Articles

Direct and indirect costs of Multiple Sclerosis in Baix Llobregat (Catalonia, Spain), according to disability

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an incurable chronic disease that predominantly affects young adults. It has a high socio-economic impact which increases as disability progresses. An assessment of the real costs of...

Authors: Virginia Casado, Sergio Martínez-Yélamos, Antonio Martínez-Yélamos, Olga Carmona, Lucia Alonso, Lucia Romero, Esther Moral, Laura Gubieras and Txomin Arbizu

Consumer satisfaction with primary care provider choice and associated trust

Development of managed care, characterized by limited provider choice, is believed to undermine trust. Provider choice has been identified as strongly associated with physician trust. Stakeholders in a competi...

Authors: Ming Ying L Chu-Weininger and Rajesh Balkrishnan

Swiss residents' speciality choices – impact of gender, personality traits, career motivation and life goals

The medical specialities chosen by doctors for their careers play an important part in the development of health-care services. This study aimed to investigate the influence of gender, personality traits, care...

Authors: Barbara Buddeberg-Fischer, Richard Klaghofer, Thomas Abel and Claus Buddeberg

Status of national health research systems in ten countries of the WHO African Region

The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa, in 1998, passed a resolution (AFR/RC48/R4) which urged its Member States in the Region to develop national research policies and strategies an...

Authors: Joses M Kirigia and Charles Wambebe

Gender differences in health care use among the elderly population in areas of Norway and Finland. A cross-sectional analysis based on the HUNT study and the FINRISK Senior Survey

The aim of the study was to examine gender differences in the self-reported use of health care services by the elderly in rural and metropolitan areas of two Nordic countries with slightly different health car...

Authors: Anna Liisa Suominen-Taipale, Tuija Martelin, Seppo Koskinen, Jostein Holmen and Roar Johnsen

The devil is in the details: trends in avoidable hospitalization rates by geography in British Columbia, 1990–2000

Researchers and policy makers have focussed on the development of indicators to help monitor the success of regionalization, primary care reform and other health sector restructuring initiatives. Certain indic...

Authors: Denise Cloutier-Fisher, Margaret J Penning, Chi Zheng and Eric-Bené F Druyts

Predictors of patient satisfaction with hospital health care

We used a validated inpatient satisfaction questionnaire to evaluate the health care received by patients admitted to several hospitals. This questionnaire was factored into distinct domains, creating a score ...

Authors: José M Quintana, Nerea González, Amaia Bilbao, Felipe Aizpuru, Antonio Escobar, Cristóbal Esteban, José Antonio San-Sebastián, Emilio de-la-Sierra and Andrew Thompson

Risk adjustment for inter-hospital comparison of primary cesarean section rates: need, validity and parsimony

Cesarean section rates is often used as an indicator of quality of care in maternity hospitals. The assumption is that lower rates reflect in developed countries more appropriate clinical practice and general ...

Authors: Maria P Fantini, Elisa Stivanello, Brunella Frammartino, Anna P Barone, Danilo Fusco, Laura Dallolio, Paolo Cacciari and Carlo A Perucci

How are health professionals earning their living in Malawi?

The migration of health professionals from southern Africa to developed nations is negatively affecting the delivery of health care services in the source countries. Oftentimes however, it is the reasons for t...

Authors: Adamson S Muula and Fresier C Maseko

Development and testing of innovative patient resources for the management of coronary heart disease (CHD): a descriptive study

Although heart disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality the majority of patients do not access existing rehabilitation programs and patient resources are not designed to facilitate patient choice an...

Authors: Julie Redfern, Elizabeth Ellis, Tom Briffa and Saul B Freedman

The cost of health professionals' brain drain in Kenya

Past attempts to estimate the cost of migration were limited to education costs only and did not include the lost returns from investment. The objectives of this study were: (i) to estimate the financial cost ...

Authors: Joses Muthuri Kirigia, Akpa Raphael Gbary, Lenity Kainyu Muthuri, Jennifer Nyoni and Anthony Seddoh

Development and preliminary validation of a Greek-language outpatient satisfaction questionnaire with principal components and multi-trait analyses

In the recent years there is a growing interest in Greece concerning the measurement of the satisfaction of patients who are visiting the outpatient clinics of National Health System (NHS) general acute hospit...

Authors: Vassilis H Aletras, Efthemis A Papadopoulos and Dimitris A Niakas

Determinants of staff job satisfaction of caregivers in two nursing homes in Pennsylvania

Job satisfaction is important for nursing home staff and nursing home management, as it is associated with absenteeism, turnover, and quality of care. However, we know little about factors associated with job ...

