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Background: Assessment of the proportion of patients with well controlled cardiovascular risk factors underestimates the proportion of patients receiving high quality of care. Evaluating whether physicians respond appropriately to poor risk factor control

Background: Caring for patients with multimorbidity is common for generalists, although such patients are often excluded from clinical trials, and thus such trials lack of generalizability. Data on the association between multimorbidity and preventive care

Background: Gender differences in management and outcomes have been reported in acute coronary syndrome (ACS).Objectives: To assess such gender differences in a Swiss national registry.Methods: 20 290 patients with ACS enrolled in the AMIS Plus Registry from January 1997 to March 2006 by 68 hospitals were included in a prospective observational study. Data on patients' characteristics, diagnoses, procedures, complications and outcomes were recorded. Odds ratios (ORs) of in-hospital mortality were calculated using logistic regression models.Results: 5633 (28%) patients were female and 14 657 (72%) male. Female patients were older than men (mean (SD) age 70.9 (12.1) vs 63.4 (12.9) years; p<0.001), had more comorbidities and came to hospital later. They underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) less frequently (OR = 0.65; 95% CI 0.61 to 0.69) and their unadjusted in-hospital mortality was higher overall (10.7% vs 6.3%; p<0.001) and in those who underwent PCI (3.0% vs 4.2%; p = 0.018). Mortality differences between women and men disappeared after adjustments for other predictors (adjusted OR (aOR) for women vs men: 1.09; 95% CI 0.95 to 1.25), except in women aged 51-60 years (aOR = 1.78; 95% CI 1.04 to 3.04). However, even after adjustments, female gender remained significantly associated with a lower probability of undergoing PCI (OR = 0.70; 95% CI 0.64 to 0.76).Conclusions: The analysis showed gender differences in baseline characteristics and in the rate of PCI in patients admitted for ACS in Swiss hospitals between 1997 and 2006. Reasons for the significant underuse of PCI in women, and a slightly higher in-hospital mortality in the 51-60 year age group, need to be investigated further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the R-Test Evolution, a new type of cardiac event recorder bearing both patient-triggered and automatic capabilities. Its 7-day automatic arrhythmia analysis showed promising clinical advantages, especially when investigating patients with unexplained rare events such as syncope, feeling of weakness or faintness, palpitations, stroke, or in patients inconsistent in their use of patient-triggered recordings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to identify predictors of inappropriate hospital days in a department of internal medicine, as a basis for quality improvement interventions.Methods: The appropriateness of 5665 hospital days contributed by 500 patients admitted to the Department of Internal Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland, was assessed by means of the Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol. Predictor variables included patient's age and sex, manner of admission and discharge, and characteristics of hospital days (weekend, holiday, sequence).Results: Overall, 15% of hospital admissions and 28% of hospital days were rated as inappropriate. In multivariate models, inappropriate hospital days were more frequent among patients whose admission was inappropriate (odds ratio [OR] = 5.3, 95% CI: 3.1-8.4) and among older patients (80-95 years: OR = 3.6, 95% CI: 1.7-7.0, versus <50 years). The likelihood of inappropriateness also increased with each subsequent hospital day, culminating on the day of discharge, regardless of the total length of stay.Conclusions: This study identified both the admission and the discharge processes as important sources of inappropriate hospital use in a department of internal medicine. The oldest patients were also at high risk of remaining in the hospital inappropriately. Surprisingly, long hospital stays did not generate a higher proportion of inappropriate days than short hospital stays. This information proved useful in developing interventions to improve the hospitalization process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Early identification of patients who need post-acute care (PAC) may improve discharge planning. The purposes of the study were to develop and validate a score predicting discharge to a post-acute care (PAC) facility and to determine its best assessment time.Methods: We conducted a prospective study including 349 (derivation cohort) and 161 (validation cohort) consecutive patients in a general internal medicine service of a teaching hospital. We developed logistic regression models predicting discharge to a PAC facility, based on patient variables measured on admission (day 1) and on day 3. The value of each model was assessed by its area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC). A simple numerical score was derived from the best model, and was validated in a separate cohort.Results: Prediction of discharge to a PAC facility was as accurate on day 1 (AUC: 0.81) as on day 3 (AUC: 0.82). The day-3 model was more parsimonious, with 5 variables: patient's partner inability to provide home help (4 pts); inability to self-manage drug regimen (4 pts); number of active medical problems on admission (1 pt per problem); dependency in bathing (4 pts) and in transfers from bed to chair (4 pts) on day 3. A score > or = 8 points predicted discharge to a PAC facility with a sensitivity of 87% and a specificity of 63%, and was significantly associated with inappropriate hospital days due to discharge delays. Internal and external validations confirmed these results.Conclusion: A simple score computed on the 3rd hospital day predicted discharge to a PAC facility with good accuracy. A score > 8 points should prompt early discharge planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims of the Study: Residents in difficulty are a major cause for concern in medical education, with a prevalence of 7-15%. They are often detected late in their training and cannot make use of remediation plans. Nowadays, most training hospitals in Switzerland do not have a specific program to identify and manage residents in difficulty. The aim of the study was to explore the challenges perceived by physicians regarding the process of identifying, diagnosing, and supporting residents in difficulty in a structured and programmatic way. We explored perceptions of physicians at different hierarchical levels (residents (R), Chief residents (CR), attending physicians (A), Chief Physician (CP)) in order to better understand these challenges., Methods: We conducted an exploratory qualitative study between December 2015 and July 2016. We asked volunteers from the Primary Care Division of the Geneva University Hospitals to partake to three focus groups (with CR, A, R) and one interview with the division's CP. We transcribed, coded, and qualitatively analyzed the three focus groups and the interview, using a content thematic approach and Fishbein's conceptual framework., Results: We identified similarities and differences in the challenges of the management of residents in difficulty on a programmatic way amongst physicians of different hierarchical levels. Our main findings: Supervisors (CR, A, CP) have good identification skills of residents in difficulty, but they did not put in place systematic remediation strategies.Supervisors (CR, A) were concerned about managing residents in difficulty. They were aware of the possible adverse effects on patient care, but "feared to harm" resident's career by documenting a poor institutional assessment.Residents "feared to share" their own difficulties with their supervisors. They thought that it would impact their career negatively.The four physician's hierarchical level reported environmental constraints (lack of funding, time constraint, lack of time and resources…)., Conclusion: Our results add two perspectives to specialized recommendations regarding the implementation of remediation programs for residents in difficulty. The first revolves around the need to identify and fully understand not only the beliefs but also the implicit norms and the feeling of self-efficacy that are shared by teachers and that are likely to motivate them to engage in the management of residents in difficulty. The second emphasizes the importance of analyzing these elements that constitute the context for a change and of identifying, in close contact with the heads of the institutions, which factors may favor or hinder it. This research action process has fostered awareness and discussions at different levels. Since then, various actions and processes have been put in place at the Faculty of Medicine in Geneva., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

