a randomised clinical trial.

The aim of this study was to compare clinical and perceived health outcomes and cost between ambulatory and inpatient cataract surgery. An unmasked randomised clinical trial was undertaken. Cataract surgery patients of three public hospitals in Barcelona (Spain) who met inclusion criteria for ambulatory surgery were randomly assigned to two groups: outpatient hospital and inpatient hospital. Primary outcome measures were early and late postoperative surgical complications and visual acuity. Secondary outcome measures were perceived visual function, overall perceived health status, and costs. A total of 464 outpatients and 471 inpatients were analysed. No statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups in visual acuity (P =.48), nor for the other clinical and perceived health outcome measures, except for early postoperative complications. Outpatients presented at least one complication in the first 24 h after surgery more frequently than inpatients (64 vs. 43; RR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1, 2.4), but 4 months after surgery the differences in complications rates between groups disappeared. The cost of surgery was lower for outpatients than for inpatients (1001 vs. 1218 Euros; P <.001). Ambulatory cataract surgery was more cost-effective than inpatient surgery. Despite the higher risk of early complications in the outpatient hospital group, these differences may not be clinically relevant because the 4-month postoperative outcomes were not affected.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Medicare's DRG-weights in a European environment: the Spanish experience.

Hospital payment systems are being changed to mixed systems, composed of case-mix categories and structure indicators. The Health Care Financing Administration's Diagnosis-Related-Groups (HCFA's DRG-weights are used in Catalonia as Prospective Payment System (PPS)-instruments for hospital inpatient reimbursement. The Catalonian and Spanish health systems, however, are very different from the US health environment. The aim of this study is to determine whether the HCFA's DRG-weights fit the special characteristics of a European environment. To do this, cost-based weights, determined from information from the cost accounting system of two public hospitals in Barcelona, are compared with Medicare-weights. A total of 35 262 discharges representing 12 794 million pesetas are analyzed. Medicare-weights do not differ globally from cost-based-weights and the adjusted correlation weighted least squares regression between the two weight-scales is 95%. There are, however, systematic deviations in six DRG-groupings. The most important deviations are concentrated in Ambulatory Surgery categories, in DRGs in which prostheses are used, and in specialties excluded from several PPSs because of extreme variables in treatment intensity. In conclusion, Medicare-weights can be used to pay hospital output in European environment but they should be adjusted to avoid systematic deviations.

Accounting↗
PubMed2000

Utilization of screening mammography as a preventive practice prior to initiating a population-based breast cancer screening program.

Factors associated with the level of utilization of screening mammography as a preventive practice were analyzed prior to initiating a population-based breast cancer screening program. A questionnaire was used to collect information about screening mammography utilization during the last 4 years among women invited to enroll in the program. Sociodemographic and health factors, and health services utilization were studied. A screening mammography in the last 4 years had been performed on 59.3% of the 8867 women interviewed. The utilization of mammography was higher among women who were younger, had a higher education level, or had previous visits to a physician (P < 0.001). The variables more strongly associated with use of screening mammography were: visit to a gynecologist and performance of a pap smear. Also associated with the utilization of screening mammography were: personal history of breast pathology, family history of breast cancer, breast self-examination, and recent visit to a general practitioner. Self-perceived health presented an inverse relation with screening mammography use (P < 0.001). The use of screening mammography appears to have increased in recent years, although inequalities persist which the breast cancer screening programs help to modulate. Mammographic frequency only would be deemed appropriate by the European guidelines in fewer than one-half of the cases.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed2000

Factors associated with second eye cataract surgery.

