Showing papers by "Saskatchewan Health published in 2013"

An evaluation of data quality in Canada's Continuing Care Reporting System (CCRS): secondary analyses of Ontario data submitted between 1996 and 2011.

Abstract: Evidence informed decision making in health policy development and clinical practice depends on the availability of valid and reliable data. The introduction of interRAI assessment systems in many countries has provided valuable new information that can be used to support case mix based payment systems, quality monitoring, outcome measurement and care planning. The Continuing Care Reporting System (CCRS) managed by the Canadian Institute for Health Information has served as a data repository supporting national implementation of the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI 2.0) in Canada for more than 15 years. The present paper aims to evaluate data quality for the CCRS using an approach that may be generalizable to comparable data holdings internationally. Data from the RAI 2.0 implementation in Complex Continuing Care (CCC) hospitals/units and Long Term Care (LTC) homes in Ontario were analyzed using various statistical techniques that provide evidence for trends in validity, reliability, and population attributes. Time series comparisons included evaluations of scale reliability, patterns of associations between items and scales that provide evidence about convergent validity, and measures of changes in population characteristics over time. Data quality with respect to reliability, validity, completeness and freedom from logical coding errors was consistently high for the CCRS in both CCC and LTC settings. The addition of logic checks further improved data quality in both settings. The only notable change of concern was a substantial inflation in the percentage of long term care home residents qualifying for the Special Rehabilitation level of the Resource Utilization Groups (RUG-III) case mix system after the adoption of that system as part of the payment system for LTC. The CCRS provides a robust, high quality data source that may be used to inform policy, clinical practice and service delivery in Ontario. Only one area of concern was noted, and the statistical techniques employed here may be readily used to target organizations with data quality problems in that (or any other) area. There was also evidence that data quality was good in both CCC and LTC settings from the outset of implementation, meaning data may be used from the entire time series. The methods employed here may continue to be used to monitor data quality in this province over time and they provide a benchmark for comparisons with other jurisdictions implementing the RAI 2.0 in similar populations.

Range Expansion of Dermacentor variabilis and Dermacentor andersoni (Acari: Ixodidae) Near their Northern Distributional Limits

Abstract: Distributional ranges of the ticks Dermacentor andersoni Stiles and Dermacentor variabilis (Say) in the Canadian Prairies were determined by passive surveillance and active collection. These findings were compared with historical records of both species, particularly in the province of Saskatchewan, where the northern distributional limits of both tick species occur. Before the 1960s, D. variabilis and D. andersoni were allopatric in Saskatchewan; however, since then, the distribution of D. variabilis has expanded westward and northward. Although the range of D. andersoni has remained relatively stable, range expansion of D. variabilis has resulted in a zone of sympatry at least 200 km wide. Twenty-nine species of mammals and three species of birds were identified as hosts for different life stages of these ticks.

Surveillance of ischemic heart disease should include physician billing claims: population-based evidence from administrative health data across seven Canadian provinces

Abstract: Background Canadian provinces and territories routinely collect health information for administrative purposes. This study used Canadian medical and hospital administrative data for population-based surveillance of diagnosed ischemic heart disease (IHD).

Predictive performance of comorbidity measures in administrative databases for diabetes cohorts

Abstract: Background The performance of comorbidity measures for predicting mortality in chronic disease populations and using ICD-9 diagnosis codes in administrative health data has been investigated in several studies, but less is known about predictive performance with ICD-10 data and for other health outcomes. This study investigated predictive performance of five comorbidity measures for population-based diabetes cohorts in administrative data. The objectives were to evaluate performance for: (a) disease-specific and general health outcomes, (b) data based on the ICD-9 and ICD-10 diagnoses, and (c) different age groups.

Detection of Influenza H7N9 Virus: All Molecular Tests Are Not Equal

Abstract: The recent emergence of influenza A virus (H7N9) emphasizes the need for its rapid detection. While commercial nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) are commonly used to detect seasonal influenza virus, this study demonstrated that the analytical sensitivity of commercial assays is highly variable compared to that of CDC-based in-house NAATs for the detection of H7N9.

Prevalence of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococci Species Isolated from Computer Keyboards Located in Secondary and Postsecondary Schools

Abstract: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a public health threat within the general community, thereby warranting identification of MRSA reservoirs within the community. Computer terminals in schools were sampled for S. aureus and methicillin-resistant staphylococci. The overall prevalence of MRSA on computer keyboards was low: 0.68% for a postsecondary institution and 2% and 0% for two secondary institutes. The MRSA isolate from the postsecondary institution did not correspond to the Canadian epidemic clusters, but is related to the USA 700 cluster, which contains strains implicated in outbreaks within the U.S. The isolate from the secondary institute's keyboard was typed as CMRSA7 (USA 400), a strain that has been implicated in both Canadian and U.S. epidemics. Methicillin-resistant S. haemolyticus and S. epidermidis were also isolated from keyboards, indicating that a mixed community of methicillin-resistant staphylococci can be present on keyboards. Although the prevalence was low, the presence of MRSA combined with the high volume of traffic on these student computer terminals demonstrates the potential for public-access computer terminals and computer rooms at educational institutes to act as reservoirs.

Secondary Prevention of Stroke in Saskatchewan, Canada: Hypertension Control:

Abstract: BackgroundIn the province of Saskatchewan, Canada, stroke is the third leading cause of death as well as the major cause of adult disability. Once a person suffers a stroke or transient ischemic at...

Characteristics of respiratory viral infections during influenza season in Canadian Hutterite Communities.

Abstract: Please cite this paper as: Kim et al. (2012) Characteristics of respiratory viral infections during influenza season in Canadian Hutterite Communities. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses DOI:10.1111/irv.12021. Objectives: To determined the pathogen-specific incidence of respiratory virus infection in Hutterite communities occurring over the 2008–2009 influenza season and assess temporal characteristics of respiratory illness related to infection. Methods: 3273 participants community members enrolled in a cluster randomized trial of influenza vaccine were studied. Results: One hundred forty-nine participants had laboratory-confirmed influenza, and 595 had at least one episode of laboratory-confirmed respiratory viral infection other than influenza. Entero/rhinovirus had the highest incidence among children <5 years. Conclusions: A decline in the incidence of infections with age was observed for influenza as well as for most other respiratory viruses.

Continuing Education for Health Promotion: A Case Study of Needs Assessment Practice

Abstract: In recent years, both practical barriers and conceptual problems have been identified concerning needs assessment work in adult and continuing education. This article provides an empirical study of needs assessment research that was conducted to support university-based continuing education programming in the field of health promotion in Saskatchewan. We describe the context of the Saskatchewan Heart Health Program (SHHP), narrate the development, findings, and outcomes of a significant needs assessment process, and identify implications of our work for other university continuing educators. Although formal needs assessment practices such as those described in this article may not always be appropriate for university continuing educators, they can be beneficial to marketing and pedagogical efforts. The SHHP needs assessment process encouraged our learners to actively and collectively reflect upon their learning priorities, increased their receptivity to our continuing education efforts, and provided us with an opportunity to role model a collaborative approach to health promotion program development.