QJM : monthly journal of the Association of Physicians
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Observational Study
Can mobile technology improve response times of junior doctors to urgent out-of-hours calls? A prospective observational study.
The Hospital at Night system has been widely adopted to manage Out-of-Hours workload. However, it has the potential to introduce delays and corruption of information. The introduction of newer technologies to replace landlines, pagers and paper may ameliorate these issues. ⋯ Introduction of a Hospital at Night system supported by mobile technology appeared to improve the transfer of information, but did not affect the nursing decision whether to escalate abnormal findings.
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Funding of expensive treatments for rare (orphan) diseases is contentious. These agents fare poorly on 'efficiency' or health economic measures, such as the quality-adjusted life years, because of high cost and frequently poor gains in quality of life and survival. We show that cost-effectiveness assessments are flawed, and have only a limited role to play in reimbursement decisions for orphan drugs and beyond.
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Observational Study
Psychological burden in inpatient relatives: the forgotten side of medical management.
The burden of the hospital experience is a broad issue that has been evaluated in a particular context of intensive care unit (ICU). It is likely, however, that the load is heavy on families even in other hospital wards and not just in the ICU. The present study was designed to assess the prevalence of anxiety and depression in family members of patients admitted in a general medicine department, and to identify associated factors with those symptoms. ⋯ The prevalence of symptoms of anxiety and depression in family members remains high at the end of acute health care. It is hoped that improving the provision of information will decrease the risk of psychological distress.