Influenza-related healthcare visits, hospital admissions, and direct medical costs for all children aged 2 to 17 years in a defined Swedish region, monitored for 7 years.

Background: The seasonal variation of influenza and influenza-like illness (ILI) is well known. However, studies assessing the factual direct costs of ILI for an entire population are rare.

Methods: In this register study, we analyzed the seasonal variation of ILI-related healthcare visits and hospital admissions for children aged 2 to 17 years, and the resultant parental absence from work, for the period 2005 to 2012.

Direct health care costs and length of hospital stay related to health care-acquired infections in adult patients based on point prevalence measurements.

Background: The incidence of health care-acquired infection (HAI) and the consequence for patients with HAI tend to vary from study to study. By including all patients, all medical specialties, and performing a follow-up analysis, this study contributes to previous findings in this research field.

Methods: Data from the Swedish National Point Prevalence Surveys of HAI 2010-2012 was merged with cost per patient data from the county Health Care Register (N = 6,823).

Telephone nurses' communication and response to callers' concern--a mixed methods study.

Aims: The aim of this study was to describe telephone nurses' and callers' communication, investigate relationships within the dyad and explore telephone nurses' direct response to callers' expressions of concern

Background: Telephone nurses assessing callers' need of care is a rapidly growing service. Callers with expectations regarding level of care are challenging.

Method: RIAS and content analysis was performed on a criterion sampling of calls (N=25) made by callers who received a recommendation from telephone nurses of a lower level of care than expected.

Severity of chronic pain in an elderly population in Sweden--impact on costs and quality of life.

Chronic pain is associated with large societal costs, but few studies have investigated the total costs of chronic pain with respect to elderly subjects. The elderly usually require informal care, care performed by municipalities, and care for chronic diseases, all factors that can result in extensive financial burdens on elderly patients, their families, and the social services provided by the state. This study aims to quantify the societal cost of chronic pain in people of age 65 years and older and to assess the impact of chronic pain on quality of life.

Factors influencing patient safety in Sweden: perceptions of patient safety officers in the county councils.

Background: National, regional and local activities to improve patient safety in Sweden have increased over the last decade. There are high ambitions for improved patient safety in Sweden. This study surveyed health care professionals who held key positions in their county council's patient safety work to investigate their perceptions of the conditions for this work, factors they believe have been most important in reaching the current level of patient safety and factors they believe would be most important for achieving improved patient safety in the future.

Alcohol prevention in Swedish antenatal care: effectiveness and perceptions of the Risk Drinking project counseling model.

Objective: To compare an earlier Swedish antenatal care counseling routine concerning alcohol consumption with an expanded model in terms of effectiveness in achieving abstinence in pregnancy. A further objective was to assess the women's perceptions of the alcohol counseling.

Design: Cohort study.

Triage and patient satisfaction among callers in Swedish computer-supported telephone advice nursing.

We investigated satisfaction with a Swedish telenursing service and the health-care-seeking behaviour among callers who received a less urgent level of health care than they expected. A postal questionnaire was sent to a random selection of callers (n = 273) to Swedish Healthcare Direct in October 2008. The 'cases' were 18 callers where the telenurse recommended a lower level of health care than the caller expected and who were not in complete agreement with the nurse.

Educational level is a crucial factor for good perceived health in the local community.

Aims: Educational level is a strong determinant of perceived health, and also an important component in the socioeconomic concept. The aim of this study was to analyze a number of social conditions and lifestyle factors that might explain differences in self-reported health between the populations in two different social environments, one white-collar city and one blue-collar city. These ''twin cities'' are served by the same healthcare organisation, but differ in terms of social history and current social structure.

Patient characteristics and quality dimensions related to patient satisfaction.

Objective: To examine the relation of respondents' characteristics, and perceived quality dimensions of health care to overall patient satisfaction in out-patient hospital care.

Design: A questionnaire concerning the perceived quality of health care sent to patients in out-patient medical care.

Setting: All medical centres in Ostergötland County, Sweden, during a period in 2007.

Quality-adjusted life year weights among elderly patients with heart failure.

Background: When assessing health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in elderly patients with heart failure (HF), the process of obtaining quality-adjusted life year (QALY) weights is generally complicated and time-consuming.

Aim: To evaluate whether information regarding HRQoL and QALY weights can be derived directly from the established and widely used New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional classification system.

Methods: NYHA functional status was assessed independently both by the individual patients and by the examining cardiologist in 323 elderly patients with symptoms of HF recruited from primary care.

Patients retrieving additional information via the Internet: a trend analysis in a Swedish population, 2000-05.

Aims: To examine the trends over five years for patients' seeking online additional health information about their disease/health problem to what the doctor has been giving, and investigate any differences in information-seeking behaviour according to age, gender, self-perceived health status, living area, and type of medical encounter.

Methods: Data from three independent surveys conducted in 2000, 2002, and 2005 of a population with a recent experience of outpatient care[n]typesetter: please remove blue shading here and elsewhere[/n], including 24,800 respondents aged between 20 and 95, were analysed in a trend analysis and a logistic regression regarding background factors that may influence the seeking behaviour.

Results: During the study period, there was a significant increase in Internet use in most age groups.

Non-randomised patients in a cholecystectomy trial: characteristics, procedures, and outcomes.

Background: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is now considered the first option for gallbladder surgery. However, 20% to 30% of cholecystectomies are completed as open operations often on elderly and fragile patients. The external validity of randomised trials comparing mini-laparotomy cholecystectomy and laparoscopic cholecystectomy has not been studied.

The close relation between birth, abortion and employment rates in Sweden from 1980 to 2004.

Birth and abortion rates in Sweden have fluctuated since 1980 while the proportion between the rates are the same at the beginning and end of the period. An increase in birth rates in the late 1980s resulted in a peak in 1991 and 1992, with 124,000 live births each year. Thereafter followed a steady decline in the rate until 2000, when the number of live births was about 90,000.

Cholecystectomy: costs and health-related quality of life: a comparison of two techniques.

Background: Outcomes of previous health economic evaluations comparing minilaparotomy cholecystectomy and laparoscopic cholecystectomy have been inconsistent.

Objective: To compare costs for minilaparotomy cholecystectomy and laparoscopic cholecystectomy and to study changes in quality of life induced by these operations.

Design: Single-blind, randomized controlled trial, run from 1 March 1997 to 30 April 1999.