Postgraduate medicine
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Postgraduate medicine · Sep 2021
Utility of biomarkers in predicting complicated appendicitis: can immature granulocyte percentage and c-reactive protein be used?
Acute appendicitis is the most common reason for abdominal surgery in children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of biomarkers in predicting complicated appendicitis (CA). ⋯ To predict CA, the best AUC values were associated with the IG percentage and the CRP level. Because it is easy, fast to measure, does not require taking extra blood, and does not lead to additional costs, IG percentage may be preferred in the diagnosis of patients with CA.
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Postgraduate medicine · Sep 2021
Physician patient-sharing relationships and healthcare costs and utilization in China: social network analysis based on health insurance data.
Evidence on physician patient-sharing relationships from developing countries is limited. This study aimed to identify patient-sharing networks among physicians in China and explore the effect of attributes of physician networks on healthcare utilization and costs. ⋯ Primary care physicians were located in peripheral positions in China, and the links between primary care facilities and higher-grade hospitals were still weak. Characteristics of physicians' networks and the position of physicians in the network were associated with spending and utilization of services, but not all associations were in the same direction.
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Doctors lead, in and out of the clinical environment, from ward to board; their roles will range from dealing with risk and uncertainty, communicating with different audiences and managing crises. At the heart of leadership is the ability to make decisions; which operation to perform or treatment to give or, as during this pandemic, what policy to implement or vaccines to order. ⋯ During this pandemic we have been able to compare different leaders, drawn from across the health, political and other sectors. This article identifies how leaders behaved during this pandemic and importantly what can be learnt from their actions.