RAND Health Marks 40 Years of Research and Analysis
We are marking our 40th anniversary throughout 2009 by highlighting 40 studies that reflect the breadth and scope of our work and have made the greatest contribution to shaping health care policy, advancing research, and improving health around the world.
Projects featured during May:
The Shape of America's Future
What does the obesity epidemic mean for future health care costs?
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The Shape of America's Future
Is there really an obesity epidemic?
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Improving Health Care for Older Patients
Older adults often suffer from multiple health problems. This study provides tools to measure and improve the quality of the care they receive.
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Primary care physicians often miss a chronic prostate condition
Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome is common, but many primary care physicians appear not to diagnosis it.
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More quality of care research
Insured and uninsured men dying of prostate cancer use hospice at comparable rates
Hospice use and length of enrollment by low income, uninsured men dying of prostate cancer are comparable to previously reported hospice use by insured men; those enrolled in hospice made fewer prostate cancer related emergency room visits before death.
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More health economics research
Mid-course correction in strategies to increase flu vaccinations
National-level estimates of mid-season vaccine use could provide a benchmark against which to measure progress of strategies deployed at mid-season to improve vaccination coverage.
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More public health research
How teenagers and parents view care for depression makes all the difference
Evidence-based care for adolescent depression is available, but both teens and parents report barriers to seeking care, including worry about what others think and cost and access to care.
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More mental health research
Health in midlife reflects childhood personality
Children prone to distress report worse health as adults
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More maternal, child, and adolescent health research
Which report about use of inhalants should be trusted?
About half of students reporting inhalant use in 7th grade recanted in 8th grade. Of those who changed their reports, about one-third probably made an error in 7th grade, then corrected it. The other two-thirds are lying.
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More substance abuse research
New practice coaching manual helps improve care
Recognizing that medical practices often need flexible, hands-on support when redesigning their care, "A Practice Coaching Manual" provides instructions and materials to support teams using our toolkit, "Integrating Chronic Care and Business Strategies in the Safety Net". "A Practice Coaching Manual" and its companion toolkit were prepared for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality through a partnership of RAND, Group Health's MacColl Institute for Healthcare Innovation, and the California Health Care Safety Net Institute under one of the RAND Accelerating Change and Transformation in Organizations and Networks (ACTION) projects.
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