Polymorphism at the beta-adrenergic receptor (ADRB3) locus of Merino sheep and its association with lamb mortality.

Beta3-adrenergic receptors are predominantly found on the surface of adipocytes and are major mediators of the lipolytic and thermogenic effects of high catecholamine concentrations. Recently, variation in the ovine beta3-adrenergic receptor (ADRB3) gene has been reported to be associated with lamb survival. In this study, polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformational polymorphism analysis of part of the ADRB3 intron was used to genotype 4488 Merino lambs born at 10 farms throughout the South Island of New Zealand. Univariate and multivariate odds ratios for each allele revealed a significant association of the E allele with cdd survival and of the D allele with mortality. This variation at the ADRB3 locus may assist in the genetic selection for survival in Merino sheep.

Quality of hospital care of children with asthma: Medicaid versus privately insured patients.

Asthma is an important condition to study in the Medicaid population because it is the most frequent reason for hospital admission of Medicaid children, with rates substantially higher than those of non-Medicaid children. This study addressed how the quality of hospital care provided to children with asthma on Medicaid compares with that provided to privately insured children. Children inpatient records were studied in California, Georgia, and Michigan, comparing the care that was provided to standards created by a national panel of physician experts. Process-of-care analysis showed that Medicaid children in each state were more likely than privately insured children to be discharged on suboptimal medication regimens. This study concluded that hospitals serving Medicaid children, at least in these three states, are providing asthma inpatient care of fairly comparable quality to that of privately insured children. However, there remain significant problems surrounding outpatient medication regimens and follow-up care.

Gender-specific effects of modifiable health risk factors on coronary heart disease and related expenditures. HERO Research Committee. Health Enhancement Research Organization.

There is a general lack of health-related research focusing on gender-specific differences within a working population. This research attempts to address that void. Our study relied on the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO) database, which consists of claims, enrollment information, and health risk data for 39,999 employees of six large employers. The research objective was to determine the gender-specific association between coronary heart disease (CHD) and (1) the prevalence of modifiable health risks and (2) medical expenditures. To accomplish this, the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision-Clinical Modification and Current Procedural Terminology codes were used to identify 2452 employees with CHD within the HERO database. These individuals made up the study group, which included 66% male and 34% female participants. Health risk data were obtained from voluntary participation in a health risk appraisal and biometric evaluation provided by the employers. Health risks evaluated were tobacco use, hypertension, obesity, elevated cholesterol, high blood glucose, sedentary lifestyle, stress, depression, and excessive use of alcohol. Descriptive and multivariate statistical techniques were used to analyze the HERO database. We found that obesity was the most consistent predictor of CHD. It was number one (of 10 health risks) in the male and female group, number two in the male-only group, and number one in the female-only group. High stress was the second most consistent predictor. There was no such consistency relative to medical expenditures. This lack of consistency across the male and female groups relative to the association between health risks and medical expenditures was demonstrated for nearly all other health risks evaluated. This study suggests that within a group of employees with CHD, there are important similarities and differences between men and women with respect to the prevalence of risk factors and the association between health risks and medical expenditures.

Treatment of acute gastroenteritis: too much and too little care.

This paper reviews the health services literature regarding care for gastroenteritis in children. United States health care utilization, use of oral rehydration therapy (ORT), and quality of care considerations are described. The literature suggests that some US children may receive too much care while others may not be getting enough and that physician practices continue to differ from expert recommendations.

Efficacy of glucose-based oral rehydration therapy.

