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This Week in JAMA
JAMA. 2005;293:1165.
Information Technology in Clinical Care
Computerization is often alleged to improve patient care, but these claims require rigorous evaluation. Two articles in this issue of JAMA report results of such evaluations. First, Koppel and colleagues (SEE ARTICLE) tested the role of a widely used computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system in facilitating medication errors at a hospital. In their survey and observation of clinicians using the system, they found the CPOE increased the probability of 22 potential sources of prescribing error. In the second article, Garg and colleagues (SEE ARTICLE) report results of a review of controlled trials assessing the effects of computerized clinical decision support systems (CDSSs), such as reminders, disease management, and drug-dosing or prescribing systems, on practitioner performance or patient outcomes. In about two thirds of the 100 studies reviewed, CDSSs were reported to improve practitioner performance. However, few trials found improvements in patient outcomes. In an editorial, Wears and Berg (SEE ARTICLE) discuss the challenges of developing computer systems that capture the complexities of medicine.
Timeliness of Childhood Vaccinations
Childhood vaccinations can protect children from vaccine-preventable diseases, but only 18% of US children receive all vaccinations at the recommended ages or within minimum age allowances. Luman and colleagues used data from the 2003 National Immunization Survey to determine the extent of delay of vaccination for children not meeting the recommendations. They found that more than 1 in 3 children were undervaccinated for at least 6 months during their first 2 years of life and 25% of children were delayed for at least 4 of the 6 recommended vaccines. The authors identified sociodemographic factors associated with vaccine delay.
(SEE ARTICLE)
Maternal Smoking and Fetal Chromosome Damage
Chromosomal aberrations have been identified in lymphocytes of adult smokers, but direct evidence that maternal smoking is genotoxic to the fetus has been lacking. de la Chica and colleagues (SEE ARTICLE) report results of their investigation of the relationship between maternal smoking and fetal chromosomal instability in amniocytes obtained at routine amniocentesis. They found significantly more chromosomal abnormalities in cells obtained from women who were current smokers of more than 10 cigarettes per day and had a smoking history of more than 10 years compared with women who did not smoke. In an editorial, DeMarini and Preston (SEE ARTICLE) discuss indirect data suggesting that tobacco smoke is a transplacental fetal mutagen and suggest analytic issues to consider in future investigations.
Public Reporting of Health Care Quality
Public reporting of information about the quality of physician, hospital, and health care plan has been advanced as one way to improve health care, but few studies have examined how public reports may affect health care delivery or improvement or potential negative consequences of public reports. Werner and Asch discuss the rationale and evidence favoring public reports of health care quality and the shortcomings and risks of this presumed quality improvement activity.
(SEE ARTICLE)
Medical News & Perspectives
The US government has approved the use of antiretroviral medications to prevent HIV infection after nonoccupational exposure to the virus.
(SEE ARTICLE)
CLINICIAN’S CORNER
Screening for Breast Cancer
Clinical Review
The effectiveness of breast cancer screening in community-based practice, including the value of new screening modalities.
(SEE ARTICLE)
Psychological Illness in Military Personnel
Proponents of widespread screening of military personnel for psychological illness must consider issues of confidentiality, the validity of the screening instruments, the lack of evidence that interventions are effective, and the possibility of causing harm.
(SEE ARTICLE)
JAMA Patient Page
For your patients: Information about smoking and pregnancy.
(SEE ARTICLE)
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