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K M Turczyn

Publications and source records attributed to K M Turczyn.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

Patterns in low back pain hospitalizations: implications for the treatment of low back pain in an era of health care reform.

OBJECTIVE: To examine patterns in both surgical and nonsurgical low back pain (LBP) hospitalizations through time and among geographic regions and to explore the practical implications of these patterns for health care reform. SETTING: For time trends, the U.S. (1979-1987); for geographic variations, major regions of the U.S. (1987). DATE SOURCE: The National Hospital Discharge Survey. RESULTS: Rates of both surgical and nonsurgical LBP hospitalization varied twofold among regions of the U.S., and average lengths of stay for these types of hospitalization varied considerably as well. The U.S. rate of LBP surgery increased sharply during the period covered by the study. Over the same time, the U.S. rate of nonsurgical LBP hospitalization declined, as did average lengths of stay for both types of LBP hospitalization. CONCLUSION: Wide variations in LBP hospitalization practices raise the issue of which practices are most appropriate. Outcomes research addresses this issue, as does research on patient preferences for certain types of treatment. As indicated by the increasing rate of LBP surgery, more research also needs to be done on changing physician practice style. If such research were to result in a reduction in LBP hospitalization, savings in health care costs would be considerable.

Back Pain↗
PubMed1991

Theories of back pain and health care utilization.

Because most people in the United States have occasional back pain, demand for the treatment of back pain is widespread. Yet, few treatments have proven to be more effective than placebo therapy. We examine patterns of treatment that have emerged in the absence of definitive treatment. We concentrate on high-cost users of back pain treatment (i.e., chronic pain patients) and high-cost treatments (i.e., surgical and non-surgical hospitalization for low back pain). The small minority of back pain patients whose disability persists into chronicity (90 days or more) accounts for a disproportionate amount of all back pain costs. Interventions have been developed to prevent back pain but, once back pain has already occurred, little is done to prevent it from becoming chronic. Drug therapy may be used to treat the symptom of chronic pain, the cause of which may not be thereby affected. Regarding high-cost treatments, surgical and nonsurgical hospitalizations for low back pain are common practices in the United States. Pain specialists for the past 15 years have advocated a conservative approach to back pain, but the rate of surgery for low back pain increased during this time. Average lengths of stay for surgical and nonsurgical low back pain hospitalizations decreased. We explore why, in the instance of low back pain surgery, change was resisted, whereas, in the instance of average lengths of stay, change was accepted. In view of why change may be resisted or accepted, we discuss interventions designed to change physicians' practice style.

Back Pain↗
PubMedDate not supplied

DATA2000: CDC WONDER information system linking Healthy People 2000 objectives to data sets.

To monitor progress on the Healthy People (HP) 2000 objectives, planners and researchers will need information on relevant data sources. DATA2000 is a project designed to identify these data and link them with objectives and to develop a computerized information system providing access to this information. Sources of information on objectives and data included Healthy People 2000, catalogs and data bases of data sets, and the HP 2000 Steering Committee. We created an "assessment" of the utility of the data set for the particular objective. A Centers for Disease Control (CDC) WONDER-based information system was developed (using methods previously described). We identified 204 data sets and created 408 assessments. All but one of the objectives were paired with corresponding data. Over half the data come from CDC. The CDC WONDER-based information system crosslinks the objectives, data sets, and assessments and provides 5-10 pages of information about each. Understanding the contribution of prevention will be critical in planning reforms of the health care system. DATA2000 can be an important resource in this process.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.↗