Ho Ming Yuen

Explaining the rise in antidepressant prescribing: a descriptive study using the general practice research database

Objective To explore the reasons behind the recent increase in antidepressant prescribing in the United Kingdom. Design Detailed retrospective analysis of data on general practitioner consultations and antidepressant prescribing. Data source Data were obtained from the general practice research database, which contains linked anonymised records of over 3 million patients registered in the UK. Data were extracted for all new incident cases of depression between 1993 and 2005. Review methods Detailed analysis of general practitioner consultations and antidepressant prescribing was restricted to 170 practices that were contributing data for the full duration of the study. Results In total, 189 851 people within the general practice research database experienced their first episode of depression between 1993 and 2005, of whom 150 825 (79.4%) received a prescription for antidepressants in the first year of diagnosis. This proportion remained stable across all the years examined. The incidence of new cases of depression rose in young women but fell slightly in other groups such that overall incidence increased then declined slightly (men: 7.83 cases per 1000 patient years in 1993 to 5.97 in 2005, women: 15.83 cases per 1000 patient years in 1993 to 10.06 in 2005). Antidepressant prescribing nearly doubled during the study period—the average number of prescriptions issued per patient increased from 2.8 in 1993 to 5.6 in 2004. The majority of antidepressant prescriptions were given as long term treatment or as intermittent treatment to patients with multiple episodes of depression. Conclusions The rise in antidepressant prescribing is mainly explained by small changes in the proportion of patients receiving long term treatment. Previous clinical guidelines have focused on antidepressant initiation and appropriate targeting of antidepressants. To address the costly rise in antidepressant prescribing, future research and guidance needs to concentrate on appropriate long term prescribing for depression and regular review of medication.

Prevalence and associations of limited health literacy in chronic kidney disease: a systematic review

BACKGROUND Health literacy (HL) is important in chronic disease. This review aimed to evaluate the literature evidence on prevalence and associations of limited HL in chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS Seven databases were searched using terms for CKD and HL. Studies were included that ascertained the prevalence of limited HL using a validated tool in adults with CKD of any stage. The primary outcome was an objectively measured prevalence of limited HL in a population with CKD. The secondary outcome was associations of limited HL. Two reviewers assessed study inclusion and quality. Prevalence values were combined using a random-effect model to give overall prevalence. RESULTS Eighty-two studies were identified from searching, of which six met the inclusion criteria. The total number of people in all studies was 1405. Five studies were in dialysis or transplant populations, and all were from the USA. There was a significant heterogeneity in the prevalence of limited HL [9-32% (median 25%, inter-quartile range 16%)]. The pooled prevalence of limited HL in all studies was 22.7% (95% confidence interval 20.6-24.8%), but study heterogeneity limited the generalizability of this combined prevalence. The review identified associations between limited HL and socio-economic factors (lower education attainment, lower income), and certain process and outcome measures (lower likelihood of referral for transplant, higher mortality). CONCLUSIONS Limited HL is common among people with CKD and independently associated with socio-economic factors and health outcomes. It may represent an important determinant of inequality in CKD.

The economic costs of congenital bilateral permanent childhood hearing impairment.

OBJECTIVE. The objective of this study was to estimate the economic costs of bilateral permanent childhood hearing impairment (PCHI) in the preceding year of life for children aged 7 to 9 years. METHODS. A cost analysis was conducted by using a birth cohort of children born between 1992 and 1997 in 8 districts of Southern England, of which half had been born into populations exposed to universal newborn screening (UNS). Unit costs were applied to estimates of health, social, and broader resource use made by 120 hearing-impaired children and 63 children in a normally hearing comparison group. Associations between societal costs per child and severity of hearing impairment, language ability score, exposure to UNS, and age of confirmation were analyzed, including adjustment for potential confounders in a linear regression model. RESULTS. The mean societal cost in the preceding year of life at 7 to 9 years of age was £14092.5 for children with PCHI, compared with £4206.8 for the normally hearing children, a cost difference of £9885.7. After adjusting for severity and other potential confounders in a linear regression model, mean societal costs among children with PCHI were reduced by £2553 for each unit increase in the z score for receptive language. Using similar regression models, exposure to a program of UNS was associated with a smaller cost reduction of £2213.2, whereas costs were similar between children whose PCHI was confirmed at <9 or >9 months. CONCLUSIONS. The study provides rigorous evidence of the annual health, social, and broader societal cost of bilateral PCHI in the preceding year of life at 7 to 9 years of age and shows that it is related to its severity and has an inverse relationship with language abilities after adjustment for severity.

