BACKGROUND Lipid-lowering medication remains underused, even in high-risk populations. The objective of this study was to determine factors underlying general practitioners' decisions not to prescribe such drugs to patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS A qualitative study with semi-structured interviews using real cases was conducted to explore reasons for not prescribing lipid-lowering medi...

We have performed 3D hydrodynamical simulations of FR-II radio sources in β-profile cooling-flow clusters. The effects of cooling of the cluster gas were incorporated into a modified version of the zeus-mp code. The simulations followed not only the active phase of the radio source, but also the long term behaviour for up to 2 Gyr after the jets of the radio source were switched off. We find as...

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date...

BACKGROUND Organizational leaders in business and medicine have been experiencing a similar dilemma: how to ensure that their organizational members are adopting work innovations in a timely fashion. Organizational leaders in healthcare have attempted to resolve this dilemma by offering specific solutions, such as evidence-based medicine (EBM), but organizations are still not systematically ado...

Intelligent agents often need to assess user utility functions in order to make decisions on their behalf, or predict their behavior. When uncertainty exists over the precise nature of this utility function, one can model this uncertainty using a distribution over utility functions. This view lies at the core of games with incomplete information and, more recently, several proposals for increme...

Brazil, as many other countries in the world, is facing the challenge of implementing programs for the more efficient delivery of health care services. Since resources are scarce and limited and in view of the constant advance of health care technology, it is important to evaluate which preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic interventions add value to the health care system; in other words, the...

What makes for a naturally productive collaborative task? Some researchers have suggested that optimal tasks for productive collaboration are ill-structured and allow for exploration and construction of multiple possible solutions (e.g. Cohen, 1994). Others have suggested that tasks should have one solution and be well-defined such that everyone can agree on their answers (e.g. Steiner, 1972). ...

AIMS Hospital activity represents the major component of health care expenditure related to heart failure. This study evaluated the economic impact of applying specialist nurse management programmes that limit heart failure-related hospital readmissions within a whole population. METHODS Using a reliable and validated estimate of the current level and cost of heart failure-related hospital ac...

This paper studies a Stated Preference (SP) experiment on the choice of type of (Rail) season card, conducted among current Dutch Railways season cardholders. They were asked to choose from the following three alternatives: (1) an unrestricted season card, (2) a cheaper season card with peak travel and travel frequency restrictions, and (3) not buying a season card. Multinomial logit (MNL), nes...

OBJECTIVE To determine and compare the self-perceived and objectively measured competence in performing 14 core-clinical practical procedures by Final Year Medical Students of the University of Zambia. METHODS The study included 56 out of 60 graduating University of Zambia Medical Students of the 2012/2013 academic year. Self-perceived competence: students rated their competence on 14 core- c...