Primary care-based integrated disease management for heart failure: a study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Heart failure (HF) is a common chronic disease that increases in prevalence with age. It is associated with high hospitalisation rates, poor quality of life and high mortality. Management is complex with most interactions occurring in primary care.

Integrated Disease Management for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Primary Care, from the Controlled Trial to Clinical Program: A Cohort Study.

Purpose: Integrated disease management (IDM) for COPD in primary care has been primarily investigated under clinical trial conditions. We previously published a randomized controlled trial (RCT) where the IDM intervention improved quality of life (QoL) and exacerbation-related outcomes. In this study, we assess the same IDM intervention in a real-world evaluation and identify patient characteristics associated with improved outcomes.

Confronting complexity and supporting transformation through health systems mapping: a case study.

Introduction: Health systems are a complex web of interacting and interconnected parts; introducing an intervention, or the allocation of resources, in one sector can have effects across other sectors and impact the entire system. A prerequisite for effective health system reorganisation or transformation is a broad and common understanding of the current system amongst stakeholders and innovators. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart failure (HF) are common chronic diseases with high health care costs that require an integrated health system to effectively treat.

Effects of decomposition on carbon and nitrogen stable isotope values of muscle tissue of varying lipid content from three aquatic vertebrate species.

Rationale: Stable isotopes are a prominent tool in animal ecology where data is obtained from analyzing animal tissues, which are typically stored prior to analysis. However, the effect of decomposition on the reliability of stable isotope ratios from animal tissue prior to storage has been seldom studied. Here, we examine the long-term effects of freezing and decomposition of animal tissue on δ C and δ N values across three different aquatic species of varying lipid content.