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Medical resources after nuclear war. Availability v need.

In defining capacity to "survive" a massive nuclear exchange, it is important to assess the medical resources that will be available in the post-nuclear war world. Approximately 80% of these resources--hospital beds and personnel, blood, drugs, and medical supplies--will have been destroyed, since they are located in or near the densely populated areas that constitute primary targets of attack. Casualty estimates published by federal agencies, together with data from the Hiroshima-Nagasaki experience, suggest the numbers and types of injuries that will afflict the US population. With a probable 48,000 surviving physicians to treat 32 million casualties, there will be one physician for every 663 patients. Of the trauma and burn victims, approximately 55% will require hospitalization; this will mean 64 patients for each available hospital bed. Data from recent wars have been utilized to determine the trauma-related blood requirements in the post-nuclear war world. Of the 64 million units of whole blood needed, only 14,000 will be available. Other medical resources will be in equally short supply. This disparity between need and availability indicates the difficulty of developing a meaningful medical response for the surviving injured.

Blood Transfusion↗

Position of the American Dietetic Association: natural resource conservation and waste management.

ADA members are encouraged to evaluate their personal and professional practices and take action to more effectively conserve natural resources and protect the environment. Dietetics professionals' knowledge of the complexity of the issues associated with environmental concerns should be increased through participation in continuing education activities. Knowledgeable members should be proactive in implementing programs to conserve natural resources and protect the environment and participate in the legislative process within their states and communities. ADA supports programs designed to preserve natural resources and protect the environment. ADA is committed to enhancing the quality of life for future generations.

Air Pollution↗

Payer status and the utilization of hospital resources in acute myocardial infarction: a report from the National Registry of Myocardial Infarction 2.

BACKGROUND: Prior studies have suggested that payer status may be an important determinant of medical resource utilization and outcome in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: A national cohort of 332,221 patients with AMI enrolled from June 1994 to July 1996 were compared within 5 payer groups to ascertain the influence of payer status on hospital resource allocation for AMI in the United States. RESULTS: Medicare comprised the largest proportion (56%), followed by commercial insurance (25%), health maintenance organization (HMO) (10%), uninsured (6%), and Medicaid (3%). Compared with commercially insured patients, Medicare and Medicaid patients received fewer reperfusion therapies, underwent fewer invasive cardiac procedures, and had longer hospitalizations. After adjusting for differences in clinical characteristics, Medicare recipients were as likely as commercially insured patients to receive acute reperfusion therapies or any invasive cardiac procedure. Uninsured and HMO patients tended to utilize hospital resources with intermediate frequency. Medicare recipients aged 65 years or older and the HMO group had similar hospital mortality rates compared with the commercial group (odds ratio [OR], 1.07; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.96-1.20 and OR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.83-1.04, respectively), but Medicaid and uninsured groups had higher hospital mortality rates compared with the commercial group (OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.14-1.48 and OR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.12-1.48, respectively). CONCLUSION: This report suggests significant variation by payer status in the management of AMI throughout the United States, but no important differences in mortality among the 3 largest payer groups.

Aged↗

Resource utilization and outcome of liver transplantation for alcoholic cirrhosis. A case-control study.

Liver transplantation for alcoholic cirrhosis remains controversial at some transplantation centers. We compared resource utilization and outcome in alcoholic and nonalcoholic cirrhotic patients undergoing liver transplantation. Data were collected from 56 patients who underwent transplantation for alcohol-related cirrhosis from August 1985 to February 1991 and compared with data from a control group matched for age, sex, Child-Pugh class, and date of transplantation. No significant differences were noted in the resource utilization variables examined or in outcome (as assessed by indicators of early graft function, frequency of sepsis, incidence of rejection, renal function, and retransplantation rate). One-year survival was not significantly different (75% for the alcoholic cirrhotic group vs 76% for the nonalcoholic cirrhotic group). We conclude that liver transplantation for end-stage alcohol-related cirrhosis provides excellent results and that resource utilization appears to be equivalent to that for patients undergoing transplantation for non-alcohol-related cirrhosis.