AIMS: To analyse the clinical and sociodemographic characteristics associated with second eye cataract surgery. METHODS: An observational, longitudinal study of patients scheduled for first eye cataract surgery that did not involve a combined procedure was carried at two teaching hospitals and one non-teaching hospital in Barcelona, Spain. Patients were followed for 2 years after first eye cataract surgery to assess whether and when they had undergone second eye cataract surgery. Clinical characteristics, perceived health characteristics (perceived visual function and overall health status), and sociodemographic characteristics were compared between two patient groups-those with surgery in only one eye and those who had undergone surgery in both eyes by the end of the 2 year follow up period. RESULTS: Of the 242 patients studied, 125 (51.7%) underwent second eye surgery during the 2 year observation period. Patients with visual acuity 6/18 (0.3) or worse in the second eye compared with those with visual acuity over 6/12 (0.5) and patients younger than 65 years compared with patients aged 65-74 were more likely to undergo second eye surgery (adjusted odds ratio 3.9 and 1. 8, respectively). 52 (44.5%) patients in the only one eye surgery group had a visual acuity less than 6/18 (0.3) in the second eye. CONCLUSIONS: Worse visual acuity in the second eye and younger ages are strongly associated with both eyes cataract surgery. There may be a potential increase of demand for this procedure in the near future since almost half of the patients with only one eye surgery presented a low visual acuity in the second eye.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

[Efficacy and cost of ambulatory cataract surgery: a systemic review].

BACKGROUND: A systematic review has been performed on the literature in order to assess efficacy and costs of cataract ambulatory surgery. The objective of the review were the randomized controlled trials comparing benefits, adverse effects and costs of ambulatory and inpatient cataract surgery, including, in addition, an original trial of our investigation group. METHODS: The sources of information have been: MEDLINE (between 1985 and 1998), HealthStar (1975-98), Evidence-Based, the systematic review of the journals of ophthalmology (1992-98) and the review of the references in the documents or articles reviewed. The quality of the trials was assessed according to criteria proposed by the Evidence-Based Medicine Working Group. Data extracted from each study included: design, object population, setting, type of intervention and treatment, and follow-up period. Outcomes of ambulatory surgery were compared to those of inpatient surgery concerning to benefits (postoperative visual acuity), adverse effects (surgical complications) and costs of the surgery. RESULTS: From 44 studies satisfying inclusion criteria, only 5 randomized controlled trials and 10 observational studies had the necessary information to be included in the review. In all the studies postoperative visual acuity was similar between the two groups (inpatients and outpatients). In the quantitative synthesis of the trials included in the review, outpatients presented a higher rate of perioperatory (48 hours after surgery) complications (OR = 1.4; IC 95%: 1.1-1.8) and of increase of intraocular pressure (OR = 2.3; IC 95%: 1.3-3.9). The ambulatory surgery costs were from a 15 to a 30% lower, depending on the study analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: Ambulatory cataract surgery patients present a benefit in visual acuity similar to inpatients. However, the higher risk of surgical complications among outpatients suggests the appropriateness of improving their immediate postoperative care. Even though some variability exists in the method to calculate costs, the results suggest that ambulatory surgery is the most efficient alternative.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Comparison of the results of first and second cataract eye surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the outcomes of second eye cataract surgery with those of first eye surgery. In particular, to evaluate changes in visual acuity (VA), visual function, and health status after the first and second eye surgeries. DESIGN: A cohort (case series) analysis of patients recruited in a clinical trial. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 403 consecutive patients with indication of noncombined first eye or second eye cataract surgery were recruited in 3 public hospitals in Barcelona, Spain. First eye surgery patients are compared to second eye surgery patients. INTERVENTION: Patients were evaluated both before surgery and 4 months after surgery by a standardized telephone interview and clinical examination. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Visual acuity, visual function index (VF-14), a 14-item instrument designed to measure visual function, and the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP), a generic measure of health status. RESULTS: Full data were obtained from 315 (78%) patients: 249 who underwent first eye surgery only and 66 different patients who underwent second eye surgery. Significant improvement was found in both groups of patients for best-corrected VA in the operated eye (4.4 Snellen lines, P < 0.001; 4.2 Snellen lines, P < 0.001, respectively), VA in the better eye (2.8 Snellen lines, P < 0.001; 1.4 Snellen lines, P < 0.001), and visual function (26.3 Snellen lines, P < 0.001; 17.0 Snellen lines; P < 0.001). Four months after the operation, the VF-14 of the second eye group was slightly better (93.4 vs. 88.5; P = 0.09; score range: 0, worst, to 100, best). Psycho-social SIP scores improved in both groups (4.8, P < 0.001; 3.1, P = 0.016). Physical SIP score improved only in the first eye surgery group (1.8, P = 0.003) but not in the second eye surgery group (-1.0, P = 0.338; score range: 0, best, to 100, worst). CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study suggest that patients undergoing second eye cataract surgery show significant improvements in VA, visual function, and psycho-social health status. However, global and physical health status does not change after second eye cataract surgery.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

