Impact of altering referral threshold from out-of-hours primary care to hospital on patient safety and further health service use: a cohort study.

Objectives: To estimate the impact of altering referral thresholds from out-of-hours services on older patients' further use of health services and risk of death.

Design: Cohort study using patient data from primary and specialised health services and demographic data from Statistics Norway and the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry.

Setting: Norway PARTICIPANTS: 491 653 patients aged 65 years and older contacting Norwegian out-of-hours services between 2008 and 2016.

Effects of GP characteristics on unplanned hospital admissions and patient safety. A 9-year follow-up of all Norwegian out-of-hours contacts.

Background: There are substantial differences in hospital referrals between general practitioners (GPs); however, there is little research on the consequences for patient safety and further healthcare use.

Objective: To investigate associations between out-of-hours GP characteristics, unplanned hospital admissions, and patient safety.

Methods: This cohort study included all Norwegian out-of-hours services contacts from 2008 to 2016, linked to registry data on patient characteristics, healthcare use and death, and GP age, sex, specialist status, out-of-hours service experience, and prior admission proportion.

Increasing workload in Norwegian general practice - a qualitative study.

Background: General practitioners (GPs) play a key role in securing and coordinating appropriate use of healthcare services, by providing primary and preventive healthcare and by acting as gatekeepers for secondary healthcare services. Historically, European GPs have reported high job satisfaction, attributed to high autonomy and good compatibility with family life. However, a trend of increasing workload in general practice has been seen in several European countries, including Norway, leading to recruitment problems and concerns about the well-being of both GPs and patients.

Long-term changes in body weight and physical activity in relation to all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: the HUNT study.

Background: Most previous studies have relied on single measurements of body weight and physical activity and have not considered the interplay between long-term changes in body weight and physical activity in relation to mortality. The aim of the current study was therefore to examine the joint effect of changes in body weight and leisure-time physical activity over a period of ~ 10 years on all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.

Methods: The study population comprised 34,257 individuals who participated in the first (1984-86) and second (1995-97) waves of the HUNT Study, and were followed up through the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry until December 31st, 2013.

Assessment of bone marrow lymphocytic status during tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy and its relation to therapy response in chronic myeloid leukaemia.

Purpose: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) used in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia have been reported to induce immunomodulatory effects. We aimed to assess peripheral blood (PB) and bone marrow (BM) lymphocyte status at the diagnosis and during different TKI therapies and correlate it with treatment responses.

Methods: BM and PB samples were acquired from 105 first-line TKI-treated patients.