1,721,449 research outputs found
Predictors of Readmission in a Period of 30 Days or Less in Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
No full textChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a highly prevalent disease worldwide; acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a clinical condition characterized by a worsening of the patient's respiratory signs and symptoms, reducing the overall life expectancy. Readmission in a period of 30 days or less after discharge represents a new emerging clinical condition. In COPD patients, the rate of a 30-day readmission is reported to be approximately 20%; high rates of readmission may result from patients' complexity or from the complexity of the hospital system. Because a 30-day readmission has both clinical and economic impact, there is considerable interest in searching for factors that can predict readmission of COPD patients. In this paper, we describe the most important risk factors linked to readmission in a period of 30 days or less after discharge, and their role in the context of problems relating to readmission, in COPD patients primarily hospitalized for acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
How may we improve clinical outcomes for patients hospitalized with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease? A narrative review about possible therapeutic and preventive strategies
No full textIntroduction: In a subset of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)patients the course of the disease is complicated by a severe acute exacerbations (AECOPD) that may require hospitalization, at which time negative outcomes may occur up to 30 days after discharge. Several predictors of negative outcomes have been documented. Areas covered: We considered five negative outcomes related to patients hospitalized with AECOPD: treatment failure, noninvasive mechanical ventilation (NIMV) failure, prolonged length of hospital stay (LHS), short-term mortality (<= 90 days from admission and including the in-hospital mortality), and early readmission (<= 30 days from discharge). Possible therapeutic and preventive strategies to improve these outcomes are outlined and discussed. Expert opinion: Several strategies have been proposed to improve outcomes. Among these, steroid or antibiotic use may reduce the risks of treatment failure or of prolonged hospital stay. We note that operator-related factors may influence the outcome of NIMV. However, little has been documented about the short-term mortality or early readmission rates. In general, few interventions consistently improve negative outcomes and prognosis of AECOPD
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Readmission in COPD patients: Should we consider it a marker of quality of care or a marker of a more severe disease with a worse prognosis?: To the editor
No full textReadmission in COPD patients: Should we consider it a marker of quality of care or a marker of a more severe disease with a worse prognosis?: To the editor
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Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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