Articles

Doctor and practice characteristics associated with differences in patient evaluations of general practice

Variation in patients' evaluation due to general practitioner (GP) and practice factors may provide information useful in a quality improvement context. However, the extent to which differences in patients' ev...

Authors: Hanne N Heje, Peter Vedsted, Ineta Sokolowski and Frede Olesen

Food safety in hospital: knowledge, attitudes and practices of nursing staff of two hospitals in Sicily, Italy

Food hygiene in hospital poses peculiar problems, particularly given the presence of patients who could be more vulnerable than healthy subjects to microbiological and nutritional risks. Moreover, in nosocomia...

Authors: Cecilia Buccheri, Alessandra Casuccio, Santo Giammanco, Marco Giammanco, Maurizio La Guardia and Caterina Mammina

Erratum To: Comparing health system performance assessment and management approaches in the Netherlands and Ontario, Canada

Authors: Ali R Tawfik-Shukor, Niek S Klazinga and Onyebuchi A Arah

Indian community health insurance schemes provide partial protection against catastrophic health expenditure

More than 72% of health expenditure in India is financed by individual households at the time of illness through out-of-pocket payments. This is a highly regressive way of financing health care and sometimes l...

Authors: Narayanan Devadasan, Bart Criel, Wim Van Damme, Kent Ranson and Patrick Van der Stuyft

Feasibility and results of a randomised pilot-study of pre-discharge occupational therapy home visits

Pre-discharge home visits aim to maximise independence in the community. These visits involve assessment of a person in their own home prior to discharge from hospital, typically by an occupational therapist. ...

Authors: Natasha Anne Lannin, Lindy Clemson, Annie McCluskey, Chung-Wei Christine Lin, Ian D Cameron and Sarah Barras

Equity in health services use and intensity of use in Canada

The Canadian health care system has striven to remove financial or other barriers to access to medically necessary health care services since the establishment of the Canada Health Act 20 years ago. Evidence h...

Authors: Yukiko Asada and George Kephart

Effects of residence and race on burden of travel for care: cross sectional analysis of the 2001 US National Household Travel Survey

Travel burden is a key element in conceptualizing geographic access to health care. Prior research has shown that both rural and minority populations bear disproportionate travel burdens. However, many studies...

Authors: Janice C Probst, Sarah B Laditka, Jong-Yi Wang and Andrew O Johnson

Drug treatment program patients' hepatitis C virus (HCV) education needs and their use of available HCV education services

In spite of the disproportionate prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among drug users, many remain uninformed or misinformed about the virus. Drug treatment programs are important sites of opportun...

Authors: Shiela M Strauss, Janetta Astone-Twerell, Corrine E Munoz-Plaza, Don C Des Jarlais, Marya Gwadz, Holly Hagan, Andrew Osborne and Andrew Rosenblum

Investigating the cost-effectiveness of videotelephone based support for newly diagnosed paediatric oncology patients and their families: design of a randomised controlled trial

Providing ongoing family centred support is an integral part of childhood cancer care. For families living in regional and remote areas, opportunities to receive specialist support are limited by the availabil...

Authors: Mark Bensink, Richard Wootton, Helen Irving, Andrew Hallahan, Deborah Theodoros, Trevor Russell, Paul Scuffham and Adrian G Barnett

Urban health insurance reform and coverage in China using data from National Health Services Surveys in 1998 and 2003

In 1997 there was a major reform of the government run urban health insurance system in China. The principal aims of the reform were to widen coverage of health insurance for the urban employed and contain med...

Authors: Ling Xu, Yan Wang, Charles D Collins and Shenglan Tang

Exercise on Prescription: trial protocol and evaluation of outcomes

In many countries exercise prescriptions are used in an attempt to initiate a physically active lifestyle in sedentary populations. Previous studies have primarily evaluated low intensive exercise prescription...

Authors: Jes B Sørensen, Jakob Kragstrup, Kirsten Kjær and Lis Puggaard

The costs and potential savings of a novel telepaediatric service in Queensland

There are few cost-minimisation studies in telemedicine. We have compared the actual costs of providing a telepaediatric service to the potential costs if patients had travelled to see the specialist in person.

Authors: Anthony C Smith, Paul Scuffham and Richard Wootton

Cost-effectiveness of collaborative care including PST and an antidepressant treatment algorithm for the treatment of major depressive disorder in primary care; a randomised clinical trial

Depressive disorder is currently one of the most burdensome disorders worldwide. Evidence-based treatments for depressive disorder are already available, but these are used insufficiently, and with less positi...

