Decision aids for triage of patients with chest pain: a systematic review of field evaluation studies.
(41/2098)
We performed an overview of published controlled trials to assess the overall effectiveness of decision aids directed at improving triage of patients with acute chest pain. Searches of the Medline database identified 11 randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials testing various decision aids: risk stratification system (n = 6), practice guidelines (n = 3), and formalized protocols of care (n = 2). Sensitivity, specificity of the decision aid and length of stay (LOS) in the intensive care unit (ICU) were the main outcomes. Decision aids slightly modified sensitivity and specificity (available in 5 studies), but sensitivity was already high in reference groups. Among the 9 studies providing information on LOS, 7 showed a statistically significant difference favoring the decision aid. The level of evidence concerning the efficacy of decision aids in this domain is relatively low. Larger and appropriately designed clinical trials are required to show an impact on acute cardiac ischaemia complications and mortality. (+info)
Randomized study of online vaccine reminders in adult primary care.
(42/2098)
Online immunization reminders were implemented in an adult medicine setting in which all immunization history, vaccine ordering and charting were required online. Physicians were randomized to one of two arms in a cross-over design. Each arm was shown online recommendations for vaccines indicated by nationally accepted guidelines either during the first or during the second part of the study period. The main purpose of the study was to assess the impact of reminders on correct decisions related to prescribing vaccines. Online reminders had the following impact on physician behavior: 1) Physicians used the application almost 3 times as often when shown reminders. 2) Physicians in the reminder group were 27% less likely to order a vaccine in the reminder group (P- value 0.0005). 3) Compliance with guidelines was improved significantly for Tetanus and for Hepatitis B in several analyses. No such effects were found for Pneumoccocal, Measles, or Influenza vaccines. (+info)
Integrating case based and rule based reasoning in a decision support system: evaluation with simulated patients.
(43/2098)
We present a Web-based knowledge management and decision support system for Type I Diabetes patients' care. The tool exploits the integration of two methodologies, Case Based Reasoning and Rule Based Reasoning, and supports physicians in the definition of therapeutic strategies. Such a work is being integrated in the EU funded T-IDDM project architecture. In this paper we report a first evaluation obtained on simulated patients. (+info)
HOLON/CADSE: integrating open software standards and formal methods to generate guideline-based decision support agents.
(44/2098)
This paper describes the efforts of a consortium that is trying to develop and validate formal methods and a meta-environment for authoring, checking, and maintaining a large repository of machine executable practice guidelines. The goal is to integrate and extend a number of open software standards so that guidelines in the meta-environment become a resource that any vendor can plug their applications into and run in their proprietary environment provided they conform to the interface standards. (+info)
Pilot study of a point-of-use decision support tool for cancer clinical trials eligibility.
(45/2098)
Many adults with cancer are not enrolled in clinical trials because caregivers do not have the time to match the patient's clinical findings with varying eligibility criteria associated with multiple trials for which the patient might be eligible. The authors developed a point-of-use portable decision support tool (DS-TRIEL) to automate this matching process. The support tool consists of a hand-held computer with a programmable relational database. A two-level hierarchic decision framework was used for the identification of eligible subjects for two open breast cancer clinical trials. The hand-held computer also provides protocol consent forms and schemas to further help the busy oncologist. This decision support tool and the decision framework on which it is based could be used for multiple trials and different cancer sites. (+info)
Is carotid endarterectomy cost-effective in symptomatic patients with moderate (50% to 69%) stenosis?
