Coding of procedures documented by general practitioners in Swedish primary care-an explorative study using two procedure coding systems.

Background: Procedures documented by general practitioners in primary care have not been studied in relation to procedure coding systems. We aimed to describe procedures documented by Swedish general practitioners in electronic patient records and to compare them to the Swedish Classification of Health Interventions (KVÅ) and SNOMED CT.

Methods: Procedures in 200 record entries were identified, coded, assessed in relation to two procedure coding systems and analysed.

Does continuity of care have an effect on diabetes quality measures in a teaching practice in an urban underserved community?

Teaching clinics are an important source of care for urban, minority, underserved communities and face great challenges to improve quality of care for diabetics. This study examined the impact of continuity with the same primary care provider on health care process and outcome measures for patients with diabetes treated at an urban, family medicine resident teaching practice. The Modified Modified Continuity of Care Index was used to measure care continuity.

The process of trying to quit smoking from the perspective of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Aim: To investigate why some patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have difficulty quitting smoking and to develop a theoretical model that describes their perspectives on these difficulties.

Methods: Grounded theory method was used from the selection of participants to the analyses of semi-structured interviews with 14 patients with COPD. Four additional interviews were conducted to ensure relevance.

Health problems and disability in long-term sickness absence: ICF coding of medical certificates.

Background: The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and to explore the distribution, including gender differences, of health problems and disabilities as reflected in long-term sickness absence certificates.

Methods: A total of 433 patients with long sick-listing periods, 267 women and 166 men, were included in the study. All certificates exceeding 28 days of sick-listing sent to the local office of the Swedish Social Insurance Administration of a municipality in the Stockholm area were collected during four weeks in 2004-2005.

Managing eczema in children--a treatment update.

What's the best way to manage pediatric atopic dermatitis? Do alternative remedies work? This evidence-based review--and easy-to-use treatment formula--answers these questions.

The prevalence of undiagnosed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a primary care population with respiratory tract infections - a case finding study.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an underdiagnosed cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Prevalence of COPD has been shown to be highly associated with positive smoking history and increasing age. Spirometry is the method used for diagnosing COPD.

Psychosocial stressors and depression at a Swedish primary health care centre. A gender perspective study.

Background: Psychosocial stress may account for the higher prevalence of depression in women and in individuals with a low educational background. The aim of this study was to analyse the association between depression and socio-demographic data, psychosocial stressors and lifestyle circumstances from a gender perspective in a relatively affluent primary care setting.

Methods: Patients, aged 18- 75 years, visiting a drop-in clinic at a primary care health centre were screened with Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI).

Suppression of pain and joint destruction by inhibition of the proteasome system in experimental osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease with pain and loss of joint function as major pathological features. Recent studies show that proteasome inhibitors reduce pain in various pathological conditions. We evaluated the effects of MG132, a reversible proteasome inhibitor on pain and joint destruction in a rat model of osteoarthritis.

Repeatability and validity of a standardised maximal step-up test for leg function--a diagnostic accuracy study.

Background: Objectively assessed physical performance is a strong predictor for morbidity and premature death and there is an increasing interest in the role of sarcopenia in many chronic diseases. There is a need for robust and valid functional tests in clinical practice. Therefore, the repeatability and validity of a newly developed maximal step up test (MST) was assessed.

Physical symptoms 14 months after a natural disaster in individuals with or without injury are associated with different types of exposure.

Objective: To investigate whether different types of exposure to the 2004 tsunami were associated with physical symptoms 14 months after the disaster and to study correlations between survivors' physical and psychological symptoms.

Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, 1505 survivors from the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, tourists from Stockholm, who had been present in the disaster areas, responded to a postal questionnaire. Eight groups based on type of exposure were created.

Effects of Nordic walking on health-related quality of life in overweight individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus, impaired or normal glucose tolerance.

Aims: To assess the effects of 4 months of increased physical activity on health-related quality of life in overweight individuals with Type 2 diabetes mellitus, normal or impaired glucose tolerance.

Methods: We included 212 individuals without severe physical or cardiovascular impairments aged 61 (57-64) years, with BMI of 29 (27.5-32) kg/m².

Association between self-rated health and asthma: a population-based study.

Introduction: Self-rated health (SRH) is a relevant measure of health as it can predict morbidity, mortality and health-care use. Studies have shown an association between poor SRH and elevated levels of circulating inflammatory cytokines. It is therefore interesting to learn more about the association between asthma, a chronic inflammatory disease with a recognised systemic component and SRH.

Poor self-rated health is not associated with a high total allostatic load in type 2 diabetic patients--but high blood pressure is.

Objective: Allostatic load has been linked to self-rated health (SRH), cardiovascular disease and mortality in non-diabetic individuals. The aim of this study was to construct an allostatic load score and to find any correlations with SRH.

