Coming to Grips with Large Databases

Editorials15 October 1997Coming to Grips with Large DatabasesChristine Laine, MD, Deputy EditorChristine Laine, MD, Deputy EditorSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps: //doi. org/10. 7326/0003-4819-127-8Part₁-199710150-00012 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail “Measuring Quality, Outcomes, and Cost of Care Using Large Databases, ” the supplement that accompanies this issue, may strike some readers as an odd companion to the journal. Why should typical Annals readers, internists devoted mainly to patient care, concern themselves with large health care databases? Colossal electronic files of claims and codes are the habiliments of health services researchers and health care administrators, not clinicians. Clinical internists learn from small sets of meticulously collected primary research and clinical data, not from secondary data collected for billing and other administrative functions. This, however, like much else in health care these days,. . . References1. Farmer RD, Lawrenson RA, Thompson CR, Kennedy JG, Hambleton IR. Population-based study of risk of venous thromboembolism associated with various oral contraceptives. Lancet. 1997; 349: 83-8. Google Scholar2. Fine MJ, Auble TE, Yealy DM, Hanusa BH, Weissfeld LA, Singer DE, et al. A prediction rule to identify low-risk patients with community-acquired pneumonia. N Engl J Med. 1997; 336: 243-50. Google Scholar3. Hemmelgarn B, Suissa S, Huang A, Boivin JF, Pinard G. Benzodiazepine use and the risk of motor vehicle crash in the elderly. JAMA. 1997; 278: 27-31. Google Scholar4. Redelmeier DA, Tibshirani RJ. Association between cellular-telephone calls and motor vehicle collisions. N Engl J Med. 1997; 336: 453-8. Google Scholar5. Ashton CM, Kuykendall DH, Johnson ML, Wray NP, Wu L. The association between the quality of inpatient care and early readmission. Ann Intern Med. 1995; 122: 415-21. Google Scholar6. Krumholz HM, Radford MJ, Ellerbeck EF, Hennen J, Meehan TP, Petrillo M, et al. Aspirin for secondary prevention after acute myocardial infarction in the elderly: prescribed use and outcomes. Ann Intern Med. 1996; 124: 292-8. Google Scholar7. Kannus P, Parkkari J, Niemi S, Palvanen M. Epidemiology of osteoporotic ankle fractures in elderly persons in Finland. Ann Intern Med. 1996; 125: 975-8. Google Scholar8. Wermers RA, Khosla S, Atkinson EJ, Hodgson SF, O'Fallon WM, Melton LJ 3d. The rise and fall of primary hyperparathyroidism: a population-based study in Rochester, Minnesota, 1965-1992. Ann Intern Med. 1997; 126: 433-40. Google Scholar9. Tu JV, Naylor CD, Kumar D, DeBuono BA, McNeil BJ, Hannan EL. Coronary artery bypass graft surgery in Ontario and New York State: which rate is right? Steering Committee of the Cardiac Care Network of Ontario. Ann Intern Med. 1997; 126: 13-9. Google Scholar10. Pine M, Norusis M, Jones B, Rosenthal GE. Predictions of hospital mortality rates: a comparison of data sources. Ann Intern Med. 1997; 126: 347-54. Google Scholar11. Localio AR, Hamory BH, Sharp TJ, Weaver SL, TenHave TR, Landis JR. Comparing hospital mortality in adult patients with pneumonia. A case study of statistical methods in a managed care program. Ann Intern Med. 1995; 122: 125-32. Google Scholar12. Tierney WM, Overhage JM, McDonald CJ. Toward electronic medical records that improve care Editorial. Ann Intern Med. 1995; 122: 725-6. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Christine Laine, MD, Deputy Editor PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byThe Relative Ability of Comorbidity Ascertainment Methodologies to Predict In-Hospital Mortality Among Hospitalized Community-acquired Pneumonia PatientsDevelopment of quality indicators for care of chronic kidney disease in the primary care setting using electronic health data: a RAND-modified Delphi methodAccuracy of Administrative Data for Identifying Patients With PneumoniaSynthesis and characterization of bromoquinazolinone substituted spiroisobenzofuran-1, 9′-xanthene-3-onesPositive predictive value of the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction in an administrative databaseResources Used by Panelists 15 October 1997Volume 127, Issue 8Part₁Page: 645-647 ePublished: 15 August 2000 Issue Published: 15 October 1997 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 1997 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved. PDF downloadLoading. . .