scholarly journals Beneath the calm surface: the changing face of physician-service use in British Columbia, 1985/86 versus 1996/97

2004 ◽  
Vol 170 (5) ◽  
pp. 803-807 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. L. Barer
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Physician Service

Demographic and Clinical Factors Associated with Physician Service Use in Systemic Sclerosis

2009 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
SASHA BERNATSKY ◽  
PANTELIS PANOPOLIS ◽  
MARIE HUDSON ◽  
JANET POPE ◽  
SHARON LECLERCQ ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systemic Sclerosis ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Disease Onset ◽  
Physician Service ◽  
Clinical Factors ◽  
Physician Visits ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
The Past ◽  
Sf 36 ◽  
Race Ethnicity

Objective.To assess physician service use in a large sample of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), and to determine factors associated with physician use.Methods.Our sample was a national SSc registry maintaining data on demographics (age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, income) and clinical factors (disease onset, organ involvement, etc.). Registry cohort members completed detailed questionnaires, and rheumatologists provided clinical assessments. We examined cross-sectional data from 397 patients who provided information on physician visits in the past 12 months. Patients were classified as high physician-users if they reported more than the median number (6) of physician visits in the past year. In multivariate logistic regressions, we assessed the independent effects of race/ethnicity, education, degree of skin involvement, comorbidity, and SF-36 scores on physician use.Results.On average, subjects reported 3.8 visits per year to specialty physicians (SD 4.2) and 3.5 visits per year to family physicians (SD 4.3). Regression models suggested the following factors as independently associated with number of physician visits: high skin scores, greater comorbidity, and low physical component summary scores on the SF-36.Conclusion.There is evidence of independent relationships between clinical characteristics and physician use by patients with SSc.

scholarly journals Cohort profile: the Comparative Outcomes And Service Utilization Trends (COAST) Study among people living with and without HIV in British Columbia, Canada

BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. e019115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oghenowede Eyawo ◽  
Mark W Hull ◽  
Kate Salters ◽  
Hasina Samji ◽  
Angela Cescon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
British Columbia ◽  
General Population ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Service Utilization ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Data Linkage ◽  
Health Care Use ◽  
Health Service Use ◽  
People Living With Hiv

PurposeThe Comparative Outcomes And Service Utilization Trends (COAST) Study in British Columbia (BC), Canada, was designed to evaluate the determinants of health outcomes and health care services use among people living with HIV (PLHIV) as they age in the period following the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). The study also assesses how age-associated comorbidities and health care use among PLHIV may differ from those observed in the general population.ParticipantsCOAST was established through a data linkage between two provincial data sources: The BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS Drug Treatment Program, which centrally manages cART dispensation across BC and contains prospectively collected data on demographic, immunological, virological, cART use and other clinical information for all known PLHIV in BC; and Population Data BC, a provincial data repository that holds individual event-level, longitudinal data for all 4.6 million BC residents. COAST participants include 13 907 HIV-positive adults (≥19 years of age) and a 10% random sample inclusive of 516 340 adults from the general population followed from 1996 to 2013.Findings to dateFor all participants, linked individual-level data include information on demographics, health service use (eg, inpatient care, outpatient care and prescription medication dispensations), mortality, and HIV diagnostic and clinical data. Publications from COAST have demonstrated the significant mortality reductions and dramatic changes in the causes of death among PLHIV from 1996 to 2012, differences in the amount of time spent in a healthy state by HIV status, and high levels of injury and mood disorder diagnosis among PLHIV compared with the general population.Future plansTo capture the dynamic nature of population health parameters, regular data updates and a refresh of the data linkage are planned to occur every 2 years, providing the basis for planned analysis to examine age-associated comorbidities and patterns of health service use over time.

scholarly journals SARS-CoV-2 testing and COVID-19 related primary care use among people with citizenship, permanent residency, and temporary immigration status in British Columbia: Cross-sectional analysis of population-based administrative data

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mei-ling Wiedmeyer ◽  
Shira Goldenberg ◽  
Sandra Peterson ◽  
Susitha Wanigaratne ◽  
Stefanie Machado ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
British Columbia ◽  
Administrative Data ◽  
Access To Health Care ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Income Quintile ◽  
Immigration Status ◽  
Permanent Resident ◽  
Permanent Residency

Background: Having temporary immigration status affords limited rights, workplace protections, and access to services. There is not yet research data on impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic for people with temporary immigration status in Canada. Methods: We use linked administrative data to describe SARS-CoV-2 testing, positive tests, and COVID-19 primary care service use in British Columbia from January 1, 2020, to July 31, 2021, stratified by immigration status (Citizen, Permanent Resident, Temporary Resident). We plot the rate of people tested and the rate of people confirmed positive for COVID-19 by week from April 19, 2020, to July 31, 2021, across immigration groups. Results: 4.9% of people with temporary immigration status had a positive test for SARS-CoV-2 over this period, compared to 4.0% among people with permanent residency and 2.1% among people who hold Canadian citizenship. This pattern is persistent by sex/gender, age group, neighborhood income quintile, health authority, and in both metropolitan and small urban settings. At the same time we observe lower access to testing and COVID-19 related primary care among people with temporary status. Interpretation: People with temporary immigration status in BC experience higher SARS-CoV-2 test positivity; alarmingly, this was coupled with lower access to testing and primary care. Interwoven immigration, health and occupational policies place people with temporary status in circumstances of precarity and higher health risk. Extending permanent residency status to all immigrants residing in Canada and decoupling access to health care from immigration status could reduce precarity due to temporary immigration status.

