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Biomedical subjects

T W Hu

Publications and source records attributed to T W Hu.

66 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Utilization of medical care following the Three Mile Island crisis.

Four studies are reported on how utilization of primary health care was affected by the Three Mile Island (TMI) crisis and subsequent distress experienced by persons living in the vicinity of the plant. The studies concerned: 1) Blue Cross-Blue Shield records of claims by primary care physicians in the vicinity of TMI; 2) utilization rates in a family practice located near the facility; 3) interviews with persons living within five miles of TMI following the crisis; and 4) responses to a questionnaire by primary care physicians practicing within 25 miles of TMI. All four studies indicated only slight increases in utilization rates during the year following the crisis. One study found that persons who were upset during the crisis tended to be high practice utilizers both before and after the crisis. These results suggest that, while patterns of physician utilization prior to the TMI crisis predicted emotional response during the crisis, the impact of the TMI crisis on subsequent physician utilization was small.

Accidents↗
PubMed1984

A review of the reliability and validity of the Drug Abuse Warning Network.

The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) is a government-funded drug abuse data gathering system used extensively at the federal, state, and local levels in policy formulation and program evaluation, and as an indicator of changing trends in substance abuse. This paper (1) briefly describes the DAWN data, (2) examines reviews of the DAWN system, (3) assesses the strengths and limitations of the DAWN data, and (4) illustrates some possible further uses of these data for research and policy purposes.

Data Collection↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The demand for cigarettes in California and behavioural risk factors.

This study contributes to the understanding of the demand for cigarettes by taking into account the interdependence of smoking and other behavioural risk factors. Information on smoking and other behavioural risk factors including drinking, alcohol use, and obesity were obtained from the California Behavioural Risk Factor Survey for the period 1985-91. A monthly cigarette price index for California was constructed based on data obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A two-part model was used to examine separately the effect of price on the decision to be a smoker, and on the amount of cigarettes smoked by smokers. The overall price elasticity of cigarettes was estimated at -0.46, with a price elasticity of -0.33 for smoking participation and of -0.22 for the amount of cigarettes consumed by smokers. The inclusion of other behavioural risk factors reduced the estimated price elasticity for smoking participation substantially, but had no effect on the conditional price elasticity for the quantity of cigarettes smoked.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Nursing resource requirement and support services.

How can medical-surgical and critical care units reduce their nursing care hours per patient day (HPPD)? When nurse executives understand the impact of professional, nonprofessional, and technological support services on HPPD they can work toward further cost reduction without adversely affecting the quality of patient care.

Health Resources↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The economic cost of senile dementia in the United States, 1985.

Senile dementia is a progressive and irreversible decline of mental functions. The symptoms are mental confusion, memory loss, disorientation, cognitive decline, and inappropriate social behavior. It is one of the most common, costly, and distressful diseases among the elderly in the United States. Information on the economic costs of senile dementia is essential for determining research priorities and the allocation of resources to support aging and medical research. Economic consequences, such as direct medical and nonmedical expenditures by patients' families and the amount of time by third parties in caring for patients with senile dementia, are substantial. However, little systematic accounting to estimate these consequences has been undertaken. This paper attempts to estimate various costs associated with the care of senile dementia, based on available secondary data. We have used the direct cost and indirect cost approach and avoided double counting to identify the additional economic costs due to senile dementia. The total, direct national cost of senile dementia is $13.26 billion, which includes $6.36 billion of medical care costs, $2.56 billion of nursing home care costs, and $4.34 billion of social agency service costs. The indirect cost for community home care alone is $31.46 billion, more than twice the total direct costs. The costs of premature death and loss of productivity due to senile dementia are about $43.17 billion. Although most of the indirect costs were imputed from the value of housekeeping or productivity loss, the magnitude of indirect costs reflects the serious consequences and burden on society's resources of this disease.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The relationship between length of stay and required nursing care hours.

The average length of stay (LOS) of patients in hospitals has declined rapidly since the introduction of the prospective payment system. It has been argued by nurses that reduced LOS is associated with increased nursing resource consumption, but there has been little empirical evidence to support the argument. The authors offer evidence of a relationship between LOS and hours per patient day in eleven clinical specialty areas. These findings have major implications for budgeting and the delivery of nursing care services.

Hospital Units↗