The transition period from the hospital to the outpatient setting is a critical phase when managing heart failure. A well-structured transition is paramount and helps to ensure a tight follow-up schedule for the heart failure patient, thereby improving treatment outcomes. This article aims to provide guidance for the first three follow-up visits after hospital discharge, with a focus on monitoring heart failure patients and up-titrating their medication in primary care.

Background: Obesity and obesity-related diseases represent a major public health concern. Recently, studies have substantiated the role of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) consumption in the development of these diseases. The fine identification of populations and areas in need for public health intervention remains challenging. This study investigates the existence of spatial clustering of SSB intake frequency (SSB-IF) and body mass index (BMI), and their potential spatial overlap in a population of adults of the state of Geneva using a fine-scale geospatial approach., Methods: We used data on self-reported SSB-IF and measured BMI from residents aged between 20 and 74 years of the state of Geneva (Switzerland) that participated in the Bus Santé cross-sectional population-based study (n = 15,423). Getis-Ord Gi spatial indices were used to identify spatial clusters of SSB-IF and BMI in unadjusted models and models adjusted for individual covariates (education level, gender, age, nationality, and neighborhood-level median income)., Results: We identified a significant spatial clustering of BMI and SSB-IF. 13.2% (n = 2034) of the participants were within clusters of higher SSB-IF and 10.7% (n = 1651) were within clusters of lower SSB-IF. We identified overlapping clusters of SSB-IF and BMI in specific areas where 11.1% (n = 1719) of the participants resided. After adjustment, the identified clusters persisted and were only slightly attenuated indicating that additional neighborhood-level determinants influence the spatial distribution of SSB-IF and BMI., Conclusions: Our fine-scale spatial approach allowed to identify specific populations and areas presenting higher SSB-IF and highlighted the existence of an overlap between populations and areas of higher SSB-IF associated with higher BMI. These findings could guide policymakers to develop locally tailored interventions such as targeted prevention campaigns and pave the way for precision public health delivery.

Background: Patient satisfaction has become an increasingly important element in a service-oriented healthcare market. Although satisfaction is influenced by many factors, the waiting time to be seen by medical staff has been shown to be one of the key criteria. However, waiting is not an objective experience and several factors can influence its perception., Methods: We conducted a questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study among patients attending the emergency unit of a Swiss university hospital in order to explore the key factors influencing wait perception., Results: A total of 509 patients participated in the study. Appropriate assessment of emergency level by caregivers, the feeling of being forgotten, respect of privacy, and lack of information on the exact waiting time were identified as significant variables for wait perception., Conclusions: Our study confirmed the existence of a 'golden hour' when the patient is willing to wait until the medical encounter. In case the wait cannot be limited, an appropriate assessment of the emergency level by caregivers and avoiding the patients of feeling being forgotten are very important factors to avoid a negative perception of the waiting time before seeing a doctor., Trial Registration: (ID REQ-2016-00555).

