Monday, November 09, 2009
Evaluating eHealth
http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1000105
PLOS Medicine
citation: Bates DW, Wright A, 2009 Evaluating eHealth: Undertaking Robust International Cross-Cultural eHealth Research. PLoS Med 6(9): e1000105
"eHealth—the use of electronic tools in delivering health care—is rapidly emerging as an international priority in nations at all levels of development, yet the benefits and priorities have not clearly been defined. The result is that there is an urgent need for additional research in this area. International research to evaluate the impact of eHealth would be especially helpful, and unless this begins to take place potential economies of scale may not be realized.
Recent events illustrate that the world economy is increasingly global; yet eHealth applications are generally local, regional, or, in a few instances, national. Nonetheless, enormous savings might be realized rapidly if international eHealth collaborations become more frequent, and more knowledge generation and even data interchange begin to occur.
International collaborations in delivering and evaluating eHealth present many opportunities but also very substantial challenges. In this Essay, we describe and discuss some of these opportunities and challenges, and present a few examples of successful international collaborations. We also lay out some suggestions and recommendations on the next steps in undertaking robust international cross-cultural eHealth research."
PLOS Medicine
citation: Bates DW, Wright A, 2009 Evaluating eHealth: Undertaking Robust International Cross-Cultural eHealth Research. PLoS Med 6(9): e1000105
"eHealth—the use of electronic tools in delivering health care—is rapidly emerging as an international priority in nations at all levels of development, yet the benefits and priorities have not clearly been defined. The result is that there is an urgent need for additional research in this area. International research to evaluate the impact of eHealth would be especially helpful, and unless this begins to take place potential economies of scale may not be realized.
Recent events illustrate that the world economy is increasingly global; yet eHealth applications are generally local, regional, or, in a few instances, national. Nonetheless, enormous savings might be realized rapidly if international eHealth collaborations become more frequent, and more knowledge generation and even data interchange begin to occur.
International collaborations in delivering and evaluating eHealth present many opportunities but also very substantial challenges. In this Essay, we describe and discuss some of these opportunities and challenges, and present a few examples of successful international collaborations. We also lay out some suggestions and recommendations on the next steps in undertaking robust international cross-cultural eHealth research."
Labels: eHealth
Friday, October 30, 2009
Health Information Technology in the US, 2009
http://www.rwjf.org/newsroom/product.jsp?id=50308
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
"Health information technology (HIT) has the potential to revolutionize the delivery of health care. In our two previous reports about HIT in the United States we detailed the challenges faced by policy-makers working toward the goal of increased adoption of electronic health records. Since that time the role of health information technology in promoting higher quality, more efficient health care has taken a central position in the current health care reform debate. There is broad bipartisan support to speed health information technology adoption, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) has made promoting a national interoperable health information system a priority, authorizing significant resources to achieve this goal.
This report builds on our previous work, initiated by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONCHIT) in 2007, to design and deploy standardized measures of electronic health record (EHR) adoption in a national hospital survey. This report, like its predecessors, is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) which has a longstanding commitment to understanding and improving the quality of American health care. This commitment includes a multitude of efforts designed to address all dimensions of the quality problem, including inequities in care. RWJF has supported this report in order to share the lessons of the ONCHIT work more broadly and review what is known about the state of EHR adoption and its implications for improving health care quality. "
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
"Health information technology (HIT) has the potential to revolutionize the delivery of health care. In our two previous reports about HIT in the United States we detailed the challenges faced by policy-makers working toward the goal of increased adoption of electronic health records. Since that time the role of health information technology in promoting higher quality, more efficient health care has taken a central position in the current health care reform debate. There is broad bipartisan support to speed health information technology adoption, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) has made promoting a national interoperable health information system a priority, authorizing significant resources to achieve this goal.