Actuarial Analysis↗

Association between licensing examination scores and resource use and quality of care in primary care practice.

CONTEXT: Clinical competence is a determinant of the quality of care delivered, and may be associated with use of health care resources by primary care physicians. Clinical competence is assumed to be assessed by licensing examinations, yet there is a paucity of information on whether scores achieved predict subsequent practice. OBJECTIVE: To determine if licensing examination scores were associated with selected aspects of quality of care and resource use in initial primary care practice. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study of recently licensed family physicians, followed up for the first 18 months of practice. SETTING: The Quebec health care system. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 614 family physicians who passed the licensing examination between 1991 and 1993 and entered fee-for-service practice in Quebec. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: All patients seen by physicians were identified by the universal health insurance board and all health services provided to these patients were retrieved for the 18 months prior to (baseline) and after (follow-up) the physicians' entry into practice. Medical service and prescription claims files were used to measure rates of resource use (specialty consultation, symptom-relief prescribing compared with disease-specific prescribing) and quality of care (inappropriate prescribing, mammography screening). Baseline data were used to adjust for differences in practice population. RESULTS: Study physicians saw a total of 1116389 patients, of whom 113535 (10.2%) were elderly and 83391 (7.5%) were women aged 50 to 69 years. Physicians with higher licensing examination scores referred more of their patients for consultation (3.8/1000 patients per SD increase in score; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2-7.0; P = .005), prescribed to elderly patients fewer inappropriate medications (-2.7/1000 patients per SD increase in score; 95% CI, -4.8 to -0.7; P=.009) and more disease-specific medications relative to symptom-relief medications (3.9/1000 patients per SD increase in score; 95% CI, 0.3 to 7.4; P= .03), and referred more women aged 50 to 69 years (6.6/1000 patients per SD increase in score; 95% CI, 1.2-11.9; P = .02) for mammography screening. If patients of physicians with the lowest scores had experienced the same rates of consultation, prescribing, and screening as patients of physicians with the highest scores, an additional 3027 patients would have been referred, 179 fewer elderly patients would have been prescribed symptom-relief medication, 912 more elderly patients would have been prescribed disease-specific medication, 189 fewer patients would have received inappropriate medication, and 121 more women would have received mammography screening. CONCLUSIONS: Licensing examination scores are significant predictors of consultation, prescribing, and mammography screening rates in initial primary care practice.

Adult↗

Resource costing for multinational neurologic clinical trials: methods and results.

We present the results of a multinational resource costing study for a prospective economic evaluation of a new medical technology for treatment of subarachnoid hemorrhage within a clinical trial. The study describes a framework for the collection and analysis of international resource cost data that can contribute to a consistent and accurate intercountry estimation of cost. Of the 15 countries that participated in the clinical trial, we collected cost information in the following seven: Australia, France, Germany, the UK, Italy, Spain, and Sweden. The collection of cost data in these countries was structured through the use of worksheets to provide accurate and efficient cost reporting. We converted total average costs to average variable costs and then aggregated the data to develop study unit costs. When unit costs were unavailable, we developed an index table, based on a market-basket approach, to estimate unit costs. To estimate the cost of a given procedure, the market-basket estimation process required that cost information be available for at least one country. When cost information was unavailable in all countries for a given procedure, we estimated costs using a method based on physician-work and practice-expense resource-based relative value units. Finally, we converted study unit costs to a common currency using purchasing power parity measures. Through this costing exercise we developed a set of unit costs for patient services and per diem hospital services. We conclude by discussing the implications of our costing exercise and suggest guidelines to facilitate more effective multinational costing exercises.

Australia↗

Cardiac catheterization reduces resource utilization in patients with chronic chest pain.

