RAND Health Newsletter
The RAND Health Newsletter is a monthly update that features recent research from RAND Health.
Contents of February 2008 RAND Health newsletter:
- Translating clinical breakthroughs into better health
- Overview of health and medical research in the United States
- Some women more likely to receive postmastectomy breast reconstruction
- Cultural values pose roadblock to breast cancer screenings
- Disability prevention should focus on chronic illnesses and obesity
- Publishing patient care performance data improves quality of care
- End-of-life treatment of symptoms should be improved
- More productive hospitals provide higher quality, but at a cost
- February RAND Health Congressional Newsletter
- Recent research highlights and fact sheets from RAND Health
-
Translating clinical breakthroughs into better health
Dr. Katherine Kahn, practicing physician and RAND researcher, explains why we need to build bridges for cancer patients between the MD who plans and implements initial treatment and those who do the longer term follow-up.
Read more at Journal of Clinical Oncology -
Overview of health and medical research in the United States
One of a series, this report describes the structure, processes, and performance of the U.S. health research system. It provides an outlook based upon current research issues. -
Some women more likely to receive postmastectomy breast reconstruction Feb 29, 08
The likelihood of postmastectomy breast reconstruction is influenced by whether the provider discussed reconstruction with the patient, and by a woman's race, age, and whether she received radiation. -
Cultural values pose roadblock to breast cancer screenings
Low-income African American women who have more traditional values are less likely to have had mammograms and lower intentions for future screening. -
Disability prevention should focus on chronic illnesses and obesity
Disability prevention efforts should focus on rising obesity trends and on limiting disability among the chronically ill. -
Publishing patient care performance data improves quality of care
A survey of peer-reviewed articles suggests that publicly releasing performance data can stimulate quality of care in hospitals, though the effect of reporting on effectiveness and safety (among other outcomes) remains uncertain. -
End-of-life treatment of symptoms should be improved
Chronic illnesses late in life may not be curable, but palliative care can be provided. This systematic review using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) classifications supports end-of-life interventions to improve care. -
More productive hospitals provide higher quality, but at a cost
More-productive hospitals provide higher quality care, but better care may increase costs at an average hospital by fifty percent. -
February RAND Health Congressional Newsletter
The February RAND Health Congressional newsletter reviews recent work on overeating and the causes of obesity, the importance of live telephone operators to disease-reporting hotlines, and improving quality of care for the vulnerable elderly. Recent research highlights and fact sheets from RAND Health
Citation: Kahn KL. Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol. 20, No. 4, Feb 2008: pp. 523-526.
Citation: Shergold M. RAND Document DB-534-DH, 2008.
Citation: Greenberg CC, Schneider EC, Lipsitz SR, Ko CY, Malin JL, Epstein AM, Weeks JC, Kahn KL. Journal of the American College of Surgeons, [Epub Feb 1 2008].
Citation: Beckjord EB, Klassen AC. Cancer Control, Vol. 15, No. 1, Jan 2008, pp. 63-71.
Citation: Bhattacharya J, Choudhry K, Lakdawalla D. Medical Care, Vol. 46, No. 1, Jan 2008, pp. 92-100.
Citation: Fung CH, Lim Y-W, Mattke S, Damberg C, Shekelle PG. Annals of Internal Medicine, Vol. 148, No. 2, Jan 15 2008, pp. 111-123.
Lorenz KA, Lynn J, Dy S, Shugarman LR, Wilkinson A, Mularski RA, Morton S, Hughes R, Hilton LK, Maglione M, Rhodes SL, Rolon C, Sun VC, Shekelle PG. Annals of Internal Medicine, Vol. 148, No. 2, Jan 15 2008, pp. 147-159.
Citation: Romley JA, Goldman D. National Bureau of Economic Research, NBER Working Paper #13730, Jan, 20008.
Housekeeping
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