The utility of the surprise question by nurses to identify hospitalised older patients nearing the end-of-life and promotion of advance care planning: An interventional study.

Aims And Objectives: To assess the prognostic accuracy of the surprise question (SQ) when used by nurses working in hospital wards to determine 1-year mortality in acutely hospitalised older patients.

Background: The predictive accuracy of the SQ, when used by general nurses caring for older hospitalised patients, has not been comprehensively studied.

Design: A prospective cohort study.

The association between bedtime and cardiac autonomic control in community-dwelling older adults - The Yilan study, Taiwan.

This study aimed to investigate the association between bedtime and cardiac autonomic function in older adults. This cross-sectional study included community-dwelling older adults aged ≥ 65 years. Self-reported bedtime was categorized as early (< 21:30), intermediate (21:30-22:30), and late (> 22:30).

Prescription Patterns of New Use of Fixed-Dose Combination Inhalers in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Long-Acting β2 Agonists Plus Long-Acting Muscarinic Antagonists versus Long-Acting β2 Agonists Plus Inhaled Corticosteroids.

Background: The clinical guideline recommends use of long-acting β2 agonists/long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LABA/LAMA) or long-acting β2 agonists/inhaled corticosteroids (LABA/ICS) combination therapies for patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The fixed-dose combination (FDC) inhalers of LABA/LAMA and LABA/ICS were reimbursed in Taiwan in 2015 and in 2002, respectively. This study aimed to examine prescription patterns of new use of either FDC therapy in real-world practice.

Predictors for Early and Late Death in Adult Patients with COVID-19: A Cohort Study.

The timing of death in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) varied by their comorbidities and severity of illness. However, few studies have determined predictors of mortality with respect to the timing of death in infectious patients. This cohort study aimed to identify the factors associated with early and late death in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Multivariate analysis of the factors associated with live births during in vitro fertilisation in Southeast Asia: a cross-sectional study of 104,015 in vitro fertilisation records in Taiwan.

Purpose: To investigate the factors associated with live births and the interaction between age and the number of embryos transferred after in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment.

Methods: This study analyses data from a population-based-assisted reproductive database of all registered artificial reproduction institutions (n = 80) from 2010 to 2016 in Taiwan. The probability of a live birth in correlation with the treatment parameters was measured with multivariate logistic regression analyses using the generalised additive model (GAM) and Pearson's chi-square exact test.

Targeting continuity of care and polypharmacy to reduce drug-drug interaction.

Drug-drug interaction (DDI) is common among the elderly, and it can have detrimental effects on patients. However, how DDI can be targeted has been under-researched. This study investigates whether DDI can be reduced by targeting continuity of care (COC) through reducing polypharmacy.

Association of HIV Infection and Antiretroviral Therapy With Sudden Cardiac Death.

Background: HIV infection potentially increases coronary artery disease and heart failure risks. However, the association between HIV infection and sudden cardiac death (SCD) has not been extensively studied. This nationwide cohort study aimed to determine SCD risks in Taiwanese patients with and without HIV infection.

Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease: A Nationwide Observational Cohort Study.

Alcohol consumption is a significant public health issue worldwide. The rat model and epidemiological studies have both reported conflicting results about the effects of alcohol on the kidneys. We aimed to explore the relationships between alcohol consumption and chronic kidney disease.

Impact of a routine neurosurgical dispatch on emergency air medical transport and outcome of patients with intracranial hemorrhage.

Background/purpose: Emergency air medical transport (EAMT) of patients in remote areas with neurological emergencies to higher-level facilities is an integral part of the regionalized healthcare system. EAMT is safe and feasible for head injuries. Debates persist on the high cost, safety, and risk of EAMT, thereby calling for alternatives.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus Increases the Risk of Incident Heart Failure.

Background: Although the HIV can cause myocardial inflammation, the association of HIV infection with subsequent development of heart failure (HF) has not been extensively studied. This nationwide cohort study aimed to determine the risk of incident HF in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).

Methods: We identified PLWHA using the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control and Prevention HIV Surveillance System.

Association of Body Mass Index With Tuberculosis Mortality: A Population-Based Follow-Up Study.

Evidence regarding the association between body mass index (BMI) and mortality in TB patients is limited and inconsistent. We investigated the effect of BMI on TB-specific and non-TB-specific mortality in TB patients. All adult Taiwanese with TB in Taipei, Taiwan, during 2011 to 2012 were included in this retrospective cohort study.

Cluster analysis of medical service resources at district hospitals in Taiwan, 2007-2011.

Background: A vast amount of the annual/national budget has been spent on the National Health Insurance program in Taiwan. However, the market for district hospitals has become increasingly competitive, and district hospitals are under pressure to optimize the use of health service resources. Therefore, we employed a clustering method to explore variations in input and output service volumes, and investigate resource allocation and health care service efficiency in district hospitals.

Association of pulmonary tuberculosis and ethambutol with incident depressive disorder: a nationwide, population-based cohort study.

Background: Inflammatory responses from chronic infection might affect the brain and increase the risk of depressive disorder. However, the temporal association between chronic infection (eg, tuberculosis [TB]) and incident depressive disorder has not been prospectively evaluated.

Objective: To determine the association of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and anti-TB drugs with incident depressive disorder (ICD-9-CM codes 296.

