Strategies to Modify the Risk of Heart Failure Readmission: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Human factors play an important role in health-care outcomes of heart failure (HF) patients. A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trial studies on HF hospitalization may yield positive proofs of the beneficial effect of specific care management strategies.

Purpose: To investigate how the 8 guiding principles of choice, rest, environment, activity, trust, interpersonal relationships, outlook, and nutrition reduce HF readmissions.

Patient Engagement in Neurological Clinical Trials Design: A Conference Summary.

Objectives: The conference objectives included educating patients and advocates about clinical trials, educating the clinical research community about patient perspectives on participating in clinical trial design, and identifying strategies to increase participation in clinical trial design for neurological disorders.

Design: Observations were noted during a 1-day conference attended by patients, patient advocates, clinical trial staff, and investigators. The conference offered didactic sessions, small, and large group discussions.

Public Interest in Medical Research Participation: Does It Matter if Patients or Community Members Have Helped Design the Study?

Purpose: We determined national levels of public participation in medical research study design. We compared public interest in medical research participation (MRP) in studies overall, versus studies explicitly designed with public involvement.

Method: Cross-sectional household survey of US population in June 2013.

Exploring real-time patient decision-making for acute care: a pilot study.

Introduction: Research has described emergency department (ED) use patterns in detail. However, evidence is lacking on how, at the time a decision is made, patients decide if healthcare is required or where to seek care.

Methods: Using community-based participatory research methods, we conducted a mixed-methods descriptive pilot study.

Text messaging as a community-based survey tool: a pilot study.

Background: It is not known whether using text messaging to administer real-time survey questions is feasible and acceptable among low-income, urban African American adults.

Methods: We used a mixed methods approach including paper surveys, surveys administered by text message, and a focus group. Survey questions that included multiple choice, Likert-like scales, and open ended questions were administered by paper and sent via text message daily during varied times of day for six weeks.

Understanding the value of emergency care: a framework incorporating stakeholder perspectives.

Background: In the face of escalating spending, measuring and maximizing the value of health services has become an important focus of health reform. Recent initiatives aim to incentivize high-value care through provider and hospital payment reform, but the role of the emergency department (ED) remains poorly defined.

Objectives: To achieve an improved understanding of the value of emergency care, we have developed a framework that incorporates the perspectives of stakeholders in the delivery of health services.

Public interest in medical research participation: differences by volunteer status and study type.

Purpose: We assessed national levels of public interest in medical research participation (MRP) and factors associated with interest as a healthy volunteer; as a diagnosed volunteer; and in seven study types.

Method: Cross-sectional, Web-based survey of the US population in June 2012. Descriptive statistics estimated interest in MRP and multivariable logistic regression determined associations between respondent-level predictors and interest in MRP.

Type III protein secretion is associated with poor clinical outcomes in patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Objective: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a frequent cause of ventilator-associated pneumonia. Recent evidence suggests that production of type III secretion proteins is correlated with increased pathogenicity in both cellular and animal models of infection. The objective of this study was to determine whether this system contributes to disease severity in humans with ventilator-associated pneumonia.