JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
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Comparative Study
Differences in preferences for neonatal outcomes among health care professionals, parents, and adolescents.
In neonatal intensive care, parents make important clinical management decisions in conjunction with health care professionals. Yet little information is available on whether preferences of health care professionals and parents for the resulting health outcomes differ. ⋯ When asked to rate the health-related quality of life for the hypothetical conditions of children, health care professionals tend to provide lower utility scores than do adolescents and their parents. These findings have implications for decision making in the neonatal intensive care unit.
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Although an extensive literature exists comparing national access to health care for uninsured vs insured children, few data exist regarding differences in access across states. ⋯ Our data suggest that the potential effects of CHIP vary substantially across states. Notably, improvements in access to health care by uninsured low-income children should be greater in states with the fewest safety net resources.
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Although various fall-induced injuries and deaths among older adults are increasing, little is known about the epidemiology of these events. ⋯ In a well-defined white population, the number of older persons with fall-induced injuries is increasing at a rate that cannot be explained simply by demographic changes. Preventive measures should be adopted to control the increasing burden of these injuries. Fortunately, the age-adjusted incidence of the fall-induced deaths shows no increasing trend over time.
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Comparative Study
Tourism and hotel revenues before and after passage of smoke-free restaurant ordinances.
Claims that ordinances requiring smoke-free restaurants will adversely affect tourism have been used to argue against passing such ordinances. Data exist regarding the validity of these claims. ⋯ Smoke-free ordinances do not appear to adversely affect, and may increase, tourist business.