Authors: Marjoliek A IJff, Klaas ML Huijbregts, Harm WJ van Marwijk, Aartjan TF Beekman, Leona Hakkaart-van Roijen, Frans F Rutten, Jürgen Unützer and Christina M van der Feltz-Cornelis

Physiological-social score (PMEWS) vs. CURB-65 to triage pandemic influenza: a comparative validation study using community-acquired pneumonia as a proxy

An influenza pandemic may increase Emergency Department attendance 7-fold. In the absence of a validated "flu score" to assess severity and assist triage decisions from primary into secondary care, current UK ...

Authors: Kirsty Challen, John Bright, Andrew Bentley and Darren Walter

The acceptability of waiting times for elective general surgery and the appropriateness of prioritising patients

Problematic waiting lists in public health care threaten the equity and timeliness of care provision in several countries. This study assesses different stakeholders' views on the acceptability of waiting list...

Authors: Jurriaan P Oudhoff, Danielle RM Timmermans, Martin Rietberg, Dirk L Knol and Gerrit van der Wal

Willing to wait?: The influence of patient wait time on satisfaction with primary care

This study examined the relationship between patient waiting time and willingness to return for care and patient satisfaction ratings with primary care physicians.

Authors: Roger T Anderson, Fabian T Camacho and Rajesh Balkrishnan

The links between health-related behaviors and life satisfaction in elderly individuals who prefer institutional living

Life satisfaction among residents of institutions is becoming an important issue in a rapidly aging population. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the links between life satisfaction and ...

Authors: Serap Inal, Feryal Subasi, Serap M Ay and Osman Hayran

Randomised controlled trial of a psychiatric consultation model for treatment of common mental disorder in the occupational health setting

Common mental disorders are the most prevalent of all mental disorders, with the highest burden in terms of work absenteeism and utilization of health care services. Evidence-based treatments are available, bu...

Authors: Christina M van der Feltz-Cornelis, Jolanda AC Meeuwissen, Fransina J de Jong, Rob Hoedeman and Iman Elfeddali

Cost-effectiveness of collaborative care for chronically ill patients with comorbid depressive disorder in the general hospital setting, a randomised controlled trial

Depressive disorder is one of the most common disorders, and is highly prevalent in chronically ill patients. The presence of comorbid depression has a negative influence on quality of life, health care costs,...

Authors: Eva K Horn, Tjeerd B van Benthem, Leona Hakkaart-van Roijen, Harm WJ van Marwijk, Aartjan TF Beekman, Frans F Rutten and Christina M van der Feltz-Cornelis

Design of a retrospective patient record study on the occurrence of adverse events among patients in Dutch hospitals

Various international studies have shown that a substantial number of patients suffer from injuries or even die as a result of care delivered in hospitals. The occurrence of injuries among patients caused by h...

Authors: Marieke Zegers, Martine C de Bruijne, Cordula Wagner, Peter P Groenewegen, Roelof Waaijman and Gerrit van der Wal

Use frequency of traditional Chinese medicine in Taiwan

Use of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), an important category of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), has increased substantially in Western countries during the past decade. Use of TCM is also wid...

Authors: Fang-Pey Chen, Tzeng-Ji Chen, Yen-Ying Kung, Yu-Chun Chen, Li-Fang Chou, Fan-Jou Chen and Shinn-Jang Hwang

Comparing health system performance assessment and management approaches in the Netherlands and Ontario, Canada

Given the proliferation and the growing complexity of performance measurement initiatives in many health systems, the Netherlands and Ontario, Canada expressed interests in cross-national comparisons in an eff...

Authors: Ali R Tawfik-Shukor, Niek S Klazinga and Onyebuchi A Arah

The federal government commissioner for patient issues in Germany: initial analysis of the user inquiries

The political objective in many countries worldwide is to give better consideration to the interests of patients within the health system. The establishment of a federal government commissioner for the issues ...

Authors: Nils Schneider, Marie-Luise Dierks, Gabriele Seidel and Friedrich W Schwartz

Captured voices in cancer: experiences from networking between individuals with experiential and professional knowledge

Patients needs and experiences attract increasing attention within health care. In order to generate knowledge about the voices that emerge from collaborative experiences between members of patient association...

Authors: Christina Carlsson, Kerstin Segesten, Mef Nilbert and Kerstin Nilsson

Managed care and patient ratings of the quality of specialty care among patients with pain or depressive symptoms

Managed care efforts to regulate access to specialists and reduce costs may lower quality of care. Few studies have examined whether managed care is associated with patient perceptions of the quality of care p...

Authors: David Grembowski, David Paschane, Paula Diehr, Wayne Katon, Diane Martin and Donald L Patrick

Geographical variation in radiological services: a nationwide survey

Geographical variation in health care services challenges the basic principle of fair allocation of health care resources. This study aimed to investigate geographical variation in the use of X-ray, CT, MRI an...

