The REporting of Studies Conducted Using Observational Routinely-Collected Health Data (RECORD) Statement: Methods for Arriving at Consensus and Developing Reporting Guidelines.

OBJECTIVE: Routinely collected health data, collected for administrative and clinical purposes, without specific a priori research questions, are increasingly used for observational, comparative effectiveness, health services research, and clinical trials. The rapid evolution and availability of routinely collected data for research has brought to light specific issues not addressed by existing reporting guidelines. The aim of the present project was to determine the priorities of stakeholders in order to guide the development of the REporting of studies Conducted using Observational Routinely-collected health Data (RECORD) statement. METHODS: Two modified electronic Delphi surveys were sent to stakeholders. The first determined themes deemed important to include in the RECORD statement, and was analyzed using qualitative methods. The second determined quantitative prioritization of the themes based on categorization of manuscript headings. The surveys were followed by a meeting of RECORD working committee, and re-engagement with stakeholders via an online commentary period. RESULTS: The qualitative survey (76 responses of 123 surveys sent) generated 10 overarching themes and 13 themes derived from existing STROBE categories. Highest-rated overall items for inclusion were: Disease/exposure identification algorithms; Characteristics of the population included in databases; and Characteristics of the data. In the quantitative survey (71 responses of 135 sent), the importance assigned to each of the compiled themes varied depending on the manuscript section to which they were assigned. Following the working committee meeting, online ranking by stakeholders provided feedback and resulted in revision of the final checklist. CONCLUSIONS: The RECORD statement incorporated the suggestions provided by a large, diverse group of stakeholders to create a reporting checklist specific to observational research using routinely collected health data. Our findings point to unique aspects of studies conducted with routinely collected health data and the perceived need for better reporting of methodological issues.

Medication incidents in primary care medicine: protocol of a study by the Swiss Federal Sentinel Reporting System.

BACKGROUND/RATIONALE: Patient safety is a major concern in healthcare systems worldwide. Although most safety research has been conducted in the inpatient setting, evidence indicates that medical errors and adverse events are a threat to patients in the primary care setting as well. Since information about the frequency and outcomes of safety incidents in primary care is required, the goals of this study are to describe the type, frequency, seasonal and regional distribution of medication incidents in primary care in Switzerland and to elucidate possible risk factors for medication incidents. Label="METHODS AND ANALYSIS" ="METHODS"/> <AbstractText STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: We will conduct a prospective surveillance study to identify cases of medication incidents among primary care patients in Switzerland over the course of the year 2015. PARTICIPANTS: Patients undergoing drug treatment by 167 general practitioners or paediatricians reporting to the Swiss Federal Sentinel Reporting System. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Any erroneous event, as defined by the physician, related to the medication process and interfering with normal treatment course. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Lack of treatment effect, adverse drug reactions or drug-drug or drug-disease interactions without detectable treatment error. PRIMARY OUTCOME: Medication incidents. RISK FACTORS: Age, gender, polymedication, morbidity, care dependency, hospitalisation. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Descriptive statistics to assess type, frequency, seasonal and regional distribution of medication incidents and logistic regression to assess their association with potential risk factors. Estimated sample size: 500 medication incidents. LIMITATIONS: We will take into account under-reporting and selective reporting among others as potential sources of bias or imprecision when interpreting the results. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: No formal request was necessary because of fully anonymised data. The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT0229537.

Under-reporting of dietary energy intake in five populations of the African diaspora.

Studies on the role of diet in the development of chronic diseases often rely on self-report surveys of dietary intake. Unfortunately, many validity studies have demonstrated that self-reported dietary intake is subject to systematic under-reporting, although the vast majority of such studies have been conducted in industrialised countries. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether or not systematic reporting error exists among the individuals of African ancestry (n 324) in five countries distributed across the Human Development Index (HDI) scale, a UN statistic devised to rank countries on non-income factors plus economic indicators. Using two 24 h dietary recalls to assess energy intake and the doubly labelled water method to assess total energy expenditure, we calculated the difference between these two values ((self-report - expenditure/expenditure) × 100) to identify under-reporting of habitual energy intake in selected communities in Ghana, South Africa, Seychelles, Jamaica and the USA. Under-reporting of habitual energy intake was observed in all the five countries. The South African cohort exhibited the highest mean under-reporting ( - 52·1% of energy) compared with the cohorts of Ghana ( - 22·5%), Jamaica ( - 17·9%), Seychelles ( - 25·0%) and the USA ( - 18·5%). BMI was the most consistent predictor of under-reporting compared with other predictors. In conclusion, there is substantial under-reporting of dietary energy intake in populations across the whole range of the HDI, and this systematic reporting error increases according to the BMI of an individual.

