EPIVAC

Group leader
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Cinta de Diego Cabanes
mcdiego.tgn.ics@gencat.cat
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Publications

Feasibility, Reliability, and Validity of the VIG-Express Questionnaire as an Instrument for Rapid Multidimensional Geriatric Assessment: A Multicenter Study

N. JIMÉNEZ, E. SATUÉ-GRACIA, J. CONTEL, J. GALLISÀ and J. AMBLÀS-NOVELLAS
ATENCION PRIMARIA. 2025 Apr 1; . doi:10.1016/j.aprim.2024.103108; PMID:39454430

  • Ans: 01/04/2025
  • FI: 1.8

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility, reliability and validity of the VIG-express questionnaire. Design: Descriptive, observational, cross-sectional and multicenter study. Setting: Catalonia. Participants: 24 professionals from 18 centers: 10 from Primary Care, 5 from hospitals acute, 2 intermediate care and 3 residential. Main measurements: For the feasibility analysis, the administration time-mean and standard deviation (SD)-. The questionnaire was administered twice to the same patient by the same professional (intraobserver agreement), or by two different professionals (interobserver agreement), evaluating the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Discriminant validity was calculated by comparing the responses of subgroup with higher fragility (percentile > 75) and subgroup with lower fragility (percentile < 25), for each item of the questionnaire. Results: 195 questionnaires were administered, 59 repeatedly, in a group of elderly (mean age of 79 years) and fragile (mean score of 0.33 in the Fragile Index-VIG). The average administration time was 6.52 minutes (DE: 6.02). The concordance in the degree of fragility score obtained a ICC of 0.95 (intraobserver) and 0.72 (interobserver). In discriminant validity, the differences in response frequencies between the two subgroups ranged from 1.7 (oncological disease) to 67.1 (medication management), all of which were statistically significant (p < 0.05), with the sole exceptions of the presence of oncological and neurological diseases. Conclusions: The VIG-express questionnaire appears to be a feasible, reliable and valid tool for rapid multidimensional/geriatric assessment. (c) 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license

Evidence Gaps and Lessons in the Early Detection of Atrial Fibrillation: A Prospective Study in a Primary Care Setting (PREFATE Study).

Clua-Espuny JL, Hernández-Pinilla A, Gentille-Lorente D, Muria-Subirats E, Forcadell-Arenas T, de Diego-Cabanes C, Ribas-Seguí D, Diaz-Vilarasau A, Molins-Rojas C, Palleja-Millan M, Satué-Gracia EM and Martín-Luján F
Biomedicines. 2025 Jan 7; . doi:10.3390/biomedicines13010119; PMID:39857703

  • Ans: 07/01/2025
  • FI: 3.9

Background/Objectives: In Europe, the prevalence of AF is expected to increase 2.5-fold over the next 50 years with a lifetime risk of 1 in 3-5 individuals after the age of 55 years and a 34% rise in AF-related strokes. The PREFATE project investigates evidence gaps in the early detection of atrial fibrillation in high-risk populations within primary care. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of device-detected atrial fibrillation (DDAF) and assess the feasibility and impact of systematic screening in routine primary care. Methods: The prospective cohort study (NCT05772806) included 149 patients aged 65-85 years, identified as high-risk for AF. Participants underwent 14 days of cardiac rhythm monitoring using the Fibricheck(®) app (CE certificate number BE16/819942412), alongside evaluations with standard ECG and transthoracic echocardiography. The primary endpoint was a new AF diagnosis confirmed by ECG or Holter monitoring. Statistical analyses examined relationships between AF and clinical, echocardiographic, and biomarker variables. Results: A total of 18 cases (12.08%) were identified as positive for possible DDAF using FibriCheck(®) and 13 new cases of AF were diagnosed during follow-up, with a 71.4-fold higher probability of confirming AF in FibriCheck(®)-positive individuals than in FibriCheck(®)-negative individuals, resulting in a post-test odds of 87.7%. Significant echocardiographic markers of AF included reduced left atrial strain (<26%) and left atrial ejection fraction (<50%). MVP ECG risk scores = 4 strongly predicted new AF diagnoses. However, inconsistencies in monitoring outcomes and limitations in current guidelines, particularly regarding AF burden, were observed. Conclusions: The study underscores the feasibility and utility of AF screening in primary care but identifies critical gaps in diagnostic criteria, anticoagulation thresholds, and guideline recommendations.

MVP Risk score and new atrial fibrillation diagnosis: Prospective cohort PREFATE study

J. CLUA-ESPUNY, D. GENTILLE-LORENTE, A. HERNÁNDEZ-PINILLA, E. SATUÉ-GRACIA, M. PALLEJÀ-MILLÁN and F. MARTÍN-LUJÁN
ATENCION PRIMARIA. 2025 Jan 1; . doi:10.1016/j.aprim.2024.103071; PMID:39265318

