Research review: Survey of automation in health information management departments

Automation has infiltrated most areas of health care including the health information environment. The article reports a study conducted to determine the degree to which computerized systems are being used in health information departments of acute care hospitals in Pennsylvania. Analyses of urban and rural facilities revealed the extent of automation, systems currently in use, development/purchasing issues, age of systems, and plans for future automation.     

Constructing management practice in the new public management: the case of mental health managers.

There has been a growth in managerialism of professionals in the Public Sector. This paper contributes to this debate by examining perceptions of senior managers in mental health services within Health Authorities, NHS Trusts and Local Authorities' Social Services departments in Wales. The paper explores how different professions responded differently to the growth of managerialism. The results suggest important differences and similarities between management in health and social services settings.     

Major Greenwood (1880–1949): the biography

Background is provided on the discovery of an unpublished biography of Major Greenwood written by one of his sons. The motivation and preparation for online publication of the biography in Statistics in Medicine are outlined. © 2016 The Authors. Statistics in Medicine Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Apo E allele frequencies in younger (age 42–50) vs older (age 65–90) women

Allelic variation at the apolipoprotien E (Apo E) structural locus has been shown to influence concentrations of total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Apo E has six phenotypes resulting from three common alleles at this locus. The ?2 allele is associated with lower LDL-C and the ?4 allele with higher LDL-C. In the current study, we compared the ? allele distribution in two cohorts of white women recruited from population based listing of southwestern Pennsylvania. The “younger” cohort consisted of 473 women, age 42–50; the “older” cohort, 870 women, age 65–90. A comparison of the overall distribution of allele frequencies in the two cohorts was significantly different. The allele frequency of ?4 was lower in the older cohort (0.98 vs. 0.122, P = 1.08) and the ?2 allele frequency was higher (0.084 vs. 0.059, P = 0.05) in the older cohort. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that there may be a selection against individuals with the ?4 allele. However, future research is needed to confirm this observation and to compare survival in individuals by their ? allele. © 1993 Wiley-Liss. Inc.     

An early ‘clinical trial’ as a teaching exercise: the Book of Daniel 1.1–15 (1.1–20)

Summary. This article discusses a very early clinical trial from the Old Testament. One of Daniel's and his companions' tribulations in Babylonia is explicated within the framework of the modern clinical trial. Even if many, or maybe even most, guidelines for good clinical trial practice are violated (it can even be argued that this is not really a clinical trial), a discussion of this biblico-historical episode in, for example, a problem-based course in (clinical) epidemiology or a course in the critical appraisal of the literature, can be a useful (and possibly entertaining) exercise.