Prioritizing Parents

Should parents or other primary caregivers of dependent children receive some priority when health care resources are scarce? This paper argues they should. The COVID-19 pandemic has given new urgency to discussions about resource allocation and yet there has been little to no discussion of the important role parents play in protecting and promoting the health of their dependent children. Historically, priority for parents was justified on questionable grounds of social value and this may have led bioethicists and policy makers to overlook more plausible justifications for prioritizing parents. After discussing and criticizing several such justifications for their violation of principles of pluralism and neutrality, a new justification is offered and defended from objections. The reason we should grant some priority to primary caregivers of dependent children is that research shows that doing so would protect and promote the health and lives of children.

Health care resources utilization and costs associated with different clinical stages of chronic hepatitis B in Egypt

Introduction Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is associated with many serious clinical and social consequences. Despite Egypt being classified as a country of low endemicity, the infection is associated with a 15–25% risk of premature death from liver cancer or end-stage liver disease. The national committee of treatment and control of viral hepatitis has already offered a high-quality service for the diagnosis and treatment of CHB on a free basis. The current study aims to estimate the health care resources utilization and the annual direct medical cost associated with different clinical stages of CHB-related disease in Egypt. Methodology The data was retrieved through record review for three months in the General Administration of Hepatitis Viruses Control, Egypt. Then, the data was extrapolated to the population level by multiplying the prevalence in Egypt with a focus on the productive age groups (25–59 years). Results The cost and utilization of different health care resources increase with disease progression. The total annual direct medical costs due to CHB in Egypt is 21.3 L.E. Billion (4.7 Int$ billion/year) for the management of estimated 1,420,700 CHB patients. The direct medical costs among the productive age group (25–59 years) constitute more than half of the total cost (57%). The highest disease burden is encountered among (25–29 years) age group; 2.695 L.E. billion (0.59 Int$ billion/year). Despite liver transplantation phase being associated with the highest annual cost/patient, the number of patients in this stage is the lowest. Then, it only constitutes 0.04% of the disease direct medical cost in the country. The chronic hepatitis clinical stage constitutes 57.26% of the disease direct medical cost in Egypt’s working age group. Conclusion Strengthening the preventive and control measures is mandatory to alleviate the disease’s direct medical costs. Close monitoring of the chronic hepatitis stage is mandatory to prevent disease progression. Enhancement of vaccination efforts will lower the disease prevalence and its cost. The universal health insurance system which is gradually implemented in Egypt nowadays will be a cornerstone in relieving the economic stresses by allowing more access to high-quality health care services.

Lymphedema in Endometrial Cancer Survivor: A Nationwide Cohort Study

Background: Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecological cancer in developed countries. Treatment-related lymphedema negatively affects the quality of life and function of patients. This study investigated the cumulative incidence and risk factors of, and utilization of health care resources for, lymphedema in patients with endometrial cancer. Methods: We conducted a nationwide, retrospective cohort study of women with endometrial cancer who underwent cancer-direct treatment using the Korean National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) database. Patients were categorized by age, region, income, and treatment modality. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to analyze the incidence and risk factors of lymphedema. We also analyzed utilization of health care resources for lymphedema using diagnostic and treatment claim codes. Results: A total of 19,027 patients with endometrial cancer were evaluated between January 2004 and December 2017. Among them, 2493 (13.1%) developed lymphedema. Age (<40 years, adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1 vs. 40–59 years, aOR = 1.413; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.203–1.66 vs. 60+ years, aOR = 1.472; 95% CI 1.239–1.748) and multimodal treatment (surgery only, aOR = 1 vs. surgery + radiation + chemotherapy, aOR = 2.571; 95% CI 2.27–2.912) are considered to be possible risk factors for lymphedema in patients with endometrial cancer (p < 0.001). The utilization of health care resources for the treatment of lymphedema has increased over the years. Conclusions: Lymphedema is a common complication affecting women with endometrial cancer and leads to an increase in national healthcare costs. Post-treatment surveillance of lymphedema, especially in high-risk groups, is needed.

Factitial Hyperthyroidism: A Diagnostic Challenge

Thyrotoxicosis factitia is not very uncommon. There is a high likelihood of it being missed in our day-to-day clinical practice which can lead not only to significant patient morbidity but also put burden on health-care resources. We report a case masquerading as refractory thyrotoxicosis diagnosed to have uncontrolled hyperthyroidism.

