Articles

Staffing remote rural areas in middle- and low-income countries: A literature review of attraction and retention

Many countries in middle- and low-income countries today suffer from severe staff shortages and/or maldistribution of health personnel which has been aggravated more recently by the disintegration of health sy...

Authors: Uta Lehmann, Marjolein Dieleman and Tim Martineau

Opinions on registering trial details: a survey of academic researchers

The World Health Organization (WHO) has established a set of items related to study design and administrative information that should build the minimum set of data in a study register. A more comprehensive dat...

Authors: Martin Scherer and Sven Trelle

Availability of supplies and motivations for accessing voluntary HIV counseling and testing services in Blantyre, Malawi

HIV counseling and testing is an important intervention in the prevention, control and management of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Counseling and testing can be an entry point for prevention, care an...

Authors: Bwanali H Jereni and Adamson S Muula

Prescription of respiratory medication without an asthma diagnosis in children: a population based study

In pre-school children a diagnosis of asthma is not easily made and only a minority of wheezing children will develop persistent atopic asthma. According to the general consensus a diagnosis of asthma becomes ...

Authors: Mira GP Zuidgeest, Liset van Dijk, Henriette A Smit, Johannes C van der Wouden, Bert Brunekreef, Hubert GM Leufkens and Madelon Bracke

An inter-country comparison of unofficial payments: results of a health sector social audit in the Baltic States

Cross-country comparisons of unofficial payments in the health sector are sparse. In 2002 we conducted a social audit of the health sector of the three Baltic States.

Authors: Anne Cockcroft, Neil Andersson, Sergio Paredes-Solís, Dawn Caldwell, Steve Mitchell, Deborah Milne, Serge Merhi, Melissa Roche, Elena Konceviciute and Robert J Ledogar

Co- and multimorbidity patterns in primary care based on episodes of care: results from the German CONTENT project

Due to technological progress and improvements in medical care and health policy the average age of patients in primary care is continuously growing. In equal measure, an increasing proportion of mostly elderl...

Authors: Gunter Laux, Thomas Kuehlein, Thomas Rosemann and Joachim Szecsenyi

Profiling quality of care for patients with chronic headache in three different German hospitals – a case study

Legal requirements for quality assurance in German rehabilitation hospitals include comparisons of providers. Objective is to describe and to compare outcome quality of care offered by three hospitals providin...

Authors: Dieter Melchart, Anne Wessel, Ronald Brand, Stefan Hager and Wolfgang Weidenhammer

Risk adjustment performance of Charlson and Elixhauser comorbidities in ICD-9 and ICD-10 administrative databases

The performance of the Charlson and Elixhauser comorbidity measures in predicting patient outcomes have been well validated with ICD-9 data but not with ICD-10 data, especially in disease specific patient coho...

Authors: Bing Li, Dewey Evans, Peter Faris, Stafford Dean and Hude Quan

Developing the content of two behavioural interventions: Using theory-based interventions to promote GP management of upper respiratory tract infection without prescribing antibiotics #1

Evidence shows that antibiotics have limited effectiveness in the management of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) yet GPs continue to prescribe antibiotics. Implementation research does not currently pr...

Authors: Susan Hrisos, Martin Eccles, Marie Johnston, Jill Francis, Eileen FS Kaner, Nick Steen and Jeremy Grimshaw

An intervention modelling experiment to change GPs' intentions to implement evidence-based practice: using theory-based interventions to promote GP management of upper respiratory tract infection without prescribing antibiotics #2

Psychological theories of behaviour may provide a framework to guide the design of interventions to change professional behaviour. Behaviour change interventions, designed using psychological theory and target...

Authors: Susan Hrisos, Martin Eccles, Marie Johnston, Jill Francis, Eileen FS Kaner, Nick Steen and Jeremy Grimshaw

Improving patient adherence to lifestyle advice (IMPALA): a cluster-randomised controlled trial on the implementation of a nurse-led intervention for cardiovascular risk management in primary care (protocol)

Many patients at high risk of cardiovascular diseases are managed and monitored in general practice. Recommendations for cardiovascular risk management, including lifestyle change, are clearly described in the...

