Knowledge brokering for evidence-based urban health policy: a proposed framework.

This paper presents a multidimensional approach to examining the urban evidence– policy interface in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and applies this approach to a case study from Pakistan. Key features of urban health policy and the significance of the evidence–policy interface in rapidly changing LMICs are articulated; characteristics of evidence that has been successfully incorporated into health policy are also defined. An urban health evidence-to-policy exploratory framework for LMICs based on innovative multidisciplinary thinking and pivotal knowledge brokering is presented. Application of the framework to a case study on road transport and health in urban Pakistan underscores the opportunities and utility of knowledge brokering. Public health practitioners can become knowledge brokers at the evidence–policy interface to develop a concerted, coordinated and informed response to urban health challenges in LMICs.

Image Quality Improvement after Implementation of a CT Accreditation Program

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate any improvement in the quality of abdominal CTs after the utilization of the nationally based accreditation program. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board, and informed consent was waived. We retrospectively analyzed 1,011 outside abdominal CTs, from 2003 to 2007. We evaluated images using a fill-up sheet form of the national accreditation program, and subjectively by grading for the overall CT image quality. CT scans were divided into two categories according to time periods; before and after the implementation of the accreditation program. We compared CT scans between two periods according to parameters pertaining to the evaluation of images. We determined whether there was a correlation between the results of a subjective assessment of the image quality and the evaluation scores of the clinical image. RESULTS: The following parameters were significantly different after the implementation of the accreditation program: identifying data, display parameters, scan length, spatial and contrast resolution, window width and level, optimal contrast enhancement, slice thickness, and total score. The remaining parameters were not significantly different between scans obtained from the two different periods: scan parameters, film quality, and artifacts. CONCLUSION: After performing the CT accreditation program, the quality of the outside abdominal CTs show marked improvement, especially for the parameters related to the scanning protocol.