Biomedical subjects

X Hervada

Publications and source records attributed to X Hervada.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2004

Influence of physicians' attitudes on under-notifying infectious diseases: a longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVES: To identify practitioners' demographic and professional characteristics associated with reporting of mandatory-reporting diseases (MRDs), and to identify attitudes associated with MRD reporting. DESIGN: Longitudinal study. SETTING: Regional Health Service of Galicia (North-western Spain). SUBJECTS: Random sample of 600 physicians. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A postal questionnaire was used to measure the physicians' beliefs, knowledge and attitudes regarding MRDs. Associations between the independent variables and outcomes (notification or non-notification of MRDs every week during 1998) were modelled using the Andersen-Gill proportional hazards model. RESULTS: The response rate was 60.1%. The following beliefs, knowledge and attitudes were statistically associated with a smaller probability of reporting any given MRD: (1) I would only notify an MRD after confirming diagnosis; (2) the MRD reporting system interferes with my daily clinical practice; (3) besides the legal requirements, I would have to report MRDs as a medical professional; and (4) only the reporting of relevant or severe MRDs is necessary. Under-reporting was not associated with specialization (general or paediatric) or the type of contract (fixed or temporary), but was associated with gender. CONCLUSIONS: Some physicians' beliefs, knowledge and attitudes regarding MRDs are associated with under-reporting. This suggests that modification of certain attitudes and knowledge in physicians could greatly reduce the under-reporting of MRDs.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed2003

Impact of meningococcal vaccination with combined serogroups A and C polysaccharide vaccine on carriage of Neisseria meningitidis C.

Two studies of meningococcal carriage state were carried out in Galicia (Spain) before and after a mass vaccination campaign between December 1996 and January 1997 against Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C with meningococcal serogroups A and C polysaccharide vaccine. The studies covered two areas with different incidence rates of meningococcal disease in 1996 (high and low incidence). Carriage rates of serogroup C showed a decrease in both areas, 47 and 65 % respectively, before and after the vaccination. Results showed a decrease in carrier state in the age groups 10-14- and 15-19-year-olds, but not in the 5-9-year-olds. These results demonstrate the effect of immunization on the reduction of the carriage state.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

Carriage of a new epidemic strain of Neisseria meningitidis and its relationship with the incidence of meningococcal disease in Galicia, Spain.

In Galicia, Spain, a dramatic increase in the incidence of meningococcal disease was seen in the 1995-6. The annual incidence rose to 11 per 10(5) inhabitants, and 80% of identified strains were C:2b:P1.2,5. This led to the implementation of an intensive A+C vaccination campaign for the population aged 18 months to 19 years. During this campaign the prevalence of carriage in areas with high and low incidence was studied. Nasopharyngeal swabs were taken from 9796 subjects immediately before the administration of meningococcal vaccine, plated onto Thayer-Martin plates, incubated and sent for analysis to the Reference Laboratory for Neisseria in Spain. The prevalence of the C:2b: P1.2,5 strains was 0.6% (95% CI 0.29-0.88) in the high incidence area, and 0.41% (95 % CI 0.00-1.04) in the low incidence area, and that of serogroup C (all strains) 1.36% (95% CI 0.80-1.80) and 0.89% (95% CI 0.09-1.69) respectively. The prevalence of N. meningitidis (all strains) was almost the same in both areas (8%). Carriers of the epidemic strain were not found in the 2-4 year age group, that most affected by the disease. Our data showed a wide distribution but a low carriage rate of the epidemic strain C:2b:P1.2,5 in the high and low disease incidence areas studied; the difference in the carriage rates between the two areas was not statistically significant.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Reporting delay: a review with a simulation study and application to Spanish AIDS data.

To correct for the effect of reporting delay on incidence data relating to AIDS, three methods of estimation have been analysed: Poisson log-linear; log-linear logistic mixed regression (log-logit), and truncation. The first two methods transform the data in a contingency table. The difference between them is the hypothesis of delay stationarity, which is only assumed by the former. A correction is proposed for the first method to improve its asymptotic properties. The truncation method is based on the product-limit estimator. A simulation study was carried out to examine the behaviour (means, variances and mean squared errors) of the three methods. All were applied to data from the National Commission on AIDS (Spain), showing an improvement in reporting efficiency.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