Using data to measure outcomes.

P Matthews; N Carter; K Smith

Home/Archive/PubMed

PubMed · 10155787

Using data to measure outcomes.

P Matthews·N Carter·K Smith

View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

The health care marketplace is beginning to demand that providers develop and provide outcomes data. But implementing a process of collecting outcomes data can be very labor intensive. Planning must include defining outcomes, understanding how outcomes are used in analysis and decision-making activities, identifying data sources, and identifying the users.

Explore related subjects

Cost-Benefit Analysis Critical Pathways Data Interpretation, Statistical Databases, Factual Efficiency, Organizational Information Systems Models, Organizational Organizational Objectives Outcome Assessment, Health Care Systems Integration United States Journal Article

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

P Matthews, N Carter, K Smith. 1996. Using data to measure outcomes.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10155787/

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related citations

PubMed2003

Low-cost on-the-job peer training of nurses improved immunization coverage in Indonesia.

In Indonesia responsibility for immunizations is placed on local government health centres and on the nurses who provide the immunizations at each centre. An on-the-job peer training programme for these nurses, which was designed to improve the immunization performance of poorly performing health centres in terms of coverage and practice in Maluku province, was evaluated. Experienced immunization nurses were sent to health centres where nurses were inexperienced or performing poorly; the experienced nurses spent 1-2 weeks providing on-the-job training for the less experienced ones. An evaluation of the 13 centres that participated in the programme and the 95 that did not found that the programme increased both immunization coverage and the quality of practice. Coverage of diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus (DPT), polio, and measles vaccinations rose by about 39% in all 13 participating centres when compared with non-participating centres, and by about 54% in the 11 centres that had a functioning transportation system during the year after training. These results reflect increases in the actual number of doses given and improvements in the accuracy of reports. Potential threats to the study's validity were examined and found not to be significant. The out-of-pocket cost of the training programme was about US$ 53 per trainee or about US$ 0.05 per additional vaccine reported to have been given. The marginal cost per additional fully immunized child was estimated to be US$ 0.50.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗

PubMed2003

A simple and cost-effective method for producing small interfering RNAs with high efficacy.

Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are powerful RNA interference (RNAi) reagents for directed post- transcriptional gene silencing. Exogenous siRNA is frequently used in RNAi studies. However, due to profound differences in the activity of siRNAs targeted to different regions of a gene, several reagents may have to be screened for optimal activity. This approach is expensive due to the cost of chemical synthesis of RNAs. We report a technically simple, quick and cost-effective method for the production of siRNAs that makes use of in vitro transcription and deoxyribozyme digestion of the transcripts to produce the desired sequence and length. The method allows for several siRNAs to be produced in parallel at much reduced costs. The siRNAs produced with this method were tested in MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells for efficacy against the type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF1R) mRNA and they caused dose-dependent inhibition of IGF1R expression comparable to that induced by chemically synthesised siRNAs of the same sequence. This method is also useful for producing long RNA fragments of defined length and sequence that may be difficult to synthesise chemically, and also for producing large quantities of RNAs for applications including structural studies and the study of interactions between RNA and other molecules, such as proteins, other nucleic acids and drugs.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗

PubMed2003

The impact of critical care pharmacists on enhancing patient outcomes.

The highly specialized knowledge and skills needed to care for critically ill patients requires a multidisciplinary team approach. Pharmacists are integral members of this team. They make valuable contributions to improve clinical, economic, and humanistic outcomes of patients. The purpose of this article is to review the literature pertaining to pharmacists' contributions within a multidisciplinary intensivist-led intensive care unit (ICU) team. Pharmacist interventions include correcting/clarifying orders, providing drug information, suggesting alternative therapies, identifying drug interactions, and therapeutic drug monitoring. Pharmacist involvement in improving clinical outcomes of critically ill patients is associated with optimal fluid management and substantial reductions in the rates of adverse drug events, medication administration errors, and ventilator-associated pneumonia. Furthermore, economic evaluations of clinical pharmacy services in the ICU consistently reveal the potential for considerable cost savings.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