Background: Knowledge about influenza transmission in the workplace and whether staying home from work when experiencing influenza-like illness can reduce the spread of influenza is crucial for the design of efficient public health initiatives. Aim: This review synthesizes current literature on sickness presenteeism and influenza transmission in the workplace and provides an overview of sick leave recommendations in Europe for influenza. Methods: A search was performed on Medline, Embase, PsychINFO, Cinahl, Web of Science, Scopus and SweMed to identify studies related to workplace contacts, -transmission, -interventions and compliance with recommendations to take sick leave. A web-based survey on national recommendations and policies for sick leave during influenza was issued to 31 European countries. Results: Twenty-two articles (9 surveys; 13 modelling articles) were eligible for this review. Results from social mixing studies suggest that 20–25% of weekly contacts are made in the workplace, while modelling studies suggest that on average 16% (range 9–33%) of influenza transmission occurs in the workplace. The effectiveness of interventions to reduce workplace presenteeism is largely unknown. Finally, estimates from studies reporting expected compliance with sick leave recommendations ranged from 71 to 95%. Overall, 18 countries participated in the survey of which nine (50%) had issued recommendations encouraging sick employees to stay at home during the 2009 A(H1N1) pandemic, while only one country had official recommendations for seasonal influenza. Conclusions: During the 2009 A(H1N1) pandemic, many European countries recommended ill employees to take sick leave. Further research is warranted to quantify the effect of reduced presenteeism during influenza illness.

A nterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rehabilitation programs have improved dramatically over the last decade. Whereas it once required 10 months to return patient5 to functional status (4,5,15), they can now begin an active lifestyle after only 24 weeks of rehabilitation (3,7).In light of the shortened rehabilitative process, the need to accurately and effectively assess lower extremity function in ACLreconstructed and -rehabilitated patients cannot be overstated. Yet advancements in these procedures have occurred at a far less aggressive pace. Currently, two forms of direct objective analysis exist: isokinetic dynamometry and dynamic functional testing.Isokinetic dynamometry has become a standard tool for lower extremity evaluation (10) because of its control over range of motion, accommodating resistance, movement velocity (21), and reliability (1,11,16,19, 23).Its validity and clinical relevance, on the other hand, have recently been questioned ( 1 1 ). Several studies, for instance, have reported discrepancies in torque output simply

BackgroundRotavirus vaccination was included into the Norwegian childhood immunisation programme in 2014. Before implementation, rotavirus vaccination was found to be cost–effective from a societal perspective, but not from a healthcare perspective. Since introduction, new data on the incidence and economic effects of rotavirus disease have become available. We assessed early epidemiological effects of the rotavirus vaccination programme and re–evaluated its cost–effectiveness in Norway for the years 2015–2019.MethodsUsing a dynamic transmission model, we compared the epidemiological effects of the ongoing two–dose vaccination programme with Rotarix®, and a hypothetical 3–dose programme with RotaTeq® with no vaccination. A baseline cost of € 54 per fully vaccinated child was used. Cost–effectiveness was computed from a healthcare and societal perspective, using a decision analytical model. Data on healthcare use and costs, productivity losses and health utilities were based on published and own estimates. Uncertainty was accounted for in one–way, multi–way, and probabilistic sensitivity analyses.ResultsDuring 2015–2019, 114,658 home care cases, 34,571 primary care cases, 7,381 severe cases, and 2 deaths associated with rotavirus disease were avoided due to vaccination. Under baseline assumptions vaccination was cost–effective from a healthcare perspective with a cost per QALY of € 47,447 for Rotarix® and € 52,709 for RotaTeq®. The break–even price was € 70 for Rotarix® and € 67 for RotaTeq®. Vaccination was cost–saving from the societal perspective, and also from a healthcare perspective for vaccine prices below € 25 and € 22 per vaccinated child for Rotarix® and RotaTeq®, respectively.ConclusionOngoing childhood rotavirus vaccination in Norway has reduced the rotavirus disease burden substantially, and is cost–effective compared with no vaccination.

Individuals aged 65 years and above are at increased risk of complications and death from influenza compared with any other age group. Enhanced vaccines, as the MF59®-adjuvanted quadrivalent influenza vaccine (aQIV) and the high-dose quadrivalent influenza vaccine (HD-QIV), provide increased protection for older adults in comparison to the traditional standard-dose quadrivalent influenza vaccines (SD-QIV). This study aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of aQIV compared to SD-QIV and HD-QIV in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden for adults aged ≥65 years. A static decision tree model was used to evaluate costs and outcomes of different vaccination strategies from healthcare payer and societal perspectives. This model projects that compared to SD-QIV, vaccination with aQIV could prevent a combined total of 18,772 symptomatic influenza infections, 925 hospitalizations, and 161 deaths in one influenza season across the three countries. From a healthcare payer perspective, the incremental costs per quality adjusted life year (QALY) gained with aQIV versus SD-QIV were EUR 10,170/QALY in Denmark, EUR 12,515/QALY in Norway, and EUR 9894/QALY in Sweden. The aQIV was cost saving compared with HD-QIV. This study found that introducing aQIV to the entire population aged ≥65 years may contribute to reducing the disease and economic burden associated with influenza in these countries.

Background Overweight and obesity is a major global public health challenge, and understanding the implications for healthcare systems is essential for policy planning. Past studies have typically found positive associations between obesity and healthcare utilization, but these studies have not taken into consideration that obesity is also associated with early mortality. We examined associations between body mass index (BMI, reported as kg/m2) and healthcare utilization with and without taking BMI-specific survival into consideration. Methods We used nationally representative data on 33 882 adults collected between 2002 and 2015. We computed BMI- and age-specific primary and secondary care utilization and multiplied the estimated values with gender-, age-, and BMI-specific probabilities of surviving to each age. Then, we summed the average BMI-specific utilization between 18 and 85 years. Results During a survival-adjusted lifetime, males with normal weight (BMI: 18.5–24.9) had, on average, 167 primary care, and 77 secondary care contacts. In comparison, males with overweight (BMI: 25.0–29.9), category I obesity (BMI: 30.0–34.9), and category II/III obesity (BMI ≥35.0) had 11%, 41%, and 102% more primary care, and 14%, 29%, and 78% more secondary care contacts, respectively. Females with normal weight had, on average, 210 primary care contacts and 91 secondary care contacts. Females with overweight, category I obesity, and category II/III obesity had 20%, 34%, and 81% more primary care contacts, and 26%, 16%, and 16% more secondary care contacts, respectively. Conclusion The positive association between BMI and healthcare utilization was reduced, but not offset, when BMI-specific survival was taken into consideration. Our findings underpin previous research and suggest that interventions to offset the increasing prevalence of overweight, and especially obesity, are warranted.