Using a contribution margin system to manage medical centers in Berlin.

After German reunification, the Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin was restructured from three existing Berlin university hospitals. More than a too departments were reorganized into 17 centers. Professional management was necessary to improve the overall balance.

The effect of computerized tailored brief advice on at-risk drinking in subcritically injured trauma patients.

Background: One-third of injured patients treated in the emergency department (ED) have an alcohol use disorder (AUD). Few are screened and receive counseling because ED staff have little time for additional tasks. We hypothesized that computer technology can screen and provide an intervention that reduces at-risk drinking (British Medical Association criteria) in injured ED patients.

[Implementation of modern operating room management -- experiences made at an university hospital].

Caused by structural changes in health care the general need for cost control is evident for all hospitals. As operating room is one of the most cost-intensive sectors in a hospital, optimisation of workflow processes in this area is of particular interest for health care providers. While modern operating room management is established in several clinics yet, others are less prepared for economic challenges.

Gender differences in the performance of a computerized version of the alcohol use disorders identification test in subcritically injured patients who are admitted to the emergency department.

Objective: The Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) has been recommended as a screening tool to detect patients who are appropriate candidates for brief, preventive alcohol interventions. Lower AUDIT cutoff scores have been proposed for women; however, the appropriate value remains unknown. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the optimal AUDIT cutpoint for detecting alcohol problems in subcritically injured male and female patients who are treated in the emergency department (ED).

Limitations of score-based daily outcome predictions in the individual intensive care patient. An example of the RIAHDH algorithm.

Objective: The nature of score-based predictions is probabilistic, and their accuracy depends on the reliability and validity of the applied system. As an example, the present study investigates the accuracy of the RIP-algorithm (RIP = Riyadh Intensive Care Program) based on daily APACHE II scores, and compares it with published results of that algorithm from other investigators.

Design: Prospective observational study and review of the literature.