Background: The optimal duration of antibiotic therapy for treating orthopaedic implant infections after surgical drainage and complete implant removal is unknown., Methods: This was a single-centre, unblinded, prospective trial randomizing (1:1) eligible patients to either 4 or 6 weeks of systemic, pathogen-targeted antibiotic therapy. Clinical trial registration number: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT0362209)., Results: We analysed 123 eligible patients (62 in the 4 week antibiotic arm and 61 in the 6 week arm) in the ITT analysis. The patients' median age was 64 years, 75 (61%) were men and 38 (31%) were immunocompromised. The most common types of infection treated included: two-stage exchange procedure for prosthetic joint infection (n = 38); orthopaedic plate infection (44) and infected nail implants (11). The median duration of post-explant intravenous antibiotic therapy was 4 days. Overall, 120 episodes (98%) were cured microbiologically and 116 (94%) clinically after a median follow-up period of 2.2 years. During follow-up, four patients had a clinical recurrence with a pathogen other than the initial causative agent. We noted recurrence of clinical infection in four patients in the 4 week arm and three patients in the 6 week arm (4/62 versus 3/61; χ2 test; P = 0.74); in all cases, this occurred at around 2 months following the end of antibiotic treatment., Conclusions: We found no statistically significant difference in the rates of clinical or microbiological remission between patients randomized to only 4 compared with 6 weeks of systemic antibiotic therapy after removal of an infected osteoarticular implant., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Increased awareness of the world's problematic growing health care expenditure and health care shortages requires sustainable use of available resources. To promote cultural changes in medical mindsets, societies representing medical specialties have developed new Choosing Wisely strategies. The Valais Medical Society and the Valais Pharmacy Association have developed an interprofessional collaboration project entitled "Less-is-more Together-PPI" to analyze and optimize change management practices focusing on the prescription and deprescription of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs)., Objective: This study aims to enhance interprofessional collaboration between physicians, pharmacists, and patients to optimize PPI use, avoid unnecessary treatments and improve therapeutic adherence to indicated therapies, and to analyze hindrances and facilitators to implementing interprofessional Less-is-more strategies in the field., Methods: Home-dwelling adults domiciled in Valais and prescribed PPIs in the last 6 months will be invited to participate in this observational study. The studied subpopulation will be constituted of consenting patients whose physicians and pharmacists also voluntarily agree to participate. The process of collecting, pooling, transmitting, evaluating, and protecting data has been validated by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the Canton Vaud., Results: The Primary Triple Aim outcome measures will be (1) population health: patient's assessment of their own health, functional status, and disease burden using a monthly questionnaire for 6 months; Behavioral/physiological factors will be investigated using a final questionnaire at 6 months, (2) experience of care: assessment using a final questionnaire for participating patients, pharmacists and physicians, and an analysis of negative/positive experiences via 6 follow-up questionnaires, and (3) Per capita cost: participants' fluctuating or decreasing PPI intake (number of pills/dosage) and an analysis of participants' different categories following their medical prescription, in relation to possible bias effects on the overall drug intake of the population studied. Secondary outcomes will be participation rates; patient, physician, and pharmacist follow-up; and evaluations of participants' experiences and their perceived benefits, as well as whether the interprofessional process can be improved., Conclusions: This project seeks a deeper understanding of how Less-is-more and smarter-medicine strategies are perceived by patients and health care providers in their daily lives in a very specific context. It will reveal some of the hindrances to and facilitators for efficient cultural change toward a more sustainable health care system. The results will be useful to optimize and scale up further Choosing Wisely approaches., International Registered Report Identifier (irrid): DERR1-10.2196/13896., (©Monique Lehky Hagen, René Julen, Pierre-Alain Buchs, Anne-Laure Kaufmann, Jean-Michel Gaspoz, Henk Verloo. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 18.07.2019.)

Background and Aims: A healthy diet is the cornerstone of disease prevention, and dietary guidelines have been issued in most countries. We aimed to assess trends in compliance with dietary guidelines in the population of Geneva, Switzerland., Methods: Multiple cross-sectional, population-based surveys conducted between 1993 and 2016 in the canton of Geneva, Switzerland [20,310 participants (52.3% women, mean age 51.9 ± 10.7 years)]. Trends in compliance with the Swiss dietary guidelines regarding food intake were assessed using logistic regression (a) for each guideline and (b) for at least three guidelines. Compliance before and after the first and second issuing of the guidelines was assessed., Results: After multivariable adjustment, compliance with fruits increased overall [odds ratio and (95% confidence interval) for 1-year increase: 1.007 (1.003-1.012), p < 0.001], in men, participants aged over 45 and with low educational level. Compliance with vegetables increased overall [1.015 (1.008-1.022), p < 0.001], in both genders, age groups [45-54 and 55-64] and participants with low educational level. Compliance with meat increased in women [1.007 (1.001-1.013), p = 0.021] and participants with a university degree. Compliance with fresh fish increased in age group [55-64] [1.009 (1.000-1.018), p = 0.041]. Compliance with dairy products decreased overall [0.979 (0.972-0.986), p < 0.001] and in all groups studied, except for age group [65-74]. Compliance with at least three guidelines increased in age group [55-64] only [1.013 (1.002-1.024), p = 0.019]. No effect of the issuing of the guidelines was found., Conclusion: In the Geneva adult population, compliance with the Swiss dietary guidelines improved little. Issuing of dietary guidelines did not impact trends.

