Extra- and intramedullary implants for the treatment of pertrochanteric fractures -- results from a Finnish National Database Study of 14,915 patients.

We analysed registry-based data on 14,915 patients treated for pertrochanteric fracture obtained from the Finnish Health Care Register during the years 1999-2009. Data on the comorbidities, residential status and deaths of the cohort were extracted from several Finnish registries using patients' unique personal identification numbers. The use of intramedullary implants increased substantially during the study period.

A methodological approach for register-based evaluation of cost and outcomes in health care.

Introduction: In health care, measures of performance are needed at producer level for improving the treatment processes and at system level for steering purposes. In addition, measures that enable reliable comparisons of producers with respect to each other should encourage them to develop their treatment processes to attain better positioning in benchmarking.

Methods: The main innovation of the Performance, Effectiveness, and Costs of Treatment episodes (PERFECT) project is to measure performance using existing linkable information available from registers within well-defined care episodes in a whole population.

Monitoring the performance of hip fracture treatment in Finland.

Introduction: This article in the supplement on the PERFormance, Effectiveness, and Costs of Treatment episodes (PERFECT)-project aims to measure the performance and quality of hip fracture treatment by analysing annual trends and regional differences in developed performance indicators.

Material And Methods: The PERFECT Hip Fracture Database contains all hip fracture patients identified from the Hospital Discharge Register in Finland since 1999. Follow-up data from several administrative registers were also linked to the database.

Trends in treatment and outcome of stroke patients in Finland from 1999 to 2007. PERFECT Stroke, a nationwide register study.

Introduction: This article in this supplement issue on the Performance, Effectiveness, and Costs of Treatment episodes (PERFECT) project describes trends in Finnish stroke treatment and outcome.

Material And Methods: The PERFECT Stroke study uses multiple national registry linkages at individual patient level to produce a national stroke database with comprehensive follow-up of all hospital-treated stroke patients in Finland.

Results: There were 94,316 incident stroke patients treated in Finnish hospitals from 1999 to 2007.

Analysing current trends in care of acute myocardial infarction using PERFECT data.

Introduction: This article in the supplement issue on the Performance, Effectiveness, and Costs of Treatment episodes (PERFECT)-project describes the PERFECT AMI (acute myocardial infarction) Database, which is developed to measure the performance of hospitals and hospital districts in Finland. We analyse annual trends and regional differences in performance indicators and whether the utilisation of services and costs of hospital care are related to improvement in survival of AMI patients.

Material And Methods: The study population consists of ten annual cohorts (1998-2007) of patients hospitalised for AMI.

Direct costs of patients with stroke can be continuously monitored on a national level: performance, effectiveness, and Costs of Treatment episodes in Stroke (PERFECT Stroke) Database in Finland.

Background And Purpose: Treatment of stroke consumes a significant portion of all healthcare expenditure. We developed a system for monitoring costs from individual patient data on a national level in Finland.

Methods: Multiple national administrative registers were linked to gain episode-of-care data on all hospital-treated patients with incident stroke over the years 1999 to 2007 (n = 94,316).

Post-hip fracture use of prescribed calcium plus vitamin D or vitamin D supplements and antiosteoporotic drugs is associated with lower mortality: a nationwide study in Finland.

We previously found a positive association between calcium plus vitamin D and antiosteoporotic drugs and survival among hip fracture patients. Our aim was to verify this observation using a nationwide database. A retrospective cohort of home-discharged hip fracture patients aged 50 years or older (n = 23,615) was enrolled from the national database.

Stroke monitoring on a national level: PERFECT Stroke, a comprehensive, registry-linkage stroke database in Finland.

Background And Purpose: Stroke databases are established to systematically evaluate both the treatment and outcome of stroke patients and the structure and processes of stroke services. Comprehensive data collection on this common disease is resource-intensive, and national stroke databases often include only patients from selected hospitals. Here we describe an alternative national stroke database.

Effectiveness of primary and comprehensive stroke centers: PERFECT stroke: a nationwide observational study from Finland.

Background And Purpose: Previous studies show better outcomes for patients with stroke receiving care in stroke units, but many different stroke unit criteria have been published. In this study, we explored whether stroke centers fulfilling standardized Brain Attack Coalition criteria produce better patient outcomes than hospitals without stroke centers.

Methods: We did an observational register-linkage study of all patients with ischemic stroke treated in Finland between 1999 and 2006.