The evaluation of patients with recurrent chest pain accounts for a significant proportion of the $274 billion annual cost of cardiovascular services in the United States. Our investigation examines the impact of coronary angiography on subsequent use of medical resources for evaluation of chest pain symptoms. The study seeks to determine whether a finding of noncritical coronary artery disease on cardiac catheterization leads to a reduced use of resources for subsequent evaluation and treatment of chest pain syndromes. Our study included 22 consecutive patients who had sought evaluation for chest pain symptoms, and who had persistence of symptoms after functional testing. Cardiac catheterization demonstrated angiographically mild coronary artery disease (stenosis less than 50%) in these patients. The patient cohort accounted for 22 emergency room evaluations and 41 ambulatory clinic evaluations in the 2.5 years before cardiac catheterization. In the 2.5-year period after catheterization, these patients had only 3 emergency room visits and 1 ambulatory clinic visit for chest pain evaluation (P < 0.001). There was a significant reduction in the number of prescriptions written for topical and oral nitrates (32% precatheterization vs. 5% postcatheterization, P < 0.04), but not of beta-blockers (26% vs. 21%, P = 0.53) or calcium blockers (32% vs. 32%, P = 1.0). Furthermore, most of the 21 surviving patients were found subsequently to have a noncardiac basis for their pain: pericarditis was felt to be the cause of chest pain in 4 patients, pulmonary disease in 7 patients, and gastrointestinal conditions in 8 patients. Diagnostic coronary arteriography may identify a subset of patients in whom a finding of noncritical coronary artery disease leads to a reduction in physician visits for evaluation of chest pain syndromes and reduced use of nitrates. In addition, when coronary artery disease is known to be mild, a noncardiac etiology for the chest pain can be sought. These results may decrease the use of expensive medical resources and encourage full occupational and lifestyle rehabilitation.

Angina Pectoris↗

The utilization of renewable resources in German industrial production.

Renewable resources will be an increasingly important issue for the chemical industry in the future. In the context of white biotechnology, they represent the intersection point of agriculture and the chemical industry. The scarcity and related increase in the price of fossil resources make renewable resources an interesting alternative. If one considers the production of bulk chemicals, it is evident that for this area besides the C sources, sugar and starch, new sources of raw materials must be opened up. One possible solution is to utilize lignocellulose both for materials and energy. This article discusses this interesting prospective for the future, particularly from the point of view of the German industry.

Biotechnology↗

The independent effects of left ventricular ejection fraction on short-term outcomes and resource utilization following hospitalization for heart failure.

BACKGROUND: While depressed left ventricular ejection fraction is clearly associated with poor long-term outcome in heart failure (HF), the effect of ejection fraction on short-term outcomes and resource utilization following hospitalization for HF remains unclear. HYPOTHESIS: We evaluated the independent effect of depressed ejection fraction (< or = 40%) on short-term outcomes and resource utilization following hospitalization for HF. METHODS: The study population included 443 consecutive patients hospitalized for DRG 127 (HF and shock) with known ejection fraction. For each patient, we assessed the hospitalization cost (1995 US$), length of stay, in-hospital mortality, 30-day mortality, and 30-day readmission rates. RESULTS: Despite similar disease severity at admission, patients with ejection fraction < or = 40% (Group 1) had longer length of stay (4.0 vs. 3.7 days; p = 0.03), a tendency toward higher hospitalization cost ($3,054 vs. $2,770; p = 0.08), more readmissions for any cause (0.4 vs. 0.3; p = 0.05) and for HF (0.2 vs. 0.1; p = 0.01), but similar in-hospital (2.5 vs. 2.6%) and 30-day mortality (4.0 vs. 4.6%) compared with patients with ejection fraction > 40% (Group 2). In multivariate analyses, Group 1 patients were more likely to have higher than median hospitalization cost [odds ratio (OR) = 1.98; 95% confidence intervals (CI) = 1.02-3.91] and longer than median hospital stay (OR = 1.68; CI = 1.08-3.91); they were also more likely to be readmitted for any cause (OR = 2.07; CI = 1.15-3.78) or for HF (OR = 5.71; CI = 1.64-21.94), and they tended to have a higher 30-day incidence of death or readmission (OR = 1.65; CI = 0.96-2.84). CONCLUSIONS: Depressed left ventricular ejection fraction is associated with higher resource utilization and readmission rates following hospitalization for HF. Greater focus on patients with depressed ejection fraction may increase cost savings from HF disease management programs.

