Development and validation of an onset of effect questionnaire for patients with asthma.

A maintenance medication that patients with asthma can feel working shortly after administration could reinforce daily treatment and improve satisfaction, adherence, and outcomes. This study was performed to develop and test a measure assessing patient perception and satisfaction with feeling an asthma medication working right away. Three studies were conducted to develop and evaluate the measure.

Costs and outcomes of acute kidney injury (AKI) following cardiac surgery.

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a recognized complication of cardiac surgery; however, the variability in costs and outcomes reported are due, in part, to different criteria for diagnosing and classifying AKI. We determined costs, resource use and mortality rate of patients. We used the serum creatinine component of the RIFLE system to classify AKI.

Are the Naranjo criteria reliable and valid for determination of adverse drug reactions in the intensive care unit?

Background: The Naranjo criteria are frequently used for determination of causality for suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs); however, the psychometric properties have not been studied in the critically ill.

Objective: To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Naranjo criteria for ADR determination in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Methods: All patients admitted to a surgical ICU during a 3-month period were enrolled.

Functional Assessment in Migraine (FAIM) questionnaire: development of an instrument based upon the WHO's International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health.

Objective: The goal of this project was to develop a migraine functional measurement instrument, derived from the World Health Organization International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities, and Handicaps version 2 classification system, which focuses on functional outcomes, and is both reliable and valid.

Methods: The Functional Assessment in Migraine (FAIM) questionnaire was developed using a multistep approach to ensure the brevity, relevance, reliability, and validity of items. A test set of 71 Mental Functioning and 50 Activity and Participation items was generated and administered to migraineurs in the United States and Germany.

Quality-adjusted life years was a poor predictor of women's willingness to pay in acute and chronic conditions: results of a survey.

Objective: We investigated the relationship between quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and willingness to pay (WTP) in acute and chronic conditions.

Study Design And Setting: Face-to-face interviews were used to collect data in a convenience sample of women. Participants completed one interview evaluating preferences for an acute condition, post-chemotherapy nausea and vomiting (PCNV), and the other interview for a chronic condition (breast cancer).

Cost-effectiveness of Advair: fluticasone propionate and salmeterol combination.

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute guidelines for the treatment of asthma suggest that inhaled corticosteroids, with the addition of a long-acting bronchodilator, may be the most effective long-term control medication for asthma. Five inhaled corticosteroids are approved for use in the USA, including beclomethasone dipropionate, budesonide, flunisolide, triamcinolone acetonide and fluticasone propionate. Fluticasone propionate (Flixotide) and the long-acting beta2 agonist salmeterol (Serevent), are now available in the USA together in an easy to use dry powder inhaler Advair.

Effect of including (versus excluding) fates worse than death on utility measurement.

Objectives: Most studies typically measure health preferences excluding health states perceived as worse than death. The objective of this study is to test the impact of including (versus excluding) health states perceived to be worse than death on utility measurement using standard gamble (SG) and visual analogue scale (VAS) methods.

Methods: By means of a cross-sectional descriptive study design, women were asked to rate the utility of three hypothetical breast cancer health states: cure, treatment, and recurrence (n=119).

Assessment of respondent acceptability of preference measures: discriminatory power of graphic positioning scale versus traditional scaling measures.

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare discriminatory power of two different measures-graphic positioning scale (GPS) versus traditional scale (TS)-in assessing respondent acceptability of three preference measures: visual analog scale (VAS), standard gamble (SG), and willingness to pay (WTP).

Methods: Two face-to-face interviews were conducted at least 1 week apart in a convenience sample of women aged 22 to 50 years with no history of breast cancer or cancer requiring chemotherapy. Study participation required completion of two surveys: one evaluating health preferences for an acute condition (chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting) and one evaluating a chronic condition (breast cancer).

Are health states 'timeless'? A case study of an acute condition: post-chemotherapy nausea and vomiting.

Rationale, Aims And Objectives: The objective was to test whether individuals' responses to standard gamble (SG) and visual analogue scale (VAS) questions do not depend on the time horizon of the health scenario presented.

Methods: Face-to-face interviews were conducted in a convenience sample of 18 women aged 22-50 years with no history of breast cancer or cancer requiring chemotherapy. Data were collected from March 2000 to June 2000 at a university in the Midwest of the United States of America.

Perceived barriers to medical-error reporting: an exploratory investigation.

Medical-error reporting is an essential component for patient safety enhancement. Unfortunately, medical errors are largely underreported across healthcare institutions. This problem can be attributed to different factors and barriers present at organizational and individual levels that ultimately prevent individuals from generating the report.

Economic impact of asthma therapy with fluticasone propionate, montelukast, or zafirlukast in a managed care population.

Study Objective: To compare asthma-related health care expenditures among patients newly prescribed fluticasone propionate 44 or 110 microg, montelukast 5 or 10 mg, or zafirlukast 20 mg.

Design: Retrospective cohort analysis of medical and pharmacy claims.

Setting: University-affiliated health outcomes research center.