Project description:ObjectiveTo estimate the rates of suicide and self-harm among recent immigrants and to determine which immigrant-specific risk factors are associated with these outcomes.MethodsPopulation-based cohort study using linked health administrative data sets (2003 to 2017) in Ontario, Canada which included adults ?18 years, living in Ontario (N = 9,055,079). The main exposure was immigrant status (long-term resident vs. recent immigrant). Immigrant-specific exposures included visa class and country of origin. Outcome measures were death by suicide or emergency department visit for self-harm. Cox proportional hazards estimated adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).ResultsWe included 590,289 recent immigrants and 8,464,790 long-term residents. Suicide rates were lower among immigrants (n = 130 suicides, 3.3/100,000) than long-term residents (n = 6,354 suicides, 11.8/100,000) with aHR 0.3, 95% CI, 0.2 to 0.3. Male-female ratios in suicide rates were attenuated in immigrants. Refugees had 2.1 (95% CI, 1.3 to 3.6; rate 6.1/100,000) and 2.8 (95% CI, 2.5 to 3.2) times the likelihood of suicide and self-harm, respectively, compared with nonrefugee immigrants. Self-harm rate was lower among immigrants (n = 2,256 events, 4.4/10,000) than long-term residents (n = 68,039 events, 9.7/10,000 person-years; aHR 0.3; 95% CI, 0.3 to 0.3). Unlike long-term residents, where low income was associated with high suicide rates, income was not associated with suicide among immigrants and there was an attenuated income gradient for self-harm. Country of origin-specific analyses showed wide ranges in suicide rates (1.4 to 9.9/100,000) and self-harm (1.8 to 14.9/10,000).ConclusionRecent immigrants have lower rates of suicide and self-harm and different sociodemographic predictors compared with long-term residents. Analysis of contextual factors including immigrant class, origin, and destination should be considered for all immigrant suicide risk assessment.

Project description:ImportancePeople who immigrate face unique health literacy, communication, and system navigation challenges, and they may have diverse preferences that influence end-of-life care.ObjectiveTo examine end-of-life care provided to immigrants to Canada in the last 6 months of their life.Design, setting, and participantsThis population-based cohort study (April 1, 2004, to March 31, 2015) included 967 013 decedents in Ontario, Canada, using validated linkages between health and immigration databases to identify immigrant (since 1985) and long-standing resident cohorts.ExposuresAll decedents who immigrated to Canada between 1985 and 2015 were classified as recent immigrants, with subgroup analyses assessing the association of time since immigration, and region of birth, with end-of-life care.Main outcomes and measuresLocation of death and intensity of care received in the last 6 months of life. Analysis included modified Poisson regression with generalized estimating equations, adjusting for age, sex, socioeconomic position, causes of death, urban and rural residence, and preexisting comorbidities.ResultsAmong 967 013 decedents of whom 47 514 (5%) immigrated since 1985, sex, socioeconomic status, urban (vs rural) residence, and causes of death were similar, while long-standing residents were older than immigrant decedents (median [interquartile range] age, 75 [58-84] vs 80 [68-87] years). Recent immigrant decedents were overall more likely to die in intensive care (15.6% vs 10.0%; difference, 5.6%; 95% CI, 5.2%-5.9%) after adjusting for differences in age, sex, income, geography, and cause of death (relative risk, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.27-1.32). In their last 6 months of life, recent immigrant decedents experienced more intensive care admissions (24.9% vs 19.2%; difference, 5.7%; 95% CI, 5.3%-6.1%), hospital admissions (72.1% vs 68.2%; difference, 3.9%; 95% CI, 3.5%-4.3%), mechanical ventilation (21.5% vs 13.6%; difference, 7.9%; 95% CI, 7.5%-8.3%), dialysis (5.5% vs 3.4%; difference, 2.1%; 95% CI, 1.9%-2.3%), percutaneous feeding tube placement (5.5% vs 3.0%; difference, 2.5%; 95% CI, 2.3%-2.8%), and tracheostomy (2.3% vs 1.1%; difference, 1.2%; 95% CI, 1.1%-1.4%). Relative risk of dying in intensive care for recent immigrants compared with long-standing residents varied according to recent immigrant region of birth from 0.84 (95% CI, 0.74-0.95) among those born in Northern and Western Europe to 1.96 (95% CI, 1.89-2.05) among those born in South Asia.Conclusions and relevanceAmong decedents in Ontario, Canada, recent immigrants were significantly more likely to receive aggressive care and to die in an intensive care unit compared with other residents. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms behind this association.

