JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
-
Given the strong volume-outcome relationships observed with many surgical procedures, restricting some procedures to hospitals exceeding a minimum volume standard is advocated. However, such regionalization policies might cause unreasonable travel burdens for surgical patients. ⋯ Many patients travel past a higher-volume center to undergo surgery at a low-volume hospital. If not set too high, hospital volume standards could be implemented for selected operations without imposing unreasonable travel burdens on patients.
-
Approximately 300 000 sport-related concussions occur annually in the United States, and the likelihood of serious sequelae may increase with repeated head injury. ⋯ Our study suggests that players with a history of previous concussions are more likely to have future concussive injuries than those with no history; 1 in 15 players with a concussion may have additional concussions in the same playing season; and previous concussions may be associated with slower recovery of neurological function.