In patient stroke rehabilitation efficiency: influence of organization of service delivery and staff numbers.

Background: Outcomes of inpatient stroke rehabilitation need to be reviewed in terms of optimal resource utilization (staff time, service organization, and duration of stay). We compared FIM efficiency scores between three hospitals, and also variation in FIM scores over a ten year period in one hospital undergoing reduction in staff numbers, to examine the relationship between outcome and service characteristics.

Method: This is a retrospective study comparing the mean FIM efficiency for stroke patients (FIM score - FIM admission score) divided by duration of stay for 2005 among three rehabilitation hospitals adjusting for age and baseline FIM score, and a longitudinal study of changes in mean FIM efficiency during a ten year period in one hospital, to examine the effects of different service organization and staff numbers.

Dosing schedules of 6-month regimens and relapse for pulmonary tuberculosis.

Rationale: The optimal approach for reducing tuberculosis relapse is open.

Objectives: We examined the possibility of reducing relapse by increasing dosing schedules.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review of published clinical trials involving adult cohorts with pulmonary tuberculosis treated using 6-mo rifamycin-containing regimens, which were grouped under seven categories ordered by dosing schedules.

Taiwanese nurses' most unforgettable rescue experiences in the disaster area after the 9-21 earthquake in Taiwan.

The purpose of this study was to reveal the most unforgettable rescue experiences of nurses at the central site of the 9-21 Taiwan earthquake during the crucial early recovery stage-the first 72h. A purposive sample of 46 nurses was obtained (40 women and 6 men, with an average age of 28). Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed by content analysis.