Towards Equitable Diabetes Care: A Global Perspective on Quality Measurement Exchange.

In the pursuit of equitable diabetes care, international knowledge exchange (iKE) serves as a crucial mechanism for narrowing the gaps in quality within and between countries. Little is known about the process of quality measurement exchange among stakeholders from high-income countries (HICs), low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and international organizations. This study aims to analyze recent international exchanges of quality measures in diabetes care and propose a framework for enhancing quality, focusing on LMICs.

Effects of a 6-month physical activity behavioral intervention in patients following metabolic bariatric surgery: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Promoting habitual physical activity (PA) among bariatric patients is crucial for long-term surgery success, yet it poses a significant challenge for healthcare practitioners.

Objectives: This randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed to examine the effectiveness of a theory-based behavioral intervention on PA level in post-metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) patients.

Setting: University Hospital, Israel METHODS: Forty-four patients undergoing MBS were randomized to the intervention (n = 22) or control group (n = 22).

A machine learning model for early diagnosis of type 1 Gaucher disease using real-life data.

Objective: The diagnosis of Gaucher disease (GD) presents a major challenge due to the high variability and low specificity of its clinical characteristics, along with limited physician awareness of the disease's early symptoms. Early and accurate diagnosis is important to enable effective treatment decisions, prevent unnecessary testing, and facilitate genetic counseling. This study aimed to develop a machine learning (ML) model for GD screening and GD early diagnosis based on real-world clinical data using the Maccabi Healthcare Services electronic database, which contains 20 years of longitudinal data on approximately 2.

Adherence to diabetes quality indicators in primary care and all-cause mortality: A nationwide population-based historical cohort study.

Background: In the last three decades, much effort has been invested in measuring and improving the quality of diabetes care. We assessed the association between adherence to diabetes quality indicators and all-cause mortality in the primary care setting.

Methods: A nationwide, population-based, historical cohort study of all people aged 45-80 with pharmacologically-treated diabetes in 2005 (n = 222,235).

Assessing the diagnostic utility of the Gaucher Earlier Diagnosis Consensus (GED-C) scoring system using real-world data.

Background: Gaucher disease (GD) is a rare autosomal recessive condition associated with clinical features such as splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, anemia, thrombocytopenia, and bone abnormalities. Three clinical forms of GD have been defined based on the absence (type 1, GD1) or presence (types 2 and 3) of neurological signs. Early diagnosis can reduce the likelihood of severe, often irreversible complications.

Implications of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures among patients with recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes.

Background: For the past two decades, the assessment of the quality of diabetes care has mostly relied on clinical quality indicators. These have not included Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) which provide information on outcomes deemed valuable by patients. We aimed to examine the potential utility of PROMs in type 2 diabetes care and to study the association of PROMs with patients' characteristics and clinical quality indicators.

Perinatal exposures and adolescence overweight: The role of shared maternal-offspring pathways.

Background And Aims: Early life exposures affect offspring health across the life-course. We aimed to examine whether prevalent perinatal exposures and obstetric complications are independently associated with offspring overweight in adolescence. We then assessed whether shared maternal-offspring pathways drive the association of perinatal exposures with offspring overweight.

Cancer Risk in Patients with Gaucher Disease Using Real-World Data.

The association between GD and cancer has been uncertain due to ascertainment bias in previously published studies. We analyzed cancer incidence using the Maccabi Healthcare Service (MHS) electronic health records among 264 patients with GD compared to 3440 matched controls. We ascertained cancers diagnosed before and after the index date (i.

Nationwide Evaluation of Quality of Care Indicators for Individuals with Severe Mental Illness and Diabetes Mellitus, Following Israel's Mental Health Reform.

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is more common among individuals with severe mental illness (SMI). We aimed to assess quality-of-care-indicators in individuals with SMI following the 2015 Israel's Mental-Health-reform. We analyzed yearly changes in 2015-2019 of quality-of-care-measures and intermediate-DM-outcomes, with adjustment for gender, age-group, and socioeconomic status (SES) and compared individuals with SMI to the general adult population.

Identification of behavioural changes in reporting adverse events early during COVID-19: An ambulatory care perspective in Israel.

This study examined adverse event reporting centred on three significant dates in the months before the pandemic arrived in Israel. On these dates, broad media coverage exposed citizens and health care providers with indications about the forthcoming pandemic. The current study tracked whether parameters related to reporting adverse medical events provided early indications that a large crisis was unfolding.

Timing, extent and outcomes of public health measures in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel and a comparative analysis by socioeconomic indices.

Background: Early in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, governments implemented exceptional public health measures (PHMs) in the face of uncertainty. This study aimed to compare mitigation policies implemented by Israel and their timing in the first wave of the pandemic to those of other countries, and to assess whether country characteristics such as democracy, trust, education, economic strength and healthcare reserve were associated with decision-making.

