Long-term mental health resource utilization and cost of care following group psychoeducation or unstructured group support for bipolar disorders: a cost-benefit analysis.

Objective: To explore the short- and long-term mental health resource utilization and cost of care in a sample of 120 individuals with bipolar disorders who participated in a randomized controlled efficacy trial of group psychoeducation versus unstructured group support.

Method: Prospective, independent monitoring of DSM-IV bipolar disorder type I or II patients aged 18 to 65 years was conducted during the intervention phase (6 months) and follow-up phase (5-year postintervention) of a randomized controlled trial reporting clinical outcomes and inpatient and outpatient mental health service utilization, with estimation of cost of treatment per patient. The study was conducted from October 1997 through October 2006.

[Validation of the EuroSCORE probabilistic model in patients undergoing coronary bypass grafting].

Introduction And Objectives: EuroSCORE utilizes a probabilistic model for predicting the risk of in-hospital mortality in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. It is a useful instrument for evaluating quality of care. The model has two variants: the logistic EuroSCORE and the additive EuroSCORE.

Induction therapy with trizivir plus efavirenz or lopinavir/ritonavir followed by trizivir alone in naive HIV-1-infected adults.

Background: Induction-maintenance strategies were associated with a low response rate. We compared the virological response with two different induction regimens with trizivir plus efavirenz or lopinavir/ritonavir.

Methods: A randomized, multicentre, open-label clinical trial with 209 antiretroviral-naive HIV-infected patients assigned to trizivir plus either efavirenz or lopinavir/ritonavir during 24-36 weeks.

[Not Available].

Objectives: To assess the main features and determining factors of inappropriate admission and hospital stay in relationship with a new clinical management model.

Methods: Study population included all patients discharged from the Hospital Clinic-University of Barcelona. The review tool was the medical and surgical Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol (AEP).

[Estimation of emergency department activity and its relationship with inhospital bed disposition].

Background And Objective: To find out if the daily emergency department (ED) census and daily ED admittances can accurately be foreseen based on the number of visits arrived on ED within the first shift hours.

Patients And Method: For 6 consecutively months, the number of ED visits from 6 AM to 10 AM (early visits), and from 10 AM to next day 6 AM (daily ED census) was recorded, along with the number of both daily hospital and ED admittances from 6 AM to 6 AM. The analysis was performed for the ED as a whole, and for each one of its sections.

[Analysis of Spanish hospital's reputation: relationship with their scientific production in different subspecialities].

Background And Objective: To assess the relationship between reputation of hospitals, as determined by specialists' opinion, and their scientific production.

Material And Method: A questionnaire was sent to a sample of members of the Spanish Societies of Cardiology, Digestive Diseases, Neurology and Otorhinolaryngology. Each member had the possibility to nominate 5 hospitals with the greatest reputation amongst his/her specialty.

[Cost analysis of cardiac transplantation in a Spanish hospital].

Background And Objective: Heart transplant requires a heavy use of high cost resources. Economic data related to this procedure had not been specifically addressed and there are very few publications which analyze this topic. The aim of this study was to analyze the costs related to heart transplant in a series of patients from a single institution.

[Direct discharge from triage in emergency departments: assessment, risks and patient satisfaction].

Background And Objective: After triage assessment, some hospitals refer emergency department (ED) patients with minor chief complaints to off-site clinics. The potential for 2 different referral models introduced in 2 urban hospitals was assessed, as well as the suitability of this measure.

Patients And Method: After triage assessment, patients with minor complaints were identified.

[Emergency department activity during the 2003 summer heat wave].

Background And Objective: Several thousands deaths were attributed to a heatwave during the summer of 2003 in Europe. The aim of this study was to analyze its consequences in an emergency department.

Patients And Method: We performed a descriptive observational study of the patients admitted to our emergency unit between 15 July and 31 August, 2003.

[Effect of the incorporation of a general practitioner on emergency department effectiveness].

Background And Objectives: To know the effect that the presence of a general practitioner (GP) has on emergency department's effectiveness, efficiency and health care.

Patients And Method: Prospective interventional study carried out in the emergency medicine unit fast track area (FTA), which is ideally opened from 8 am to 12 am, and staffed by 2 residents.

Intervention: 8 resident hours (from 4 pm to 12 am) were substituted by 8 GP hours.

[Usefulness of risk indexes for the prediction of surgical site infection in patients undergoing neurosurgical procedures].

Background And Objective: The use of risk indexes, originally developed in the US for the assessment of SSI risk, is an useful instrument that must be analyzed according to each specific procedure. The addition of other possible SSI risk factors, like the use of perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis, could improve the predictive value of these indexes. The aim of this study was to determine the SSI incidence rate for craniotomy in patients admitted to the Neurosurgical Unit of the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona (Spain), to assess the use of standard NNIS and SENIC indexes, and to assess the possible effect of the addition of a new risk factor (adequate or inadequate use of perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis) to these indexes.

[Influence of the time factor on hospitalised patient's opinion].

Background And Objective: An important controversy at the time of studying the perceived quality is which is the best time to know the patient's opinion. The objective of this work was to find out whether this opinion is different at the time of discharge and one month later.

Patients And Method: We included patients who were discharged between October 1999 and March 2000.

[Emergency department discharge reports as a management tool of clinical information].

Background And Objectives: Our goal was to assess the degree of readability, quality and amount of information included in discharge reports of Emergency Departments (ED) in order to evaluate their usefulness for the management of clinical information.

Material And Method: Analysis of a sample of ED discharge reports from 6 Barcelona hospitals (Hospital General Vall d'Hebron, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Institut Municipal d'Assistència Sanitària [IMAS] hospitals, Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu). We assessed their readability together with the information included for the development of an ED Uniform Discharge Data Set (CMBDAU).

[Central-venous catheter-related infections and intensive care unit organization systems (EPIC Study, Spain)].

Background And Objective: Central venous catheter (CVC)-related nosocomial bacteremia is an important problem at the ICU. The possible role of organizational factors, as well as health care workers experience, for developing these infections is not well known. We aimed to identify the possible relationships and differences between the health care process, organizational features of the institutions and the development of CVC-related nosocomial infections.

[Post-transplantation vaccination of bone-marrow transplant recipients].

Background: Patients subject to bone marrow transplantation (BMT) and other blood stem cell transplantations are severely immunocompromised after transplantation. Some studies have suggested that post-transplantation loss of acquired immunity may play a role. The objective of this study was to determine the susceptibility to vaccine-preventable diseases in people subject to BMT and the serologic response after vaccination.