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The means by which prions cause neuropathologic damage remains to be established.
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The MATCH data provide quite strong evidence that the clopidogrel-aspirin combination is a less favorable option than previously thought, but its use may not be completely contraindicated.
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The first part of this series reviews cervical spine immobilization, patient selection for imaging and clinical decision rules for cervical spine radiography. This two-part article is critical for any physician who manages patients with potential cervical spine trauma.
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Given the steady drumbeat for improving patient safety from diverse corners of the QI world, its only logical for quality professionals to use all the tools at their disposal and that includes benchmarking. However, experts warn, while benchmarking can prove extremely valuable in your efforts to boost patient safety, those efforts can be for naught if you arent careful about your decisions concerning what to benchmark, what your goals are, and how you interpret your data.
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A Six Sigma project at Sewickley (PA) Valley Hospital has achieved dramatic results including 100% compliance in one process in just three short months.
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Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, FL, winner of this years Malcolm Baldrige award for quality, has saved $2.56 million in two years as a result of its inpatient management program. The program, developed and operated by Cogent Healthcare Inc., an Irvine, CA-based inpatient management company, also was successful in improving the quality of patient care and in meeting the hospitals standards of patient satisfaction.
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The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in Rockville, MD, has unveiled a clinical decision-support tool for personal digital assistants (PDAs) that is designed to help clinicians deliver evidence-based medicine at the point of care. AHRQs new Pneumonia Severity Index Calculator is an interactive application for Palm Pilots and other PDAs to help physicians decide whether to hospitalize patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). This is the first of what AHRQ anticipates will be several such clinical decision support tools for PDAs.
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While The Leapfrog Groups ambitious campaign to improve patient safety in hospitals has sparked national awareness, few hospitals are close to meeting the groups standards for computerized prescriptions, specially trained intensive care unit (ICU) physicians, and volume thresholds for certain high-risk procedures, according to a study released by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC).
