An exploratory study of the use of advance directives by US oncologists.

Purpose: This study sought to determine the rate of advance directive completion among US oncologists and factors influencing such a decision.

Methods: We surveyed 7590 members of the American Society of Clinical Oncology using a web-based questionnaire.

Results: The response rate was 8.

Identification and collection of quality indicators for perinatal care.

We describe the development of a database of quality indicators and outcomes for perinatal care as part of a multi-institutional collaborative quality improvement project, Neonatal Intensive Care Quality 2002. Important principles of developing such a database are also discussed including eligibility criteria that identify high-risk patients without burdening data collectors, clinically important and well-defined measures, development of systems within each hospital to ensure identification of all eligible patients, use of data collectors with knowledge of perinatal care, appropriate design of paper and electronic data-collection tools, multiple pilot tests, and periodic feedback of data to participating hospitals.