Authors: Nicholas G Castle, Howard Degenholtz and Jules Rosen

Racial and ethnic disparities in the control of cardiovascular disease risk factors in Southwest American veterans with type 2 diabetes: the Diabetes Outcomes in Veterans Study

Racial/ethnic disparities in cardiovascular disease complications have been observed in diabetic patients. We examined the association between race/ethnicity and cardiovascular disease risk factor control in a...

Authors: Christopher S Wendel, Jayendra H Shah, William C Duckworth, Richard M Hoffman, M Jane Mohler and Glen H Murata

Use of private gynaecologist does not relate to better prevention outcomes – An ecological analysis from Finland

Control of reproduction and prevention of reproductive health problems are important reasons for women to use health services, but the proper organisational level of service provision is not clear. The purpose...

Authors: Elina Hemminki, Tiina Sevon, Kati Tanninen, Eero Pukkala and Ahti Anttila

Development of appropriateness explicit criteria for cataract extraction by phacoemulsification

Consensus development techniques were used in the late 1980s to create explicit criteria for the appropriateness of cataract extraction. We developed a new appropriateness of indications tool for cataract foll...

Authors: José Ma Quintana, Antonio Escobar and Inmaculada Aróstegui

Episodic homelessness and health care utilization in a prospective cohort of HIV-infected persons with alcohol problems

Because individuals with HIV/AIDS often have complex medical and social needs, the impact of housing status on medical service utilization is difficult to isolate from the impact of conditions that may worsen ...

Authors: Theresa W Kim, Stefan G Kertesz, Nicholas J Horton, Nicole Tibbetts and Jeffrey H Samet

Integrating complementary and alternative medicine into academic medical centers: Experience and perceptions of nine leading centers in North America

Patients across North America are using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) with increasing frequency as part of their management of many different health conditions. The objective of this study was t...

Authors: Sunita Vohra, Kymm Feldman, Brad Johnston, Kellie Waters and Heather Boon

Technical efficiency of peripheral health units in Pujehun district of Sierra Leone: a DEA application

The Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method has been fruitfully used in many countries in Asia, Europe and North America to shed light on the efficiency of health facilities and programmes. There is, however, a...

Authors: Ade Renner, Joses M Kirigia, Eyob A Zere, Saidou P Barry, Doris G Kirigia, Clifford Kamara and Lenity HK Muthuri

Correlates of health and healthcare performance: applying the Canadian health indicators framework at the provincial-territorial level

Since, at the health system level, there is little research into the possible interrelationships among the various indicators of health, healthcare performance, non-medical determinants of health, and communit...

Authors: OA Arah and GP Westert

Consumer involvement in Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) projects – lessons from Australia

It is essential that knowledge gained through health services research is collated and made available for evaluation, for policy purposes and to enable collaboration between people working in similar areas (ca...

Authors: Carl MJ Kirkpatrick, Elizabeth E Roughead, Gregory R Monteith and Susan E Tett

What factors explain the number of physical therapy treatment sessions in patients referred with low back pain; a multilevel analysis

It is well-known that the number of physical therapy treatment sessions varies over treatment episodes. Information is lacking, however, on the source and explanation of the variation. The purposes of the curr...

Authors: Ilse CS Swinkels, Raymond H Wimmers, Peter P Groenewegen, Wil JH van den Bosch, Joost Dekker and Cornelia HM van den Ende

A 6-months assessment of the alcohol-related clinical burden at emergency rooms (ERs) in 11 acute care hospitals of an urban area in Germany

The purpose of the study was to identify and to profile alcohol-related attendances to emergency rooms (ERs) of 11 hospitals of various medical specialties covering a large urban population, to assess risk fac...

Authors: Bernhard T Baune, Rafael T Mikolajczyk, Gerhard Reymann, Annette Duesterhaus, Susanne Fleck, Hildegard Kratz and Ulrike Sundermann

Cost-consciousness among Swiss doctors: a cross-sectional survey

Knowing what influences physicians attitudes toward health care costs is an important matter, because most health care expenditures are the results of doctors' decisions. Many decisions regarding medical tests...

Authors: Patrick A Bovier, Diane P Martin and Thomas V Perneger

The Swiss cheese model of safety incidents: are there holes in the metaphor?

Reason's Swiss cheese model has become the dominant paradigm for analysing medical errors and patient safety incidents. The aim of this study was to determine if the components of the model are understood in t...

