Predicting and Evaluating Patient Outcomes
Authors: William A. Knaus, David B. Nash
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1988)

Editorials1 October 1988Predicting and Evaluating Patient OutcomesWilliam A. Knaus, MD, David B. Nash, MD, MBAWilliam A. Knaus, MD, David B. Nash, MD, MBAAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-109-7-521 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptThree methods can be used to improve medical science: observation, experimentation, and measurement. In an article in this issue of the Annals, Dubois and Brook (1) describe how indirect observation of clinical practice and explicit measurement of patient risk factors may identify patients whose deaths could have been prevented.This study and related reports (2, 3) would have implications for physicians who treat acutely ill hospitalized patients regardless of when they were published. Coming at a time when this country is beginning to compare hospital performance through the public release of nationwide mortality rates, the insight and lessons of this...References1. DuboisBrook RR. Preventable deaths: who, how often, and why? Ann Intern Med. 1988;109:582-589. LinkGoogle Scholar2. DuboisRogersBrook RWR. Adjusted hospital death rates: a potential screen for quality of medical care. Am J Public Health. 1987;77:1162-7. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. DuboisRogersMoxleyDraperBrook RWJDR. Hospital in-patient mortality: is it a predictor of quality? N Engl J Med. 1987;317:1674-80. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. KnausZimmerman WJ. Prediction of outcome from critical illness. In: Ledingham IA, ed. Recent Advances in Critical Care Medicine. New York: Churchill-Livingstone; 1988:1-13. Google Scholar5. Nash D. Hospitals and their medical staffs: high anxiety. Frontiers Health Serv Mngt. 1988;4:24-6. CrossrefGoogle Scholar6. KnausDraperWagnerZimmerman WEDJ. An evaluation of outcome from intensive care in major medical centers. Ann Intern Med. 1986;104:410-8. LinkGoogle Scholar7. Schwartz W. The inevitable failure of current cost-containment strategies: why they can provide only temporary relief. JAMA. 1987;257:220-4. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. Steffen G. Quality medical care: a definition. JAMA. 1988;260:56-61. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. MarantzAldermanTobin PMJ. Diagnostic heterogeneity in clinical trials for congestive heart failure. Ann Intern Med. 1988;109:55-61. LinkGoogle Scholar10. KnausWagnerDraper WDE. The value of measuring severity of disease in clinical research on acutely ill patients. J Chron Dis. 1984;37:455-63. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar11. DalyJencksDraperLenhartThomasWalker JSDGNJ. Predicting hospital-associated mortality for Medicare patients with stroke, pneumonia, acute myocardial infarction, and congestive heart failure. JAMA. 1988;260: [In press]. Google Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Nextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited ByPredicting mortality in patients with malarial acute renal failureRisk Factors for Mortality Associated with Enterococcal Bloodstream InfectionsOutcomes Analysis in Spinal ResearchA Method for Screening the Quality of Hospital Care Using Administrative Data: Preliminary Validation ResultsPredicting outcome in critical care: the current status of the APACHE prognostic scoring systemPredictive Assays for Drug and Radiation ResistancePredictive Validity of Certification by the American Board of Internal MedicinePaul G. Ramsey, MD, Jan D. Carline, PhD, Thomas S. Inui, ScM, MD, Eric B. Larson, MD, MPH, James P. LoGerfo, MD, Marjorie D. Wenrich, BA 1 October 1988Volume 109, Issue 7Page: 521-522KeywordsDeath ratesMedical risk factors Issue Published: 1 October 1988 PDF DownloadLoading ...