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Is there good research evidence for health systems interventions?

The article discusses the importance of researching health systems interventions and assessing the reliability of evidence. The authors argue that useful tools are available to evaluate effectiveness, but more work is needed to assess other key factors such as policy acceptability and implementation feasibility.

SourcePLOS·JournalPLOS Medicine·DateMar 20, 2012

Diplopedia a success at US Department of State

A new study by Rice University and the US Department of State's Office of eDiplomacy examines the five-year history of Diplopedia, a Wikipedia-style diplomacy Web 2.0 tool. The platform has grown to over 10,000 articles written by DOS employees, providing valuable information for desk officers and foreign service experts.

Making a better medical safety checklist

A Johns Hopkins researcher warns that medical safety checklists are no magic wand and require a culture change to be effective. Checklists can work in certain situations, such as central-line infection prevention, but over-reliance on them can lead to distractions and errors.

SourceJohns Hopkins Medicine·JournalCritical Care·DateFeb 15, 2010

Giving doctors the complete picture

A new clinical support tool developed by Martin Were and Michael Weiner significantly improves communication between doctors, resulting in better implementation of medical recommendations. The tool reduces errors and saves healthcare dollars by decreasing delays in care and prioritizing specialty treatment.

SourceIndiana University·JournalJournal of the American Medical Informatics Association·DateMar 6, 2009

Rolling back malaria: Full steam ahead

The 'Rolling Back Malaria' partnership has announced a comprehensive plan to control and eradicate malaria, targeting short-term reduction of mortality and morbidity by half by 2010 and long-term elimination of transmission. The plan is estimated to save 4.2 million lives in Africa, but requires $62 billion in funding by 2020.

SourceThe Lancet_DELETED·JournalThe Lancet·DateOct 2, 2008

Genome tools pass big test in fruit flies

Researchers have successfully developed and used several types of tools to analyze the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster genome, extracting valuable information about genes and their function. The findings include a large-scale analysis of over 1,000 mutant fly strains, which identified more than 250 new genes.

SourceHoward Hughes Medical Institute·JournalGenetics·DateSep 1, 1999

Chemists Compute Answers To The Origin Of Gout

Chemists at the University of Warwick's Computational Chemistry Group have made significant discoveries about the biological reaction that causes gout. They found that a hydroxide ion is involved in the catalysis process, rather than an oxygen atom, which could lead to the development of inhibitors for the illness.