scholarly journals Exploring the Relationship Between Human Social Deprivation and Animal Surrender to Shelters in British Columbia, Canada

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lexis H. Ly ◽  
Emilia Gordon ◽  
Alexandra Protopopova
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Social Deprivation ◽  
Companion Animals ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Residential Instability ◽  
Metro Vancouver ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The Relationship

Previous studies identify owner-related issues, such as cost and housing, as common reasons for relinquishment of companion animals to animal shelters. It is likely that the burden of surrendering for owner-related reasons falls on those who are socially vulnerable (e.g., low income, unemployed); however, very few studies have assessed social determinants as a predictor of animal relinquishment. The present study used the Canadian Index of Multiple Deprivation (CIMD), which uses four factors of social vulnerability (Ethnocultural Composition, Economic Dependency, Residential Instability, and Situational Vulnerability) to predict risk of surrender for various reasons, of various species and breeds, and of various health statuses across British Columbia, Canada (n = 29,236). We found that CIMD factors predicted increased risk of surrender across many shelter variables. For further understanding of differences between areas in the province, the present study also analyzed the relationship between CIMD factors and animal surrender variables in two areas of interest: Metro Vancouver (n = 3,445) and Kamloops (n = 2,665), and plotted these relationships on a geospatial scale. We found that there were some similarities across areas, such as Situational Vulnerability predicting increased odds of surrendering pit bull-labeled dogs vs. all other dog breeds. There were also differences in predictors of animal surrender variables, suggesting that provision of animal services, such as veterinary care, for vulnerable groups may be specific to location. For example, whereas Ethnocultural Composition predicted increased risk of owner surrender for multiple owner-related reasons in Metro Vancouver, these same reasons for surrender were predicted by Residential Instability in Kamloops, indicating demographic differences that affect animal shelter service use. The results of this research validate the use of geospatial analysis to understand relationships between human vulnerability and animal welfare, but also highlight the need for further interventions in marginalized populations to increase retention of animals.

scholarly journals Exploring the use of emergency health services for stroke: what is known about when to seek emergency help and how transport decisions impact in-hospital emergency care

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Damanpreet Kandola
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
British Columbia ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Stroke Care ◽  
Health Service Delivery ◽  
Health Service Use ◽  
Emergency Health Services

Transport practices for seeking emergency stroke care remain largely underresearched and poorly understood, particularly for individuals living in small urban, rural, and remote regions. This multi-method study aims to address this knowledge gap and explores the impact of mode of transport on in-hospital stroke care and the decision-making process of seeking emergency medical attention for patients and their caregivers. Data from the Discharge Abstract Database provide information on stroke-related use of emergency health services across British Columbia. Data from the Canadian Institutes for Health Information Special Project 340 provide information on if calling emergency health services impacts the delivery of care, including the completion of neuroimaging, the administration of acute thrombolysis, and the prescription of antithrombotics upon discharge across a northern health region. Focused, semi-structured interviews provide contextual insight into the decision-making processes for seeking emergency stroke care among patient and caregiver participants in a northern health region. Stroke-related emergency health service use across British Columbia from January 2015 to March 2018 was 67.9% (N=19,849), ranging from 58.8% in Northern Health to 70.2% in Fraser Health. In Northern Health (N=784), there were differences between health service delivery areas for stroke-related emergency health service use ranging from 53.7% in the Northwest to 64.8% in the Northern Interior from January 2015 to March 2018. Similar differences in thrombolytic therapy administration and the prescription of antithrombotics were noted. The odds of emergency health service use were greater for those 65 years of age and older than those younger than 65 and lower for those in the Northwest health service delivery area than those in the Northern Interior health service delivery area. Differences were found for the completion of neuroimaging between males and females. Interviews for patient (n=12) and caregiver (n=7) participants provide complementary contextual insights and yielded three key themes, including the decision-making process following a stroke, experiences of care, and perceived gaps and areas in need of further support. This integrated knowledge translation-informed and practice-driven research addresses health services and policy priorities. Findings are anticipated to help inform the development and refinement of emergency health services in British Columbia by highlighting differences in emergency health services use across geographies and identifying factors that inform patient decisionmaking when seeking emergency medical attention.

scholarly journals Do baby boomers use more healthcare services than other generations? Longitudinal trajectories of physician service use across five birth cohorts

BMJ Open ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (9) ◽  
pp. e013276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mayilee Canizares ◽  
Monique Gignac ◽  
Sheilah Hogg-Johnson ◽  
Richard H Glazier ◽  
Elizabeth M Badley
Keyword(s):  
Baby Boomers ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Physician Service ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Longitudinal Trajectories
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