Thomas Steffen

Thomas Steffen
Patientensicherheit Schweiz / Public Health Schweiz

MD MPH

About

51
Publications
2,003
Reads
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817
Citations
Additional affiliations
January 2003 - present
Public Health Schweiz
Position
  • President

Publications

Publications (51)
Article
The medically controlled prescription of narcotics program (PROVE) followed a uniform protocol from January 1, 1994 until December 31, 1996. The program included 800 slots for heroin prescription, 200 slots for intravenous methadone prescription, and 200 slots for intraveneous morphine. Admission criteria were age 20 and above, minimum 2-year durat...
Article
In the 1994-1996 trial of medically controlled prescription of narcotics to dependent users, 800 places were ascribed to heroin substitutes and another 200 for methadone and morphine substitutes. The trial was evaluated with the aid of an accompanying research. Among the results demonstrated in the evaluation was an improvement of the health of the...
Article
Between 1986 and 1988 speech and language abilities of a representative sample of 341 fourteen-year-old Basle schoolchildren were assessed as part of the 2nd Follow-up examination of the Basle Kindergarten-study. The language and speech test consisted of retelling and writing two stories, one of them played by tape-recorder, the other by video reco...
Article
Now as in the past, tobacco consumption is a major health problem in Switzerland. Efforts to reduce tobacco consumption include different preventive strategies. Although dispensary pharmacists have increased their efforts in health promotion and prevention in recent years their role in tobacco prevention has not been documented so far. The „Tobacco...
Article
Background: In the city of Zurich, vision screening is performed by school medical services as part of the legally compulsory preventive medical examinations. We retrospectively evaluated the results of the 2011-2012 school year. Patients and methods: Preventive medical examinations by the school medical services were performed in all kindergart...
Article
Ziel der Studie: In einer Querschnittsstudie über einen Zeitraum von 30 Jahren soll die Entwicklung von Übergewicht und Adipositas bei Schulkindern untersucht werden. Insbesondere interessiert, ob sich die Übergewichtsepidemie wie oft postuliert weiterhin in einem Anstieg befindet oder ob es schon zu einer Stagnation oder zu einer beginnenden Trend...
Article
Within the guidelines of the research programme on medical prescription of narcotics for opioid addicts (PROVE), heroin, morphine, and methadone were prescribed to heavily opioid addicted individuals in Switzerland since 1994. This contribution analyses the course of dose levels during the treatment period. Naturalistic description of consumed dosa...
Article
In die heroingestützte Behandlung der Schweiz wurden in den Jahren 1994 bis 1996 und ab 1998 Opiatabhängige mit schweren sozialen und medizinischen Problemen aufgenommen. Die durchgeführten medizinischen und sozialen Untersuchungen ergaben wichtige Erkenntnisse über diese neue Behandlungsform im Kontext der sozialmedizinischen Situation der Patient...
Article
Those who want to implement a quality-management system at a hospital these days cannot fall back on a broad-based system proven over the years. Though quality management as defined by ISO norm 9001 has been established as the central standard in many industrial areas, applicability of this ISO norm in the hospital sector has stirred up much contro...
Article
Celui qui aujourd'hui desirerait mettre en place un systeme de management de la qualite, ne peut pas se referer a un systeme deja installe avec succes depuis plusieurs annees dans d'autres etablissements de soin. Il en est autrement dans le milieu industriel ou le systeme de management de la qualite d'apres les normes ISO 9001 est considere par bea...
Article
Full-text available
Providing maintenance treatment for heroin users who also use cocaine presents special problems. Poly-drug use is prevalent among clients in the Swiss Program for the Medical Prescription of Heroin (1994-1996). A formative evaluation examines whether cocaine use was associated with a higher drop-out rate from treatment, and how cocaine use changed...
Article
Switzerland introduced heroin-assisted treatment as a routine treatment for drug addicts. As a result the evaluation instruments were changed from a detailed scientific project to a routine monitoring system. The process for developing this monitoring system is described. The questionnaires and assessment instruments were restyled with staff of the...
Article
Full-text available
In Switzerland, 1,035 patients were accepted for admission to the medically controlled prescription of narcotics programme (PROVE) from 1 January 1994 until 31 December 1996. Heroin, methadone, and morphine were prescribed. This paper presents the prevalence and incidence of HIV and hepatitis B/C infections in the sociomedical context of the partic...
Article
Heroin-assisted substitution treatment for severely opioid-dependent drug users has been available in Switzerland since 1994. Our aim was to ascertain the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of this treatment. We did a cohort study in 21 community outpatient treatment centres. We assessed 1969 opioid-dependent drug users, who began heroin-assisted su...
Article
Drug addiction is linked with increased prevalence of various illnesses. Of major importance are skin diseases which often have a powerful influence on the health. Analysis of the situation in Switzerland at the outset of the 1990s showed that not all drug addicts could be reached with the existing range of treatments. For this reason, heroin-suppo...
Article
Since 1994 the medical prescription of heroin has been studied on a large scale in Switzerland. During the first years, the studies have focused on 1) the acceptability of the treatment and 2) its effect on the psychosocial and somatic development of patients who have failed in other treatments for drug users. The outcome of this first step shows t...
