BACKGROUND A complete, correct and timely discharge letter can communicate important information from the hospital to the general practitioner. The adequacy of the letter may vary with the patient and admission characteristics of the patient. Insight in the association between these characteristics and the presence and quality of the discharge letter will give rise to improvement activities for...

In this series we present the results of a retrospective analysis of 66 vasovasostomy procedures performed between 1983 and 1991. Obstructive intervals and serum antisperm antibodies were correlated with pregnancy and patency rates. With obstructive intervals of less than 5 years a patency rate of 100% (31/31) was obtained. Even more than 10 years after reversal, pregnancy occurred in 25% (2/8)...

BACKGROUND Omalizumab is approved in the UK as add-on treatment for chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) in patients with inadequate response to H1-antihistamines. Ciclosporin is an established but unlicensed 3rd line option for CSU. Two parallel retrospective observational studies were conducted to describe outcomes of treatment and adverse events with omalizumab or ciclosporin for CSU treatmen...

Objective To compare posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) with transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) for spinal fusion in patients previously treated by discectomy. Methods This retrospective study evaluated pre- and postoperative neurological status via Japan Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score. Surgical outcome was based on recovery rate percentage (RR%). Adverse event data were r...

This retrospective study presents data from 26 women who underwent a reversal of female sterilization. The intrauterine pregnancy rate and ectopic pregnancy rate were 38.5% and 7.7% respectively. The most successful site of tubal anastomosis was isthmic-isthmic anastomosis. The importance of proper patient selection and factors that affect the success rate in attempted reversals are emphasised....

The purpose of this study is to examine individuals’ computer based complex task performing processes and strategies in order to determine the reasons of failure by cognitive task analysis method and cued retrospective think aloud with eye movement data. Study group was five senior students from Computer Education and Instructional Technologies Department at a state university. A computer based...

Our objective was to determine the relationship between receipt of a prescription for a prosthetic limb and 3 yr mortality postsurgery among Veterans with lower-limb amputation (LLA). We conducted a retrospective observational study that included 4,578 Veterans hospitalized for LLA and discharged in fiscal years 2003 and 2004. The outcome was time to all-cause mortality from the amputation surg...

OBJECTIVE To correlate spinopelvic balance with the development of degenerative spondylolisthesis and disk herniation. METHODS This was a descriptive retrospective study that evaluated 60 patients in this hospital, 30 patients with degenerative spondylolisthesis at the L4-L5 level and 30 with herniated disk at the L4-L5 level, all of whom underwent Surgical treatment. RESULTS Patients with ...

A resurgence of interest in qualitative approaches to research in online consumer behaviour studies has spawned a need for structured approaches in the use of appropriate research techniques. A mixed method approach to research questions can often lead to a greater clarity of answer as well as exposing the researcher to new ‘tools of enquiry’. This paper describes a mixed method approach using ...

BACKGROUND Psychological factors are important in influencing breastfeeding practices. This retrospective study explored knowledge and attitudes related to breastfeeding of Chinese mothers living in Ireland. METHODS A cross-sectional self-administrated survey written in Chinese was distributed to a convenience sample of 322 immigrant Chinese mothers mainly via Chinese supermarkets and Chinese...