Increasing demand for ophthalmic pathology: time trends in a laboratory with nationwide coverage
Abstract Purpose To report the time trends in basic patient characteristics and the number of specimens received at a national referral center for ophthalmic pathology. Methods Data on patient sex, age at surgical resection and geographical location of the referring unit were obtained for all specim...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-03-01
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| Series: | BMC Ophthalmology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12886-023-02828-1 |
| _version_ | 1797865245361831936 |
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| author | Gustav Stålhammar Emma Lardner Marianne Georgsson Stefan Seregard |
| author_facet | Gustav Stålhammar Emma Lardner Marianne Georgsson Stefan Seregard |
| author_sort | Gustav Stålhammar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Purpose To report the time trends in basic patient characteristics and the number of specimens received at a national referral center for ophthalmic pathology. Methods Data on patient sex, age at surgical resection and geographical location of the referring unit were obtained for all specimens received at the St. Erik Ophthalmic Pathology laboratory, Stockholm, Sweden, between January 1st, 1959, and December 31st, 2021. Results A total of 33 057 specimens had been received, of which 14 560 (44%) came from men and 18 477 (56%) from women (for 20 patients, the sex was not specified). The average annual percent change (AAPC) in the number specimens received was + 10.5%, whereas the Swedish population increased with 0.5% per year. Patients became older throughout the period, with an average yearly increase of patient age at surgery of 0.3 years (AAPC 0.2%). Overall, women were three years older than men at surgery (59.4 versus 56.4 years, P < 0.0001) The number of specimens increased with patient age from the first to the 8th decade, after which it decreased to zero in the 11th decade. The largest portion of patients had undergone their surgery in one of the hospitals or clinics in the capital region, with four of the five largest sources corresponding to the most populous counties in the country. Conclusions During six decades, the growth in number of specimens sent to our national referral center for ophthalmic pathology has greatly outpaced the growth of the population, indicating an increasing demand for subspecialized services. Throughout the period, patients have become older, and a higher number of specimens have been submitted from female patients. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T23:05:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3b20f65dd98742b49f1536105867e385 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2415 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T23:05:03Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Ophthalmology |
| spelling | doaj.art-3b20f65dd98742b49f1536105867e3852023-03-22T10:44:16ZengBMCBMC Ophthalmology1471-24152023-03-012311910.1186/s12886-023-02828-1Increasing demand for ophthalmic pathology: time trends in a laboratory with nationwide coverageGustav Stålhammar0Emma Lardner1Marianne Georgsson2Stefan Seregard3St. Erik Eye HospitalSt. Erik Eye HospitalSt. Erik Eye HospitalSt. Erik Eye HospitalAbstract Purpose To report the time trends in basic patient characteristics and the number of specimens received at a national referral center for ophthalmic pathology. Methods Data on patient sex, age at surgical resection and geographical location of the referring unit were obtained for all specimens received at the St. Erik Ophthalmic Pathology laboratory, Stockholm, Sweden, between January 1st, 1959, and December 31st, 2021. Results A total of 33 057 specimens had been received, of which 14 560 (44%) came from men and 18 477 (56%) from women (for 20 patients, the sex was not specified). The average annual percent change (AAPC) in the number specimens received was + 10.5%, whereas the Swedish population increased with 0.5% per year. Patients became older throughout the period, with an average yearly increase of patient age at surgery of 0.3 years (AAPC 0.2%). Overall, women were three years older than men at surgery (59.4 versus 56.4 years, P < 0.0001) The number of specimens increased with patient age from the first to the 8th decade, after which it decreased to zero in the 11th decade. The largest portion of patients had undergone their surgery in one of the hospitals or clinics in the capital region, with four of the five largest sources corresponding to the most populous counties in the country. Conclusions During six decades, the growth in number of specimens sent to our national referral center for ophthalmic pathology has greatly outpaced the growth of the population, indicating an increasing demand for subspecialized services. Throughout the period, patients have become older, and a higher number of specimens have been submitted from female patients.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12886-023-02828-1Ophthalmic pathologyOcular pathologyOncologyTime trendEpidemiologyPopulation statistics |
| spellingShingle | Gustav Stålhammar Emma Lardner Marianne Georgsson Stefan Seregard Increasing demand for ophthalmic pathology: time trends in a laboratory with nationwide coverage BMC Ophthalmology Ophthalmic pathology Ocular pathology Oncology Time trend Epidemiology Population statistics |
| title | Increasing demand for ophthalmic pathology: time trends in a laboratory with nationwide coverage |
| title_full | Increasing demand for ophthalmic pathology: time trends in a laboratory with nationwide coverage |
| title_fullStr | Increasing demand for ophthalmic pathology: time trends in a laboratory with nationwide coverage |
| title_full_unstemmed | Increasing demand for ophthalmic pathology: time trends in a laboratory with nationwide coverage |
| title_short | Increasing demand for ophthalmic pathology: time trends in a laboratory with nationwide coverage |
| title_sort | increasing demand for ophthalmic pathology time trends in a laboratory with nationwide coverage |
| topic | Ophthalmic pathology Ocular pathology Oncology Time trend Epidemiology Population statistics |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12886-023-02828-1 |
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