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Biomedical subjects

D A Conrad

Publications and source records attributed to D A Conrad.

64 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

The probable effects of Federal Trade Commission actions on dentistry and dental education.

For the last several years the Federal Trade Commission has been actively involved in investigation and legal action within the market for dental services. The essence of FTC policy has been to promote competitive market forces in the dental care sector. This intervention has produced and will continue to produce several direct and indirect effects on dental education. By shaping the rules of the game for the dental services market and by influencing the income prospects for dental practice, the FTC's forays will alter the type of training and knowledge demanded by dental school applicants, the quality of the applicant pool, the mix of practice settings selected by newly graduated practitioners, the nature of school-based clinical practice, and the process and content of the dental school curriculum.

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PubMed1981

State Dental practice acts: implications for competition.

This article analyzes the effects of state dental practice acts on competition in the market for dental services. Three types of practice act provisions are examined: (1) restraints on advertising and soliciting of patients; (2) limits on scope of practice and number of dental hygienists per dentist; and (3) restrictions on the form of organization and ownership of dental practices. The empirical results suggest that limits on number of offices per dentist and absence of reciprocal licensing arrangements are associated with higher fees and net incomes among dentists. Restraints on number of hygienists per dentist are positively associated with dental fees, but not with net income. Restrictions on commercial advertising are related to the higher net income, but not fees. There is no significant intercorrelation among the various practice act provisions. The analysis concludes with a discussion policy implications for competition in dentistry and a suggestion that practice act changes are both a cause and an effect of the general metamorphosis observed in the dental market place. The potential indirect effects of national health insurance and altered reimbursement policy are discussed.

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PubMedDate not supplied

Efficacy of aztreonam in the treatment of skeletal infections due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Twenty-eight patients with skeletal infections due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa were treated with aztreonam during two open, noncomparative, multicenter clinical trials. Ten patients with septic arthritis received 2 g of aztreonam three times a day (modal) for 30 days (mean). The mean follow-up period was 4 weeks. Microbiologic cure was achieved in all 10 patients; complete clinical cure, in eight; and partial clinical cure, in two. Eighteen cases of osteomyelitis were treated with 2 g of aztreonam three times a day (modal) for 40 days (mean), with a mean follow-up period of 6 months. Microbiologic cure was achieved in 17 patients. Relapse occurred 1 month after therapy in one patient. Complete clinical cure was achieved in 13 and partial clinical cure was achieved in five patients. The most common adverse reactions to aztreonam were a transient elevation in levels of hepatic enzymes and transient eosinophilia. Three superinfections and one subsequent infection occurred. These results support use of aztreonam for the treatment of skeletal infections due to P. aeruginosa.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Educating healthcare leaders for the 21st century: evolution not revolution.

In April of 1988, the Accrediting Commission on Education for Health Services Administration began reviewing its criteria, policies, and procedures for accreditation. The goal was to update the criteria and revise the policies and procedures to reflect advances in knowledge and practice and to ensure that accreditation judgments are objective and consistent. Since input from those most affected by the new criteria--faculty and practitioners--is essential, the commission sought assistance from the field. Through this collaboration, it is ACEHSA's intention to continue to encourage the dynamic collaboration of the field of education and the field of practice in health services administration that's characteristic of ACEHSA's 20-year history.

Accreditation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Can evidence change the rate of back surgery? A randomized trial of community-based education.

CONTEXT: Timely adoption of clinical practice guidelines is more likely to happen when the guidelines are used in combination with adjuvant educational strategies that address social as well as rational influences. OBJECTIVE: To implement the conservative, evidence-based approach to low-back pain recommended in national guidelines, with the anticipated effect of reducing population-based rates of surgery. DESIGN: A randomized, controlled trial. SETTING: Ten communities in western Washington State with annual rates of back surgery above the 1990 national average (158 operations per 100,000 adults). PARTICIPANTS: Spine surgeons, primary care physicians, patients who were surgical candidates, and hospital administrators. INTERVENTION: The five communities randomized to the intervention group received a package of six educational activities tailored to local needs by community planning groups. Surgeon study groups, primary care continuing medical education conferences, administrative consensus processes, videodisc-aided patient decision making, surgical outcomes management, and generalist academic detailing were serially implemented over a 30-month intervention period. OUTCOME MEASURE: Quarterly observations of surgical rates. RESULTS: After implementation of the intervention, surgery rates declined in the intervention communities but increased slightly in the control communities. The net effect of the intervention is estimated to be a decline of 20.9 operations per 100,000, a relative reduction of 8.9% (P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: We were able to use scientific evidence to engender voluntary change in back pain practice patterns across entire communities.

Education, Medical, Continuing↗