  • Ans: 01/01/2025
  • FI: 1.8

Objective: To assess the association between electrocardiogram (ECG) patterns according to the MVP ECG risk score (morphology-voltage-P-wave duration) and a diagnosis of Atrial Fibrillation (AF). Design: Prospective observational cohort study (1/01/2023-31/12/2024). Site: Primary care. Participants: Randomized sample of 150 patients aged 65-85 years without prior diagnosis of AF, stroke, or current anticoagulant treatment; high risk of future AF; CHA2DS2-VASc > 2; and ability to use the FibricheckR application (App). Measurements: At baseline, a standard ECG, MVP risk score assessment, and cardiac rhythm monitoring for 15 days using the FibricheckR R App were performed. The dependent variables were the presence of P-wave patterns on the electrocardiogram according to MVP risk score and a new diagnosis of AF. Results: The diagnosis of AF was confirmed in 14 cases (9.3%, 95% CI 5.6-15.1), 3 men and 11 women. In 3 cases, the arrhythmia was diagnosed on the baseline ECG, and in 11 cases by Holter after being reported as possible AF by the FibricheckR R App. A higher prevalence of atypical advanced interatrial block (A-AIB) (p 0.007) was detected among participants with AF, as well as the prevalence of P-wave < 0.1 mV. (p = 0.006). All new diagnoses of AF were made at scores > 4 in the MVP risk score. Conclusions: Using scales for identifying ECG patterns in high-risk subjects in primary care can facilitate the diagnosis of unknown AF. (c) 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Experiences of smoking and tobacco use during pregnancy: A qualitative study protocol

M. AGRÀS-GUÀRDIA, S. MARTÍNEZ-TORRES, E. SATUÉ, E. GRANADO-FONT, M. PALLEJÀ-MILLÁN, D. PATRICIO, M. LEIVA, C. REY-REÑONES and F. MARTÍN-LUJÁN
PLoS One. 2024 Aug 9; . doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0308781; PMID:39121101

  • Ans: 09/08/2024
  • FI: 2.9

Tobacco use during pregnancy is the main avoidable cause of morbidity and mortality both for pregnant women and their offspring. Between 12 and 22% of pregnant women in industrialized countries smoke during pregnancy, and 13% are unable to stop smoking. Pregnancy is considered an ideal opportunity to intervene and control tobacco use among smokers and their families. However, pregnant women experience barriers to quitting smoking, including social stigma and fear of being judged. Thus, it is necessary to develop interventions for smoking cessation adapted for pregnant women. This paper presents a qualitative study protocol to assess the barriers and facilitators of smoking cessation during pregnancy that female smokers encounter or perceive. It consists of a series of focus groups and individual interviews with female smokers who have been pregnant within the last five years. Participants will be recruited from the Sexual and Reproductive Health Care Services of the Camp de Tarragona. A group of 5-10 women who have been pregnant and tried to quit smoking over the last 5 years will be selected. The data will be collected by means of semistructured interviews. All interviews will be transcribed verbatim, coded and synthesized into categories and main themes. Thematic analysis will be conducted employing an iterative and reflexive approach. The results of this study will offer new perspectives on smoking interventions for pregnant women and enhance our comprehension of the main barriers to and facilitators of smoking cessation during pregnancy. This will contribute to the adaptation of the Tobbstop app, originally designed for the general public, to suit the needs of pregnant women. Consequently, the creation of targeted interventions will positively influence the health outcomes of both pregnant women and newborns.Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov ID: NCT05222958. The trial was registered 3 February 2022, at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05222958.

Patient safety reporting and learning system of Catalonia (SNiSP Cat): a health policy initiative to enhance culture, leadership and professional engagement

C. PAREJA-ROSSELL, M. RABANAL-TORNERO, G. OLIVA-OLIVA, M. GENS-BARBERÀ, I. HOSPITAL-GUARDIOLA, N. HERNANDEZ-VIDAL, J. CAPELLA-GONZALEZ, D. AYALA-VILLUENDAS, E. VIDAL-MELGOSA, N. MANSERGAS-COLLADO, E. LÓPEZ-SANZ and M. ASTIER-PEÑA
BMJ Open Quality. 2024 Aug 7; . doi:10.1136/bmjoq-2023-002610; PMID:39117393

  • Ans: 07/08/2024
  • FI:

Patient safety reporting and learning systems (PSRLS) are tools to promote patient safety culture in healthcare organisations (HCO). Many PRSLS are locally developed. WHO Global Action Plan on Patient Safety 2021-2030 urges governments to deploy policies for healthcare risk management including PSRLS. The Ministry of Health of Catalonia (MHC) faced challenges in addressing quality and patient safety (Q&PS) issues due to disparate information systems. To address these challenges, the MHC developed a territorial PSRLS and embedded it in the Quality and Patient Safety Strategic Plan of Catalonia 2023-2027 (QPSS Plan Cat).Methods Four-step process: (1) creation of a governance model, a web platform and reporting forms for a PSRLS in Catalonia (SNiSP Cat); (2) SNiSP Cat roll out; (3) embed SNiSP Cat information in the accreditation model for HCO and the PS scorecard; (4) Development of SNiSP Cat within the QPSS Plan Cat 2023-2027.Results The SNiSP Cat is in use by 63/64 acute care hospital (ACH), 376/376 primary healthcare teams (PCT) and 17/98 long-term care facilities (LTCF). 1335/109 273 professionals were trained. Until 2022, 127 051 incidents have been migrated and reported (2013-2022). The system has generated three comprehensive risk maps for HCO: one for ACH, including patients’ falls, medication, clinical process and procedures; second for PCT, including clinical process and procedures, clinical administration and medication; and a third for LTCF, included patients’ falls, medication, digital/analogical documentation. SNiSP Cat provided information to support 53 standards out of 1312 of the ACH accreditation model and 14 standards out of 379 of PCT one. Regarding the MHC patient safety scorecard, 14 indicators out of 147 of ACH and 4 out of 41 of PCT are supported by SNiSP Cat data.Conclusions The availability of a territorial PSRLS (SNiSP Cat) allows MHC leads the Q&PS policy with direct information, risk maps and data support to the standards for the Catalan accreditation models and PS scorecard linked to incentivisation, turning the SNiSP Cat into a driven tool to implement the Quality and Patient Safety Strategic Plan of Catalonia 2023-2027.