This report builds on our previous work, initiated by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONCHIT) in 2007, to design and deploy standardized measures of electronic health record (EHR) adoption in a national hospital survey. This report, like its predecessors, is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) which has a longstanding commitment to understanding and improving the quality of American health care. This commitment includes a multitude of efforts designed to address all dimensions of the quality problem, including inequities in care. RWJF has supported this report in order to share the lessons of the ONCHIT work more broadly and review what is known about the state of EHR adoption and its implications for improving health care quality. "
Labels: health information technology
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Uninsured Adults With Chronic Conditions or Disabilities - Gaps in Public Insurance Programs
Pizer SD, Frakt AB, Iezzoni LI. Uninsured Adults With Chronic Conditions Or Disabilities: Gaps In Public Insurance Programs. Health Aff (Millwood). 2009 Oct 20
http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/hlthaff.28.6.w1141/DC1
"Among nonelderly U.S. adults (ages 25-61), uninsurance rates increased from 13.7 percent in 2000 to 16.0 percent in 2005. Despite the existence of public insurance programs, rates remained high for low-income people reporting serious health conditions (25 percent across years) or disabilities (15 percent). Residents of southern states had even higher rates (32 percent with health conditions, 22 percent with disabilities). Those who did not belong to a federally mandated Medicaid eligibility category were about twice as likely as others to be uninsured overall, and uninsurance among this group increased more rapidly over time. These regional and categorical differences reflect gaps in current policy that pose challenges for incremental health reform. "
http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/hlthaff.28.6.w1141/DC1
"Among nonelderly U.S. adults (ages 25-61), uninsurance rates increased from 13.7 percent in 2000 to 16.0 percent in 2005. Despite the existence of public insurance programs, rates remained high for low-income people reporting serious health conditions (25 percent across years) or disabilities (15 percent). Residents of southern states had even higher rates (32 percent with health conditions, 22 percent with disabilities). Those who did not belong to a federally mandated Medicaid eligibility category were about twice as likely as others to be uninsured overall, and uninsurance among this group increased more rapidly over time. These regional and categorical differences reflect gaps in current policy that pose challenges for incremental health reform. "
Labels: Disability, Medicaid, serious health conditions
Thursday, October 22, 2009
"State of Health Care Quality" Report
http://www.ncqa.org/tabid/836/Default.aspx
National Committee for Quality Assurance
"A report released by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) finds that the quality of U.S. health care was virtually stagnant in 2008, a disturbing slowdown after a decade of improvements. The across-the-board trend was seen in care provided to people with private insurance coverage as well as in Medicare and Medicaid. The report also examines the link between higher health care spending and quality and finds little to no connection, a finding with significant implications for health care reform efforts."
National Committee for Quality Assurance
"A report released by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) finds that the quality of U.S. health care was virtually stagnant in 2008, a disturbing slowdown after a decade of improvements. The across-the-board trend was seen in care provided to people with private insurance coverage as well as in Medicare and Medicaid. The report also examines the link between higher health care spending and quality and finds little to no connection, a finding with significant implications for health care reform efforts."
Labels: Health Care
Monday, October 19, 2009
Marriage and Divorce: A 50-State Tour
http://pewsocialtrends.org/assets/flash/marriage/
PEW Research Center
"In Arkansas and Oklahoma, men and women marry young — half of first-time brides in these states were age 24 or younger on their wedding day. These states also have above-average shares of women who divorced in 2007-2008.
It’s the opposite state of affairs in Massachusetts and New York. Their residents marry late — half of ever-married New York men were older than age 30 when they first wed. These states also have below-average shares of men and women who divorced in 2007-2008.
Remember the classic country song: “All My Ex’s Live in Texas”? Well, George Strait was on to something. Looking at numbers, Texas is indeed home to more thrice-married adults than any other state, about 428,000 women and 373,000 men. But that’s partly because it’s home to so many people, period. Looking at rates, about 6% of Texans who ever have been married have wed three times or more. That is similar to the national average (5%), but well below the leaders in this category — the neighboring states of Arkansas and Oklahoma — where about 10% of all ever-married adults have had at least three spouses.
Meantime, back in New York and Massachusetts, just 2% of ever-married adults have been married at least three times, placing them at the bottom on this measure among the 50 states.
These findings are drawn from the recently released 2008 American Community Survey, which offers the most detailed portrait yet from the U.S. Census Bureau of marriage and divorce statistics at the state level. This is the first time the survey has included estimates of marriage and divorces within the previous 12 months, duration of marriages and Americans married multiple times."
PEW Research Center
"In Arkansas and Oklahoma, men and women marry young — half of first-time brides in these states were age 24 or younger on their wedding day. These states also have above-average shares of women who divorced in 2007-2008.
It’s the opposite state of affairs in Massachusetts and New York. Their residents marry late — half of ever-married New York men were older than age 30 when they first wed. These states also have below-average shares of men and women who divorced in 2007-2008.