(46/2098)
OBJECTIVE: Recently published data from the North American Carotid Endarterectomy Trial revealed a benefit for carotid endarterectomy (CEA) in symptomatic patients with moderate (50% to 69%) carotid stenosis. This benefit was significant but small (absolute stroke risk reduction at 5 years, 6.5%; 22.2% vs 15.7%), and thus, the authors of this study were tentative in the recommendation of operation for these patients. To better elucidate whether CEA in symptomatic patients with moderate carotid stenosis is a proper allocation of societal resources, we examined the cost-effectiveness of this intervention. METHODS: A decision-analytic Markov process model was constructed to determine the cost-effectiveness of CEA versus medical treatment for a hypothetical cohort of 66-year-old patients with moderate carotid stenosis. This model allowed the comparison of not only the immediate hospitalization but also the lifetime costs and benefits of these two strategies. Our measure of outcome was the cost-effectiveness ratio (CER), defined as the incremental lifetime cost per quality-adjusted life year saved. We assumed an operative stroke and death rate of 6.6% and a declining risk of ipsilateral stroke after the ischemic event with medical treatment (first year, 9.3%; second year, 4%; subsequent years, 3%). The hospitalization cost of CEA ($6,420) and the annual costs of major stroke ($26,880), minor stroke ($798), and aspirin therapy ($63) were estimated from a hospital cost accounting system and the literature. RESULTS: CEA for moderate carotid stenosis increased the survival rate by 0.13 quality-adjusted life years as compared with medical treatment at an additional lifetime cost of $580. Thus, CEA was cost-effective with a CER of $4,462. Society is usually willing to pay for interventions with CERs of less than $60,000 (eg, CERs for coronary artery bypass grafting at $9,100 and for dialysis at $53,000). CEA was not cost-effective if the perioperative risk was greater than 11.3%, if the ipsilateral stroke rate associated with medical treatment at 1 year was reduced to 4.3%, if the age of the patient exceeded 83 years, or if the cost of CEA exceeded $13,200. CONCLUSION: CEA in patients with symptomatic moderate carotid stenosis of 50% to 69% is cost-effective. Perioperative risk of stroke or death, medical and surgical stroke risk, cost of CEA, and age are important determinants of the cost-effectiveness of this intervention. (+info)
Risk estimation as a decision-making tool for genetic analysis of the breast cancer susceptibility genes. EC Demonstration Project on Familial Breast Cancer.
(47/2098)
For genetic counselling of a woman on familial breast cancer, an accurate evaluation of the probability that she carries a germ-line mutation is needed to assist in making decisions about genetic-testing. We used data from eight collaborating centres comprising 618 families (346 breast cancer only, 239 breast or ovarian cancer) recruited as research families or counselled for familial breast cancer, representing a broad range of family structures. Screening was performed in affected women from 618 families for germ-line mutations in BRCA1 and in 176 families for BRCA2 mutations, using different methods including SSCP, CSGE, DGGE, FAMA and PTT analysis followed by direct sequencing. Germ-line BRCA1 mutations were detected in 132 families and BRCA2 mutations in 16 families. The probability of being a carrier of a dominant breast cancer gene was calculated for the screened individual under the established genetic model for breast cancer susceptibility, first, with parameters for age-specific penetrances for breast cancer only [7] and, second, with age-specific penetrances for ovarian cancer in addition [20]. Our results indicate that the estimated probability of carrying a dominant breast cancer gene gives a direct measure of the likelihood of detecting mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2. For breast/ovarian cancer families, the genetic model according to Narod et al. [20] is preferable for calculating the proband's genetic risk, and gives detection rates that indicate a 50% sensitivity of the gene test. Due to the incomplete BRCA2 screening of the families, we cannot yet draw any conclusions with respect to the breast cancer only families. (+info)
Review article: economic issues in Crohn's disease--assessing the effects of new treatments on health-related quality of life.
(48/2098)
The advent of highly effective yet costly new treatments for Crohn's disease will force clinicians, patients, and society to make important choices regarding the allocation of resources. Pharmacoeconomic analyses can be useful in deciding whether new technologies are of good value in comparison to established treatment regimens. In Crohn's disease conventional cost-effectiveness analyses are of limited use because surgery, death, and disease-related complications occur relatively infrequently. Alternatively, cost-utility models relate the incremental cost of new treatments to improvements in health-related quality of life. These analyses require the collection of valid cost and utility inputs that have only recently become available. Ultimately, cost-utility models should allow decision makers to make sensible choices for patients and society. This article describes the techniques of pharmacoeconomic analysis and reviews existing data on the measurement of costs and quality-of-life outcomes in Crohn's disease. (+info)