Short Form (SF-36) Health Survey measures are associated with decreased adherence among urban African Americans with severe, poorly controlled hypertension.

The objective of this study was to determine whether an association exists between Short Form (SF-36) Health Survey measures and nonadherence among urban African Americans with poorly controlled hypertension. A total of 158 African Americans were admitted to an urban academic hospital for severe, uncontrolled hypertension. The main outcome measure was self-reported nonadherence to antihypertensive medications using a validated instrument.

Physicians' perceptions and knowledge of drug costs: results of a survey.

The objective of this survey was to determine physicians' opinions of the importance of drug costs, sources of drug cost information used, preferences for mechanisms to lower drug costs, and to assess knowledge of the relative cost of common drugs. A questionnaire containing opinion statements and five categories of drugs to be ranked from least to most expensive was sent to 598 physicians at our tertiary-care, university-affiliated teaching hospital. In all, 398 (66.

Tuberculin testing in a tertiary hospital: product variability.

Nine percent of 2,721 hospital employees, previously tuberculin negative, were PPD positive when tested with 5 TU of PPD (Aplisol, Parke-Davis). Seventy percent of the positive reactions were found to be erroneous on retesting with Tubersol (Connaught). The excessive potency of Aplisol led to excessive expenditures of time and money investigating a nonexistent outbreak.

Empiric antibiotic therapy of abdominal sepsis and serious perioperative infections.

This article discusses empiric therapy for several serious infections in surgical patients. The accepted antibiotic treatment for purulent peritonitis, the empiric treatment of postsurgical wound infection, and the empiric treatment of postsurgical pneumonia are discussed. The cost of the various regimens is listed.