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HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Clinical Decision Support and Medical Liability — Jul 11, 2011

Approaches for integrating Clinical Decision Support technology into clinical practice need to take complex issues into account, including "alert fatigue," medical liability concerns, and general patient welfare. Liability concerns, while important, should not override or derail the clinical value of CDS and patient safety.

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A selection of news reporting on critical RAND Health research and commentary.

Featured Research

Getting More Value From HIV Funding in the Developing World — January 15, 2012

HIV Clinic in Africa

In the fight against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), the countries with the highest burden of disease rely heavily on donor funding for their HIV programs. Funding from donors have flattened or even declined while demand for HIV/AIDS care continues to rise. In such an environment, improving efficiency is the only option to provide life-saving services to more people without an increase in funding. A RAND study examined options to better leverage existing resources.

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Journal Article

Does Outdoor Exercise Equipment Make Parks More Attractive to Users? — Jan 29, 2012

Commmunities around the world are investing in outdoor exercise equipment in parks to increase physical activity, yet the impact of such improvements is unclear. Research shows that adding equipment to parks seems to attract more new park users and result in a higher expenditure of energy.

Project

AHRQ Toolkit by RAND and UHC Aids Hospital Efforts to Improve Quality and Safety — Jan 24, 2012

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released a free toolkit designed to guide hospitals in using the AHRQ Patient Safety Indicators and Inpatient Quality Indicators to improve hospital performance. A RAND Health team, in partnership with UHC, developed and field-tested the toolkit.

Journal Article

What Causes Low Minority Satisfaction With Doctors? — Jan 23, 2012

Ethnic minority groups in the UK consistently report less positive experiences with their primary care than do whites. Minority concentration in low-rated practices explains some of the difference, but some groups report less satisfaction than do whites at the same offices.

Journal Article

Prescription Medication Abuse and Illegitimate Internet-Based Pharmacies — Jan 20, 2012

Abuse of prescription drugs represents a growing problem. This article discusses the challenge to federal and private efforts to combat the problem and outlines strategies for physicians to recognize and minimize the effects of the availability of these medications on the Internet.

Journal Article

Off-label Use of Atypical Antipsychotics: An Update — Jan 18, 2012

Antipsychotic drugs are used to treat conditions unapproved by the FDA, but what is the evidence of their efficacy for these uses? Researchers analyzed years of medical literature to compile the findings of studies evaluating off-label treatments, as well as details of side effects.

Journal Article

How Does Race Affect the Cancer Caregiving Experience? — Jan 13, 2012

Cancer care has increasingly moved from hospital to outpatient settings, transferring significant aspects of patient care from medical professionals to family. A survey of African American and white caregivers found significant racial differences in preparedness, social support and time spent providing care.

Journal Article

Coexistent Obesity and Anemia in Mexican Children — Jan 11, 2012

According to a Mexican nutrition survey, childhood obesity and anemia rates are near 20%, but it is less clear how often the two conditions affect the same children. Significant age and gender associations were found for both conditions, highlighting the need for nutrition education.

Journal Article

Flu Shots Recommended for All Adults - But Who Knows? — Jan 9, 2012

In 2010, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) began universally recommending annual influenza vaccination to all people aged 6 months and older. Healthy young adults, in particular, are impacted by this new recommendation — but how widely has awareness spread since the policy change?

Report

Common Uses, Gaps, and Opportunities for Improvement in Performance Measures — Dec 31, 2011

Reliable measures to track quality and efficiency are foundational in evaluating the results of health care spending. This study tracks how the currently developed measures are being used while documenting opportunities for and obstacles to further improvement.

Journal Article

Shouldn't the Cafeterias in Children's Hospitals Serve Healthy Food? — Dec 30, 2011

Cafeteria food in California children's hospitals gets an average rating on a nutritional scale. Cafeterias could improve by providing nutritional information, using signage to promote healthy choices, and eliminating impulse items at the register.

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Researcher Spotlight

Gery W. Ryan

Senior Behavioral Scientist

Gery W. Ryan

Gery Ryan is a senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation who has done extensive fieldwork in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and the United States. Trained as a medical anthropologist, Ryan has conducted research on decisionmaking processes, ethnographies of health care, and…

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Spotlight on Global Health

Healthy Partnerships: How Governments Can Engage the Private Sector to Improve Health in Africa — 2011

Improving Access to Medicines for Non-Communicable Diseases in the Developing World — 2011

How Can Faith-Based Organizations Help Address the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Central America? — 2010

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January 2012 RAND Health Newsletter

This month's Health newsletter includes research into the nutrition of food served at children's hospitals, an investigation into using financial incentives to encourage doctor visits, a multimedia feature on public health and prisoner reentry, and more.

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