Objective: Harmful use of alcohol represents a large socioeconomic and disease burden and displays a socioeconomic status (SES) gradient. Several alcohol control laws were devised and implemented, but their equity impact remains undetermined.We ascertained if an SES gradient in hazardous alcohol consumption exists in Geneva (Switzerland) and assessed the equity impact of the alcohol control laws implemented during the last two decades., Design: Repeated cross-sectional survey study., Setting: We used data from non-abstinent participants, aged 35-74 years, from the population-based cross-sectional Bus Santé study (n=16 725), between 1993 and 2014., Methods: SES indicators included educational attainment (primary, secondary and tertiary) and occupational level (high, medium and low). We defined four survey periods according to the implemented alcohol control laws and hazardous alcohol consumption (outcome variable) as >30 g/day for men and >20 g/day for women.The Slope Index of Inequality (SII) and Relative Index of Inequality (RII) were used to quantify absolute and relative inequalities, respectively, and were compared between legislative periods., Results: Lower educated men had a higher frequency of hazardous alcohol consumption (RII=1.87 (1.57; 2.22) and SII=0.14 (0.11; 0.17)). Lower educated women had less hazardous consumption ((RII=0.76 (0.60; 0.97)and SII=-0.04 (-0.07;-0.01]). Over time, hazardous alcohol consumption decreased, except in lower educated men.Education-related inequalities were observed in men in all legislative periods and did not vary between them. Similar results were observed using the occupational level as SES indicator. In women, significant inverse SES gradients were observed using educational attainment but not for occupational level., Conclusions: Population-wide alcohol control laws did not have a positive equity impact on hazardous alcohol consumption. Targeted interventions to disadvantaged groups may be needed to address the hazardous alcohol consumption inequality gap., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: In 2014, the 'Smarter Medicine' campaign released a top five list of unnecessary tests and treatments in Swiss primary care, such as imaging for acute low-back pain and long-term prescribing of proton pump inhibitors., Objectives: Measure general practitioners' (GPs) agreement with the recommendations and self-reported adherence., Methods: Cross-sectional, online survey of GPs in the 'Swiss primary care active monitoring' (SPAM) network, which assessed awareness of 'Smarter Medicine' and views on each recommendation. Questions included whether the clinical situation is common, whether the recommendation is followed, whether GPs agree with the recommendation and reasons why the recommendation would not be followed., Results: One-hundred-and-sixty-seven of 277 GPs from the SPAM network participated (60%), of which 104 (62%) knew of 'Smarter Medicine', including 79% in German areas, 49% in French areas and 38% in Italian areas (P < 0.001). Agreement with the five recommendations was high, with scores around nine out of 10. The proportion saying they typically follow each recommendation was 68 to 74%, except not continuing long-term PPI prescriptions without attempting dose reduction, with only 34%. Common reasons for not following the recommendations were patient or other provider requests and situations that might suggest the need for more aggressive care., Conclusion: Two years after the launch of the campaign, awareness and acceptance of 'Smarter Medicine' appear to be high among Swiss GPs. By self-report, the recommendations are adhered to by most of the respondents but there may be room for improvement, especially for long-term PPI prescriptions.

Purpose: Local physical and social environment has a defining influence on individual behavior and health-related outcomes. However, it remains undetermined if its impact is independent of individual socioeconomic status. In this study, we evaluated the spatial distribution of mammography adherence in the state of Geneva (Switzerland) using individual-level data and assessed its independence from socioeconomic status (SES)., Methods: Georeferenced individual-level data from the population-based cross-sectional Bus Santé study (n = 5002) were used to calculate local indicators of spatial association (LISA) and investigate the spatial dependence of mammography adherence. Spatial clusters are reported without adjustment; adjusted for neighborhood income and individual educational attainment; and demographic factors (age and Swiss nationality). The association between adjusted clusters and the proximity to the nearest screening center was also evaluated., Results: Mammography adherence was not randomly distributed throughout Geneva with clusters geographically coinciding with known SES distributions. After adjustment for SES indicators, clusters were reduced to 56.2% of their original size (n = 1033). Adjustment for age and nationality further reduced the number of individuals exhibiting spatially dependent behavior (36.5% of the initial size). The identified SES-independent hot spots and cold spots of mammography adherence were not explained by proximity to the nearest screening center., Conclusions: SES and demographic factors play an important role in shaping the spatial distribution of mammography adherence. However, the spatial clusters persisted after confounder adjustment indicating that additional neighborhood-level determinants could influence mammography adherence and be the object of targeted public health interventions., (© 2018 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Introduction: Smoking bans were suggested to reduce smoking prevalence and increase quit ratio but their equity impact remains unclear. We aimed to characterise the socioeconomic status (SES)-related inequalities in smoking prevalence and quit ratio before and after the implementation of a public smoking ban., Methods: We included data from 17 544 participants in the population-based cross-sectional Bus Santé study in Geneva, Switzerland, between 1995 and 2014. We considered educational attainment (primary, secondary and tertiary) as a SES indicator. Outcomes were smoking prevalence (proportion of current smokers) and quit ratio (ex-smokers to ever-smokers ratio). We used segmented linear regression to assess the overall impact of smoking ban on outcome trends. We calculated the relative (RII) and slope (SII, absolute difference) indexes of inequality, quantifying disparities between educational groups in outcomes overall (1995-2014), before and after ban implementation (November 2009)., Results: Least educated participants displayed higher smoking prevalence (RII=2.04, P<0.001; SII=0.15, P<0.001) and lower quit ratio (RII=0.73, P<0.001; SII=-0.18, P<0.001). As in other studies, smoking ban implementation coincided with a temporary reduction of smoking prevalence (P=0.003) and increase in quit ratio (P=0.02), with a progressive return to preban levels. Inequalities increased (P<0.05) in relative terms for smoking prevalence (RII before =1.84, P<0.001 and RII after =3.01, P<0.001) and absolute terms for both outcomes (smoking prevalence: SII before =0.14, P<0.001 and SII after =0.19, P<0.001; quit ratio: SII before =-0.15, P<0.001 and SII after =-0.27, P<0.001)., Conclusions: Implementation of a public smoking ban coincided with a short-lived decrease in smoking prevalence and increase in quit ratio but also with a widening in SES inequalities in smoking-related outcomes., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)

