JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
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Meta Analysis
Treatment of acute otitis media with a shortened course of antibiotics: a meta-analysis.
To conduct a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of antibiotic treatment of acute otitis media in children to determine whether outcomes were comparable in children treated with antibiotics for less than 7 days or at least 7 days or more. ⋯ This meta-analysis suggests that 5 days of short-acting antibiotic use is effective treatment for uncomplicated acute otitis media in children.
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Previous studies have documented that cancer patients tend to overestimate the probability of long-term survival. If patient preferences about the trade-offs between the risks and benefits associated with alternative treatment strategies are based on inaccurate perceptions of prognosis, then treatment choices may not reflect each patient's true values. ⋯ Patients with metastatic colon and lung cancer overestimate their survival probabilities and these estimates may influence their preferences about medical therapies.
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Crude mortality rates at the time of hospital discharge are commonly used to assess the quality of care provided to patients hospitalized following trauma. ⋯ Hospital discharge death rates are incomplete measures of death frequency for injured patients. Designation of the cause of death, especially among older, hospitalized, injured patients often reflects preexisting medical conditions. Adequate assessment of mortality following trauma requires measurement of the frequency of death following hospital discharge.