BACKGROUND Patients who leave hospital against medical advice (AMA) may be at risk of adverse health outcomes and readmission. In this study we examined rates of readmission and predictors of readmission among patients leaving hospital AMA. METHODS We prospectively studied 97 consecutive patients who left the general medicine service of an urban teaching hospital AMA. Each patient was matched...

Students and teachers often express a need for an introductory text of physiology, one which is more readable than longer, standard texts, yet which will at the same time guide the beginning student into more effective use of a comprehensive treatise. This need is well satisfied by publication of the third edition of Human Physiology. Written as it is by a group of distinguished teachers and sc...

This study aimed to determine the effect that level of concern for osteoporosis, as well as self-perceived risk of osteoporosis and fracture, has on supplementation use, seeking medical advice, bone mineral density (BMD) testing, and antiosteoporosis medication (AOM) use. Study subjects were 1,095 female Australian participants of the Global Longitudinal study of Osteoporosis in Women (GLOW) un...

Diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) should be used by regional, national and local authorised bodies. The numerical values of DRLs are advisory, however, implementation of the DRL concept may be required by an authorised body. The concept of DRLs allows flexibility in their selection and implementation. The present ICRP advice does not specify quantities, numerical values or details of implement...

STUDY OBJECTIVE This study describes the current documentation practices of health-care providers in the emergency department (ED) during the discharge against medical advice (AMA) process. METHODS This retrospective cohort study reviewed health care provider documentation of adult patients who left an ED AMA in one year. Each encounter documentation was reviewed for eight medicolegal standar...

AIM To assess the reliability and accuracy of medical advice, over a range of types of websites, found using the Google search engine, thus simulating a patient's experience. DESIGN Advice was sought for five common paediatric questions using the Google search engine. The first 100 results of each question were classified as either being consistent or inconsistent with current recommendations...

A third of a sample of women with breast symptoms referred by general practitioners to a hospital clinic said they had been reluctant to consult their doctor. Fear, being a nuisance to the doctor, and embarrassment were the three most frequently mentioned reasons for their reluctance. Nearly half of those questioned were prompted to seek medical advice either solely, or partly, because of the t...

OBJECTIVE To describe the national frequency, prevalence, and trends of discharge against medical advice (DAMA) among inpatient hospitalizations in the United States and identify differences across patient- and hospital-level characteristics, overall and in clinically distinct diagnostic subgroups. PATIENTS AND METHODS We conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of inpatient hospit...