Authors: Thomas V Perneger

"Saying no is no easy matter" A qualitative study of competing concerns in rationing decisions in general practice

The general practitioner in Norway is expected to ensure equity and effectiveness through fair rationing. At the same time, due to recent reforms of the Norwegian health care sector, both the role of economic ...

Authors: Benedicte Carlsen and Ole Frithjof Norheim

Cost and efficiency of public sector sexually transmitted infection clinics in Andhra Pradesh, India

Control of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is an important part of the effort to reduce the risk of HIV/AIDS. STI clinics in the government hospitals in India provide services predominantly to the poor....

Authors: Lalit Dandona, Pratap Sisodia, TLN Prasad, Elliot Marseille, M Chalapathi Rao, A Anod Kumar, SG Prem Kumar, YK Ramesh, Mead Over, M Someshwar and James G Kahn

Translating research into policy and practice in developing countries: a case study of magnesium sulphate for pre-eclampsia

The evidence base for improving reproductive health continues to grow. However, concerns remain that the translation of this evidence into appropriate policies is partial and slow. Little is known about the fa...

Authors: Morten Aaserud, Simon Lewin, Simon Innvaer, Elizabeth J Paulsen, Astrid T Dahlgren, Mari Trommald, Lelia Duley, Merrick Zwarenstein and Andrew D Oxman

Communication of bed allocation decisions in a critical care unit and accountability for reasonableness

Communication may affect perceptions of fair process for intensive care unit bed allocation decisions through its impact on the publicity condition of accountability for reasonableness.

Authors: Andrew B Cooper, Amit S Joglekar, Jennifer Gibson, Alissa H Swota and Douglas K Martin

Does a pre-hospital emergency pathway improve early diagnosis and referral in suspected stroke patients? – Study protocol of a cluster randomised trial [ISRCTN41456865]

Early interventions proved to be able to improve prognosis in acute stroke patients. Prompt identification of symptoms, organised timely and efficient transportation towards appropriate facilities, become esse...

Authors: Marica Ferri, Assunta De Luca, Paolo Giorgi Rossi, Giuliano Lori and Gabriella Guasticchi

The design of the Dutch EASYcare study: a randomised controlled trial on the effectiveness of a problem-based community intervention model for frail elderly people [NCT00105378]

Because of their complex clinical presentations and needs frail elderly people require another approach than people who age without many complications. Several inpatient geriatric health services have proven e...

Authors: René JF Melis, Monique IJ van Eijken, George F Borm, Michel Wensing, Eddy Adang, Eloy H van de Lisdonk, Theo van Achterberg and Marcel GM Olde Rikkert

Development of abbreviated measures to assess patient trust in a physician, a health insurer, and the medical profession

Despite the recent proliferation in research on patient trust, it is seldom a primary outcome, and is often a peripheral area of interest. The length of our original scales to measure trust may limit their use...

Authors: Elizabeth Dugan, Felicia Trachtenberg and Mark A Hall

Chances of late surgery in relation to length of wait lists

The proportion of patients who undergo surgery within a clinically safe time is an important performance indicator in health systems that use wait lists to manage access to care. However, little is known about...

Authors: Boris G Sobolev, Adrian R Levy, Lisa Kuramoto and Robert Hayden

How to promote, improve and test adherence to scientific evidence in clinical practice

Negative variation in the management of patients with the same clinical condition is frequent, and affects quality of care. Recent studies indicate that single interventions are not an effective solution. We a...

Authors: Caterina Caminiti, Umberto Scoditti, Francesca Diodati and Rodolfo Passalacqua

The use of end-quintile comparisons to identify under-servicing of the poor and over-servicing of the rich: A longitudinal study describing the effect of socioeconomic status on healthcare

To demonstrate the use of end-quintile comparisons in assessing the effect of socio-economic status on hospital utilisation and outcomes in Western Australia.

Authors: Kate J Brameld and C D'Arcy J Holman

Household out-of-pocket medical expenditures and national health insurance in Taiwan: income and regional inequality

Unequal geographical distribution of medical care resources and insufficient healthcare coverage have been two long-standing problems with Taiwan's public health system. The implementation of National Health I...

Authors: Tu-Bin Chu, Tsai-Ching Liu, Chin-Shyan Chen, Yi-Wen Tsai and Wen-Ta Chiu

Caution required when relying on a colleague's advice; a comparison between professional advice and evidence from the literature

Occupational Physicians rely especially on advice from colleagues when answering their information demands. On the other hand, Evidence-based Medicine (EBM) promotes the use of up-to-date research literature i...