Authors: Kristin Bakke Lysdahl and Ingelin Børretzen

Quality or equality? The Norwegian experience with medical monopolies

In order to maintain both quality and efficiency of health services in a small country with a scattered population, Norway established a monopoly system for 38 highly specialized medical services. The geograph...

Authors: Knut Rasmussen and Dag Bratlid

General practice cooperatives: long waiting times for home visits due to long distances?

The introduction of large-scale out-of-hours GP cooperatives has led to questions about increased distances between the GP cooperatives and the homes of patients and the increasing waiting times for home visit...

Authors: Paul Giesen, Nieke van Lin, Henk Mokkink, Wil van den Bosch and Richard Grol

Record linkage research and informed consent: who consents?

Linking computerized health insurance records with routinely collected survey data is becoming increasingly popular in health services research. However, if consent is not universal, the requirement of written...

Authors: Nicole Huang, Shu-Fang Shih, Hsing-Yi Chang and Yiing-Jenq Chou

Effective healthcare teams require effective team members: defining teamwork competencies

Although effective teamwork has been consistently identified as a requirement for enhanced clinical outcomes in the provision of healthcare, there is limited knowledge of what makes health professionals effect...

Authors: Sandra G Leggat

Day care cataract surgery in Central and Southern Italy: a multicentric survey

Cataract day surgery has rapidly gained worldwide acceptance, because the new surgical techniques and costs are generally lower than those involved in ordinary hospitalization. Cataract surgery serves as a pro...

Authors: Salvatore Cillino, Alessandra Casuccio, Francesco Di Pace, Francesco Pillitteri, Giovanni Cillino and Gaetano Lodato

Cultural competence in mental health care: a review of model evaluations

Cultural competency is now a core requirement for mental health professionals working with culturally diverse patient groups. Cultural competency training may improve the quality of mental health care for ethn...

Authors: Kamaldeep Bhui, Nasir Warfa, Patricia Edonya, Kwame McKenzie and Dinesh Bhugra

Progress towards early detection services for infants with hearing loss in developing countries

Early detection of infants with permanent hearing loss through infant hearing screening is recognised and routinely offered as a vital component of early childhood care in developed countries. This article inv...

Authors: Bolajoko O Olusanya, De Wet Swanepoel, Mônica J Chapchap, Salvador Castillo, Hamed Habib, Siti Z Mukari, Norberto V Martinez, Hung-Ching Lin and Bradley McPherson

Estimation of the real population and its impact on the utilisation of healthcare services in Mediterranean resort regions: an ecological study

The demographic structure has a significant influence on the use of healthcare services, as does the size of the population denominators. Very few studies have been published on methods for estimating the real...

Authors: Emilio Perea-Milla, Sergi Mari Pons, Francisco Rivas-Ruiz, Anna Gallofre, Enrique Navarro Jurado, Marco A Navarro Ales, Alberto Jimenez-Puente, Fidel Fernandez-Nieto, Joan C March Cerda, Manuel Carrasco, Lydia Martin, Damian Lopez Cano, Gonzalo E Gutierrez, Rafael Cortes Macías and Jose A Garcia-Ruiz

Methods for dealing with discrepant records in linked population health datasets: a cross-sectional study

Linked population health data are increasingly used in epidemiological studies. If data items are reported on more than one dataset, data linkage can reduce the under-ascertainment associated with many populat...

Authors: Christine L Roberts, Charles S Algert and Jane B Ford

Resource allocation within the National AIDS Control Program of Pakistan: a qualitative assessment of decision maker's opinions

Limited resources, whether public or private, demand prioritisation among competing needs to maximise productivity. With a substantial increase in the number of reported HIV cases, little work has been done to...

Authors: Sara Husain, Masood Kadir and Zafar Fatmi

Effect of an antepartum Pap smear on the coverage of a cervical cancer screening programme: a population-based prospective study

Almost one-third of Norwegian women aged 25–69 years invited to have a Pap smear do not attend during the recommended period, and thus constitute a population with high-risk of cervical cancer (CC). Since the ...

Authors: Mari Nygård, Anne-Kjersti Daltveit, Steinar Ø Thoresen and Jan F Nygård

Impact of immigration on the cost of emergency visits in Barcelona (Spain)

The impact of immigration on health services utilisation has been analysed by several studies performed in countries with lower levels of immigration than Spain. These studies indicate that health services uti...

Authors: Francesc Cots, Xavier Castells, Oscar García, Marta Riu, Aida Felipe and Oriol Vall

Use of patient flow analysis to improve patient visit efficiency by decreasing wait time in a primary care-based disease management programs for anticoagulation and chronic pain: a quality improvement study

Patients with chronic conditions require frequent care visits. Problems can arise during several parts of the patient visit that decrease efficiency, making it difficult to effectively care for high volumes of...

