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Patrick Bossuyt

Publications and source records attributed to Patrick Bossuyt.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Impact of adjustment for quality on results of metaanalyses of diagnostic accuracy.

BACKGROUND: We examined whether and to what extent different strategies of defining and incorporating quality of included studies affect the results of metaanalyses of diagnostic accuracy. METHODS: We evaluated the methodological quality of 487 diagnostic-accuracy studies in 30 systematic reviews with the QUADAS (Quality Assessment of Diagnostic-Accuracy Studies) checklist. We applied 3 strategies that varied both in the definition of quality and in the statistical approach to incorporate the quality-assessment results into metaanalyses. We compared magnitudes of diagnostic odds ratios, widths of their confidence intervals, and changes in a hypothetical clinical decision between strategies. RESULTS: Following 2 definitions of quality, we concluded that only 70 or 72 of 487 studies were of "high quality". This small number was partly due to poor reporting of quality items. None of the strategies for accounting for differences in quality led systematically to accuracy estimates that were less optimistic than ignoring quality in metaanalyses. Limiting the review to high-quality studies considerably reduced the number of studies in all reviews, with wider confidence intervals as a result. In 18 reviews, the quality adjustment would have resulted in a different decision about the usefulness of the test. CONCLUSIONS: Although reporting the results of quality assessment of individual studies is necessary in systematic reviews, reader wariness is warranted regarding claims that differences in methodological quality have been accounted for. Obstacles for adjusting for quality in metaanalyses are poor reporting of design features and patient characteristics and the relatively low number of studies in most diagnostic reviews.

Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures↗
PubMed2006

When implementation fails: the case of a nursing guideline for fall prevention.

BACKGROUND: Implementing guidelines can be very difficult. No magic bullet or step-by-step implementation plan is available, neither is any single implementation strategy superior. At the Academic Medical Center (AMC) in Amsterdam, a nursing guideline was developed in 1993 on prevention of patient falls. Falls decreased by 30% on six wards, yet an effort to implement the guideline into daily practice throughout the hospital failed. A renewed effort was made to implement the guideline in two wards (neurology and internal medicine) in 1999. IMPLEMENTING THE GUIDELINE: Preparations were made for implementation in the two wards. Barriers to change were identified and solutions were translated into day-to-day activities in the wards. The intervention period covered 18 months (January 2000-June 2001). A mix of implementation strategies was used, including a local consensus process, educational activities, and active support and feedback to management and staff. RESULTS: In the internal medicine ward, the target incidence of 6% was met for four of the 18 months in the intervention period. In the neurology ward, the incidence target of 11% was met in five months. DISCUSSION: Barriers to change and enabling factors may only become apparent during the implementation process itself. A strongly perceived need to change daily practice, a simple guideline, the hospital board's support, an understanding of local barriers, monitoring of outcomes, a locally tailored multifaceted implementation strategy, and voluntarily cooperating nurses are no guarantees for success.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed2003

The economics of venous thromboembolism prophylaxis: a primer for clinicians.

Cost-effectiveness information can help health-system participants make decisions about diagnostic or therapeutic innovations that are more expensive but incrementally safe and effective. However, these analyses cannot help decide whether a less expensive approach is "sufficient" and funds ought to be allocated to other medical issues entirely. At present, formulary committees are commonly determining that medications are "mostly equivalent" in efficacy and safety and choosing individual medications or classes of medications based on cost. Clinicians may not agree with these decisions and will need to understand their rationale. For prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism after hip and knee replacement and hip fracture surgery, many preventive modalities are available with different safety and efficacy profiles and different costs. It is possible to list the important safety and efficacy outcomes of prophylaxis, estimate their incidences and costs, and "model" comparisons of one modality vs another, in order to help decide whether one is preferable.

Anticoagulants↗
PubMed2003

Measuring the outcomes and pharmacoeconomic consequences of venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in major orthopaedic surgery.

Patients who have undergone orthopaedic surgery represent a high-risk group for venous thromboembolism (VTE). Despite the routine prophylactic use of antithrombotic agents, patients still experience thrombotic events that can result in mortality and acute morbidity and, in significant numbers of patients, may lead to long-term consequences such as the post-thrombotic syndrome. Increasingly, initial VTE events occur after hospital discharge since the length of stay in hospital after major orthopaedic surgery has decreased in many countries. There is a need for further improvement in the prevention of VTE. As well as undergoing extensive safety and efficacy studies for registration purposes, new prophylactic strategies need to be evaluated from a pharmacoeconomic perspective to help guide their introduction into routine clinical practice. Over the past 15 years a number of pharmacoeconomic evaluation studies of VTE prophylaxis have been carried out in orthopaedic patients, most of which evaluated short-term clinical endpoints. During the same period, improvements in our understanding of the natural history of VTE as well as the emergence of new treatments have led to changes in the management of patients with, or at risk of, VTE. The aim of this paper was to address how best to conduct pharmacoeconomic analyses of new antithrombotic agents in light of changes in practice patterns for orthopaedic patients and greater understanding of the disease process. We put forward recommendations for relevant outcome measures, timeframes, endpoints and epidemiologic data sources. We also suggest a structure for a pharmacoeconomic model. In this model, the outcomes and costs of VTE-related care during both the acute and chronic phases of the disease are incorporated. Symptomatic deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, recurrent VTE, post-thrombotic syndrome, major hemorrhage and all-cause death are included. We also recommend that the relevance of quality-adjusted survival is investigated, and that economic appraisals are presented in both cost-consequence and budget-impact approaches. These recommendations are based on extensive examination of recent advances in the management of VTE combined with a greater understanding of its natural history.

Anticoagulants↗