06 Jan 09 00:40 | MichaelSheehan said regarding UAMSSmokeFreeToolkit:
I circulated this to the QI and admin staff at my facility and will use it to help get our organization smoke free in 2009.

19 Dec 08 11:00 | NattawanL said regarding ResearchReport10019:
Useful information to help with the use of rapid flu testing in your practice.

15 Oct 08 08:32 | SheldonCampbell said regarding RapidTestingForInfluenza? :
Am I missing something, or is very little happening on this site? What research is taking place?

15 Oct 08 08:30 | SheldonCampbell said regarding RapidTestingForInfluenza? :
What's meant by 'rapid influenza tests do not provide new influenza isolates to the public health system' is that non-culture methods such as rapid tests don't help in surveillance for new strains, which occur each year. This is also an issue with the new generation of molecular influenza tests which is replacing culture methods.

While I agree with your comments on the technical quality of rapid tests; they lack sensitivity and specificity versus better lab-based methods; they do provide more accurate diagnosis than clinical impression does in settings where no better test is available.

Definitely shouldn't be used outside of the flu season, though.

11 Sep 08 15:09 | FrancesTyrrell said regarding RapidTestingForInfluenza? :
I'm not sure what is meant by "Although rapid influenza tests do not provide new influenza isolates to the public health system"..does this mean rapid influenzae tests do not provide information on or diagnosis of novel influenzae viruses to public health practitioners? And I'm not sure that one could argue that they provide "more accurate influenzae diagnoses". More accurate than what? During times of low prevalence, rapid influenzae tests are of low predictive value, and positives need to be confirmed. The limitations of rapid testing need to be emphasized here.

10 Sep 08 19:07 | JebBrown said regarding OutcomeInformedCareProcesses:
The Professional Affairs Committee of the Oregon Psychological Association, under the leadership of Julie D. Frederick, PhD? , is encouraging psychologists in Oregon to join a work group to evaluate the evidence for outcomes informed care. Here is an excerpt from the email sent to OPA members:

• "We need volunteers with special interest or expertise to conduct an in-depth analysis. If you have complained about insurance companies implementing programs without provider input, this is your chance to provide input! We are looking for both fans and skeptics of outcomes measurement. If you loved Scott Miller's presentation at the 2007 OPA Conference, or if you hate the idea of asking your clients to fill out evaluation forms every week, please volunteer. We are looking especially for psychologists with expertise in psychometrics and program design."

Dr. Frederick is to be congratulated for her leadership in addresses these important concerns, and I hope that her work group will share their findings on this forum.

15 Aug 08 21:36 | JebBrown said regarding OutcomeInformedCareProcesses:
How strong is the evidence?
A significant number of nationally recognized psychotherapy researchers believe that the evidence that outcomes informed care is in the best interest of patients. I believe that the evidence is significantly strong that the burden of proof is on opponents of outcomes informed care projects to demonstrate that their position is not potentially detrimental to patient welfare. I know I am being provocative. I am inviting an open and spirited dialog from all interested parties.

05 Jul 08 10:03 | JosephineNwachukwu said regarding MedicationReconciliation? :
how can one deal with medication reconciliation in home health setting especially wiht those patient that has more than one physician prescribing medicine for them?. Any tool out there to help?

14 Jun 08 14:03 | FaonRodriguez said regarding NewImprovementTopicIndexDiscussion:
ER-TAT No national standards for ED turnaround time
SCOPE: To survey the field and build a database with quality information on ER-TAT. We would like to survey: 1-What clinical laboratory tests are being monitored? 2-Under what conditions: Ordered to Received, Received to Resulted or Total= Ordered to Resulted?. 3-What are the expected thresholds and goals for each time frame. 4-How do other hospitals measure outliers? 5-Are they measured separately especially when a CKMB or Troponin becomes an oulier when they get ordered along with a basic metabolic panel. 6-From the montly ER-TAT data, where do other hospitals see the need for improvement? Is it from ORDERED-TO-RECEIVED, or from RECEIVED-TO-RESULTED? 7-What is being done to correct it? 8-What controls TAT besides methodology and transportation?

12 Jun 08 17:59 | SharonHuskey said regarding MedicationReconciliation? :
Radiology Med Rec
how are you dealing with med rec in radiology?