Social capital and health literacy in Taiwan

The argument of this study is that social capital is a key factor of health literacy. Data came from an island-wide sample. Position generator was adopted to measure social capital. A regression model is constructed to test the social capital which is known as a robust predictor of health literacy after controlling gender, age, education, income, and health communication ability. The results reveal that female, higher education, and better health communication ability are also correlated with health literacy. Implications for public health are discussed.

The study of technology acceptance for e-wallets application of clinic fees payment

The purpose of this study was to investigate the demand of application of e-wallet in domestic retail industry by examining the needs of adoption of small amount paying method and the reasons for customers’ using of IC stored value card in this industry and aimed at providing suggestions on the e-development of small amount paying methods for domestic retail and banking industries. This study was developed in a way that the model constructs in TAM were adapted to the context of using e-wallets for clinic fees. Scale items on the survey include those measuring perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, a user's attitude toward using and intention. The questionnaire contains no identifying information about the individual participants. A total of 320 Taipei City Hospital patients’ feedbacks were collected. Results indicate most of the relationships in the proposed model are statistically significant and in the predicted directions. Each observed variables influence with two ways: direct effect and indirect effect, and the total effect is the sum of direct effect and indirect effect. The Main effect of most of these observed variables is direct effect, but the information technology experience with the perceived usefulness. In this study, it could be finding that the perceived usefulness, the perceiver ease of use is positively associated with users’ attitude toward using, and the perceiver ease of use is positively associated with the perceived usefulness. It means the useful and easily operation of payment clinic fees with e-wallet products (such as Taipei Easy Card) is very important for the users. Besides, the easier for e-wallet using, the more people think it is usefulness. This suggestion is the same as the point at issue of Davis [1]. The users’ attitude toward using is positively associated with the intention using.

A study of nurses’ job satisfaction: The relationship to professional commitment and friendship networks

We suggest that employees’ job satisfaction has relationship to friendship network other than professional commitment, and argue that friendship network in the same ward and across wards will have different effects on employees’ job satisfaction. A cross-sectional survey design utilizing questionnaires was selected to fulfill the research objectives. All of the 405 nurses in the En Chou Kong Hospital were surveyed. Three hundred and three nurses completed the questionnaire representing a response rate of 74.8%. The instruments included friendship network nomination, professional commitment scale, and nurses’ job satisfaction scale (NJSS). The regression model of job satisfaction was constructed, using friendship network variables in the ward and across wards and professional commitment as independent variables. R square for each model is 0.22-0.36 for the four dimensions of job satisfaction. Professional commitment is the robust predictor. The efficiency of friendship network in the ward is a good predictor, while it is negative related to satisfaction of work load. Further, the indegree in the ward is negative related to work load. Implication was discussed.

Convexity Properties for a Function of Two Integer Variables

Sufficient conditions are given for any local minimum of a function of two integer variables to be a global minimum. An example is given to show that a function of two integer variables need not be discrete convex for this condition to hold.

Routine blood tests to predict liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C

AIM: To verify the usefulness of FibroQ for predicting fi brosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C, compared with other noninvasive tests. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included 237 consecutive patients with chronic hepatitis C who had undergone percutaneous liver biopsy before treatment. FibroQ, aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/alanine aminotransferase ratio (AAR), AST to platelet ratioindex, cirrhosis discriminant score, age-platelet index (API), Pohl score, FIB-4 index, and Lok's model were calculated and compared. RESULTS: FibroQ, FIB-4, AAR, API and Lok's model results increased significantly as fibrosis advanced (analysis of variance test: P < 0.001). FibroQ trended to be superior in predicting signifi cant fi brosis score in chronic hepatitis C compared with other noninvasive tests. CONCLUSION: FibroQ is a simple and useful test for predicting signifi cant fi brosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Acute and delayed psychiatric sequelae among patients hospitalised with COVID-19:a cohort study using LIFE study data

Background Characterising the psychiatric sequelae of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)can inform the development of long-term treatment strategies.However,few studies have examined these sequelae at different time points after COVID-19 infection.Aims The study aimed to investigate the incidences and risks of acute and delayed psychiatric sequelae in patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in Japan.Methods This retrospective cohort study was conducted using a database comprising healthcare claims data from public health insurance enrollees residing in a Japanese city.We analysed a primary cohort comprising patients hospitalised with COVID-19 between March 2020 and July 2021 and two control cohorts comprising patients hospitalised with influenza or other respiratory tract infections(RTI)during the same period.We calculated the incidences of acute(1–3 months after infection)and delayed(4–6 months after infection)psychiatric sequelae.These sequelae were identified using diagnosis codes and categorised as mood/anxiety/psychotic disorder,mood disorder,anxiety disorder,psychotic disorder or insomnia.Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratios(ORs)of psychiatric sequelae occurrence after COVID-19 infection compared with influenza and other RTI.Results The study population with acute psychiatric sequela consisted of 662 patients with COVID-19,644 patients with influenza,and 7369 patients with RTI who could be followed for 3 months;the study population with delayed psychiatric sequelae consisted of 371 patients with COVID-19,546 patients with influenza,and 5397 patients with RTI who could be followed for 6 months.In the analysis of acute psychiatric sequelae,COVID-19 had significantly higher odds of mood/anxiety/psychotic disorder(OR:1.39,p=0.026),psychotic disorder(OR:2.13,p<0.001),and insomnia(OR:2.59,p<0.001)than influenza,and significantly higher odds of insomnia(OR:1.44,p=0.002)and significantly lower odds of anxiety disorder(OR:0.56,p<0.001)than other RTI.In the analysis of delayed psychiatric sequelae,COVID-19 had significantly higher odds of psychotic disorder(OR:2.25,p=0.007)than influenza,but significantly lower odds of anxiety disorder(OR:0.55,p=0.011)than other RTI.Conclusions COVID-19 was generally associated with an increased risk of psychiatric sequelae occurring within 3 months after infection,but had a lower risk of new psychiatric sequelae developing 4–6 months after infection.

What CanWe Learn from Brazil’s Health Care System?

In the current issue of The Innovation,Zhao and colleagues published results of a trend analysis on hospital admission rates for all diseases in Brazil over the periods of 2000–2015.The authors identified that both hospital admission rates and length of hospital stay(LOS)have decreased largely since 2000.However,the decrease in disease burdens was accompanied by increasing health care costs.