OBJECTIVE: This article reviews and synthesizes evidence in the published literature on the safety and efficacy of oral rehydration therapy (ORT) among young children with pediatric gastroenteritis in developed nations. METHODOLOGY: We searched the literature for randomized, controlled trials comparing the safety and efficacy of ORT with intravenous (IV) rehydration treatment and/or oral rehydration solutions (ORSs) of different sodium content. We combined the failure rates of each set of studies in statistical meta-analyses and conducted tests of homogeneity of treatment effect over all the studies and for subgroups of children defined by the trial type, the sodium content of the ORS, and the setting of care. We also conducted a multivariate logistic regression on the probability of failure to determine the relative importance of these factors, controlling for other characteristics of the trials. Other outcomes were also tabulated and discussed. These include the relative incidence of hypernatremia and hyponatremia induced by treatment; weight gain; the volume, frequency, and duration of diarrhea; for inpatient trials, the length of stay; and for outpatient trials, rates of hospitalization. RESULTS: The evidence suggests that among pediatric patients with gastroenteritis in developed countries, failure of ORT, defined as the need to rehydrate children intravenously, is infrequent. We found a combined overall ORT failure rate of 3.6%. We found no statistically significant difference in failure rates by trial type or the sodium content of the ORS. However, we did find some supporting evidence for a lower failure rate among children treated in outpatient settings. In addition, compared with patients rehydrated intravenously, pediatric patients treated with ORT were not found to be at higher risk of iatrogenic hypernatremia or hyponatremia. The evidence from the literature fails to show a consistent trend in favor of either high- or low-sodium solutions for rehydration of pediatric patients. CONCLUSIONS: There seems to be a great potential for improving the medical treatment of children with acute gastroenteritis by the greater use of ORT.

Physician ratings of appropriate indications for three procedures: theoretical indications vs indications used in practice.

We previously reported substantial disagreement among expert physician panelists about the appropriateness of performing six medical and surgical procedures for a large number of theoretical indications. A recently completed community-based medical records study of about 4,500 patients who had one of three procedures--coronary angiography, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, and carotid endarterectomy--shows that many of the theoretical indications are seldom or never used in practice. However, we find that there is also substantial disagreement (5, 25, or 32 per cent for angiography, endoscopy, or endarterectomy, respectively) about the appropriateness of indications used in actual cases if disagreement is defined by first discarding the two extreme of nine ratings, then looking for at least one rating near the bottom (1 to 3) and one near the top (7 to 9) of the 9-point scale. Patients should know that a substantial percentage of procedures are performed for indications about which expert physicians disagree.

The appropriateness of carotid endarterectomy.

Carotid endarterectomy is a commonly performed but controversial procedure. We developed from the literature a list of 864 possible reasons for performing carotid endarterectomy, and asked a panel of nationally known experts to rate the appropriateness of each indication using a modified Delphi technique. On the basis of the panel's ratings, we determined the appropriateness of carotid endarterectomy in a random sample of 1302 Medicare patients in three geographic areas who had had the procedure in 1981. Thirty-five percent of the patients in our sample had carotid endarterectomy for appropriate reasons, 32 percent for equivocal reasons, and 32 percent for inappropriate reasons. Of the patients having inappropriate surgery, 48 percent had less than 50 percent stenosis of the carotid artery that was operated on. Fifty-four percent of all the procedures were performed in patients without transient ischemic attacks in the carotid distribution. Of these procedures, 18 percent were judged appropriate, as compared with 55 percent judged appropriate in patients with transient ischemic attacks in the carotid distribution. After carotid endarterectomy, 9.8 percent of patients had a major complication (stroke with residual deficit at the time of hospital discharge or death within 30 days of surgery). We conclude that carotid endarterectomy was substantially overused in the three geographic areas we studied. Furthermore, in situations in which the complication rate is equal to or above the study's aggregate rate, carotid endarterectomy would not be warranted, even in cases with an appropriate indication, because the risks would almost certainly outweigh the benefits.

Does inappropriate use explain geographic variations in the use of health care services? A study of three procedures.

We studied the appropriateness of use of coronary angiography, carotid endarterectomy, and upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy and its relationship to geographic variations in the rates of use of these procedures. We selected geographic areas of high, average, and low use of these procedures and randomly sampled Medicare beneficiaries who had received one of the procedures in 1981. We determined the indications for the procedures using a detailed review of medical records and used previously developed ratings of appropriateness to assign an appropriateness score to each case. Differences among sites in levels of appropriateness were small. For example, in the high-use site for coronary angiography, 72% of the procedures were appropriate, compared with 81% in the low-use site. Coronary angiography was performed 2.3 times as frequently in the high-use site compared with the low-use site. Under the conditions of this study, we did find significantly levels of inappropriate use: 17% of cases for coronary angiography, 32% for carotid endarterectomy, and 17% for upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy. We conclude that differences in appropriateness cannot explain geographic variations in the use of these procedures.

