"This paper deals with the estimation of single equation models in which the counts are regressed on a set of observed individual characteristics such as age, gender, or nationality.... We propose a generalized event count model to simultaneously allow for a wide class of count data models and account for over- and underdispersion. This model is successfully applied to German data on fertility...

Objective. Emergency medical services (EMS) research is frequently dependent on data recorded by prehospital personnel. Linking EMS information with hospital outcome depends on essential identifying data. We sought to determine the accuracy of these data in patients who activated EMS for chest pain and to describe the types of errors committed. Methods. We performed a retrospective, consecutive...

OBJECTIVE To examine the reliability of reported rates of caesarean sections from developing countries and make recommendations on how data collection for surveys and health facility-based studies could be improved. METHODS Population-based rates for caesarean section obtained from two sources: Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and health facility-based records of caesarean sections from t...