LXXIV.—The “claims of priority,” and what they are sometimes worth

Holding relationships in general practice: what are they? How do they work? Are they worth having?

Temporary Jobs: Who Gets Them, What Are They Worth, and Do They Lead Anywhere?*

In Britain about 7% of male employees and 10% of female employees are in temporary jobs. In contrast to much of continental Europe, this proportion has been relatively stable over the 1990s. Using data from the British Household Panel Survey, we find that, on average, temporary workers report lower levels of job satisfaction, receive less work-related training, and are less well-paid than their...

Bayes Factors: What They Are and What They Are Not

Bayes factors have been ooered by Bayesians as alternatives to P-values (or significance probabilities) for testing hypotheses and for quantifying the degree to which observed data support or connict with a hypothesis. Schervish (1996) showed how the interpretation of P-values as measures of support suuers a certain logical aw. In this paper, we show how Bayes factors suuer that same aw. We inv...

Catheter specimen urines: are they worth culturing?

Urinary tract infections are the most commonly acquired bacterial infections, but the significance of growths from catheter-related specimens, particularly heavy mixed growths, is uncertain and can pose a dilemma for the clinical laboratory responsible for processing and authorising reports, as well as a diagnostic dilemma for clinicians. Furthermore, inappropriate processing and reporting of s...

Patient Isolation Precautions: Are They Worth It?

Isolation precautions are intended to minimize pathogen transmission and reduce hospital-acquired infections. More recently, the effectiveness of isolation precautions has been questioned because of increasing evidence of risks. These putative downsides are divided into a quantifiable monetary cost (i.e., a literal cost to the system) and clinically important but less easily quantifiable costs ...