An instrument for assessing the quality of informed consent documents for elective procedures: development and testing.

Objective: To develop a nationally applicable tool for assessing the quality of informed consent documents for elective procedures.

Design: Mixed qualitative-quantitative approach.

Setting: Convened seven meetings with stakeholders to obtain input and feedback on the tool.

Readmissions after carotid artery revascularization in the Medicare population.

Background: In appropriately selected patients with severe carotid stenosis, carotid revascularization reduces ischemic stroke. Prior clinical research has focused on the efficacy and safety of carotid revascularization, but few investigators have considered readmission as a clinically important outcome.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to examine frequency, timing, and diagnoses of 30-day readmission following carotid revascularization; to assess differences in 30-day readmission between patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and carotid artery stenting (CAS); to describe hospital variation in risk-standardized readmission rates (RSRR); and to examine whether hospital variation in the choice of procedure (CEA vs.

Development of 2 registry-based risk models suitable for characterizing hospital performance on 30-day all-cause mortality rates among patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

Background: Variation in outcomes after percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) may reflect differences in quality of care. To date, however, we lack a methodology to monitor and improve national hospital 30-day mortality rates among patients undergoing PCI.

Methods And Results: We developed hierarchical logistic regression models to calculate hospital risk-standardized 30-day all-cause PCI mortality rates.

Effects of Washington, D.C. law on drivers' hand-held cell phone use.

Objective: To assess the effects of Washington, D.C. law prohibiting drivers' use of hand-held cell phones on such use.

Connecticut statewide sTEP wave evaluation.

Introduction: Selective Traffic Enforcement Programs (sTEPs) are a proven method to change motorists' behavior. Since 1997, the Connecticut DOT's Division of Highway Safety has organized a statewide seat belt enforcement program, with sTEP waves every three or four months. To date, 28 waves have been implemented.

Requiring belt use as part of a school parking permit program: does it increase students' belt use?

Objective: Teenagers have very high motor vehicle crash rates, and their use of seat belts is generally lower than that of adults. A potential school-based strategy to increase teenagers' belt use is a policy making parking privileges contingent on belt use by student drivers and their passengers. This study evaluated the effects of implementing a school belt policy.

Drivers' use of handheld cell phones before and after New York State's cell phone law.

Background: In response to public concern about driver distraction from cellular telephones, New York became the first state to ban handheld cell phone use while driving. The law, accompanied by considerable publicity, included a warning phase (November 2001), after which violators could be fined. Until March 2002, fines could be waived if motorists provided proof of purchase of hands-free accessories.