Authors: Frederieke Schaafsma, Jos Verbeek, Carel Hulshof and Frank van Dijk

The cost-effectiveness of early noninvasive ventilation for ALS patients

Optimal timing of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) initiation in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is unknown, but NIPPV appears to benefit ALS patients who are symptomatic fro...

Authors: Kirsten L Gruis, Michael E Chernew and Devin L Brown

Heart failure guidelines and prescribing in primary care across Europe

Major international differences in heart failure treatment have been repeatedly described, but the reasons for these differences remain unclear. National guideline recommendations might be a relevant factor. T...

Authors: Heidrun B Sturm, Wiek H van Gilst, Karl Swedberg, FD Richard Hobbs and Flora M Haaijer-Ruskamp

Assessing health centre systems for guiding improvement in diabetes care

Aboriginal people in Australia experience the highest prevalence of diabetes in the country, an excess of preventable complications and early death. There is increasing evidence demonstrating the importance of...

Authors: Damin Si, Ross Bailie, Christine Connors, Michelle Dowden, Allison Stewart, Gary Robinson, Joan Cunningham and Tarun Weeramanthri

The effect of a monetary incentive on return of a postal health and development questionnaire: a randomised trial [ISRCTN53994660]

Postal questionnaires are widely used to collect data in healthcare research but a poor response rate may reduce the validity and reliability of results. There was a lack of evidence available relating to use ...

Authors: Sara Kenyon, Katie Pike, David Jones, David Taylor, Alison Salt, Neil Marlow and Peter Brocklehurst

Verbal and physical violence towards hospital- and community-based physicians in the Negev: an observational study

Over recent years there has been an increasing prevalence of verbal and physical violence in Israel, including in the work place. Physicians are exposed to violence in hospitals and in the community. The objec...

Authors: Tal Carmi-Iluz, Roni Peleg, Tami Freud and Pesach Shvartzman

Implementation of a health care policy: An analysis of barriers and facilitators to practice change

Governments often create policies that rely on implementation by arms length organizations and require practice changes on the part of different segments of the health care system without understanding the dif...

Authors: Susan Watt, Wendy Sword and Paul Krueger

Effect on survey response rate of hand written versus printed signature on a covering letter: randomised controlled trial [ISRCTN67566265]

It is important that response rates to postal surveys are as high as possible to ensure that the results are representative and to maximise statistical power. Previous research has suggested that any personali...

Authors: Kirstie McKenzie-McHarg, Lucy Tully, Simon Gates, Sarah Ayers and Peter Brocklehurst

Predictors of failed attendances in a multi-specialty outpatient centre using electronic databases

Failure to keep outpatient medical appointments results in inefficiencies and costs. The objective of this study is to show the factors in an existing electronic database that affect failed appointments and to...

Authors: Vernon J Lee, Arul Earnest, Mark I Chen and Bala Krishnan

What do we know about how to do audit and feedback? Pitfalls in applying evidence from a systematic review

Improving the quality of health care requires a range of evidence-based activities. Audit and feedback is commonly used as a quality improvement tool in the UK National Health Service [NHS]. We set out to asse...

Authors: R Foy, MP Eccles, G Jamtvedt, J Young, JM Grimshaw and R Baker

The development and implementation of a regional network of physiotherapists for exercise therapy in patients with peripheral arterial disease, a preliminary report

Exercise therapy (ET) is the main conservative and proven effective treatment of patients with intermittent claudication. Currently, the most frequent exercise prescription is a single 'go home and walk' advis...

Authors: EM Willigendael, BLW Bendermacher, C van der Berg, RJThJ Welten, MH Prins, RA Bie de and JAW Teijink

The impact of a pharmacist-managed dosage form conversion service on ciprofloxacin usage at a major Canadian teaching hospital: a pre- and post-intervention study

Despite cost containment efforts, parenteral (IV) ciprofloxacin appears to be overutilized at Vancouver General Hospital. In November 2003, the Pharmacist-managed intravenous to oral (IV-PO) Dosage Form Conver...

Authors: Bradley P Ho, Tim TY Lau, Robert M Balen, Terryn L Naumann and Peter J Jewesson

Do medical outpatients want 'out of hours' clinics?

Patient choice is a major theme in current healthcare delivery. Little is known about patients' wishes regarding the timing of medical outpatient clinics.

Authors: Claire L Feeney, Nicola J Roberts and Martyn R Partridge

Erratum To: The effect of executive walk rounds on nurse safety climate attitudes: A randomized trial of clinical units [ISRCTN85147255]

Authors: Eric J Thomas, J Bryan Sexton, Torsten B Neilands, Allan Frankel and Robert L Helmreich