Authors: Marije S Koelewijn-van Loon, Ben van Steenkiste, Gaby Ronda, Michel Wensing, Henri E Stoffers, Glyn Elwyn, Richard Grol and Trudy van der Weijden

Primary care physician supply and other key determinants of health care utilisation: the case of Switzerland

The Swiss government decided to freeze new accreditations for physicians in private practice in Switzerland based on the assumption that demand-induced health care spending may be cut by limiting care offers. ...

Authors: André Busato and Beat Künzi

The road to tuberculosis treatment in rural Nepal: A qualitative assessment of 26 journeys

The fact that tuberculosis can be treated with the DOTS strategy (Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course) is not enough to control the disease. Patients have to find their way to tuberculosis treatment firs...

Authors: Augustinus HA ten Asbroek, Merijn W Bijlsma, Puspha Malla, Binjwala Shrestha and Diana MJ Delnoij

The potential to improve ascertainment and intervention to reduce smoking in Primary Care: a cross sectional survey

Well established clinical guidelines recommend that systematic ascertainment of smoking status and intervention to promote cessation in all smokers should be a fundamental component of all health care provisio...

Authors: Rachael L Murray, Tim Coleman, Marilyn Antoniak, Alexia Fergus, John Britton and Sarah A Lewis

Professional centred shared decision making: Patient decision aids in practicein primary care

Patient decision aids are increasingly regarded as important components of clinical practice that enable shared decision making (SDM) and evidence based patient choice. Despite broad acceptance of their value,...

Authors: Duika Burges Watson, Richard G Thomson and Madeleine J Murtagh

Cost-effectiveness of the Australian Medical Sheepskin for the prevention of pressure ulcers in somatic nursing home patients: study protocol for a prospective multi-centre randomised controlled trial (ISRCTN17553857)

Pressure ulcers are a major problem, especially in nursing home patients, although they are regarded as preventable and there are many pressure relieving methods and materials. One such pressure relieving mate...

Authors: Patriek Mistiaen, Wilco Achterberg, Andre Ament, Ruud Halfens, Janneke Huizinga, Ken Montgomery, Henri Post and Anneke L Francke

Screening for inter-hospital differences in cesarean section rates in low-risk deliveries using administrative data: An initiative to improve the quality of care

Rising national cesarean section rates (CSRs) and unexplained inter-hospital differences in CSRs, led national and international bodies to select CSR as a quality indicator. Using hospital discharge abstracts,...

Authors: Willem Aelvoet, Francis Windey, Geert Molenberghs, Hans Verstraelen, Patrick Van Reempts and Jean-Michel Foidart

Advancing theories, models and measurement for an interprofessional approach to shared decision making in primary care: a study protocol

Shared decision-making (SDM) is defined as a process by which a healthcare choice is made by practitioners together with the patient. Although many diagnostic and therapeutic processes in primary care integrat...

Authors: France Légaré, Dawn Stacey, Ian D Graham, Glyn Elwyn, Pierre Pluye, Marie-Pierre Gagnon, Dominick Frosch, Margaret B Harrison, Jennifer Kryworuchko, Sophie Pouliot and Sophie Desroches

Dental service patterns among private and public adult patients in Australia

While the majority of dental care in Australia is provided in the private sector those patients who attend for public care remain a public health focus due to their socioeconomic disadvantage. The aims of this...

Authors: David S Brennan, Liana Luzzi and Kaye F Roberts-Thomson

Obesity and pre-hypertension in family medicine: Implications for quality improvement

Prevention of pre-hypertension is an important goal for primary care patients. Obesity is a risk factor for hypertension, but has not been addressed for pre-hypertension in primary care populations. The object...

Authors: James E Rohrer, Gregory J Anderson and Joseph W Furst

Oral health service utilization by elderly beneficiaries of the Mexican Institute of Social Security in México city

The aging population poses a challenge to Mexican health services. The aim of this study is to describe recent oral health services utilization and its association with socio-demographic characteristics and co...