Authors: Nicholas M Potisek, Robb M Malone, Betsy Bryant Shilliday, Timothy J Ives, Paul R Chelminski, Darren A DeWalt and Michael P Pignone

HEE-GER: a systematic review of German economic evaluations of health care published 1990–2004

Studies published in non-English languages are systematically missing in systematic reviews of growth and quality of economic evaluations of health care. The aims of this study were: to characterize German eva...

Authors: David LB Schwappach and Till A Boluarte

Exploring the effects of telehealth on medical human resources supply: a qualitative case study in remote regions

The availability of medical human resource supply is a growing concern for rural and remote communities in many countries. In the last decade, various telehealth experiences in Canada have highlighted the pote...

Authors: Marie-Pierre Gagnon, Julie Duplantie, Jean-Paul Fortin and Réjean Landry

Attainment of clinical performance targets and improvement in clinical outcomes and resource use in hemodialysis care: a prospective cohort study

Clinical performance targets are intended to improve patient outcomes in chronic disease through quality improvement, but evidence of an association between multiple target attainment and patient outcomes in r...

Authors: Laura C Plantinga, Nancy E Fink, Bernard G Jaar, John H Sadler, Nathan W Levin, Josef Coresh, Michael J Klag and Neil R Powe

Motives and preferences of general practitioners for new collaboration models with medical specialists: a qualitative study

Collaboration between general practitioners (GPs) and specialists has been the focus of many collaborative care projects during the past decade. Unfortunately, quite a number of these projects failed. This rai...

Authors: Annette J Berendsen, Wim HGM Benneker, Betty Meyboom-de Jong, Niek S Klazinga and Jan Schuling

Development of a series of patient information leaflets for constipation using a range of cognitive interview techniques: LIFELAX

The aim of the LIFELAX randomised controlled trial (diet and lifestyle vs. laxatives in the management of chronic constipation) is to develop and evaluate a cost effective intervention to promote diet and lifesty...

Authors: Amelia A Lake, Chris Speed, Anna Brookes, Ben Heaven, Ashley J Adamson, Paula Moynihan, Sally Corbett and Elaine McColl

Protocol for the Smoking, Nicotine and Pregnancy (SNAP) trial: double-blind, placebo-randomised, controlled trial of nicotine replacement therapy in pregnancy

Smoking in pregnancy remains a public health challenge. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is effective for smoking cessation in non-pregnant people, but because women metabolise nicotine and cotinine much fas...

Authors: Tim Coleman, Jim Thornton, John Britton, Sarah Lewis, Kim Watts, Michael WH Coughtrie, Clare Mannion, Neil Marlow and Christine Godfrey

The value of health care – a matter of discussion in Germany

Interest in assessing the value of health-care services in Germany has considerably increased since the foundation of the Institut für Qualität und Wirtschaftlichkeit im Gesundheitswesen, IQWiG (Institute for ...

Authors: Franz Porzsolt, Moritz Ackermann and Volker Amelung

Illness-related behaviour and utilization of oral health services among adult city-dwellers in Burkina Faso: evidence from a household survey

In sub-Saharan Africa, the availability and accessibility of oral health services are seriously constrained and the provision of essential oral care is limited. Reports from the region show a very low utilizat...

Authors: Benoît Varenne, Poul Erik Petersen, Florence Fournet, Philippe Msellati, Jean Gary, Seydou Ouattara, Maud Harang and Gérard Salem

CESAR: conventional ventilatory support vs extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for severe adult respiratory failure

An estimated 350 adults develop severe, but potentially reversible respiratory failure in the UK annually. Current management uses intermittent positive pressure ventilation, but barotrauma, volutrauma and oxy...

Authors: Giles J Peek, Felicity Clemens, Diana Elbourne, Richard Firmin, Pollyanna Hardy, Clare Hibbert, Hilliary Killer, Miranda Mugford, Mariamma Thalanany, Ravin Tiruvoipati, Ann Truesdale and Andrew Wilson

Functional status decline as a measure of adverse events in home health care: an observational study

Research that examines the quality of home health care is complex because no gold standard exists for measuring adverse outcomes, and because the patient and clinician populations are highly heterogeneous. The...

Authors: Tanya Pollack Scharpf, Natalie Colabianchi, Elizabeth A Madigan, Duncan Neuhauser, Timothy Peng, Penny H Feldman and John FP Bridges

ICD-10 coding algorithms for defining comorbidities of acute myocardial infarction

With the introduction of ICD-10 throughout Canada, it is important to ensure that Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) comorbidities employed in risk adjustment methods remain valid and robust. Therefore, we deve...

Authors: Lawrence So, Dewey Evans and Hude Quan