Methods: The subjects included in the study came from a randomized, controlled trial of type 2 diabetes.

Functional dyspepsia impairs quality of life in the adult population.

Background: Data on the impact of functional dyspepsia on health-related quality of life in the general adult population are scarce.

Aim:   To explore the impact of functional dyspepsia applying the Rome III definition on health-related quality of life in the general population.

Method: A random sample of an adult Swedish population (n=1001, The Kalixanda study) was invited to undergo an oesophagogastroduodenoscopy.

Smoking cessation knowledge, attitudes, and practice among community health providers in China.

The smoking prevalence is high (32.5%) among male providers in community health centers in Beijing, China. The majority of providers self reported that they advise patients to quit smoking, yet they have low expectations that their counseling is effective in helping patients to quit.

Musculoskeletal injuries in young ballet dancers.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the incidence of musculoskeletal injuries, site and type of injury, and the most common injury diagnoses in young ballet dancers at the Royal Swedish Ballet School, a public school in Stockholm.

Methods: This retrospective study of 476 students (297 girls and 179 boys) aged 10-21 years was based on medical records for the period August 1988 to June 1995. Data on diagnosis, site of injury and type of injury were collected, and the injuries were classified as traumatic or due to overuse.

Overview of HIV among injection drug users in New York City: critical next steps to eliminate racial/ethnic disparities.

At the start of the HIV epidemic, 50% of new infections were among injection drug users (IDUs) in New York City. While HIV has declined among IDUs since the mid-1990s, parenteral transmission continues to overburden Blacks/Hispanic IDUs. Individual risk behaviors do not explain the distribution of HIV/AIDS among IDUs.

Diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance among Turkish immigrants in Sweden.

Aim: To investigate whether the prevalence of diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) was higher among Turkish immigrants in Sweden, than in their area of origin in Turkey.

Methods: 238 Turkish immigrants aged 20 years and older living in Flemingsberg, Sweden, were compared with 1549 participants of the same age living in the Konya area of Turkey. Data collection included anthropometric measurements, blood pressure (BP) measurements, and an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).

Living conditions, including life style, in primary-care patients with nonacute, nonspecific spinal pain compared with a population-based sample: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Nonspecific spinal pain (NSP), comprising back and/or neck pain, is one of the leading disorders behind long-term sick-listing, including disability pensions. Early interventions to prevent long-term sick-listing require the identification of patients at risk. The aim of this study was to compare living conditions associated with long-term sick-listing for NSP in patients with nonacute NSP, with a nonpatient population-based sample.

Getting prepared for life at home in the discharge process--from the perspective of the older persons and their relatives.

Aim: To examine how older persons in need of home-nursing care and their relatives experience the discharge process and develop a model that explains the experience.

Background: The discharge process has well-known deficiencies and is therefore a challenging issue requiring improvement in many countries. Research focusing on patient-centred factors has attracted very little critical attention.

Differences in neighborhood accessibility to health-related resources: a nationwide comparison between deprived and affluent neighborhoods in Sweden.

This nationwide Swedish study used geocoded data from all businesses in Sweden to examine the distribution of 12 main categories of goods, services, and resources in 6986 neighborhoods, categorized as low, moderate, and high neighborhood deprivation. The main findings were that high- and moderate-deprivation neighborhoods had a significantly higher prevalence of all types of goods, services, and resources than low-deprivation neighborhoods. These findings do not support previous research that hypothesizes that poorer health among people in deprived neighborhoods is explained by a lack of health-promoting resources, although a higher presence of health-damaging resources may play a role.

Racial/ethnic differences in the association of triglycerides with other metabolic syndrome components: the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine whether there are ethnic differences in the association of triglycerides (TG) with waist circumference (WC), blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), fasting glucose, and insulin resistance and to examine the disparities in the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome components between African Americans and non-Hispanic whites who do not have hypertriglyceridemia.

Methods: This study used the baseline data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) study. The analysis included non-Hispanic whites (N = 2,427) and African Americans (N = 1,519) aged 45-84 years free of clinically evident cardiovascular disease and diabetes at baseline.

Assessment of nerve involvement in the lumbar spine: agreement between magnetic resonance imaging, physical examination and pain drawing findings.

Background: Detection of nerve involvement originating in the spine is a primary concern in the assessment of spine symptoms. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become the diagnostic method of choice for this detection. However, the agreement between MRI and other diagnostic methods for detecting nerve involvement has not been fully evaluated.

Primary prevention of first-ever stroke in primary health care: a clinical practice study based on medical register data in sweden.

Background. The aim of this study was to investigate whether established risk factors for stroke in patients admitted to health care for first-ever stroke had been detected and treated in primary health care. Methods.