Outcomes/Effectiveness Research
Heart failure accounts for much of the variation among surgeons in bypass surgery mortality rates
Only a small number of heart attack patients may benefit from prophylactic use of implanted automatic defibrillators
People at risk for major stroke vary widely in their values and treatment preferences
Negative provider attitudes toward diabetes and its management may be barriers to better care for diabetic adults
Researchers examine treatment and outcomes for low back pain
Patient factors rather than differences in medical management affect visual acuity after cataract surgery
Children's Health
Researchers examine neonatal ICU practices, triage, improvements in care, and the use of narcotics
Expanding Medicaid prenatal support services reduces rate of low birthweight infants
More than one-third of America's children lacked proper immunizations in the early 1990s
Despite some concerns, most primary care doctors recommend early childhood hepatitis B vaccination
Half of Medicaid-insured children never visit a dentist, and many who do are not given needed care
Health Care Use and Access
Computerized guidelines reduce prescribing by hospital doctors of an expensive and overprescribed antibiotic
Financial incentives and performance feedback to physicians may not increase cancer screening for Medicaid enrollees
Canada and the United States differ greatly in their hospital use for back and neck problems
Managed Care/Primary Care
Managed care hospital report cards may not allow for differences among patients
Several factors affect the variability of managed care penetration across health care markets
Collaboration among competing clinics can enhance adult preventive care
Hospital Issues
Community perceptions and commitment affect the survival of rural hospitals
Inappropriate ER visits may stem from social rather than medical needs
Health Care Costs and Financing
More expensive drugs, fewer deaths, and steady HIV infection rates mean costs of AIDS care continue to rise
Lowering Medicaid coverage for anti-ulcer drugs reduced their use without increasing hospitalization
Even a small amount of choice in health plans might improve public confidence in health insurance
Long-Term Care
Ownership type is an important factor in determining nursing home outcomes
Nursing home subsidies should be targeted to those who need them most
Nursing home residents and their families often have little input into end-of-life medical decisions
Quality of Care
Parents can play an important part in developing and disseminating pediatric practice guidelines
A new quality improvement tool is being developed for deriving benchmarks of clinical care
Everyone should be concerned about health care quality
Medical Education
Despite some differences, chiropractic and medical education have a lot in common
AHCPR News and Notes
AHCPR names first Child and Adolescent Health Scholar
Announcements
Applications due April 22 in response to three new RFAs
AHCPR's Web-based National Guideline Clearinghouse™ is now online
AHCPR releases four new evidence reports/technology assessments
Research Briefs
Comparison of the Quality of Well-being Scale and the SF-36 results among two samples of ill adults: AIDS and other illnesses
Meta-analysis of multiple outcomes by regression with random effects
Mortality, symptoms, and functional impairment in late-life depression
Attitude and self-reported practice regarding prognostication in a national sample of internists
A method for estimating solid organ donor potential by organ procurement region
Outcome measures for low back pain research: A proposal for standardized use
Selective cervical spine radiography in blunt trauma: Methodology of the National Emergency X-Radiography Utilization Study (NEXUS)
Daily life in very old age: Everyday activities as expression of successful living
Canopy computing: Using the web in clinical practice
Outcomes and effectiveness research in the private sector
Effects of computer-based prescribing on pharmacist work patterns
Pre-AIDS physical disability: Data from the AIDS time-oriented health outcome study
What if socioeconomics made no difference? Access to a cadaver kidney transplant as an example
Determinants of home health visit length
Effect of local standards on the implementation of national guidelines for asthma
Empirically defined health states for depression from the SF-12
Hidden spears: Handlebars as injury hazards to children
Changes in the SF-36 in 12 months in a clinical sample of disadvantaged older adults
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