Reshaping the Regional Order of Health Care Resources in China: The Institutional Participants in an Inter-City Integrated Delivery System

Over the past decades, pro-growth policies in China led to rapid economic development but overlooked the provision of health care services. Recently, increasing attention is paid to the emergence of integrated delivery systems (IDS) in China, which is envisioned to consolidate regional health care resources more effectively by facilitating patient referral among hospitals. IDS at an inter-city scale is particularly interesting because it involves both the local governments and the hospitals. Incentives among them will affect the development of an inter-city IDS. This paper thereby builds an economic model to examine both the inter-local government and inter-hospital incentives when participating in an inter-city IDS in China. The findings suggest that while inter-hospital incentives matter, inter-local government incentives should also be considered because the missing incentives at the local government level may oppose the development of inter-city IDSs.

Improving End-of-Life Care for People with Dementia in LTC Homes During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond

COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a significant increase in deaths in long-term care homes (LTCH). People with dementia living in LTCHs represent one of the most frail and marginal­ized populations in Canada. The surge of COVID-19 cases in LTCHs and rationing of health-care resources during the pandemic have amplified the pre-existing need for improve­ments in palliative and end-of-life care in LTCHs. This pos­ition statement, created by a task force commissioned by the Alzheimer Society of Canada, provides recommendations for a multipronged coordinated approach to improving palliative and end-of-life care of people with dementia living in LTCHs during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Oral Cancer Screening: Past, Present, and Future

Oral cancer is a major public health problem, and there is an increasing trend for oral cancer to affect young men and women. Public awareness is poor, and many patients present with late-stage disease, contributing to high mortality. Oral cancer is often preceded by a clinical premalignant phase accessible to visual inspection, and thus there are opportunities for earlier detection and to reduce morbidity and mortality. Screening asymptomatic individuals by systematic visual oral examinations to detect the disease has been shown to be feasible. A positive screen includes both oral cancer and oral potentially malignant disorders. We review key screening studies undertaken, including 1 randomized clinical trial. Screening of high-risk groups is cost-effective. Strengths and weaknesses of oral cancer screening studies are presented to help guide new research in primary care settings and invigorated by the prospect of using emerging new technologies that may help to improve discriminatory accuracy of case detection. Most national organizations, including the US Preventive Services Task Force, have so far not recommended population-based screening due a lack of sufficient evidence that screening leads to a reduction in oral cancer mortality. Where health care resources are high, opportunistic screening in dental practices is recommended, although the paucity of research in primary care is alarming. The results of surveys suggest that dentists do perform oral cancer screenings, but there is only weak evidence that screening in dental practices leads to downstaging of disease. Where health care resources are low, the feasibility of using primary health care workers for oral cancer screening has been tested, and measures indicate good outcomes. Most studies reported in the literature are based on 1 round of screening, whereas screening should be a continuous process. This review identifies a huge potential for new research directions on screening for oral cancer.

Health Care Resources and 24,910 Deaths Due to Traffic Accidents: An Ecological Mortality Study in Poland

Background: Deaths due to traffic accidents are preventable and the access to health care is an important determinant of traffic accident case fatality. This study aimed to assess the relation between mortality due to traffic accidents and health care resources (HCR), at the population level, in 66 sub-regions of Poland. Methods: An area-based HCR index was delivered from the rates of physicians, nurses, and hospital beds. Associations between mortality from traffic accidents and the HCR index were tested using multivariate Poisson regression models. Results: In the sub-regions studied, the average mortality from traffic accidents was 11.7 in 2010 and 9.3/100.000 in 2015. After adjusting for sex, age and over time trends in mortality, out-of-hospital deaths were more frequently compared to hospitalized fatal cases (incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 1.68, 95% CI 1.45–1.93). Compared to sub-regions with high HCR, mortality from traffic accidents was higher in sub-regions with low and moderate HCR (IRR = 1.25, 95% CI 1.11–1.42 and IRR = 1.19, 95% CI 1.02–1.38, respectively), which reflected the differences in out-of-hospital mortality most pronounced in car accidents. Conclusions: Poor HCR is an important factor that explains the territorial differentiation of mortality due to traffic accidents in Poland. The high percentage of out-of-hospital deaths indicates the importance of preventive measures and the need for improvement in access to health care to reduce mortality due to traffic accidents.