Language ability in children with permanent hearing impairment: the influence of early management and family participation

OBJECTIVE. The goal was to examine the relationships between management after confirmation, family participation, and speech and language outcomes in the same group of children with permanent childhood hearing impairment. METHODS. Speech, oral language, and nonverbal abilities, expressed as z scores and adjusted in a regression model, and Family Participation Rating Scale scores were assessed at a mean age of 7.9 years for 120 children with bilateral permanent childhood hearing impairment from a 1992–1997 United Kingdom birth cohort. Ages at institution of management and hearing aid fitting were obtained retrospectively from case notes. RESULTS. Compared with children managed later (>9 months), those managed early (≤9 months) had higher adjusted mean z scores for both receptive and expressive language, relative to nonverbal ability, but not for speech. Compared with children aided later, a smaller group of more-impaired children aided early did not have significantly higher scores for these outcomes. Family Participation Rating Scale scores showed significant positive correlations with language and speech intelligibility scores only for those with confirmation after 9 months and were highest for those with late confirmed, severe/profound, permanent childhood hearing impairment. CONCLUSIONS. Early management of permanent childhood hearing impairment results in improved language. Family participation is also an important factor in cases that are confirmed late, especially for children with severe or profound permanent childhood hearing impairment.

Reading and communication skills after universal newborn screening for permanent childhood hearing impairment

Background: Birth in periods with universal newborn screening (UNS) for permanent childhood hearing impairment (PCHI) and early confirmation of PCHI have been associated with superior subsequent language ability in children with PCHI. However their effects on reading and communication skills have not been addressed in a population-based study. Methods: In a follow-up study of a large birth cohort in southern England, we measured reading by direct assessment and communication skills by parent report in 120 children with bilateral moderate, severe or profound PCHI aged 5.4–11.7 years, of whom 61 had been born in periods with UNS, and in a comparison group of 63 children with normal hearing. Results: Compared with birth during periods without UNS, birth during periods with UNS was associated with better reading scores (inter-group difference 0.39 SDs, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.76, p = 0.042) and communication skills scores (difference 0.51 SDs, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.95, p = 0.026). Compared with later confirmation, confirmation of PCHI by age 9 months was also associated with better reading (difference 0.51 SDs, 95% CI 0.15 to 0.87, p = 0.006) and communication skills (difference 0.56 SDs, 95% CI 0.12 to 1.00, p = 0.013). In the children with PCHI, reading, communication and language ability were highly correlated (r = 0.62–0.84, p<0.001). Conclusion: Birth during periods with UNS and early confirmation of PCHI predict better reading and communication abilities at primary school age. These benefits represent functional gains of sufficient magnitude to be important in children with PCHI.

The impact of universal newborn hearing screening on long-term literacy outcomes: a prospective cohort study

Objective To determine whether the benefits of universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) seen at age 8 years persist through the second decade. Design Prospective cohort study of a population sample of children with permanent childhood hearing impairment (PCHI) followed up for 17 years since birth in periods with (or without) UNHS. Setting Birth cohort of 100 000 in southern England. Participants 114 teenagers aged 13–19 years, 76 with PCHI and 38 with normal hearing. All had previously their reading assessed aged 6–10 years. Interventions Birth in periods with and without UNHS; confirmation of PCHI before and after age 9 months. Main outcome measure Reading comprehension ability. Regression modelling took account of severity of hearing loss, non-verbal ability, maternal education and main language. Results Confirmation of PCHI by age 9 months was associated with significantly higher mean z-scores for reading comprehension (adjusted mean difference 1.17, 95% CI 0.36 to 1.97) although birth during periods with UNHS was not (adjusted mean difference 0.15, 95% CI −0.75 to 1.06). The gap between the reading comprehension z-scores of teenagers with early compared with late confirmed PCHI had widened at an adjusted mean rate of 0.06 per year (95% CI −0.02 to 0.13) during the 9.2-year mean interval since the previous assessment. Conclusions The benefit to reading comprehension of confirmation of PCHI by age 9 months increases during the teenage years. This strengthens the case for UNHS programmes that lead to early confirmation of permanent hearing loss. Trial registration number ISRCTN03307358.