[Attitudes and knowledge of primary care physicians about community breast cancer screening programs].

OBJECTIVE: To find the view of Primary Care doctors in relation to the need for a community programme of breast cancer screening, its effectiveness and the criteria underlying its application. DESIGN: Crossover study. SETTING: Municipal districts of Ciutat Vella and Sant Martí, Barcelona. PARTICIPANTS: General Practitioners (GPs) in the programme. INTERVENTION: A self-filled questionnaire. The questions sought the level of agreement with 11 statements concerning: importance as health problem, effectiveness of the programmes, target population and role of GP. Results were compared for: year of graduation, sex and type of centre. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Of 140 doctors, 110 (78.6%) replied. There was majority agreement with all the statements, especially so in: "Breast cancer is one of the three main causes of death in women in Barcelona"; "screening of 50-64-year old women should be recommended"; and "GPs must recommend screening to their patients". CONCLUSION: The replies to the questionnaire indicated agreement with the programme's basic orientation, except for including 40 to 49-year old women in the programme, which the programme did not propose. Hopefully, this consensus will help Primary Care professionals become involved in the screening programme.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Clinical outcomes and costs of cataract surgery performed by planned ECCE and phacoemulsification.

PURPOSE: To compare clinical outcomes and costs of cataract surgery between patients operated with standard extracapsular extraction (ECCE) and those undergoing phacoemulsification. SETTING: Patients from the Ophthalmology Department of a teaching hospital in Barcelona (Spain) scheduled for cataract surgery, not combined with any other ophthalmic procedure. METHODS: A retrospective analysis has been performed on a database of 1046 patients undergoing ECCE and phacoemulsification. The outcome measures used were: surgical complications, visual acuity and costs of surgery and of follow-up. Overall rate of all complications and postoperative visual acuity were compared between the two groups, adjusting for age, preoperative visual acuity, medical and ocular comorbidity. RESULTS: 31.9% of the patients (334) underwent phacoemulsification, and 68.1% (712) underwent ECCE. Patients undergoing phacoemulsification presented a frequency of intra- and postoperative complications lower than those undergoing ECCE (odds ratio 0.57, 95%CI 0.37-0.87 and 0.66, 95%CI 0.46-0.96, respectively), specifically for intraoperative iris trauma (3.1% vs 0.3%, p = 0.004), residual posterior capsular opacity (2% vs 0.3%, p = 0.035) and postoperative corneal edema (7.4% vs 3.6%, p = 0.016). Costs of intervention and follow-up were lower for phacoemulsification compared with ECCE (23.9% and 14%, respectively). But global costs were slightly higher for phacoemulsification (4.87%), due to supply costs, which were more than twice those of ECCE. CONCLUSIONS: Phacoemulsification, when performed by an experienced surgeon, has better clinical outcomes than planned extracapsular extraction, and costs may be lower since supply costs are expected to decrease as the phacoemulsification technique becomes more widespread.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

[Relationship between average hospital stay and the rate of early readmissions].