Factors associated with health-related quality of life among injection drug users at methadone clinics in Taipei, Taiwan.

Background: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is widely used as an indicator of health status. However, few studies have examined predictors of HRQOL among injection drug users (IDUs). We investigated factors associated with HRQOL among IDUs in Taiwan.

Prevalence and factors associated with HIV infection among injection drug users at methadone clinics in Taipei, Taiwan.

Background: Methadone treatment was introduced in Taiwan in 2006 as a harm-reduction program for injection drug users (IDUs), among whom HIV was endemic. We examined the association of HIV serostatus with demographic characteristics, substance use, and sexual behaviors among IDUs at methadone clinics in Taipei, Taiwan.

Methods: During 2012-2013, IDUs at methadone clinics in Taipei were recruited to complete a risk assessment interview and undergo serologic testing for HIV infection.

Directly observed therapy reduces tuberculosis-specific mortality: a population-based follow-up study in Taipei, Taiwan.

Objectives: To determine the effect of directly observed therapy (DOT) on tuberculosis-specific mortality and non-TB-specific mortality and identify prognostic factors associated with mortality among adults with culture-positive pulmonary TB (PTB).

Methods: All adult Taiwanese with PTB in Taipei, Taiwan were included in a retrospective cohort study in 2006-2010. Backward stepwise multinomial logistic regression was used to identify risk factors associated with each mortality outcome.

Prevalences and associated risk factors of HCV/HIV co-infection and HCV mono-infection among injecting drug users in a methadone maintenance treatment program in Taipei, Taiwan.

Background: Injecting drug users (IDUs) in Taiwan contributed significantly to an HIV/AIDS epidemic in 2005. In addition, studies that identified risk factors of HCV/HIV co-infection among IDUs were sparse. This study aimed to identify risk factors of HCV/HIV co-infection and HCV mono-infection, as compared with seronegativity, among injecting drug users (IDUs) at a large methadone maintenance treatment program (MMTP) in Taipei, Taiwan.

Risk factors for unfavorable outcome of pulmonary tuberculosis in adults in Taipei, Taiwan.

This study was undertaken to identify factors associated with unfavorable outcomes in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in Taipei, Taiwan in 2007-2008. Taiwanese adults with culture-positive PTB diagnosed in Taipei during the study period were included in this retrospective cohort study. Unfavorable outcomes were classified as treatment default, death, treatment failure, or transfer.

An innovative participatory method for newly democratic societies: The "civic groups forum" on national health insurance reform in Taiwan.

Echoing the advocates of deliberative methods sensitive to specific socio-political contexts, we designed the "civic groups forum" method and tested it in 2003 in Taiwan. Our goals were to design a participatory method that suited newly democratic countries and to engage people in discussing national health insurance premium reform in Taiwan. This innovative forum emphasized: (1) civic groups as the participants and (2) engaging a moderate number of participants.

Diagnosis and treatment delay among pulmonary tuberculosis patients identified using the Taiwan reporting enquiry system, 2002-2006.

Background: The tuberculosis reporting enquiry system was launched in Taiwan in 2001. Tuberculosis has been categorized as the third most important notifiable disease in Taiwan and the time required for reporting has been shortened to 7 days.

Methods: A total of 114,827 cases were reported using the Taiwan enquiry system between 2002 and 2006; of these, 26,027 (22.

Factors associated with utilization of traditional Chinese medicine by white collar foreign workers living in Taiwan.

Background: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has remained an integral part of Chinese culture and society for thousands of years. In Taiwan TCM is a recognized element of its National Health Insurance Scheme. However, there is no knowledge about how TCM is accessed by foreign workers from a non-Asian cultural background.

The incidence and characterisation of hospitalised acute spinal trauma in Taiwan--a population-based study.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to perform a cross-sectional population-based study of hospitalised cases due to acute spinal trauma in Taiwan, based on information from the nationwide National Health Insurance (NHI) database.

Methods: To calculate the annual incidence of hospitalised acute spinal trauma, evaluate the distribution of neurological injury and its surgical intervention, and analyse the use of medical resources and related factors in Taiwan, the entire inpatient datasets were selected between 2000 and 2003 for use in the present study.

Results: There were 13,371, 13,800, 13,728 and 13,585 cases identified in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003, respectively, the average incidence of hospitalised acute spinal trauma in Taiwan was 61.

Do physicians and their relatives have a decreased rate of cesarean section? A 4-year population-based study in Taiwan.

Background: The increased rate of cesarean deliveries may be partly due to a lack of consumer knowledge. Assuming that physicians and their relatives are well informed of the risks and benefits associated with the different methods of delivery, our goal was to compare cesarean rates between female physicians, female relatives of physicians, and women with high socioeconomic status in Taiwan.

Methods: Two subgroups of 588 female physicians and 5,021 relatives of physicians aged 20 to 50 years were compared with 93,737 pregnant women with a monthly wage 40,000 dollars New Taiwan (NT) dollars or more as identified in nationwide National Health Insurance databases of Taiwan from 2000 to 2003.

Estimated prevalence of osteoporosis from a Nationwide Health Insurance database in Taiwan.

Approximately 9.24% of the Taiwanese population is aged 65 years or older. Among them, osteoporosis is a major problem, along with it associated age-related fractures.