JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
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Comparative Study
Effects of organizational change in the medical intensive care unit of a teaching hospital: a comparison of 'open' and 'closed' formats.
To compare the effects of change from an open to a closed intensive care unit (ICU) format on clinical outcomes, resource utilization, teaching, and perceptions regarding quality of care. ⋯ Based on comparison of actual to predicted mortality, changing from an open to a closed ICU format improved clinical outcome. Although patients in the closed ICU had greater severity of illness, resource utilization did not increase.
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Comparative Study
Cross-national epidemiology of major depression and bipolar disorder.
To estimate the rates and patterns of major depression and bipolar disorder based on cross-national epidemiologic surveys. ⋯ There are striking similarities across countries in patterns of major depression and of bipolar disorder. The differences in rates for major depression across countries suggest that cultural differences or different risk factors affect the expression of the disorder.
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To estimate the number of persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) living in the United States and the change in HIV infection prevalence since 1984. ⋯ The 3 different data sources and methods are consistent in estimating that 650,000 to 900,000 persons were infected with HIV in the United States in 1992. Among adolescents and adults of both sexes, the proportion infected was substantially higher among non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics than among non-Hispanic whites. HIV-related illness will be a major clinical and public health problem in the United States for years to come.