Socioeconomic deprivation and ethnicity inequalities in disruption to NHS hospital admissions during the COVID-19 pandemic: a national observational study.

Introduction: Hospital admissions in many countries fell dramatically at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Less is known about how care patterns differed by patient groups. We sought to determine whether areas with higher levels of socioeconomic deprivation or larger ethnic minority populations saw larger falls in emergency and planned admissions in England.

Phylogenetic background and habitat drive the genetic diversification of Escherichia coli.

Escherichia coli is mostly a commensal of birds and mammals, including humans, where it can act as an opportunistic pathogen. It is also found in water and sediments. We investigated the phylogeny, genetic diversification, and habitat-association of 1,294 isolates representative of the phylogenetic diversity of more than 5,000 isolates from the Australian continent.

An approach to prioritization of medical devices in low-income countries: an example based on the Republic of South Sudan.

Background: Efficient and evidence-based medical device and equipment prioritization is of particular importance in low-income countries due to constraints in financing capacity, physical infrastructure and human resource capabilities.

Methods: This paper outlines a medical device prioritization method developed in first instance for the Republic of South Sudan. The simple algorithm offered here is a starting point for procurement and selection of medical devices and can be regarded as a screening test for those that require more labour intensive health economic modelling.

Peri-operative pulse oximetry in low-income countries: a cost-effectiveness analysis.

Objective: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of pulse oximetry--compared with no peri-operative monitoring--during surgery in low-income countries.

Methods: We considered the use of tabletop and portable, hand-held pulse oximeters among patients of any age undergoing major surgery in low-income countries. From earlier studies we obtained baseline mortality and the effectiveness of pulse oximeters to reduce mortality.

Protocol for evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of ePrescribing systems and candidate prototype for other related health information technologies.

Background: This protocol concerns the assessment of cost-effectiveness of hospital health information technology (HIT) in four hospitals. Two of these hospitals are acquiring ePrescribing systems incorporating extensive decision support, while the other two will implement systems incorporating more basic clinical algorithms. Implementation of an ePrescribing system will have diffuse effects over myriad clinical processes, so the protocol has to deal with a large amount of information collected at various 'levels' across the system.

Increasing the QOF upper payment threshold in general practices in England: impact of implementing government proposals.

Background: General practices in the UK receive incentive payments for managing patients with selected chronic conditions under the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) scheme. Payments are made when a negotiated threshold percentage of patients receive the appropriate intervention.

Aim: From 2013-2014 in England the Department of Health has proposed that this negotiated threshold is replaced with a value equal to the 75th percentile of national performance to attract maximum payments.