March/April 2014.
Can the location of a patient’s hospital ward affect the quality of care they receive and their overall health outcomes? A study from St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne suggests patients do better when they are cared for in home wards, which are specialised to their condition.
This HARC e-Bulletin also examines the quality of evidence from systematic reviews, after a new study found poor reporting of adverse events in systematic reviews was hampering the ability of patients and healthcare professionals to make balanced decisions about the risks of interventions.
Meanwhile, a systematic review on patient decision support systems has found insufficient evidence that they lead to system-wide health savings.
And on the issue of health systems, WHO systems expert Dr Hernan Montenegro spoke to HARC members on the issue of primary care integration during a recent Australian visit.
As always, your feedback, letters and suggestions are welcome. As this is my last issue in the editor’s chair, please send correspondence to Kellie.Bisset@saxinstitute.org.au
And please forward this edition on to those colleagues you think may be interested.
Melissa Davey
Editor, HARC e-Bulletin