Narrative skills following early confirmation of permanent childhood hearing impairment

Aim  The aim of this study was to compare spoken language production in children with permanent childhood hearing impairment (PCHI) whose PCHI was confirmed either early or late.

Selective benefit to narrative skills in spoken language of children with permanent childhood hearing impairment following early confirmation in infancy

Aim  The aim of this study was to compare spoken language production in children with permanent childhood hearing impairment (PCHI) whose PCHI was confirmed either early or late.

Evaluation of swabbing methods for estimating the prevalence of bacterial carriage in the upper respiratory tract: a cross sectional study

Objectives Bacterial carriage in the upper respiratory tract is usually asymptomatic but can lead to respiratory tract infection (RTI), meningitis and septicaemia. We aimed to provide a baseline measure of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Moraxella catarrhalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus influenzae and Neisseria meningitidis carriage within the community. Self-swabbing and healthcare professional (HCP) swabbing were compared. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Individuals registered at 20 general practitioner practices within the Wessex Primary Care Research Network South West, UK. Participants 10 448 individuals were invited to participate; 5394 within a self-swabbing group and 5054 within a HCP swabbing group. Self-swabbing invitees included 2405 individuals aged 0–4 years and 3349 individuals aged ≥5 years. HCP swabbing invitees included 1908 individuals aged 0–4 years and 3146 individuals aged ≥5 years. Results 1574 (15.1%) individuals participated, 1260 (23.4%, 95% CI 22.3% to 24.5%) undertaking self-swabbing and 314 (6.2%, 95% CI 5.5% to 6.9%) undertaking HCP-led swabbing. Participation was lower in young children and more deprived practice locations. Swab positivity rates were 34.8% (95% CI 32.2% to 37.4%) for self-taken nose swabs (NS), 19% (95% CI 16.8% to 21.2%) for self-taken whole mouth swabs (WMS), 25.2% (95% CI 20.4% to 30%) for nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) and 33.4% (95% CI 28.2% to 38.6%) for HCP-taken WMS. Carriage rates of S. aureus were highest in NS (21.3%). S. pneumoniae carriage was highest in NS (11%) and NPS (7.4%). M. catarrhalis carriage was highest in HCP-taken WMS (28.8%). H. influenzae and P. aeruginosa carriage were similar between swab types. N. meningitidis was not detected in any swab. Age and recent RTI affected carriage of S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae. Participant costs were lower for self-swabbing (£41.21) versus HCP swabbing (£69.66). Conclusions Higher participation and lower costs of self-swabbing as well as sensitivity of self-swabbing favour this method for use in large population-based respiratory carriage studies.

Screening for cognitive deficits in 8 to 14-year old children with cerebellar tumors using self-report measures of executive and behavioral functioning and health-related quality of life

BACKGROUND We aimed to identify a brief screening measure for detection of cognitive deficit in children treated for cerebellar tumors that would be useful in clinical practice. METHODS A sample of 72 children, aged 8-14 years, and within 3 years post diagnosis for standard-risk medulloblastoma (n = 37) or low-grade cerebellar astrocytoma (n = 35) and 38 children in a nontumor group were assessed using teacher-, parent-, and child-report of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL). The accuracy of these scores as a screen for a full-scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ) < 80 on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV UK) was assessed using their receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS The questionnaires with the highest areas under the ROC curves were the child- and parent-report PedsQL, the teacher-report BRIEF, and the SDQ. At optimal cutoff scores, their sensitivities (95% CIs) to cases of FSIQ < 80 were 84 (60-96)%, 65 (41-84)%, 79 (54-93)%, and 84 (60-96)%, and their specificities (95% CIs) were 79 (68-86)%, 87 (77-93)%, 77 (66-86)%, and 71 (64-84)% respectively. All cases of FSIQ < 80 screened positive on either teacher-report SDQ or self-report PedsQL. CONCLUSIONS The PedsQL child- and parent-report and the teacher-report BRIEF and SDQ have moderately good accuracy for discriminating between children with and without a FSIQ < 80. The PedsQL could be used in a clinical setting, and the BRIEF and SDQ in an educational setting, to screen for cases with FSIQ < 80 in children treated for brain tumors.