Aged↗

Protein kinase resource: an integrated environment for phosphorylation research.

The protein kinase superfamily is an important group of enzymes controlling cellular signaling cascades. The increasing amount of available experimental data provides a foundation for deeper understanding of details of signaling systems and the underlying cellular processes. Here, we describe the Protein Kinase Resource, an integrated online service that provides access to information relevant to cell signaling and enables kinase researchers to visualize and analyze the data directly in an online environment. The data set is synchronized with Uniprot and Protein Data Bank (PDB) databases and is regularly updated and verified. Additional annotation includes interactive display of domain composition, cross-references between orthologs and functional mapping to OMIM records. The Protein Kinase Resource provides an integrated view of the protein kinase superfamily by linking data with their visual representation. Thus, human kinases can be mapped onto the human kinome tree via an interactive display. Sequence and structure data can be easily displayed using applications developed for the PKR and integrated with the website and the underlying database. Advanced search mechanisms, such as multiparameter lookup, sequence pattern, and blast search, enable fast access to the desired information, while statistics tools provide the ability to analyze the relationships among the kinases under study. The integration of data presentation and visualization implemented in the Protein Kinase Resource can be adapted by other online providers of scientific data and should become an effective way to access available experimental information.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Utilization of hospital resources by alcoholic and nonalcoholic patients: a prospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To measure any difference in the utilization of hospital resources between alcoholic patients and nonalcoholic patients (controls) in a department of internal medicine. DESIGN: Prospective comparative study. Alcoholics were identified as patients with Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST) scores of greater than or equal to 8. Controls were defined as patients with MAST scores of less than or equal to 4, and matched with alcoholics for sex, age, and time of admission. The length of stay, as well as several indicators of utilization of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, was used for the comparison of resource utilization. SETTING: General wards of internal medicine of a 1,000-bed city and teaching hospital in Lausanne, Switzerland. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and three alcoholic patients and 103 controls aged 20-75 years, admitted from September 1, 1988, to March 18, 1989. RESULTS: Alcoholics had the same lengths of stay (16 days), durations of intravenous infusions (six days), and durations of bladder catheterization (one day). Statistically nonsignificant differences were found between alcoholics and nonalcoholics regarding the charges for routine laboratory examinations [693 vs. 734 Swiss francs (Sfrs)], antibiotic therapies (218 vs. 145 Sfrs), and x-ray procedures (568 vs. 774 Sfrs; p = 0.06). The average number of electrocardiograms (two vs. five; p less than 0.005) and the duration of intensive care unit (ICU) stay (one vs. two days; p less than 0.05) were significantly lower for alcoholics than for controls. A total hospital charges index was also lower for alcoholics than for controls (11,900 Sfrs vs. 12,800 Sfrs), but not significantly. CONCLUSION: The authors' results suggest that alcoholics do not use more hospital resources per admission than do nonalcoholics. Moreover, alcoholics tend to use less frequently some procedures, such as the ICU, electrocardiography, and x-ray examinations. Several hypotheses are developed to explain these results in relation to those of previous studies, which showed more use of medical care by alcoholics than by nonalcoholics.

Adult↗

Increasing population and declining biological resources in the context of global change and globalization.

