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New Democrat Coalition Proposes Independent Panel To Oversee Comparative Effectiveness Research
Members of the moderate New Democrat Coalition on Tuesday proposed legislation (HR 2502) that would establish a non-governmental, independent office to oversee research efforts to compare the effectiveness of medical treatments, CQ HealthBeat reports. The bill would create the Health Care Comparative Effectiveness Research Institute, which would use money remaining from the $1.1 billion included in the economic stimulus package for comparative effectiveness research and additional funding from fees on Medicare and private insurers. HCCERI would be overseen by a 21-member board -- appointed by the U.S. Comptroller General -- that would include HHS officials, patients, physicians, private insurers and others (Norman, CQ HealthBeat, 5/19). In contrast, a panel to oversee comparative effectiveness research established by a provision in the stimulus bill would be made up of government health experts (Mundy, "Washington Wire," Wall Street Journal, 5/19). According to CQ HealthBeat, some people have raised concerns that comparative effectiveness research funded by the stimulus bill would result in research that could be used to deny coverage for certain treatments and that cost would factor disproportionately in such decisions. Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.), who introduced the bill, said HCCERI"s goal would be to ensure that medical decisions remain between physicians and patients and that both doctors and patients have the most understandable information possible to make such decisions. HCCERI also would make public its methods for deciding which research projects to approve, as well as any links the institute has to industry, its research protocols and the names of researchers. HCCERI would accept public comment before creating new research guidelines, and all research would be subject to peer review. In addition, HCCERI in commissioning studies would take steps to account for differences in patients" gender, race, age and ethnicity (CQ HealthBeat, 5/19).Schrader said that the bill "will bring patients, along with health care providers, physicians and industry, to the decision-making process," adding, "By having a seat at the table, the American people will help drive the direction of research based on what is most important to them" ("Washington Wire," Wall Street Journal, 5/19). Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.) said that New Democrats seek to lower costs and improve quality of care, so "the most important thing we can do is to incentivize innovation and to provide that information on the best practices and best interventions and get that information out to providers." Industry Reaction

Vitamin D And Calcium Supplements Help Prevent Bone Fracture In The Elderly
We all know that vitamin D and calcium are good for bones, but research teams in Europe and USA have shown that both taken daily reduces the rate of hip fracture in older people by 20%.
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State, Local Providers Practice Response To Emergency Events - Alabama Department Of Public Health
Several state and local agencies, hospitals and others conducted a full-scale exercise involving
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Intimate Abuse Study Finds Clear Links With Poor Health And Calls For Holistic Primary Care Approach

Nearly a quarter of married and cohabiting women who took part in a survey said that they had been sexually, psychologically or physically abused by their partner, according to research published in the July issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing. Researchers who studied the 2,746 responses found a clear link between abuse and poor health and are calling for policy initiatives to help primary care nurses tackle the problem in a holistic way. Questionnaires were mailed to 7,523 randomly selected women aged between 18 and 67 in Iceland and 1,974 married women and 772 cohabiting women (6.5 per cent of the population) responded. "The data on intimate partner abuse was collected separately from married and cohabiting women because in Iceland women who are married tend to be older and have been in their marital relationship for longer than women who are living with their partner" says lead researcher Professor Erla Kolbrun Svavarsdottir, from the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Iceland. Key findings of the study included: - 18.2 per cent of the respondents had been psychologically abused, 3.3 per cent had been physically abused and 1.3 per cent had been sexually abused. - More than 11 per cent said they were frightened by what their partner said or did and more than a third (34 per cent) said that communication between them and their partner was tense. - Seven per cent of the married women and nine per cent of the cohabiting women suffered from depression and approximately four per cent in each group reported eating disorders. - Eleven per cent of the married women and four per cent of the cohabiting women said that they suffered from fibromyalgia, which can be linked with stress and anxiety and manifests itself in muscle pain, fatigue and sleep problems. - The married women had an average age of 47, compared with 35 for the cohabiting women. Their marriages had lasted an average of 26 years, compared with the cohabiting women, whose relationships had lasted an average of just over ten years. - Most of the women worked full or part-time (87 per cent of the married women and 88 per cent of the cohabiting women) and had one to three children (65 per cent of the married women and 75 per cent of the cohabiting women). "Most of the health studies to date have focused on people with specific issues, like injuries resulting from intimate partner abuse, and we were keen to find out more about the problems faced by the general population" says Professor Svavarsdottir. "The important thing about this study is that it looked at intimate partner abuse in conjunction with a range of health factors to determine the relationship between abuse and ill health." These showed that: - Sleep disturbance, depression, alcohol misuse and abuse in their current relationship accounted for a 15 per cent of the variance in the women"s physical health. - Sleep disturbance, depression, eating disorders, smoking, marital status and abuse in their current relationship accounted for a 49 per cent variance in the women"s psychological health. "Our research clearly shows that intimate partner abuse can have a number of physical and psychological side effects and it is important that healthcare professionals are aware of these when they are treating patients" concludes co-author Dr Brynja Orlygsdottir. "Tackling the issues of intimate partner abuse could also help to address the tragic short and long-term impact that such abuse has on women"s lives and their health. "We believe that public health policy has a key role to play in identifying victims of intimate partner abuse and supporting nurses so that they can offer appropriate interventions in primary healthcare settings." Wiley - Blackwell


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