Kan slutenvårdsstatistik användas som indikator på förändrade alkoholskador i Sverige och i så fall hur? En analys av utvecklingen åren 1987-2003
Engelsk titel: Can statitics on inpatient treatment be used as an indicator of changes in alcohol-related harm in Sweden and if so, how? An analysis of the trends in 1987-2003
Läs online
Författare:
Ramstedt M
Email: mats.ramstedt@sorad.su.se
Språk: Swe
Antal referenser: 9
Dokumenttyp:
Artikel
UI-nummer: 06023321
Sammanfattning
AIMS: The study investigates to what extent
changes in the numbers of hospital
inpatients with an alcohol diagnosis
can be used as an indicator of trends
in alcohol-related harm in the Swedish
population.
DATA AND METHODS: Changes in alcohol-related inpatient
treatment are compared with trends
in alcohol consumption and alcoholrelated
mortality between 1987 and 2003
by means of a graphical presentation
and a correlation analysis. The data on
alcohol-related inpatient treatment and
alcohol-related mortality come from the
Centre for Epidemiology at the Swedish
National Board of Health and Welfare,
and the data on alcohol consumption
from both offi cial statistics and survey
studies.
RESULTS: Between 1987 and 1998, the
number of patients with an alcohol
diagnosis decreased although
alcohol consumption and alcoholrelated
mortality remained relatively
unchanged. After that, alcohol
consumption has increased markedly.
At the same time, the total number
of patients treated has remained
unchanged, whilst increases have
occurred in the number of patients with an alcohol diagnosis
in somatic inpatient
treatment, in the proportion
of patients with an alcohol
diagnosis and in the number
of patients with alcohol
poisoning, liver disease
or pancreatitis. At the
same time, a decrease has
occurred in the number
of alcohol patients in
psychiatry and the number
of patients diagnosed with
alcohol dependence.
CONCLUSION: The total number of
inpatients with an alcohol
diagnosis should not be
used as an indicator of
changes in alcohol harm
because the decreases in
the number of patients in
psychiatry seem to be due
to the reorganisation of
treatment, that is, reductions
in bed places and a possible
shift towards outpatient
treatment. A more stable
measure is the number of
patients in somatic inpatient
treatment, together with a
few specifi c diagnoses, such
as liver disease, pancreatitis
and alcohol poisoning. A
more complete picture of
changes in alcohol-related
harm in treatment, however,
requires more information
about the trends in
outpatient treatment.