In the context of over-consumption of natural resources in the name of development and rapid industrialization by a small section of the human population that is rapidly growing, the world is currently faced with a variety of environmental uncertainties. 'Global change' covering a whole variety of ecological issues, and 'globalization' in an economic sense, are two major phenomena that are responsible for these uncertainties. There is increasing evidence to suggest that the developing countries more than the developed, particularly the marginalized traditional (those living close to nature and natural resources) societies would be the worst sufferers. In order to cope with this problem in a situation where the traditional societies have to cope with rapidly depleting biodiversity on which they are dependant for their livelihood, there is an urgent need to explore additional pathways for sustainable management of natural resources and societal development. Such pathways should be based on a landscape management strategy, that takes into consideration the rich traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) that these societies have. This is critical because TEK is the connecting link between conservation and sustainable development. This paper explores the possibilities in this direction through a balanced approach to development, that links the 'traditional' with the 'modern', in a location-specific way.

Conservation of Natural Resources↗

Canadian anaesthesia physician resource planning--is it possible?

This study was undertaken with the objective of assessing current sources of information for anaesthesia Physician Resource Planning (PRP). Four major data bases, the annual reports of Health and Welfare Canada (H&W), the education statistics from the Canadian Post-M.D. Education Registry (CAPER), the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) and the Physician Resource Data System of the Canadian Medical Association (PRDS), were examined for the period 1982 to 1991. The ratio of the number of surgical (S) to anaesthesia (A) clinicians decreased over this period despite an increase in the S:A ratios for trainees and certificants. The number of female anaesthetists has progressively increased. A steady decline in the number of rural anaesthetists has occurred. Age distribution of active certified anaesthetists revealed marked inter-regional differences. Little change was noted in the total mean hours worked per week. Each database provided valuable, but limited, data. The PRDS data is useful in assessing trends (age, sex and practice activity). Information provided by H&W tends to underestimate anaesthesia resource information by at least 10%. While information obtained from RCPSC and CAPER is accurate, the current mode of presentation of data limits their usefulness. Integrating data from all the databases appears to provide a meaningful assessment for PRP rather than assessing each database in isolation. Interpretation of the information and its value must take into account the limitations of the data being provided. Assessing present and planning future needs based on the current information structure will prove extremely difficult.

Adult↗

Effect of centre-, patient- and procedure-related factors on intensive care resource utilisation after cardiac surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To determine associations between intensive care resource utilisation and centre-, patient- and procedure-related factors. DESIGN: Prospective multicentre cohort study. SETTING: Twenty-one European intensive care units. PATIENTS AND PARTICIPANTS: Four thousand four hundred adult patients who had undergone cardiac or thoracic aortic surgery in 21 centres. INTERVENTION: None (observational study). MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Primary outcomes were duration of artificial ventilation and intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay. Exposures were centres and patient- and procedure-related factors. Both outcomes varied fourfold among centres. Median time to extubation varied from 5 to 19 h and ICU length of stay varied from 22 to 91 h. Cox regression analysis was performed to adjust risks of prolonged ventilation and ICU length of stay for patient-, procedure- and centre-related factors. Patient- and procedure-related factors were the main risk factors among individual patients, accounting for nearly two thirds of the risk of prolonged ventilation and ICU length of stay. Centre-related variation accounted for the remaining risk. CONCLUSIONS: In European ICUs resource utilisation is highly variable after cardiac surgery. Up to two thirds more patients could be treated with current ICU resources if the most efficient strategies and structures were applied across all centres.

Adolescent↗

Effect of provider volume on resource utilization for surgical procedures of the knee.