In developed countries, breast cancer mortality has decreased during the last decades due to, at least partially, the advent of mammography screening. Organised programmes aim, among other objectives, to increase participation and decrease social inequalities in screening access. We aimed to characterise the evolution of socioeconomic disparities in mammography screening before and after the implementation of an organised programme in Geneva, Switzerland. We included 5345 women, aged 50-74years, without past history of breast cancer who participated in the cross-sectional Bus Santé study, between 1992 and 2014. Outcome measures were: 1) never had a mammography (1992-2014) and 2) never had a mammography or not screened in the two years before being surveyed (subgroup analysis, 2007-2014). Educational attainment was divided in three groups (primary, secondary and tertiary) and period in two (before/after introduction of a screening programme in 1999). We calculated measures of relative and absolute change, including the relative (RII) and slope (SII) indices of social inequality adjusted for age and nationality. We compared the prevalence of screening before and after screening programme implementation using Poisson models. The proportion of unscreened women decreased during the study period from 30.5% to 3.6%. Lower educated women were more frequently unscreened (RII=2.39, p<0.001; SII=0.10, p<0.001). Organised screening decreased the proportion of unscreened women independently of education (prevalence ratio before vs. after =4.41, p<0.001), but absolute and relative inequalities persisted (RII=2.11, p=0.01; SII=0.04, p=0.01). Introduction of an organised programme increased women's adherence to mammography screening but did not eliminate social disparities in screening participation., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background and Aims: Dietary intake is believed to follow a seasonal pattern, so adjusting for seasonality in nutritional epidemiology is usually requested. The aim of this study was to assess the seasonality of energy and macronutrients intake (expressed as % of total caloric intake) using a large set of population-based studies., Methods: Cross-sectional data from 9 population-based studies from 4 countries (3 in the Northern Hemisphere and 1 in Southern Hemisphere), with a total sample size of 44,611 subjects. Data were derived from FFQ or repeated 24 h-recalls. Dietary markers included total energy intake, protein, carbohydrates, fat, alcohol, sugars and fatty acids (saturated, mono and poly-unsaturated). Seasonality was assessed using the cosinor method stratifying on hemisphere and gender., Results: Most nutrients did not show a significant seasonal variation. When individual studies were considered, the number of nutrients showing significant seasonal variations varied from 5 to none in men and from 6 to none in women. Jointly, in the Northern hemisphere, significant seasonal variations were found for sugar intake in both genders and for alcohol consumption in men only; in the Southern Hemisphere, significant seasonal variations were found for fat and monounsaturated fatty acids in women. Analysis of the three consecutive periods of the Bus Santé study in Switzerland showed that the number of significant seasonal variations decreased from 5 in 1993-1999 to 1 in 2006-2012 in men, and from 6 in 1993-1999 to none in 2006-2012 in women. Seasonal variation decreased over time for most nutrients, with the exception of monounsaturated fatty acids in men., Conclusions: Seasonality of energy and macronutrients intake varies considerably according to study, with no common pattern and small magnitude of variation. Its amplitude appears to be declining over time. Systematic adjustment for season might not be necessary when assessing the effects of total energy and macronutrient intake on disease., (Copyright © 2017 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Dietary patterns provide a summary of dietary intake, but to our knowledge, few studies have assessed trends in dietary patterns in the population. Objective: The aim was to assess 20-y trends in dietary patterns in a representative sample of the Geneva, Switzerland, population with the consideration of age, sex, education, and generation. Design: Repeated, independent cross-sectional studies were conducted between 1993 and 2014. Dietary intake was assessed by using a validated food-frequency questionnaire. Dietary patterns were assessed by using principal components analyses. Results: Among 18,763 adults, 1 healthy ("fish and vegetables") and 2 unhealthy ("meat and chips" and "chocolate and sweets") patterns were identified. Scores for the "fish and vegetables" pattern increased, whereas the "meat and chips" and "chocolate and sweets" pattern scores decreased in both sexes and across all age groups. The stronger increase in the "fish and vegetables" pattern score among the less well-educated participants led to a narrowing of educational differences (mean ± SD scores in 1993: -0.56 ± 1.39 compared with -0.05 ± 1.58 in low- compared with highly educated groups, respectively; P < 0.001; scores in 2014: 0.28 ± 1.64 compared with 0.24 ± 1.83, respectively; P = 0.772). Generational analysis showed that older age groups tended to show smaller changes than younger age groups: the yearly score change in "chocolate and sweets" was -0.021 (95% CI: -0.027, -0.014; P < 0.001) for the 35- to 44-y cohort compared with -0.002 (95% CI: -0.009, 0.005; P = 0.546) for the 45- to 54-y cohort. Conclusions: Three dietary patterns were identified; scores for the "fish and vegetables" pattern increased, whereas the "meat and chips" and the "chocolate and sweets" pattern scores decreased. The stronger increases in the "fish and vegetables" pattern score among the less well-educated participants led to a smaller difference in dietary intake across the different educational levels., (© 2017 American Society for Nutrition.)