Derivation of clinical indications for carotid endarterectomy by an expert panel.

We used a two-round consensus panel method to derive and rate the appropriateness of comprehensive sets of detailed clinical indications for performing carotid endarterectomy. Before meeting, nine nationally influential physicians rated 675 indications; after review and discussion, they rated 864. The method did not force unanimity; our purposes were not only to encourage agreement but also to uncover areas of disagreement concerning the procedure's appropriate use. The panelists agreed on the level of appropriateness for 54 per cent of the final 864 indications and disagreed on 18 per cent. Ratings were reliably reproduced six to eight months after the completion of the process. The physicians' indications and ratings were consistent with those in the literature, and statistical analysis demonstrated that they followed logical clinical rationale. We conclude that consensus methods that do not force agreement can be used with panels of physicians to produce detailed, reliable, and valid indications. They can also identify medically controversial reasons for using a procedure that can serve as a starting point for a research agenda.

Use of carotid endarterectomy in five California Veterans Administration medical centers.

Although carotid endarterectomy is a controversial and frequently performed surgical procedure, little is known about the clinical appropriateness of its use in actual practice. Are the majority of procedures performed for highly accepted clinical reasons? We studied the clinical appropriateness of 107 procedures performed on 95 patients in 1981 in five Veterans Administration teaching medical centers. Standards for judging appropriate use were based on the recommendations of a multidisciplinary panel of nine physicians. Fifty-five percent of the procedures studied were judged clearly appropriate, 32% equivocal, and 13% clearly inappropriate. The rate of serious operative complications was 5.6%. These results suggest that carotid endarterectomy is overutilized within at least some segments of the Veterans Administration population.

Physician ratings of appropriate indications for six medical and surgical procedures.

We convened three panels of physicians to rate the appropriateness of a large number of indications for performing a total of six medical and surgical procedures. The panels followed a modified Delphi process. Panelists separately assigned initial ratings, then met in Santa Monica, California where they received reports showing their initial ratings and the distribution of the other panelists ratings. They discussed the indications and revised the indications lists, then individually assigned final ratings. There was generally better agreement on the final ratings than on the initial ratings. Based on reasonable criteria for agreement and disagreement, and excluding one outlying procedure, the panelists agreed on ratings for 42 to 56 per cent of the indications, and disagreed on 11 to 29 per cent.

Variations in the use of medical and surgical services by the Medicare population.

We measured geographic differences in the use of medical and surgical services during 1981 by Medicare beneficiaries (age greater than or equal to 65) in 13 large areas of the United States. The average number of Medicare beneficiaries per site was 340,000. We found large and significant differences in the use of services provided by all medical and surgical specialties. Of 123 procedures studied, 67 showed at least threefold differences between sites with the highest and lowest rates of use. Use rates were not consistently high in one site, but rates for procedures used to diagnose and treat a specific disease varied together, as did alternative treatments for the same condition. These results cannot be explained by the actions of a small number of physicians. We do not know whether physicians in high-use areas performed too many procedures, whether physicians in low-use areas performed too few, or whether neither or both of these explanations are accurate. However, we do know that the differences are too large to ignore and that unless they are understood at a clinical level, uninformed policy decisions that have adverse effects on the health of the elderly may be made.

Computer-assisted instruction in a health sciences library: an experimental project.

The Leon S. McGoogan Library of Medicine at the University of Nebraska received a grant from the University of Nebraska Computer Network to study management aspects of providing computer-assisted instruction (CAI) resources. The library wished to determine: (1) faculty and student receptiveness to CAI as a library resource and (2) user response to CAI library services. A user questionnaire was designed to ascertain the appropriateness of initial management decisions regarding CAI access. The methodology employed in implementing this pilot project, the results of the questionnaire, and the future of CAI at the University of Nebraska are addressed in this paper.