Authors: Sergio Sánchez-García, Javier de la Fuente-Hernández, Teresa Juárez-Cedillo, José Manuel Ortega Mendoza, Hortensia Reyes-Morales, Fortino Solórzano-Santos and Carmen García-Peña

Resource allocation of in vitro fertilization: a nationwide register-based cohort study

Infertility is common and in vitro fertilization (IVF) is a widely used treatment. In IVF the need increases and the effectiveness and appropriateness decrease by age. The purpose of this study was to describe...

Authors: Reija Klemetti, Mika Gissler, Tiina Sevón and Elina Hemminki

Process skill rather than motor skill seems to be a predictor of costs for rehabilitation after a stroke in working age; a longitudinal study with a 1 year follow up post discharge

In recent years a number of costs of stroke studies have been conducted based on incidence or prevalence and estimating costs at a given time. As there still is a need for a deeper understanding of factors inf...

Authors: Ann Björkdahl and Katharina Stibrant Sunnerhagen

Human resources requirements for highly active antiretroviral therapy scale-up in Malawi

Twelve percent of the adult population in Malawi is estimated to be HIV infected. About 15% to 20% of these are in need of life saving antiretroviral therapy. The country has a public sector-led antiretroviral...

Authors: Adamson S Muula, John Chipeta, Seter Siziya, Emmanuel Rudatsikira, Ronald H Mataya and Edward Kataika

The development of a theory-based intervention to promote appropriate disclosure of a diagnosis of dementia

The development and description of interventions to change professional practice are often limited by the lack of an explicit theoretical and empirical basis. We set out to develop an intervention to promote a...

Authors: Robbie Foy, Jillian J Francis, Marie Johnston, Martin Eccles, Jan Lecouturier, Claire Bamford and Jeremy Grimshaw

The Internet for weight control in an obese sample: results of a randomised controlled trial

Rising levels of obesity coupled with the limited success of currently available weight control methods highlight the need for investigation of novel approaches to obesity treatment. This study aims to determi...

Authors: Áine McConnon, Sara FL Kirk, Jennie E Cockroft, Emma L Harvey, Darren C Greenwood, James D Thomas, Joan K Ransley and Laura Bojke

'I believe that the staff have reduced their closeness to patients': an exploratory study on the impact of HIV/AIDS on staff in four rural hospitals in Uganda

Staff shortages could harm the provision and quality of health care in Uganda, so staff retention and motivation are crucial. Understanding the impact of HIV/AIDS on staff contributes to designing appropriate ...

Authors: Marjolein Dieleman, Vincent Bwete, Everd Maniple, Mirjam Bakker, Grace Namaganda, John Odaga and Gert Jan van der Wilt

Use of comparative data for integrated cancer services

Comparative data are an important resource for management of integrated care. In 2001, the English Department of Health created 34 cancer networks, broadly serving populations of half to three million people, ...

Authors: Dawn L Wilkinson and Mark McCarthy

Imparting carrier status results detected by universal newborn screening for sickle cell and cystic fibrosis in England: a qualitative study of current practice and policy challenges

Universal newborn screening for early detection of children affected by sickle cell disorders and cystic fibrosis is currently being implemented across England. Parents of infants identified as carriers of the...

Authors: Hilda Parker, Nadeem Qureshi, Fiona Ulph and Joe Kai

Validation of a method for identifying nursing home admissions using administrative claims

Currently there is no standard algorithm to identify whether a subject is residing in a nursing home from administrative claims. Our objective was to develop and validate an algorithm that identifies nursing h...

Authors: Ilene H Zuckerman, Masayo Sato, Van Doren Hsu and Jose J Hernandez

Physicians' migration in Europe: an overview of the current situation

The migration of medical professionals as a result of the expansion of the European Union is cause for concern. But there is a significant lack of information available about this phenomenon.

Authors: Miguel A García-Pérez, Carlos Amaya and Ángel Otero

Databases as policy instruments. About extending networks as evidence-based policy

This article seeks to identify the role of databases in health policy. Access to information and communication technologies has changed traditional relationships between the state and professionals, creating n...

