INTRODUCTION Duration of untreated psychosis (time between the onset of symptoms and start of treatment) is considered the strongest predictor of symptom severity and outcome. Integrated care pathways that prescribe timeframes around access and interventions can potentially improve quality of care. METHODS AND ANALYSIS A multicentre mixed methods study to assess feasibility, acceptability, ef...

Background. Prolonged air leak is defined as an ongoing air leak for more than 5 days. Intrabronchial valve (IBV) treatment is approved for the treatment of air leaks. Objective. To analyze our experience with IBV and valuate its cost-effectiveness. Methods. Retrospective analysis of IBV from June 2013 to October 2014. We analyzed direct costs based on hospital and operating room charges. We us...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Cost in healthcare is an increasing and justifiable concern that impacts decisions about the introduction of new devices such as the da Vinci(®) surgical robot. Because equipment expenses represent only a portion of overall medical costs, we set out to make more specific cost comparisons between open and robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS We perf...

introduction: road traffic crashes (rtcs) are very common across the world and in iran. the aim of this study was to estimate the economic burden of road traffic accidents in tehran province, iran in 2009. methods: t his was a descriptive, cross-sectional retrospective study. the study population included all deceased and injuries due to rtcs in tehran in 2009. the economic burden of rtc was es...

background: dyspepsia and gastro-oesophageal reflux diseases (gerd) are very widespread in the community throughout the world. the aim of this study was to determine the direct and indirect cost of gerd and dyspepsia in the general population. methods: from may 2005 to december 2006, a cross-sectional study conducted in tehran province; including 18,180 individuals with gi symptoms drawn up ran...