The American journal of medicine
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Pulmonary embolism places a heavy economic burden on health care systems, but the components of hospital cost have not been elucidated. We evaluated hospitalized patients with the primary diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. Our goal was to determine the total and component costs associated with their hospital care. ⋯ Pulmonary embolism has a high case fatality rate and remains an expensive illness to diagnose and treat. Nursing costs comprise the largest component of costs.
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In this article we provide an overview of the different study designs commonly utilized in carrying out clinical and public health research and of the points to consider in reviewing these study designs. The design and conduct of cross-sectional health surveys, case-control, prospective, and case-crossover observational studies, and randomized controlled trials, are discussed in this review article. It is hoped that careful attention to the concerns we have raised will lead to the design and conduct of high-quality research projects and their write-up.