BACKGROUND: To analyze the relationship between length of hospitalary stay and early readmission rate. To assess the hypothesis that those admissions with the lowest length of stay are associated with higher early readmission rate. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective study of 35,902 hospital admissions. A single admission was selected randomly for each patient. The readmission risk during 31 days were related with length of stay level. Logistic regression model was applied to adjusting by other variables (age, sex, admission year, emergency admission, patient residence, payer). RESULTS: The early readmission rate is lower in the admissions with low outlier length of stay than with not outlier length of stay (5.8% vs 9.8%). After adjusting for other variables the odds ratio is under 1 but not statically significant (0.90; 0.80-1.02). Admissions with high length of stay outlier haver higher early readmission rate (10.4%), with adjusted odds ratio of 1.14 (1.02-1.27). CONCLUSIONS: Admissions with lowest length of stay did not have a high early readmission risk.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Impact of aging on hospital caseload].

PURPOSE: The progressive ageing of the population has led to a rise in the number of hospital admissions among people older than 64 years. The present study analyses the impact of this phenomenon comparing the case-mix of patients older and younger than 65 years. METHODS: An analysis of the case-mix of all patients admitted to two acute hospitals of Barcelona Spain has been performed using the minimum basic data set of hospital discharges during 1997. The patients were grouped according to diagnosis-related groups (DRG). The characteristics of disease severity and complexity (admissions through emergencies department, DRG average weight, Charlson comorbidity index, average length of stay adjusted by case-mix, percentage of patients with an abnormal length of stay, readmissions and mortality rates were compared between the group of patients of 0-64 years and the group of 65 years and over. A further analysis was carried out for three subgroups of the aged patient population: 65-74, 75-84 and > 84 years. RESULTS: The patients group of 65 years and over presented, in comparison with the younger than 65 qulaction, a higher average weight (1.16 vs 0.96), a higher percentage of admissions through emergency department (49.2% vs 44.4%), more comorbidity (Charlson's Index of 0.98 vs 0.66), a higher average length of stay adjusted DRG (9.4 vs 8.1), a higher percentage of patients with an abnormal length of stay (4.7% vs 3.2%), a higher readmissions percentage (8.6% vs 7.5%) and a higher mortality (6.3% vs 1.6%). All observed differences between the two groups were statistically significant. The analysis of the three subgroups of patients of 65 years and over showed that the variables admissions through the emergency department, length of stay and rate of mortality were significantly related to ageing, while the factor of complexity of comorbidity remained stable for all the subgroup of patients. CONCLUSIONS: The case-mix of patients older than 65 years presents some characteristics associated with a higher complexity, severity and comorbidity, which imply more hospitalization days in relation to younger patients. Hospitals and the health care system at large should design specific strategies to face the fast and progressive ageing of patients admitted to hospitals, since this means a relevant change of the case-mix and the profile of health care requirements.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Public hospital payment system in Spain: the experience of Catalonia and Andalusia].

Since the mid-1990s, the introduction of new public hospital payment systems to improve the efficiency of Spanish hospitals within the context of managed competition has been debated. Blended systems, which recognize the importance of the activity performed, as well as the role of the hospital in the public health system, have emerged as the best-matched tools both in risk assignment and in efficiency-economic feasibility dialectic. In this article, the payment method used in Catalonia since 1997 is analyzed and contrasted with that introduced in Andalusia in 1998. The evaluation focuses on the instruments used to incorporate the mixed model in the two different settings. On the one hand, the capacity of diagnosis related groups (DRGs) to define hospital product cost is limited. Furthermore, DRGs require numerous adjustments before introduction into Spain. On the other hand, structural level can be defined through the Grade of Memberships in Catalonia and the Basic Centers in Andalusia. We also analyze the introduction of the different methods into Spain and their adaptation to the Catalan and Andalusian environments. The transition periods seem not to have led to a definitive solution and have served to highlight the fragility of the instruments used and of the use that has been made of them. We conclude that the introduction of new tools to improve hospital efficiency through payment systems was precipitate and, to a certain extent, naive. Public hospital payment systems can be considered to be effective when they manage to allocate resources over a period of time. Ensuring the efficiency of public hospitals implies daily work on the part of each hospital and the information systems generated by regional health systems and will not be achieved through external financial tools poorly adapted to the setting in which they are applied.

Diagnosis-Related Groups↗