We exhibit an algorithm to decide if the fixed-points of a morphism avoid (long) abelian repetitions and we use it to show that long abelian squares are avoidable over the ternary alphabet. This gives a partial answer to one of Mäkelä's questions. Our algorithm can also decide if a morphism avoids additive repetitions or k-abelian repetitions and we use it to show that long 2-abelian square are...

Continuity of care (COC) has a proven relationship with health care outcomes. However, evidence regarding an association between COC and avoidable hospitalization for elderly patients with asthma is insufficient.A retrospective cohort study was performed using Taiwanese National Health Insurance claim data from 2004 to 2013. Patients were retrospectively followed for 2 years; the COC index (COC...

To evaluate the achievement of health care services in Korea independent of other socioeconomic factors, we observed the time trend of avoidable death between 1983 and 2004. A list of avoidable causes of death was constructed based on the European Community Atlas of "Avoidable Death". We calculated sex- and age-standardized mortality rates of Korean aged 1-64 yr using data of the Korea National...

the paper published in the january 2015 issue of this journal by gusmano and colleagues entitled “shanghai rising: health improvements as measured by avoidable mortality since 2000” has spurred this commentary. we discuss controversial issues surrounding the concept of avoidable mortality in health service research in general and gusmano’s study in particular. the impact of overall social devel...

OBJECTIVES To examine the frequency and reasons for potentially avoidable hospitalizations of nursing home (NH) residents. DESIGN Medical records were reviewed as a component of a project designed to develop and pilot test clinical practice tools for reducing potentially avoidable hospitalization. SETTING NHs in Georgia. PARTICIPANTS In 10 NHs with high and 10 with low hospitalization rat...

BACKGROUND Potentially avoidable hospitalizations represent an indirect measure of access to effective primary care. However many approaches have been proposed to measure them and results may differ considerably. This work aimed at examining the agreement between the Weissman and Ansari approaches in order to measure potentially avoidable hospitalizations in France. METHODS Based on the 2012 ...

STUDY OBJECTIVE The aim was to analyse trends in "avoidable" mortality in Sweden, and to contribute to the methodology of avoidable mortality as an index of the quality of care. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS All deaths of Swedish citizens and other residents in Sweden during the period 1974-1985 were analysed as to causes of death between ages 0 and 64 years. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Total ...

An n × n array A with entries from {1, . . . , n} is avoidable if there is an n × n Latin square L such that no cell in L contains a symbol that occurs in the corresponding cell in A. We show that the problem of determining whether an array that contains at most two entries per cell is avoidable is NP-complete, even in the case when the array has entries from only two distinct symbols. Assuming...

Background Hospitals account for the major share of health expenditure. Primary healthcare may improve efficiency at the hospital level by reducing avoidable admissions. We examined whether rapid expansion of primary healthcare in the context of Brazil's Family Health Strategy (FHS) was associated with a reduction in avoidable hospitalisations. Methods We constructed panel data for 5506 munic...

Postoperative salt and water retention has been recognized for most of this century. Does it matter? Can or should it be avoided? These are still questions about which debate continues. Pringle, in 1905, observed reduced urine volumes and weight gain in postoperative patients [31]. Wilkinson studied 27 patients perioperatively and observed a decrease in urinary concentrations of sodium and chlo...