Economic Analysis of National Program for Hepatitis C Elimination, Israel, 2023.

In 2021, the Israel Ministry of Health began a national hepatitis C elimination program. Implementing a World Health Organization goal, Israel's program involved targeted screening, barrier minimization, workup simplification, awareness campaigns, and a patient registry. We evaluated program costs for testing and treatment.

The Israeli Trauma system during wartime - policy and management.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists attacked people in their homes, fields, and at a music festival in Israeli communities near the border with Gaza. More than 1,145 men, women, and children were killed, about 1,800 wounded were evacuated to hospitals in the country, and 253 infants, children, women, elderly, and men were abducted. This mass casualty incident (MCI) was the start of a war that is still ongoing.

Census-Dependent Mortality of Ventilated Patients With COVID-19 in Israel: Noninterventional Observational Cohort Study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led to several surges in the mass hospitalization rate. Extreme increases in hospital admissions without adequate medical resources may increase mortality. No study has addressed the impact of daily census of ventilated patients on mortality in the context of the pandemic in a nationwide setting.

Impact of opioid maintenance therapy in the community on re-incarceration in individuals with opioid use disorder-A linked cohort study.

Introduction: Studies have found associations between Opioid Agonist Maintenance Treatment during incarceration and reduced recidivism among recently released formerly incarcerated persons. However, the role of community-based Opioid Agonist Maintenance Treatment in reducing recidivism post-release remains less explored. This study examines whether pre-release arranged, prison-to-rehabilitation Opioid Agonist Maintenance Treatment in the community following release is associated with reduced rates and lengths of re-incarceration among justice-involved individuals with Opioid Use Disorder.

Vitamin D and Insulin-Dependent Diabetes: A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials.

(1) Background: Vitamin D supplementation after type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) onset has led to conflicting results on beta-cell preservation. Aim: This paper presents a systematic review to verify whether randomized prospective controlled trials (RCTs) demonstrate that improved vitamin D status confers protection on T1DM. (2) Methods: A systematic review was conducted up until 18 January 2024 according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, searching MEDLINE, MEDLINE In-Process, Embase, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, using keywords "vitamin D", "type 1 diabetes", and "children".

A Statistical Approach to the High Mortality Rate of Israeli Citizens Held Hostage in Gaza.

Background: According to Hamas sources, many Israeli hostages in Gaza were killed by indiscriminate Israeli airstrikes, together with a large number of Palestinian citizens.

Objectives: To verify whether the estimated death rate of Israeli hostages was similar to the estimated death rate of Gaza citizens from these acts of war.

Methods: We used two estimates of hostage death rates, one obtained from Israeli intelligence sources, and one published by a Hamas spokesperson.

To charge or not to charge: reducing patient no-show.

Background: In order to reduce patient no-show, the Israeli government is promoting legislation that will allow Health Plans to require a co-payment from patients when reserving an appointment. It is hoped that this will create an incentive for patients to cancel in advance rather than simply not show up. The goal of this policy is to improve patient access to medical care and ensure that healthcare resources are utilized effectively.

Trends in Health Quality-Related Publications Over the Past Three Decades: Systematic Review.

Background: Quality assessment in health care is a process of planned activities with the ultimate goal of achieving a continuous improvement of medical care through the evaluation of structure, process, and outcome measures. Physicians and health care specialists involved with quality issues are faced with an enormous and nearly always increasing amount of literature to read and integrate. Nevertheless, the novelty and quality of these articles (in terms of evidence-based medicine) has not been systematically assessed and described.

Vitamin D and Asthma: a Systematic Review of Clinical Trials.

Purpose Of The Review: To perform a systematic review of prospective clinical trials to determine whether improving vitamin D status improves asthma control.

Recent Findings: In cross sectional studies suboptimal viramin D status is often associated with poor asthma control. However, decreased 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25 (OH) D) concentrations might not be causally associated with asthma control.

High frequency band limits in spectral analysis of heart rate variability in preterm infants.

Objectives: The current study aims to assess different high-frequency (HF) band power calculations based on different frequency bandwidth values, and compare them with the time domain the root mean square of successive RR differences (RMSSD) value in preterm infants.

Methods: At week 32, electrocardiogram (ECG) and breathing rate (BR) were recorded for 24 h on 30 preterm infants born between 28 and 32 weeks. The recording held in the neonatal intensive care unit without any interruption of routine.

Mixed effect of increasing outflow of medical patients from an emergency department.

Background And Aim: Since 2014, the annual number of patients entering our emergency department (ED) has increased significantly. These were primarily Internal Medicine (IM) patients, and of these, 25-30% were admitted. The present governmental policy presents a deterrent to adding IM beds for these patients, and Emergency and IM departments cope with ever-increasing number of IM patients.

