摘要:

A crossover randomized controlled trial of cycles of quality assurance in 16 primary care (8 medical, 8 pediatric) group practices was conducted. Of four medical and four pediatric tasks important to patient outcome, two were randomly assigned to experimental intervention (a quality assurance cycle), and two were also measured and used as blinded controls for each medical or pediatric group practice. Task performance was measured in each group for 12 months prior to, 9 months during, and 9 months after the experimental intervention, using as a performance score the percentage of evaluation criteria failed of those applicable to a case. As a result of quality assurance intervention, quality of performance was significantly improved in two of the tasks (P<0.0001, with 6.7, and 9.8 percentage points improvement), and marginally improved in one task (P=0.06, 5.7 percentage points improvement). Surprisingly, tasks with lower perceived effect on patient health (low physician motivation) had greater improvement in quality. Unimproved tasks were associated with the perceived need for delivery system changes beyond the immediate control of the individual practitioner.

ISSN:0025-7079    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1985

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

In a longitudinal, prospective study of patient's decisions about influenza vaccination, the stability of attitudes about the flu and flu shots, the stability of flu shot decisions, and the relationship of attitude shifts to compliance were studied. In both 1981 and 1982 for 216 patients at high risk for complications of influenza, attitudes about 15 issues in the decision to obtain a flu shot were measured and each patient's behavioral intention and flu shot behavior ascertained. From one year to the other, 53% of patients had at least two substantial attitude shifts, yet 91% of patients expressed the same behavioral intention, and 85% of patients had the same flu shot behavior. Reversals in flu shot decisions were closely related to shifts in attitudes concerning side effects of the flu shot, an association that was supported by other findings, including a marked difference in prevalence of previous side effects in shot takers (11%) versus nontakers (60%). The results suggest: 1) intention reversals were less frequent than, attitude shifts because only specific attitude changes about flu shots were associated with reversals, and 2) interventions that induce positive attitude changes, especially about the side effects of flu shots, should be effective in improving flu shot compliance.

ISSN:0025-7079    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1985

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

This paper presents a new approach to the classification of ambulatory care into isoresource consumption groups. In contrast to classification schemes based on visits, this case-mix approach creates an index based on resources used by diagnostic categories by a patient during a year. An application of this method to a primary care, group practice data base produced resource consumption groups with coefficients of variation in an acceptable range compared with the coefficients of variation of the diagnosis-related groups used to classify inpatient care.

ISSN:0025-7079    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1985

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

From March through June 1983 the almost 8,000 physicians in the public sector in Israel were on strike. While emergency hospital care was assured, primary care options were severely limited, and the Alternative Medical Service set up by the Israel Medical Association involved a significant payment at the time of visit. This constituted a radical change from the nocharge physician care regularly provided to the insured population in the community clinics. A study was conducted in the third month of the strike to assess the utilization of care for children. The results of interviews with 253 families registered in eight Sick Fund clinics showed that the majority of parents who reported a child's illness did not defer seeking care. The first sources of care were the nurses in the community clinic and the hospital emergency room, while care from physicians working privately was used to the same extent as the Alternative Medical Centers. These results indicate that the relatively high utilization patterns of this population were not significantly changed. Differences in the first source of care by clinic suggest that socioeconomic factors and the availability of the various options are related to use in each area. These factors, as well as the threshold for seeking care and the influence of selection, should be examined in more detail to develop appropriate utilization patterns and a more rational use of resources.

ISSN:0025-7079    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1985

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

Individual Practice Associations (IPAs) must be able to recruit physicians from the community to compete in the future. This article reports the results of a study to assess the factors that influenced physicians in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina to join a primary care network type of IPA. Results indicate that physicians with lower incomes and fewer physician visits and those who were newly established in the community were more likely to join. Peers had a strong influence on their decisions, while Blue Cross/Blue Shield marketing representatives did not.

ISSN:0025-7079    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1985

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

This study used life table analysis techniques to evaluate the daily charges generated for diagnostic tests, procedures, and therapies for a sample of patients without regard to diagnosis and for patients with a primary diagnosis of congestive heart failure. The study indicated that about 50% of all ancillary services ordered are accumulated by the 5th day of stay and 75% by the 9th day. Length-of-stay review (LOS) undertaken after the 9th day, therefore, affects only 25% of tests and treatments. A method is proposed to generate data useful for reviewing the diagnostic tests, procedures, and therapies ordered during the early days of a patient's hospital stay. This approach has relevence for cost control under the new diagnosis-related groups reimbursement plan.

ISSN:0025-7079    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1985

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

Although special residency programs preparing internists for primary care have been in existence for a decade, little is known about whether these tracks have achieved their goals. As part of a multicenter evaluation of ambulatory care at four university hospitals, 1,040 patient care encounters were reviewed for 16 primary-care and 41 traditional medicine residents. Using a chart-based audit, the authors examined 16 discrete items of patient care to assess resident management in the following areas: screening for colorectal carcinoma, management of hypertension, benzodiazepine drug prescribing, and management of chronic lung disease. Their hypothesis that primary care residents would score higher than traditional medicine residents in the areas of screening, prevention, and prescribing of drugs was not supported. There was no association between type of training and performance of a task with the following exception: second-year primary care residents screened for colorectal carcinoma in 86% (126) of patients whose charts were audited, while second-year traditional medicine residents did so in 77% (160) (P<0.025). This difference was not maintained when the residents were reaudited 1 year later. Both groups of residents scored high in all areas with the following exceptions: documentation of the amount of sedative dispensed and immunization of susceptible patients against pneumococcus and influenza. The ambulatory practices of both groups of residents exceeded expectations, probably because of the wider influence of primary care training.

ISSN:0025-7079    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1985

数据来源: OVID

摘要:

Given the wide usage and proven value of the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) in rating severity of trauma, it is essential that certain reliability issues concerning its application be resolved. This article describes a study designed to address these reliability issues. Each of 15 raters with varying qualifications was asked to identify AIS code injuries sustained by 375 trauma patients admitted to four Baltimore area hospitals. Results showed that as a group, physicians and nurses tend to be more reliable in their ratings than either emergency medical technicians (EMTs) or nonclinical technicians, although a research assistant who is well trained in AIS coding and is a diligent worker can use the AIS to code severity as reliably as the physicians when sufficient information is provided in the medical chart. Reliability of AIS scoring was somewhat higher for blunt (vehicular and nonvehicular) versus penetrating injuries.

ISSN:0025-7079    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1985

数据来源: OVID

ISSN:0025-7079    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1985

数据来源: OVID

ISSN:0025-7079    

出版商:OVID    

年代:1985

数据来源: OVID