A comparison of network sampling designs for a hidden population of drug users: Random walk vs. respondent-driven sampling.

Both random walk and respondent-driven sampling (RDS) exploit social networks and may reduce biases introduced by earlier methods for sampling from hidden populations. Although RDS has become much more widely used by social researchers than random walk (RW), there has been little discussion of the tradeoffs in choosing RDS over RW. This paper compares experiences of implementing RW and RDS to recruit drug users to a network-based study in Houston, Texas.

Gauging patient safety programs.

In response to evidence that adverse medical events are widespread, patient safety programs have emerged and proliferated worldwide in recent years. Patient safety may be considered a new and distinct healthcare discipline. It emphasizes the reporting, analysis, and prevention of medical errors that can lead to adverse healthcare events.

The pathology of alcohol use and abuse.

Alcohol is the most widely abused substance in the United States and its pathology is responsible for more pathological conditions than all other forms of drug use combined. Alcohol dependence is associated with a number of adverse individual and societal consequences and high rates of morbidity and mortality. Alcohol use and abuse have a significant pathological effect on the brain, fetus, liver, heart, pancreas, and immune system.

Patient safety and quality improvement: a policy assessment.

Background: The regulation implementing the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (PSQIA) was published on November 21, 2008, and became effective on January 19, 2009 (42 C.F.R.

An overview of FDA regulatory requirements for new medical devices.

Background: US national healthcare expenditure reached over 2 trillion dollars in 2007. medical device expenditure has remained nearly a constant 6% of the total healthcare expenditure. medical technology may be one of the driving factors increasing healthcare costs.

E-detailing: information technology applied to pharmaceutical detailing.

Background: E-detailing can be best described as the use of information technology in the field of pharmaceutical detailing. It is becoming highly popular among pharmaceutical companies because it maximizes the time of the sales force, cuts down the cost of detailing and increases physician prescribing. Thus, the application of information technology is proving to be beneficial to both physicians and pharmaceutical companies.

Direct-to-consumer advertising: its effects on stakeholders.

The escalating growth in the development of pharmaceutical drugs has caused the pharmaceutical industry to market drugs directly to consumers. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising has increased immensely in the past 15 years and continues to grow each year. The advantages of DTC advertising include an increase in consumer knowledge, patient autonomy, and possibly providing physicians and pharmacists with up-to-date information about the recent trends in the marketplace.

The root cause of patient safety concerns in an Internet pharmacy.

Background: The Internet has become a revolutionary technology that affords worldwide opportunities never seen before. One such opportunity is the purchase of drugs over the Internet and the business of Internet pharmacies which has become prolific. Associated with this proliferation is the concern for patient safety.

Propofol-related infusion syndrome in intensive care patients.

The Institute of Medicine has identified adverse drug events as factors that significantly contribute to increased patient morbidity and mortality. As critically ill patients receive numerous drugs to treat a multitude of complicated health problems, they are at high risk for adverse drug events. Sedation is often a key requirement for the optimal management of critical illness, and propofol, a common sedative, has many desirable characteristics that make it the ideal agent in numerous circumstances.

Online pharmacies: safety and regulatory considerations.

Sales of consumer products over the Internet have grown rapidly, including sales of pharmaceutical products. Online pharmacies mimic mail order pharmacies. To operate legally online, pharmacies must be licensed in every state in which sales occur.

A marketing clinical doctorate programs.

Over the past decade, clinical doctorate programs in health disciplines have proliferated amid both support and controversy among educators, professional organizations, practitioners, administrators, and third-party payers. Supporters argue that the explosion of new knowledge and increasing sophistication of technology have created a need for advanced practice models to enhance patient care and safety and to reduce costs. Critics argue that necessary technological advances can be incorporated into existing programs and believe that clinical doctorates will increase health care costs, not reduce them.

Differences in drug treatment services based on profit status.

The goal of this article is to examine whether profit status affects the provision of seven "core" drug treatment services and nine "auxiliary" treatment services. Data on the type of services provided by 8,606 treatment providers obtained from the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS) collected by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in 2000 were used for this study. The types of services offered by the providers were modeled to be a function of the drug treatment providers' (DTP) profit status, DTP organizational and financial characteristics, staff's characteristics, clients' characteristics, and regional variables.

