Do administrative databases accurately measure waiting times for medical care? Evidence from general surgery.

We abstracted the records of patients from general surgeons' offices in Winnipeg to compare waiting times from charts (i.e., the gold standard) with waiting times using administrative data.

Epidemiology, clinical presentation, and pathophysiology of atypical and recurrent hemolytic uremic syndrome.

Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) includes a heterogeneous group of hemolytic disorders. Among the identified causes of HUS are infections, particularly infections with Shiga toxin-producing ESCHERICHIA COLI (STEC), complement disorders, and disorders interfering with the degradation of von Willebrand factor (VWF). Other causes for atypical HUS include the cobalamin metabolism; pregnancy/hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelets syndrome (HELLP); drugs; and other disorders (e.

Factors associated with the high cost of liver transplantation in adults.

Objectives: To determine the overall direct cost of liver transplantation in Canadian adults and to identify the factors that are associated with high cost.

Methods: The direct cost of liver transplantation from the perspective of third-party payers was determined in a retrospective analysis of data from hospital charts and databases. A consecutive series of 119 adults who underwent liver transplantation between 1991 and 1992 was followed from the date of listing for transplantation to the second anniversary of the transplant.

Developing priority criteria for general surgery: results from the Western Canada Waiting List Project.

Objective: The Western Canada Waiting List Project (WCWL) is a federally funded partnership of 19 organizations, including medical associations, health authorities, ministries of health and research organizations that was created to develop tools for improving the management of waiting lists. The WCWL general surgery panel was 1 of 5 panels constituted under this project.

Method: The panel developed and tested a set of standardized clinical criteria for setting priorities among patients awaiting elective general surgery of all kinds.