Assessing parasympathetic measures of heart rate variability shortly after birth to predict motor repertoire at four months in low risk preterm infants born between 28 and 32 weeks of gestation.

In low risk preterm infants, the risk for mild to moderate neuro-motor impairment is extremely high. Additionally, the autonomic nervous system (ANS) function was also found to be impaired. ANS activity may predict neuro-motor development at four months corrected age.

Availability, timeliness, documentation and quality of consultations among hospital departments: a prospective, comparative study.

Background: Many in-patients require care from practitioners in various disciplines. Consultations most probably have significant implications for hospitalization outcomes.

Purpose: To determine key aspects of consultations provided by various departments to formulate an optimal policy.

A fully automated inpatient transport system.

Background: The transport of the inpatients to and from locations inside the hospital can vary in complexity depending on the patient location, status, and logistical needs. Most transport systems have not developed at the same speed as other medically related technologies. We conducted a pilot study of a new automated transport system for patients within the hospital.

Vitamin D requirements in infancy: an updated systematic review.

Purpose Of Review: Systematic review looking for new evidence for recommendations for vitamin D supplementation in healthy infants based upon the most recent (4 years) available literature.

Recent Findings: Randomized controlled trials published since 1 January 2017 that related to vitamin D doses in infancy were reviewed. They do not provide any additional evidence that larger, more generous amounts of daily vitamin D beyond the customary recommended 400 international units (IU) daily dose, affect any significant outcome.

Maturation of the cardiac autonomic regulation system, as function of gestational age in a cohort of low risk preterm infants born between 28 and 32 weeks of gestation.

Objectives: The maturation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) occurs steadily throughout gestation while the myelinated vagus has accelerated maturation periods, between 25 and 32 weeks of gestation and a further increase around 37-38 weeks of gestation. The aim was to quantify the cardiac autonomic regulation maturation, as a function of gestational age (GA) in a cohort of low risk preterm infants born between 28 and 32 weeks of gestation by assessing heart rate variability (HRV) at week 32, and at week 35 postmenstrual age (PMA).

Methods: Forty preterm infants were recruited, 24 h recordings of breathing rate and RR intervals were obtained at week 32 and week 35 PMA.

Internal medicine patients admitted without COVID-19 during the outbreak.

Background: The first case of COVID-19 in Israel was reported on February 21, 2020. Shaare Zedek (SZ), a 1000-bed tertiary care medical centre in Jerusalem, Israel, cared for a significant number of these patients. While attention focused on COVID-19 patients, uninfected patients were admitted to decreasing numbers of available internal medicine (IM) beds as IM departments were converted to COVID-19 isolation wards.

Perinatal aspects on the covid-19 pandemic: a practical resource for perinatal-neonatal specialists.

Background: Little is known about the perinatal aspects of COVID-19.

Objective: To summarize available evidence and provide perinatologists/neonatologists with tools for managing their patients.

Methods: Analysis of available literature on COVID-19 using Medline and Google scholar.

Geographic variation of hysterectomy rates in the Israeli health care system during the years 2007-2016.

Background: In 2014 the OECD published a report regarding inter-regional variation of hysterectomies in 13 countries including Israel. Variance in hospital admission rates were also reported. The Israeli Ministry of Health has set as one of its main goals the reduction in differences in health care, particularly between the country's periphery and central regions.

Disaster zones-should we be clowning around?

Unlabelled: Medical clowns have an important role in helping patients cope with their pain and distress. This is especially true in the pediatric population. However, their activity in a disaster area is unheard of.

Immigration to Israel during childhood is associated with diabetes at adolescence: a study of 2.7 million adolescents.

Aims/hypothesis: Immigration studies can shed light on diabetes pathogenesis and risk factors. To this end, we investigated the association between age at immigration and diabetes occurrence at adolescence among immigrants to Israel.

Methods: We analysed cross-sectional data on 2,721,767 Jewish adolescents assessed for mandatory military service at approximately 17 years of age between 1967 and 2014.

Geographic variation in selected hospital procedures and services in the Israeli health care system.

Background: Medical practice variation refers to differences in health service utilization among regions in the same country. It is used as a tool for studying health inequities. In 2011, the OECD launched a Medical Practice Variation Project which examines regional differences within countries and explores the sources of the inter-regional differences.

[RARE DISEASES DTC: DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT AND CARE].

Rare diseases are chronic, progressive genetic disorders, which affect around 6-8% of the general population, mainly children. Therefore, in Israel approximately 500,000 people are probably affected by a rare disease. In this article, we review some of the issues pertaining to rare diseases, such as the need for accurate diagnosis which is necessary not only for specific care and treatment but also for informed family planning.