Background: Socioeconomic differences in diet are rarely assessed with more than one indicator. We aimed to assess differences in macro- and micro-nutrient intake in both sexes according to education, income, and occupation., Methods: We used data from validated food frequency questionnaire measured dietary intake in 5087 participants (2157 women) from yearly adult population-based cross-sectional surveys conducted from 2005 to 2012 in the canton of Geneva, Switzerland. We used two ANOVA models: age-adjusted and multivariable adjusted simultaneously for all three socioeconomic indicators., Results: Low-education men consumed more calcium but less vitamin D than high-education men; low-income men consumed less total and animal protein (80.9±0.9 vs 84.0±0.6 g/d; 55.6±1.0 vs 59.5±0.7 g/d) and more total carbohydrates and sugars (246±2 vs 235±2 g/d; 108±2 vs 103±1 g/d) than high-income men. Occupation and diet showed no association. Low-education women consumed less vegetable protein (20.7±0.2 vs 21.6±0.2 g/d), fibre (15.7±0.3 vs 16.8±0.2 g/d), and carotene (4222±158 vs 4870±128 μg/d) than high-education women; low-income women consumed more total carbohydrates (206±2 vs 197±1 g/d) and less monounsaturated fat (27.7±0.4 vs 29.3±0.3 g/d) than high-income women. Finally, low-occupation women consumed more total energy (1792±27 vs 1714±15 kcal/d) and total carbohydrates (206±2 vs 200±1 g/d), but less saturated fat (23.0±0.3 vs 24.4±0.2 g/d), calcium (935±17 vs 997±10 mg/d) and vitamin D (2.5±0.1 vs 2.9±0.1 μg/d), than high-occupation women., Conclusion: In Switzerland, the influence of socioeconomic factors on nutrient intake differs by sex; income and education, but not occupation, drive differences among men; among women, all three indicators seem to play a role. Interventions to reduce inequalities should consider the influence of education, income, and occupation in diet to be most effective.

Objective: Evidence on the impact of legislative changes on individual alcohol consumption is limited. Using an observational study design, we assessed trends in individual alcohol consumption of a Swiss adult population following the public policy changes that took place between 1993 and 2014, while considering individual characteristics and secular trends., Design: Cross-sectional study., Setting: Swiss general adult population., Participants: Data from 18 963 participants were collected between 1993 and 2014 (aged 18-75 years)., Outcome Measures: We used data from the 'Bus Santé' study, an annual health survey conducted in random samples of the adult population in the State of Geneva, Switzerland. Individual alcohol intake was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Individual characteristics including education were self-reported. 7 policy changes (6 about alcohol and 1 about tobacco) that occurred between 1993 and 2014 defined 6 different periods. We predicted alcohol intake using quantile regression with multivariate analysis for each period adjusting for participants' characteristics and tested significance periods. Sensitivity analysis was performed including drinkers only, the 10th centile of highest drinkers and smoker's status., Results: Between 1993 and 2014, participants' individual alcohol intake decreased from 7.1 to 5.4 g/day (24% reduction, p<0.001). Men decreased their alcohol intake by 34% compared with 22% for women (p<0.001). The decrease in alcohol intake remained significant when considering drinkers only (28% decrease, p<0.001) and the 10th centile highest drinkers (24% decrease, p<0.001). Consumption of all alcoholic beverages decreased between 1993 and 2014 except for the moderate consumption of beer, which increased. After adjustment for participants' characteristics and secular trends, no independent association between alcohol legislative changes and individual alcohol intake was found., Conclusions: Between 1993 and 2014, alcohol consumption decreased in the Swiss adult population independently of policy changes., (Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.)

Background: Care of frail and dependent older adults with multiple chronic conditions is a major challenge for health care systems. The study objective was to test the efficacy of providing integrated care at home to reduce unnecessary hospitalizations, emergency room visits, institutionalization, and mortality in community dwelling frail and dependent older adults., Methods: A prospective controlled trial was conducted, in real-life clinical practice settings, in a suburban region in Geneva, Switzerland, served by two home visiting nursing service centers. Three hundred and one community-dwelling frail and dependent people over 60 years old were allocated to previously randomized nursing teams into Control (N = 179) and Intervention (N = 122) groups: Controls received usual care by their primary care physician and home visiting nursing services, the Intervention group received an additional home evaluation by a community geriatrics unit with access to a call service and coordinated follow-up. Recruitment began in July 2009, goals were obtained in July 2012, and outcomes assessed until December 2012. Length of follow-up ranged from 5 to 41 months (mean 16.3). Primary outcome measure was the number of hospitalizations. Secondary outcomes were reasons for hospitalizations, the number and reason of emergency room visits, institutionalization, death, and place of death., Results: The number of hospitalizations did not differ between groups however, the intervention led to lower cumulative incidence for the first hospitalization after the first year of follow-up (69.8%, CI 59.9 to 79.6 versus 87 · 6%, CI 78 · 2 to 97 · 0; p = .01). Secondary outcomes showed that the intervention compared to the control group had less frequent unnecessary hospitalizations (4.1% versus 11.7%, p = .03), lower cumulative incidence for the first emergency room visit, 8.3%, CI 2.6 to 13.9 versus 23.2%, CI 13.1 to 33.3; p = .01), and death occurred more frequently at home (44.4 versus 14.7%; p = .04). No significant differences were found for institutionalization and mortality., Conclusions: Integrated care that included a home visiting multidisciplinary geriatric team significantly reduced unnecessary hospitalizations, emergency room visits and allowed more patients to die at home. It is an effective tool to improve coordination and access to care for frail and dependent older adults., Trial Registration: Clinical Trials.gov Identifier: NCT02084108 . Retrospectively registered on March 10 th 2014.