Article
In recent years the incidence of adolescent smokers has increased steeply. Taking this into account, current anti-smoker campaigns should be reconsidered. Great importance must be attached to the apprentice group, since adolescents in professional training have frequently not been reached sufficiently by the preventive efforts. This study presents...
Article
Hintergrund: In den Versuchen für eine ärztliche Verschreibung von Betäubungsmitteln (PROVE) wurden in den Jahren 1994-96 für die heroingestützte Behandlung 800 Plätze zur Verfügung gestellt. Im Rahmen der wissenschaftlichen Begleitevaluation wurde untersucht, inwieweit dieses Behandlungsprogramm Schwerstabhängige einer Behandlung zuführen kann, we...
Article
Drug addiction is linked with increased prevalence of various illnesses. Of major importance are skin diseases which often have a powerful influence on the health. Analysis of the situation in Switzerland at the outset of the 1990s showed that not all drug addicts could be reached with the existing range of treatments. For this reason, heroin-suppo...
Article
Full-text available
Die Aktionsgemeinschaft Pforzheim e.V. der Stadt Pforzheim und Enzkreis (Baden-Württemberg, Deutschland) ist seit Januar 1998 Träger eines Beschäftigungsprojektes für drogenabhängige Männer und Frauen in der Substitution. Ziel des Projekts ist die abgestufte Wiedereingliederung der Teilnehmer/innen in den ersten Arbeitsmarkt, in besonderen Fällen a...
Article
Since the 1980s hepatitis B and C have spread greatly among intravenous drug consumers. This shows up today in a high prevalence for both pathogens. It is striking that many patients who have only consumed drugs intravenously for a few years have already been infected with hepatitis B or C. The clear reduction in the spread of HIV within the drug-u...
Article
Heroin-assisted treatment has been examined broadly in Switzerland since 1994 within the context of scientific studies. The goal was to clarify the suitability of this treatment for opiate addicts whom previous therapy had failed to reach. Results of the initial research phase show that the target group could be reached for treatment extending 18 m...
Article
Although the smoking rate in Switzerland had declined during the 1970s and 1980s, it has not continued to decrease during the 1990s. About one third of the population in Switzerland smoked in 1997. Striking is a sharp increase in young female smokers during recent years. The portion of 15- to 25-year-old female smokers rose from 26% (1992) to 41% (...
Article
Dieser Studienbericht über die heroingestütze Behandlung von Opiatabhängigen ergänzt den anderen Artikel im gleichen Heft, in dem über die Methadon-Substitution referiert wird (vgl. die Arbeit von M. Krausz et al.). Bemerkenswert ist, daß die Verschreibung von injizierbarem Heroin der von injizierbarem Morphin und Methadon hinsichtlich der Rekrutie...
Article
Now as in the past, tobacco consumption is a major health problem in Switzerland. Efforts to reduce tobacco consumption include different preventive strategies. Although dispensary pharmacists have increased their efforts in health promotion and prevention in recent years, their role in tobacco prevention has not been documented so far. The "Tobacc...
Article
Heroin-assisted treatment has been examined broadly in Switzerland since 1994 within the context of scientific studies. The goal was to clarify the suitability of this treatment for opiate addicts whom previous therapy had failed to reach. Results of the initial research phase show that the target group could be reached for treatment extending 18 m...
Article
Although the smoking rate in Switzerland had declined during the 1970s and 1980s, it has not continued to decrease during the 1990s. About one third of the population in Switzerland smoked in 1997. Striking is a sharp increase in young female smokers during recent years. The portion of 15- to 25-year-old female smokers rose from 26% (1992) to 41% (...
Article
In the 1994–1996 trial of medically controlled prescription of narcotics to dependent users, 800 places were ascribed to heroin substitutes, and another 200 for methadone and morphine substitutes. The trial was evaluated with the aid of an accompanying research. Among the results demonstrated in the evaluation was an improvement of the health of th...
Article
Full-text available
The national study on medically controlled prescription of narcotics (heroin, morphine and intravenous methadone) was evaluated and a report on the main findings is made available, based on the main study and a number of additional special studies. The study with an intention-to-treat design includes data on 1035 probands. They received treatment f...
Article
The national study on medically controlled prescription of narcotics (heroin, morphine and intravenous methadone) was evaluated and a report on the main findings is made available, based on the main study and a number of additional special studies. The study with an intention-to-treat design includes data on 1035 probands. They received treatment f...
Article
Mass screening for blood cholesterol as part of routine preventive health care of children continues to be discussed in several countries. Results of longitudinal studies underline the importance of the predictive value of cholesterol levels assessed during childhood. Some countries have changed their recommendations during the past years to blood...
Article
Zusammenfassung In den Jahren 1986 bis 1988 wurde im Rahmen der zweiten Follow-up Untersuchung der Basler Kindergarten-Studie die sprachliche Kompetenz einer repräsentativen Stichprobe von 341 vierzehnjährigen Basler Schülerinnen und Schülern untersucht. Zur Prüfung gehörte das mündliche und schriftliche Nacherzählen zweier Geschichten, deren eine...

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