Project description:BackgroundAll Canadian immigrants undergo screening for tuberculosis (TB) before immigration, and selected immigrants must undergo postimmigration surveillance for the disease. We sought to quantify the domestic health impact of screening for TB in all new immigrants and to identify mechanisms to enhance effectiveness and efficiency of this screening.MethodsWe linked preimmigration medical examination records from 944,375 immigrants who settled in Ontario between 2002 and 2011 to active TB reporting data in Ontario between 2002 and 2011. Using a retrospective cohort study design, we measured birth country-specific rates of active TB detected through preimmigration screening and postimmigration surveillance. We then quantified the proportion of active TB cases among residents of Ontario born abroad that were detected through postimmigration surveillance. Using Cox regression, we identified independent predictors of active TB postimmigration.ResultsImmigrants from 6 countries accounted for 87.3% of active TB cases detected through preimmigration screening, and 10 countries accounted for 80.4% of cases detected through postimmigration surveillance. Immigrants from countries with a TB (all-sites) incidence rate of less than 30 cases per 100 000 persons resulted in pre- and postimmigration detection of 2.4 and 0.9 cases per 100 000 immigrants, respectively. Postimmigration surveillance detected 2.6% of active TB cases in Ontario residents born abroad, and TB was detected a median of 18 days earlier in those undergoing surveillance than in those who were not referred to surveillance or who did not comply. Predictors of active TB postimmigration included radiographic markers of old TB, birth country, immigration category, location of application for residency, immune status and age.InterpretationUniversal screening for TB in new immigrants has a modest impact on the domestic burden of active TB and is highly inefficient. Focusing preimmigration screening in countries with high incidence rates and revising criteria for postimmigration surveillance could increase the effectiveness and efficiency of screening.

Project description:ImportanceCOVID-19 has had devastating effects on the health and well-being of older adult residents and health care professionals in nursing homes. Uncertainty about the associated consequences of these adverse effects on the use of medications common to this care setting remains.ObjectiveTo examine the association between the COVID-19 pandemic and prescription medication changes among nursing home residents.Design, setting, and participantsThis population-based cohort study with an interrupted time-series analysis used linked health administrative data bases for residents of all nursing homes (N = 630) in Ontario, Canada. During the observation period, residents were divided into consecutive weekly cohorts. The first observation week was March 5 to 11, 2017; the last observation week was September 20 to 26, 2020.ExposuresOnset of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 1, 2020.Main outcomes and measuresWeekly proportion of residents dispensed antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, opioids, antibiotics, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. Autoregressive integrated moving average models with step and ramp intervention functions tested for level and slope changes in weekly medication use after the onset of the pandemic and were fit on prepandemic data for projected trends.ResultsAcross study years, the annual cohort size ranged from 75 850 to 76 549 residents (mean [SD] age, 83.4 [10.8] years; mean proportion of women, 68.9%). A significant increased slope change in the weekly proportion of residents who were dispensed antipsychotics (parameter estimate [β] = 0.051; standard error [SE] = 0.010; P < .001), benzodiazepines (β = 0.026; SE = 0.003; P < .001), antidepressants (β = 0.046; SE = 0.013; P < .001), trazodone hydrochloride (β = 0.033; SE = 0.010; P < .001), anticonvulsants (β = 0.014; SE = 0.006; P = .03), and opioids (β = 0.038; SE = 0.007; P < .001) was observed. The absolute difference in observed vs estimated use in the last week of the pandemic period ranged from 0.48% (for anticonvulsants) to 1.52% (for antipsychotics). No significant level or slope changes were found for antibiotics, ARBs, or ACE inhibitors.Conclusions and relevanceIn this population-based cohort study, statistically significant increases in the use of antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and opioids followed the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, although absolute differences were small. There were no significant changes for antibiotics, ARBs, or ACE inhibitors. Studies are needed to monitor whether changes in pharmacotherapy persist, regress, or accelerate during the course of the pandemic and how these changes affect resident-level outcomes.

Project description:ObjectiveTo compare recent immigrants and long-term residents in Ontario, Canada, on established health service quality indicators of end-of-life cancer care.DesignRetrospective, population-based cohort study of cancer decedents between 2004 and 2015.SettingOntario, Canada.ParticipantsWe grouped 13 085 immigrants who arrived in Ontario in 1985 or later into eight major ethnic groups based on birth country, mother tongue and surname, and compared them to 229 471 long-term residents who were ≥18 years at the time of death.Primary and secondary outcome measuresAggressive care, defined as a composite of ≥2 emergency department visits, ≥2 new hospitalisations or an intensive care unit admission within 30 days of death; and supportive care, defined as a physician house call within 2 weeks, or palliative nursing or personal support worker home visit within 6 months of death. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association between immigration status and the odds of each main outcome.ResultsCompared with long-term residents, immigrants overall and by ethnic group had higher rates of aggressive care (13.7% vs 17.5%, respectively; p<0.001). Among immigrants, Southeast Asians had the highest use while White-Eastern and Western Europeans had the lowest. Supportive care use was similar between long-term residents and immigrants (50.0% vs 50.5%, respectively; p=0.36), though lower among Southeast Asians (46.6%) and higher among White-Western Europeans (55.6%). After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and comorbidities, immigrants remained more likely than long-term residents to receive aggressive care (OR: 1.15, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.21), yet were less likely to receive supportive care (OR: 0.95, 95% CI 0.91 to 0.98).ConclusionsAmong cancer decedents in Ontario, immigrants are more likely to use aggressive healthcare services at the end of life than long-term residents, while supportive care varies by ethnicity. Contributors to variation in end-of-life care require further study.

Dataset Information

Comparison of End-of-Life Care Between Recent Immigrants and Long-standing Residents in Ontario, Canada

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