Following an American and then international initiative, the Swiss Society of Internal Medicine launched the « Smarter Medicine » campaign in 2014 with five recommendations of activities to be avoided, focusing on low back pain, antibiotic prescriptions, pre-operative chest x-rays, prostate cancer screening and treatment with proton pump inhibitors. In 2016, 69 % of family physicians reported that they knew the recommendations and levels of agreement were very high. However, physicians reported differences between recommendations in how often they are followed in practice, and there remains room for improvement. We need to put in place training programs at the pre- and post-graduate levels, as well as continuing medical education. It would also be useful to educate patients., Competing Interests: Les auteurs n’ont déclaré aucun conflit d’intérêts en relation avec cet article.

The general internist cannot be a passive bystander of the anticipated medical revolution induced by precision medicine. This latter aims to improve the predictive and/or clinical course of an individual by integrating all biological, genetic, environmental, phenotypic and psychosocial knowledge of a person. In this article, national and international initiatives in the field of precision medicine are discussed as well as the potential financial, ethical and limitations of personalized medicine. The question is not to know if precision medicine will be part of everyday life but rather to integrate early the general internist in multidisciplinary teams to ensure optimal information and shared-decision process with patients and individuals., Competing Interests: Les auteurs n’ont déclaré aucun conflit d’intérêts en relation avec cet article.

Aims: Polypharmacy is associated with adverse events and multimorbidity, but data are limited on its association with specific comorbidities in primary care settings. We measured the prevalence of polypharmacy and inappropriate prescribing, and assessed the association of polypharmacy with specific comorbidities., Methods: We did a cross-sectional analysis of 1002 patients aged 50-80years followed in Swiss university primary care settings. We defined polypharmacy as ≥5 long-term prescribed drugs and multimorbidity as ≥2 comorbidities. We used logistic mixed-effects regression to assess the association of polypharmacy with the number of comorbidities, multimorbidity, specific sets of comorbidities, potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP) and potential prescribing omission (PPO). We used multilevel mixed-effects Poisson regression to assess the association of the number of drugs with the same parameters., Results: Patients (mean age 63.5years, 67.5% ≥2 comorbidities, 37.0% ≥5 drugs) had a mean of 3.9 (range 0-17) drugs. Age, BMI, multimorbidity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, and cardiovascular diseases were independently associated with polypharmacy. The association was particularly strong for hypertension (OR 8.49, 95%CI 5.25-13.73), multimorbidity (OR 6.14, 95%CI 4.16-9.08), and oldest age (75-80years: OR 4.73, 95%CI 2.46-9.10 vs.50-54years). The prevalence of PPO was 32.2% and PIP was more frequent among participants with polypharmacy (9.3% vs. 3.2%, p<0.006)., Conclusions: Polypharmacy is common in university primary care settings, is strongly associated with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular diseases, and increases potentially inappropriate prescribing. Multimorbid patients should be included in further trials for developing adapted guidelines and avoiding inappropriate prescribing., (Copyright © 2016 European Federation of Internal Medicine. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Health-compromising behaviours are often acquired in adolescence. Alongside broader public health interventions, preventive interventions within primary care have the potential to encourage long-lasting behaviour change by tailoring messages to each individual. The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of primary care interventions in reducing the 3 main cardiovascular risk behaviours (smoking, low physical activity and unhealthy diet) in adolescents aged 10-19 years. It is also to identify successful initiatives and ingredients for such success that could be replicated in primary care., Methods and Analysis: This systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) recommendations. The following databases will be searched for articles published between January 1990 and December 2016: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, ClinicalTrials.gov, ISRCTN registry. Our search will focus on randomised and cluster randomised controlled trials of interventions conducted in primary care practices to reduce the 3 main cardiovascular risk behaviours in adolescents aged 10-19 years, compared with active (information leaflet, etc) or passive (usual care, etc) control conditions. The primary outcomes will be smoking, physical activity and diet, measured either objectively or by self-report. Secondary outcomes such as body mass index or insulin resistance will also be examined. 2 reviewers will independently screen articles, extract relevant data and assess study quality using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. A meta-analysis will be considered if the number of studies is sufficient and outcomes are sufficiently homogeneous. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) criteria will be used to assess the quality of the evidence., Ethics and Dissemination: This systematic review will add to our knowledge on the prevention of cardiovascular disease early in life and these findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and presentations at relevant conferences., Study Registration Number: PROSPERO CRD42016028045., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: None declared., (Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.)

Questions Under Study: High blood pressure, the single leading health risk factor worldwide, contributes greatly to morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to add to the understanding of diagnosed and undiagnosed high blood pressure in Switzerland and to evaluate adherence to hypertension guidelines., Methods: Included were 3962 participants from the first (2001-2003) and second (2010-2011) follow-ups of the population-based Swiss Cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung and Heart Disease in Adults. High blood pressure was defined as blood pressure ≥140/90 mm Hg and the prevalence of doctor-diagnosed hypertension was based on questionnaire information., Results: High blood pressure was found in 34.9% of subjects, 49.1% of whom were unaware of this condition; 30.0% had doctor-diagnosed hypertension and, although 82.1% of these received drug treatments, in only 40.8% was blood pressure controlled (<140/90 mm Hg). Substantial first-line beta-blocker use and nonadherence to comorbidity-specific prescription guidelines were observed and remained mostly unexplained. Age-adjusted rates of unawareness and uncontrolled hypertension were more than 20% higher than in the USA., Conclusions: There is room for improvement in managing hypertension in Switzerland. Population-based observational studies are essential for identifying and evaluating unmet needs in healthcare; however, to pinpoint the underlying causes it is imperative to facilitate linkage of cohort data to medical records.