Perceiver and relationship effects on perceptions of HIV status: A naturalistic study in a high drug use sample.

This article examines the effect of target, perceiver, and relationship characteristics on the perceiver's assessment that the target may be HIV seropositive (HIV+). A sample of 267 persons was recruited from low income, high drug use neighborhoods. Respondents (perceivers) were asked to name people (targets) with whom they had a social, drug sharing, or sexual relationship.

HIV/AIDS in the Middle East: a guide to a proactive response.

After 24 years of being declared an epidemic, the human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) has found its way to the remote parts of the Middle East. There are no fastidious HIV/AIDS epidemiological data available specific for the Middle East and insufficient surveys have been conducted in a larger area including the Middle East and North Africa. Currently the total number of people living with HIV in the Middle East and North Africa is 540,000.

The association between EIC receipt and employment in a sample of drug using and non-drug using TANF recipients.

This article examines the extent to which Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) recipients file income tax returns and take advantage of the Earned Income Credit (EIC), a program specifically designed to increase the economic self-sufficiency of lower income earners by supplementing earned and other income to make working more profitable. This study consisted primarily of Black and Hispanic women (n = 317), recruited for a longitudinal study designed to examine the effects of welfare reform on drug using and non-drug using welfare recipients. At the 2-year mark, 70% of the sample reported having ever filed an income tax return, of these 76% had received an EIC.

Effect of peers on employment and implications for drug treatment.

We examined the effect peers have on Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) recipients' employment behavior. Nondrug using and chronic drug using TANF recipients (n=433) participating in a study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse were asked how many of the people they regularly spent time with over the past 4 months had jobs and how many of them encouraged the individual to look for work. Results of a path analysis showed that age, education, and chronic drug use were significantly related to the nature of peer relationships.

Personal adjustment and substance abuse problems in a longitudinal study of TANF recipients and the potential need for treatment.

Objective: This study assessed the need over time for treatment of personal adjustment and substance abuse problems among chronic drug using and other recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).

Methods: Participants were administered the personal adjustment problems and substance abuse problems scales contained in the Multidimensional Addictions and Personality Profile (MAPP) at intake, one-year, and two-year interviews.

Results: Most participants who were not chronic users had total scale scores that would indicate no recommended referral or a referral to outpatient treatment.

Topography as a contextual variable in infectious disease transmission.

Objective: This paper examines whether or not topography is a contextual variable that indirectly influences the transmission of infectious diseases. Age, gender, race/ethnicity, education level, economic status, injection drug use, and high-risk sexual behavior are known to influence infectious diseases transmission, but the effects of topography are often overlooked.

Design: A sample of 395 drug users were chosen from census tracts based upon a target profile of drug use behavior and demographics for the city of Houston.

Posttraumatic stress disorder among Hispanic and African-American drug users.

Context: Treating high-risk substance abusers who are members of minority groups may require varied protocols depending on differences among minority groups.

Objectives: To explore cocaine abuse (CA)/ dependence with physiological dependence (CDPD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis differences between out-of-treatment Hispanic and African American adults, in order to identify cultural differences in how experiences and attitudes affect cocaine use behaviors.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This study uses data collected between February and November 2000, as part of a three-year longitudinal study.

Assessing reliability and validity measures in managed care studies.

Background: To review the reliability and validity literature and develop an understanding of these concepts as applied to managed care studies.

Results: Reliability is a test of how well an instrument measures the same input at varying times and under varying conditions. Validity is a test of how accurately an instrument measures what one believes is being measured.

New frontiers and challenges in HIV research among older minority populations.

Older racial and ethnic minorities are a rapidly growing segment of the population. HIV infection disproportionately affects minorities of all ages, presenting new challenges in research, prevention, and treatment of HIV infection. Cultural characteristics coupled with changing values and age-related beliefs can present some atypical challenges to HIV researchers and clinicians.