Authors: Antoinette de Bont, Herman Stoevelaar and Roland Bal

Hospital admission patterns subsequent to diagnosis of type 1 diabetes in children : a systematic review

Patients with type 1 diabetes are known to have a higher hospital admission rate than the underlying population and may also be admitted for procedures that would normally be carried out on a day surgery basis...

Authors: Val C Angus and Norman Waugh

Hospital outpatient perceptions of the physical environment of waiting areas: the role of patient characteristics on atmospherics in one academic medical center

This study examines hospital outpatient perceptions of the physical environment of the outpatient waiting areas in one medical center. The relationship of patient characteristics and their perceptions and need...

Authors: Chun-Yen Tsai, Mu-Chia Wang, Wei-Tsen Liao, Jui-Heng Lu, Pi-hung Sun, Blossom Yen-Ju Lin and Gerald-Mark Breen

Improvement of psychometric properties of a scale measuring inpatient satisfaction with care: a better response rate and a reduction of the ceiling effect

The objective was to solve two problems of an already validated scale measuring inpatient opinion on care: 1) a high non-response rate for some items due to the "not applicable" response option and 2) a skewed...

Authors: Leïla Moret, Jean-Michel Nguyen, Nathalie Pillet, Bruno Falissard, Pierre Lombrail and Isabelle Gasquet

Capacity management of nursing staff as a vehicle for organizational improvement

Capacity management systems create insight into required resources like staff and equipment. For inpatient hospital care, capacity management requires information on beds and nursing staff capacity, on a daily...

Authors: Sylvia G Elkhuizen, Gert Bor, Marjolein Smeenk, Niek S Klazinga and Piet JM Bakker

Selecting process quality indicators for the integrated care of vulnerable older adults affected by cognitive impairment or dementia

This study aimed at evaluating face and content validity, feasibility and reliability of process quality indicators developed previously in the United States or other countries. The indicators can be used to e...

Authors: Edeltraut Kröger, André Tourigny, Diane Morin, Lise Côté, Marie-Jeanne Kergoat, Paule Lebel, Line Robichaud, Shirley Imbeault, Solange Proulx and Zohra Benounissa

Effects of insurance status on children's access to specialty care: a systematic review of the literature

The current climate of rising health care costs has led many health insurance programs to limit benefits, which may be problematic for children needing specialty care. Findings from pediatric primary care may ...

Authors: Asheley Cockrell Skinner and Michelle L Mayer

The effect of priority setting decisions for new cancer drugs on medical oncologists' practice in Ontario: a qualitative study

Health care policies, including drug-funding policies, influence physician practice. Funding policies are especially important in the area of cancer care since cancer is a leading cause of death that is respon...

Authors: Scott R Berry, Stacey Hubay, Hagit Soibelman and Douglas K Martin

Case mix adjusting short stay inpatient mental health episodes

Authors: Jason Sutherland and Kevin Yu

Patient based patterns of morbidity, a 17 year follow-up on patient records in primary care in Sweden

Authors: Lennart Carlsson, U Börjesson and GH Nilsson

Maximizing the explanation of cost and LOS variation while minimizing the effects of coding

Authors: Darren Gerson and Sheril Perry

Performance indicators in Swedish Health Care

Authors: Mona Heurgren, Anders Åberg, Max Köster and Rickad Ljung

New approach to grouping newborn/neonatal patients

Authors: Craig Homan, Sandra Mitchell and Holly Bartoli

The effect of medical needs to the disability based patient classification system – a critical review of disability based patient classification

Authors: Jiro Okochi and Tai Takahashi

Validating the Nordic assessment system/NASS – to the grouping of rehabilitation patients

Authors: Tuula Talvinko and Martti Virtanen

Developing casemix classifications for rehabilitation in the UK

Authors: Lynne Turner-Stokes

Casemix adjustment for outpatient service: a tool for resource allocation of social security population in Thailand

Authors: Nilawan Upakdee, Supasit Pannarunothai, Thaworn Sakunphanit and Rangsima Preechachard

Implementing a provincial case mix adjusted funding model for inpatient rehabilitation activity: the impact on bed designations

Authors: Jan Walker and Jason Sutherland

The Dutch experience: reciprocal influences between (socio-)political processes and casemix systems

Authors: Anna van Poucke