BACKGROUND This review examines evidence for an association between computer work and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). METHODS A systematic review of studies of computer work and CTS was performed. Supplementary, longitudinal studies of low force, repetitive work and CTS, and studies of possible pathophysiological mechanisms were evaluated. RESULTS Eight epidemiological studies of the associat...

OBJECTIVES Many nonpathologists and some pathologists consider utilization review essential to laboratory quality improvement, but (1) confusion surrounding the definition of "appropriate" laboratory utilization, (2) the reliance on manual chart review, and (3) a lack of leadership have contributed to its unstandardized implementation. How the solutions to these barriers have evolved since the ...

Laptop computer induced erythema ab igne is increasing in the last years. One of the important questions in evaluation erythema ab igne a patient is about the history of prolongs laptop exposure. We recommend awareness programs development in the future to laptop users about this condition and advise them to avoid placing laptops on their body for prolonged periods of time and direct them to pl...

Peer review is the "gold standard" for evaluating journal and conference papers, research proposals, on-going projects and university departments. However, it is widely believed that current systems are expensive, conservative and prone to various forms of bias. One form of bias identified in the literature is “social bias” linked to the personal attributes of authors and reviewers. To quantify...

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether for patients with incurable cancer comprehensive home care programmes are more effective than standard care in maintaining the patients' quality of life and reducing their "readmission time" (percentage of days spent in hospital from start of care till death). DESIGN Systematic review. METHODS A computer aided search was conducted using the databases of Medl...

Hospital utilization reviews are performed on the basis of lists of explicit criteria, such as the Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol, both concurrently and retrospectively, in an increasing number of settings as part of efforts to improve the performance of hospitals and to reduce health care costs. Retrospective data collection has advantages in terms of expenses and ease of sampling, but re...

Utilization review (UR) has become a prominent approach to cost containment now used by almost 65% of private group insurance plans. Although insurers have increasingly relied on UR to contain health care costs, until recently little was known about the effects of this cost containment approach. This article reviews some of the key findings of a UR evaluation, based on analysis of claims data o...

In 1992 HCFA awarded two cooperative agreements for demonstrations of prospective drug utilization review (PDUR). Iowa tested an on-line prospective drug utilization review (OPDUR) system. Washington tested payments to pharmacists for providing non-dispensing "cognitive services" (CS). In this article the authors report on an evaluation of these demonstrations and on three assessments of retros...

OBJECTIVE Computer-tailored physical activity interventions are becoming increasingly popular. Recent reviews have comprehensively synthesised published research on computer-tailored interventions delivered via interactive technology (e.g. web-based programs) but there is a paucity of synthesis for interventions delivered via traditional print-based media in the physical activity domain (i.e. t...

abstract background: according to professionalization in nursing profession, the nursing researches expanded dramatically and rapidly in a very short period. research results showed improvement in quality of provided care by using research findings. but there is still a gap between nursing research and practice, which led scientists to explore the barriers and facilitators of research utilizati...