Audio-digital recordings to assess ratings reliability in clinical trials of schizophrenia.

We examined ratings reliability in 5 clinical trials of subjects with schizophrenia experiencing an acute exacerbation of psychosis. Audio-digital recordings of site-based interviews of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) or Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) were used to obtain blinded, site-independent scores to evaluate paired scoring concordance. High intraclass correlations were noted between 1810 paired site-based and site-independent PANSS scores (r = 0.

Unfulfilled promises of health information exchange: What inhibits ambulatory clinics from electronically sharing health information?

Purpose: This study seeks to understand the key inhibitors for health information exchange (HIE) by ambulatory (outpatient) clinics. We examine the key technological, organizational and environmental factors that inhibit an ambulatory clinic from electronically exchanging health information with external clinics and hospitals.

Methods: We utilize survey data from 1285 ambulatory clinics in the US state of Minnesota.

Key Factors Affecting Ambulatory Care Providers' Electronic Exchange of Health Information With Affiliated and Unaffiliated Partners: Web-Based Survey Study.

Background: Despite the potential benefits of electronic health information exchange (HIE) to improve the quality and efficiency of care, HIE use by ambulatory providers remains low. Ambulatory providers can greatly improve the quality of care by electronically exchanging health information with affiliated providers within their health care network as well as with unaffiliated, external providers.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the extent of electronic HIE use by ambulatory clinics with affiliated providers within their health system and with external providers, as well as the key technological, organizational, and environmental factors affecting the extent of HIE use within and outside the health system.

Ratings surveillance and reliability in a study of major depressive disorder with subthreshold hypomania (mixed features).

Objectives: Site-independent ratings surveillance assessed ratings reliability in a clinical trial.

Methods: Inter-rater reliability was assessed at the screen visit in a 6-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of lurasidone for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) with subthreshold hypomanic ("mixed") symptoms (clinicaltrials.gov NCT01421134).

Deep Brain Stimulation Targeting the Fornix for Mild Alzheimer Dementia (the ADvance Trial): A Two Year Follow-up Including Results of Delayed Activation.

Background: Given recent challenges in developing new treatments for Alzheimer dementia (AD), it is vital to explore alternate treatment targets, such as neuromodulation for circuit dysfunction. We previously reported an exploratory Phase IIb double-blind trial of deep brain stimulation targeting the fornix (DBS-f) in mild AD (the ADvance trial). We reported safety but no clinical benefits of DBS-f versus the delayed-on (sham) treatment in 42 participants after one year.