Methods: PHMs and pre-pandemic characteristics, using internationally accepted indices, of 50 countries were collected from 1/1/2020-30/06/2020; and associations between them were assessed.

What is important for people with type 2 diabetes? A focus group study to identify relevant aspects for Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in diabetes care.

Background: Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) aim to evaluate the quality of care based on the perspectives of patients rather than clinical indicators. Qualitative research is needed to identify these perspectives in people with type 2 diabetes.

Objective: To identify, for the first time in Israel, aspects valuable for people with type 2 diabetes that can be relevant for PROMs in diabetes care.

IQOS and cigarette advertising across regulatory periods and population groups in Israel: a longitudinal analysis.

Background: Tobacco regulation recently changed in Israel, including a partial advertisement ban. We assessed the impact of regulatory changes on Philip Morris International's (PMI) IQOS and cigarette advertisements.

Methods: Weekly number of ads and weekly adspend of PMI's IQOS and cigarettes were analysed descriptively and using Quasi-Poisson regressions over time, across regulatory periods and in relation to subpopulations (general public, Arab, Russian and Ultra-Orthodox), from 25 December 2016 to 4 August 2020.

A Comprehensive Assessment of Qualitative and Quantitative Prodromal Parkinsonian Features in Carriers of Gaucher Disease-Identifying Those at the Greatest Risk.

Carriers of GBA1 gene variants have a significant risk of developing Parkinson’s disease (PD). A cohort study of GBA carriers between 40−75 years of age was initiated to study the presence of prodromal PD features. Participants underwent non-invasive tests to assess different domains of PD.

Longitudinal Adherence to Diabetes Quality Indicators and Cardiac Disease: A Nationwide Population-Based Historical Cohort Study of Patients With Pharmacologically Treated Diabetes.

Background Evidence of the cardiovascular benefits of adherence to quality indicators in diabetes care over a period of years is lacking. Methods and Results We conducted a population-based, historical cohort study of 105 656 people aged 45 to 80 with pharmacologically treated diabetes and who were free of cardiac disease in 2010. Data were retrieved from electronic medical records of the 4 Israeli health maintenance organizations.

Wastewater-derived organic contaminants in fresh produce: Dietary exposure and human health concerns.

Irrigation with reclaimed wastewater is a growing practice aimed at conserving freshwater sources, especially in arid and semiarid regions. Despite the apparent advantages to water management, the practice of irrigation with reclaimed wastewater exposes the agroenvironment to contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). In this report, we estimated the unintentional dietary exposure of the Israeli population (2808 participants) to CECs from consumption of produce irrigated with reclaimed wastewater using detailed dietary data obtained from a National Health and Nutrition Survey (Rav Mabat adults; 2014-2016).

Quality and Performance Measurement in Primary Diabetes Care: A Qualitative Study in Urban China.

Background: Quality measurements in primary healthcare (PHC) have become an essential component for improving diabetes outcomes in many high-income countries. However, little is known about their implementation within the Chinese health-system context and how they are perceived by patients, physicians, and policy-makers. We examined stakeholders' perceptions of quality and performance measurements for primary diabetes care in Shanghai, China, and analyzed facilitators and barriers to implementation.

[RISK MANAGEMENT IN COMMUNITY GYNECOLOGY: "CLAIM MANAGEMENT VERSUS RISK MANAGEMENT"].

The goal of the study is to analyze the gynecological system in Maccabi HMO in the aspect of risk management and to define points for improving patient safety and minimalization of the risk of lawsuits. Maccabi's risk management system aims to improve the safety of treatment, which is based on independent gynecologists in private clinics (662 doctors), 20 women's health centers and 4 emergency centers in gynecology which provide solutions to urgent cases beyond working hours in community medicine. The service provides an answer to about 870,000 women with about 940,000 annual visits.

The role of statisticians in the response to COVID-19 in Israel: a holistic point of view.

The COVID-19 pandemic cast a dramatic spotlight on the use of data as a fundamental component of good decision-making. Evaluating and comparing alternative policies required information on concurrent infection rates and insightful analysis to project them into the future. Statisticians in Israel were involved in these processes early in the pandemic in some silos as an ad-hoc unorganized effort.

Independent associations of inter-spousal gaps in age and education with long-term mortality and cancer survival: The Jerusalem Perinatal Study 1964-2016.

Purpose: To identify factors responsible for variation in health among married individuals, we investigated the independent associations of gaps in spousal age and education (or "heterogamy") with all-cause and cause-specific mortality as well as with survival of cancer patients.

Methods: Using over four decades of follow-up data on 36,717 couples from Jerusalem (1964-2016), we compared heterogamous with homogamous couples.

Results: Having a less educated spouse was associated with an increased risk for several outcomes in both genders, such as all-cause mortality in males (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.