Operating-room time and patient disposition on discharge are important determinants of healthcare resource utilization and cost. We examined the relation between these determinants and hospital/surgeon volume for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction and meniscectomy procedures. Patients undergoing ACL reconstruction (18,390 cases) and meniscectomy (123,012 cases) were extracted from the State Ambulatory Surgery Databases for the years 1997-2000. Surgeon and hospital volume were divided into low-, intermediate-, and high-volume categories. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate the adjusted association between surgeon and hospital volume and patient discharge status and operating-room time. Patients undergoing ACL reconstruction or meniscectomy performed by low-volume surgeons were significantly more likely to be non-routinely discharged as compared to high-volume surgeons (adjusted odds ratio 3.5, 95% confidence interval 1.7-7.2 for ACL reconstruction; adjusted odds ratio 2.0, 95% confidence interval 1.6-2.3 for meniscectomy). The mean operating-room time for performing ACL reconstruction or meniscectomy was significantly higher in low- and intermediate-volume surgeons and hospitals as compared to high-volume surgeons and hospitals (p < or = 0.001). High-volume providers utilize healthcare resources more efficiently. Our findings may help surgeons and hospitals in optimizing resource utilization and cost for routinely-performed ambulatory surgery procedures.

Adult↗

Land-cover assessment of conservation and buffer zones in the BOSAWAS natural resource reserve of Nicaragua.

The BOSAWAS Natural Resource Reserve of Nicaragua was established in 1991, to protect a portion of the remaining tropical rain forest and to promote the sustainable use of the region's resources. Information required to effectively manage the reserve includes the extents and locations of present land-cover types and recent land-cover changes in the management use zones that were delineated by local indigenous communities. These zones include areas designated for conservation, limited resource extraction, agriculture, and watershed protection. Land-cover for 1986 and 1995 was identified for three of the communities from remotely sensed images and then input into a geographic information system database to identify land-cover types within these management use zones. For both dates of the analysis, advanced forest was the dominant land cover, with the conservation zones entirely forested. The amount of both agricultural land and scrub/early secondary forest increased between the two dates, with much of these land-cover classes occurring in the agriculture zones. Conflicts between the land-cover present and designated use were identified in some of the limited-use buffer and watershed protection zones. Changes between 1986 and 1995 were identified by overlaying the two land-cover data sets. Three change processes were identified as occurring: deforestation, reforestation, and reconversion. Changes were concentrated in the agriculture zones but were found to occur in every type of zone, except for conservation. The results of this study will establish baseline information for the future management of the BOSAWAS Reserve, an important component in uniting conservation areas along the Central American isthmus.

Agriculture↗

Depleting fish resources, declining fishing communities, and the state revitalization project in Korea.

This paper reviews recent declines in fish resources and fishing communities in Korea, evaluates major factors of declines, and examines a subsequent community-based revitalization project. Factors leading to depleting fish resources include global regulations, technological advances in fishing, national economic development policies, land reclamation projects, and pollution. The negative economic and societal impact of depleting fish resources is addressed using demographic and income levels of the communities. In response, the state initiated revitalization projects and invested in local fishing cooperatives promoting community-based management. The result has been less than effective as it led to mismanagement of investment and created an attitude of dependence on the government for financial assistance.

Animals↗

Local cultural knowledge and water resource management: the Wind River Indian Reservation.

Ecology and culture comprise interacting components of landscapes. Understanding the integrative nature of the landscape is essential to establish methods for sustainable management. This research takes as a unifying theme the idea that ecological and cultural issues can be incorporated through management. As a first step in developing integrative management strategies, information must be collected that compares and contrasts ecological and cultural issues to identify their areas of intersection. Specifically how can local cultural knowledge enable water resource management that reflects cultural and ecological values? This research examines Native American cultural knowledge for setting water resource management priorities in the Wind River Indian Reservation in central Wyoming. A cross-cultural approach is adopted to assess the relationship between indigenous cultural knowledge and Euro-American perspectives through a comparative examination of the Wind River Water Code and Wyoming Water Law. This research indicates that cultural perspectives provide a rich arena in which to examine management issues. Understanding and identifying cultural practices may be an important first step in collaborative resource management between different cultural groups to prevent conflict and lengthy resolution in court.

Conflict, Psychological↗