Better definition in individual studies will enable meaningful synthesis of research
To measure the effectiveness of innovations in health care, it is critically important to define the intervention studied. Unfortunately, this step is often lacking in health services research: definitions are often inadequate for reproducibility, and outcomes attributed to the intervention are consequently difficult to adjust for other variables. Meta-analysis can become messy.
The full article is accessible to AMA
members and paid subscribers.
Login to MJA or subscribe now.
- 1. Montalto M, Dunt D. The delivery of traditional hospital services to patients at home. Med J Aust 1993; 159: 263-265.
- 2. Montalto M. The 500 bed hospital that isn’t there. Med J Aust 2010; 193: 598-601.
- 3. Cheng J, Montalto M, Leff B. Hospital at home. Clin Geriatr Med 2009; 25: 79-91.
- 4. Caplan GA, Sulaiman NS, Mangin DA, et al. A meta-analysis of “hospital in the home”. Med J Aust 2012; 197: 512-519.
- 5. Berwick DM. The science of improvement. JAMA 2008; 299: 1182-1184.
- 6. Sarode V, Reeves J, Barrett J, McCambley J. Where to die? Med J Aust 2012; 197: 524-525.
- 7. Victorian Government Department of Health. Hospital in the home guidelines. Melbourne: Victorian Government, 2011. http://docs.health.vic.gov.au/docs/doc/3F753BB75D5077D4CA257949007FA85F/$FILE/110702_DoH%20HITH %20guidelines%20web.pdf (accessed Oct 2012).
Online responses are no longer available. Please refer to our instructions for authors page for more information.
No relevant disclosures.