Remember the classic country song: “All My Ex’s Live in Texas”? Well, George Strait was on to something. Looking at numbers, Texas is indeed home to more thrice-married adults than any other state, about 428,000 women and 373,000 men. But that’s partly because it’s home to so many people, period. Looking at rates, about 6% of Texans who ever have been married have wed three times or more. That is similar to the national average (5%), but well below the leaders in this category — the neighboring states of Arkansas and Oklahoma — where about 10% of all ever-married adults have had at least three spouses.
Meantime, back in New York and Massachusetts, just 2% of ever-married adults have been married at least three times, placing them at the bottom on this measure among the 50 states.
These findings are drawn from the recently released 2008 American Community Survey, which offers the most detailed portrait yet from the U.S. Census Bureau of marriage and divorce statistics at the state level. This is the first time the survey has included estimates of marriage and divorces within the previous 12 months, duration of marriages and Americans married multiple times."
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Harvard announces plans for iPhone apps for Public Health
http://www.pr.com/press-release/184197
"October 09, 2009 --(PR.com)-- The Harvard Health Publications Division of Harvard Medical School announced today that it will launch a new program called HMS Mobile to deliver a series of iPhone Applications aimed at promoting public health. The first such application will focus on the H1N1 flu pandemic and is scheduled for release to the public in early October. These applications will leverage Harvard Medical School’s extensive knowledge along with its long-standing expertise in publishing health information for the general public. The School’s goal is to provide the public with the best available information on public health-related issues, including practical advice on how to reduce risks and how to respond in the event of a public health threat."
"October 09, 2009 --(PR.com)-- The Harvard Health Publications Division of Harvard Medical School announced today that it will launch a new program called HMS Mobile to deliver a series of iPhone Applications aimed at promoting public health. The first such application will focus on the H1N1 flu pandemic and is scheduled for release to the public in early October. These applications will leverage Harvard Medical School’s extensive knowledge along with its long-standing expertise in publishing health information for the general public. The School’s goal is to provide the public with the best available information on public health-related issues, including practical advice on how to reduce risks and how to respond in the event of a public health threat."
Labels: Harvard, iPhone, public health
People Who Work After Retiring Enjoy Better Health
citation: "Bridge Employment and Retirees' Health: A Longitudinal Investigation," Yujie Zhan, MS, Mo Wang, PhD, and Songqi Liu, MS, University of Maryland; Kenneth S. Shultz, PhD, California State University, San Bernardino; Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, Vol. 14, No. 4.
http://www.apa.org/releases/working-retirees.html (contains link to article at the bottom)
"Retirees who transition from full-time work into a temporary or part-time job experience fewer major diseases and are able to function better day-to-day than people who stop working altogether, according to a national study. And the findings were significant even after controlling for people's physical and mental health before retirement.
The study's authors refer to this transition between career and complete retirement as "bridge employment," which can be a part-time job, self-employment or a temporary job."
http://www.apa.org/releases/working-retirees.html (contains link to article at the bottom)
"Retirees who transition from full-time work into a temporary or part-time job experience fewer major diseases and are able to function better day-to-day than people who stop working altogether, according to a national study. And the findings were significant even after controlling for people's physical and mental health before retirement.
The study's authors refer to this transition between career and complete retirement as "bridge employment," which can be a part-time job, self-employment or a temporary job."
Labels: retirement, work
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Children’s Exposure to Violence: A Comprehensive National Survey
http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/publications/PubAbstract.asp?pubi=249751
Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice
"Presents findings from the National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence, the most comprehensive survey to date of children’s exposure to violence in the United States. The survey was conducted between January and May 2008, and surveyed more than 4,500 children or their parents or adult caregivers regarding their past-year and lifetime exposure to violence. This Bulletin discusses the survey’s findings regard children’s direct and indirect exposure to specific categories of violence, how exposure to violence changes as children grow up, and the prevalence and incidence of multiple and cumulative exposures to violence. It also discusses the implications of the survey findings for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners who work with juvenile victims of violence. "
Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice
"Presents findings from the National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence, the most comprehensive survey to date of children’s exposure to violence in the United States. The survey was conducted between January and May 2008, and surveyed more than 4,500 children or their parents or adult caregivers regarding their past-year and lifetime exposure to violence. This Bulletin discusses the survey’s findings regard children’s direct and indirect exposure to specific categories of violence, how exposure to violence changes as children grow up, and the prevalence and incidence of multiple and cumulative exposures to violence. It also discusses the implications of the survey findings for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners who work with juvenile victims of violence. "