Purpose - The environmental and demographic characteristics of closed institutions, particularly prisons, precipitate morbidity during hepatitis A virus (HAV) outbreaks. Given the high prevalence of chronic liver disease and other risk factors in the prison setting, the purpose of this paper is to examine HAV-immunity and its associated factors in this population. Design/methodology/approach - The cross-sectional study was conducted in 2009: a serology screening for HAV IgG was carried out among 116 inmates in Switzerland's largest pre-trial prison. Other participant characteristics were collected through a structured face-to-face questionnaire with a physician. Findings - In terms of significant demographics, Africa (53.5 percent) and the Balkans/Eastern Europe (36.2 percent) were the main regions of origin; a minority of inmates were from Western Europe (6.9 percent), Latin America (2.6 percent) or Asia (0.9 percent). The authors identified hepatitis A antibody-negative serology (lack of immunity) in five out of 116 prisoners (4.3 percent, 95 percent CI 1.4-9.7). Among participants of European origin alone, five out of 50 inmates were hepatitis A antibody-negative (10 percent, 95 percent CI 3.3-21.8), whereas the 66 inmates from other all continents were hepatitis A antibody-positive (immune) (p=0.026). Originality/value - In this prison population composed of mostly African migrants, hepatitis A immunity was high. This reaffirms that region of origin is highly associated with childhood immunity against HAV. HAV vaccination should take into account a patient's area of origin and his/her risk factors for systemic complications, if ever infected. This targeted strategy would offer herd immunity, and seek out the most vulnerable individuals who are potentially at risk of new exposure in this precarious setting.

Reduced glomerular filtration rate defines chronic kidney disease and is associated with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. We conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies for estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), combining data across 133,413 individuals with replication in up to 42,166 individuals. We identify 24 new and confirm 29 previously identified loci. Of these 53 loci, 19 associate with eGFR among individuals with diabetes. Using bioinformatics, we show that identified genes at eGFR loci are enriched for expression in kidney tissues and in pathways relevant for kidney development and transmembrane transporter activity, kidney structure, and regulation of glucose metabolism. Chromatin state mapping and DNase I hypersensitivity analyses across adult tissues demonstrate preferential mapping of associated variants to regulatory regions in kidney but not extra-renal tissues. These findings suggest that genetic determinants of eGFR are mediated largely through direct effects within the kidney and highlight important cell types and biological pathways.

Objective: Body mass index (BMI) may cluster in space among adults and be spatially dependent. Whether and how BMI clusters evolve over time in a population is currently unknown. We aimed to determine the spatial dependence of BMI and its 5-year evolution in a Swiss general adult urban population, taking into account the neighbourhood-level and individual-level characteristics., Design: Cohort study., Setting: Swiss general urban population., Participants: 6481 georeferenced individuals from the CoLaus cohort at baseline (age range 35-74 years, period=2003-2006) and 4460 at follow-up (period=2009-2012)., Outcome Measures: Body weight and height were measured by trained healthcare professionals with participants standing without shoes in light indoor clothing. BMI was calculated as weight (kg) divided by height squared (m(2)). Participants were geocoded using their postal address (geographic coordinates of the place of residence). Getis-Ord Gi statistic was used to measure the spatial dependence of BMI values at baseline and its evolution at follow-up., Results: BMI was not randomly distributed across the city. At baseline and at follow-up, significant clusters of high versus low BMIs were identified and remained stable during the two periods. These clusters were meaningfully attenuated after adjustment for neighbourhood-level income but not individual-level characteristics. Similar results were observed among participants who showed a significant weight gain., Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to report longitudinal changes in BMI clusters in adults from a general population. Spatial clusters of high BMI persisted over a 5-year period and were mainly influenced by neighbourhood-level income., (Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/)

We assessed trends in dietary intake according to gender and education using repeated cross-sectional, population-based surveys conducted between 1993 and 2012 in Geneva, Switzerland (17,263 participants, 52.0 ± 10.6 years, 48% male). In 1993-1999, higher educated men had higher monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), carotene and vitamin D intakes than lower educated men, and the differences decreased in 2006-2012. In 1993-1999, higher educated women had higher fiber, iron, carotene, vitamin D and alcohol intakes than lower educated women, and the differences decreased in 2006-2012. Total energy, polyunsaturated fatty acids, retinol and alcohol intakes decreased, while mono/disaccharides, MUFA and carotene intake increased in both genders. Lower educated men had stronger decreases in saturated fatty acid (SFA) and calcium intakes than higher educated men: multivariate-adjusted slope and 95% confidence interval -0.11 (-0.15; -0.06) vs. -0.03 (-0.08; 0.02) g/day/year for SFA and -5.2 (-7.8; -2.7) vs. -1.03 (-3.8; 1.8) mg/day/year for calcium, p for interaction <0.05. Higher educated women had a greater decrease in iron intake than lower educated women: -0.03 (-0.04; -0.02) vs. -0.01 (-0.02; 0.00) mg/day/year, p for interaction = 0.002. We conclude that, in Switzerland, dietary intake evolved similarly between 1993 and 2012 in both educational groups. Educational differences present in 1993 persisted in 2012.