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Biomedical subjects

P S Levy

Publications and source records attributed to P S Levy.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1979

Small area estimation--synthetic and other procedures, 1968-1978.

Methods for obtaining small area estimates which have emerged over the past decade are reviewed with particular emphasis given to synthetic estimation, a procedure originally developed at the National Center for Health Statistics which has found wide acceptance because of its simplicity and intuitive appeal, and yet has provoked much controversy because of its lack of good demonstrable statistical properties and its equivocal results when subjected to empirical evaluation. The various methods of obtaining small area estimates are discussed in terms of their statistical properties, the feasibility of using them and the potential scope of their application. Finally, some recommendations are made concerning possible avenues of future research in small area estimation, and some tentative guidelines are given for choosing between alternative existing methods.

Demography↗
PubMed1978

Epidemiological study in Switzerland.

A study group of originally 623 employed women of Northwestern Switzerland who were aged 30 to 49 yr and showing objective evidence of intake of phenacetin-containing analgesics, and a control group of 621 comparable women showing no such intake, were examined in 1968 and followed-up five times from 1969 to 1975 for laboratory evidence of urorenal disorders. Mortality was higher in the study group, with 21 deaths, compared to the control group, with 5 deaths, and was higher than expected in a comparative population in Switzerland (P less than or equal to 0.05). In both study and control groups, morbidity was low. There was no difference between the study and control groups with respect to subsequent proteinuria and hematuria. The seven-year incidence of low urine specific gravity after overnight thirsting was higher in the study group than in the control group (2.9% vs. 1.0%), and the incidence of raised serum creatinine was also significantly higher in the study group (2.9% vs. 0%). However, when the study group was further subdivided into a subgroup showing evidence of high intake of phenacetin-containing analgesics and one showing low-intake, only the high-intake subgroup had an incidence of raised serum creatinine concentrations (5.3%), significantly higher than the control group (0%), whereas the low-intake subgroup had an incidence (0.4%) similar to the control group. Also the high-intake subgroup showed significantly higher rates of bacteriuria than the controls (P less than or equal to 0.004).

Adult↗
PubMed1978

The estimated survival probability index of trauma severity.

An index of survival rates associated with ICDA injury codes was constructed with data from the 1973 Hospital Discharge Survey (HDS). Discharge records from three regions covered by the HDS allowed estimation of survival rates among patients suffering single injuries coded under 92 ICDA integers. These estimated rates were then applied to records from the fourth HDS region, including those for patients suffering multiple injuries: estimated survival probability index values were generated as the product of the single-condition survival rates for each patient's various injuries. Mortality rates predicted from the index values correlated well with mortality rates estimated for the universe of patients discharged in 1973 from the fourth region. The index is intended for retrospective analysis of discharge records as a possible approach to care evaluation.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Injuries, crashes, and construction on a superhighway.

Crash and injury-crash rates increased significantly on segments of an Illinois superhighway undergoing major construction, compared to crash rates of preceding years and to crash rates on segments not undergoing construction. Maintaining separation of traffic on segments under construction resulted in smaller increase in injury-crash rates than crossover diversion of traffic from lanes under construction into previously one-way roads.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1976

Changes in fatal and nonfatal crash rates on a toll highway.

Rates of crashes, crashes with injuries, and crashes with fatalities were lower during the 6 months of March 1-August 31, 1974, following a 5-15 mph (8-24 kph) decrease in speed limits on the Illinois Tollway, than the corresponding rates for any of the 6 preceding years, 1968-1973. During the same months of 1968-1974, rates of crashes and of crashes with injuries showed peaks without consistent trends, but rates and percentages of fatal crashes decreased. The data agree with the hypothesis that reducing speed limits on toll roads may lead to substantial reductions in rate of crashes and injuries.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1975

Relation between regular intake of phenacetin-containing analgesics and laboratory evidence for urorenal disorders in a working female population of Switzerland.

A study group of 623 employed Swiss women aged 30-49 years showing objective evidence of intake of phenacetin-containing analgesics, and a control group of 621 comparable women showing no such intake, were observed for 4 years (1969-72) for laboratory evidence of urorenal disorders. In both study and control groups morbidity was low. There was no difference between the study and control groups with respect to subsequent proteinuria, bacteriuria, and haematuria. The 4-year incidence of low urine specific gravity after overhight thirsting was significantly higher in the study group than in the control group (3-8% v. 0-8%) and the incidence of raised serum-creatinine was also significantly higher in the study group (2-9% v. 0-4%). However, when the study group was further subdivided into a sub-group showing evidence of high intake of phenacetincontaining analgesics and one showing low intake, only the high-intake subgroup had an incidence of raised serum-creatinine (5-4%) significantly higher than the control group (0-4%), whereas the low-intake subgroup had an incidence (0-4%) similar to the control group.

Acetaminophen↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Synthetic estimates of work loss disability for each state and the District of Columbia.

A method of synthetic estimation of health characteristics for local areas, devised by the National Center of Health Statistics, was evaluated in a recent study. In the method, local data on population are combined with national data on a given health characteristic to produce an indirect estimate of that characteristic. The health characteristic selected in the study was that of complete and partial work loss disability. Therefore, synthetic estimates of complete and partial work loss disability were calculated for each State by combining the estimated rates of such disability for the United States, specific to a set of demographic domains, with the data relating to the distribution of each State into this set of demographic domains. The synthetic estimates of complete and partial work loss disability for each State were then compared with the direct estimates available from the 1970 decennial census. For partial work loss disability, agreement between the synthetic and the direct estimates, as judged by the median percentage absolute difference, was fairly good; for complete work loss disability, agreement was rather poor. On the other hand, the correlation between the synthetic and the direct estimates was higher for complete work loss disability than for partial, partly because the synthetic estimates had a greater spread for complete work disability than for partial. The skewness of the distributions of the squared differences indicates that the evaluation based on median percentage absolute differences was more descriptive than the one based on mean square errors.

Adult↗