Reporting for account and sales management

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli kerätä Elcoteq Network Oyj:n myyntihenkilöiden tietotarpeet ja konkretisoida ne raportoinnin kautta. Tutkimus keskittyi asiakasvirran eri vaiheissa tarvittavaan asiakas- ja projektikohtaiseen tietoon. Tarkoituksena oli parantaa raportointia vastaamaan asiakkaan ja sales case:n hallintaa alkaen asiakasvirran uusasiakasvaiheesta ja projektin arvioinnista. Tietotarpeet kerättiin haastattelujen avulla ja osallistumalla aiheeseen liittyviin projekteihin. Haastattelujen ja teorian avulla projektiliiketoiminnan avainpiirteet ja asiakaskannattavuuteen vaikuttavat tekijät kerättiin yhteen ja muutettiin konkretiaksi raportoinnin parannusehdotuksien kautta. Tutkimus osoitti, että myyntihenkilöiden näkökulmasta olisi muodostettava uudet raportit tukemaan asiakkaan ja projektin hallintaa. Ennustettu voidaan verrata toteutuneeseen ja sekä asikkuuden, että sales case:n seuranta paranee uusien raporttien avulla. Budjetit, sekä asiakaskohtaiset tavoitteet voidaan laatia luotettavimmin ja kokonaiskuva asiakkuuden ja projektin kannattavuudesta pystytään näkemään ko. raporteista sekä graafein, että numeerisena tietona.

Corruption scandals, press reporting, and accountability. Evidence from Spanish mayors.

[spa] En este trabajo se analiza con datos de España los efectos de la corrupción local sobre los resultados electorales. En base a las noticias publicadas entre 1996 y 2009, se construye una nueva base de datos que recoge los casos de corrupción y noticias relativas a cambios en los planes urbanísticos que no han seguido el procedimiento legal. La base de datos muestra que los primeros escándalos de corrupción urbanística surgieron durante el mandato electoral de 1999-2003, pero que éstos alcanzaron sus niveles máximos justo antes de las elecciones de 2007. Se estima una ecuación del porcentaje de voto obtenido por el partido en el poder en estas elecciones locales y se encuentra que la pérdida media de voto después de un caso de corrupción se sitúa alrededor del 4%. Este efecto es más elevado (del 9%) si el caso de corrupción ha recibido una amplia cobertura por los diarios. Los efectos estimados para las elecciones de 2003 son significativamente inferiores. Cuando se consideran los casos en que los políticos han tenido cargas judiciales por corrupción y amplia cobertura por los diarios, la pérdida de voto asciende hasta el 12%. No obstante, la cobertura por los diarios genera un efecto negativo en el voto incluso cuando no hay cargas judiciales.

Corruption scandals, press reporting, and accountability. Evidence from Spanish mayors.

[spa] En este trabajo se analiza con datos de España los efectos de la corrupción local sobre los resultados electorales. En base a las noticias publicadas entre 1996 y 2009, se construye una nueva base de datos que recoge los casos de corrupción y noticias relativas a cambios en los planes urbanísticos que no han seguido el procedimiento legal. La base de datos muestra que los primeros escándalos de corrupción urbanística surgieron durante el mandato electoral de 1999-2003, pero que éstos alcanzaron sus niveles máximos justo antes de las elecciones de 2007. Se estima una ecuación del porcentaje de voto obtenido por el partido en el poder en estas elecciones locales y se encuentra que la pérdida media de voto después de un caso de corrupción se sitúa alrededor del 4%. Este efecto es más elevado (del 9%) si el caso de corrupción ha recibido una amplia cobertura por los diarios. Los efectos estimados para las elecciones de 2003 son significativamente inferiores. Cuando se consideran los casos en que los políticos han tenido cargas judiciales por corrupción y amplia cobertura por los diarios, la pérdida de voto asciende hasta el 12%. No obstante, la cobertura por los diarios genera un efecto negativo en el voto incluso cuando no hay cargas judiciales.

Development of Managerial Reporting for a Pulp and Paper Technology Supplier

Työn tavoitteena oli yritysjohdon käyttämän sisäisen raportin kehittäminen vastaamaan paremmin johdon tarpeita. Teoriaosuuden tarkoituksena oli selvittää kirjallisuuden avulla sisäisen raportin käyttöä johdon työkaluna, hyvän raportin vaatimuksia ja yleisiä raportoinnin periaatteita. Empiirinen osuus toteutettiin haastatteluiden avulla ja analysoimalla case-yrityksen sisäisiä raportteja. Empiirisen osan tavoitteena oli selvittää aiemman raportin ongelmat, löytää ratkaisut näihin ongelmiin ja laatia uusi raportointimalli, joka palvelee paremmin raportin käyttäjiä.Teoriaosuuden perusteella voidaan päätellä, että raportoinnin kehittämiseen vaikuttaa eniten raportin käyttötarkoitus ja henkilöt, joiden työväline raportti tulee olemaan. Raportin kehittäminen on jatkuva prosessi, sillä raportin tulee mukautua liiketoiminta- ja organisaatiomuutoksiin.Työn empiirisessä osassa esitetty uusi raportointimalli palvelee case-yritystä monella eri tasolla. Se tukee johdon työskentelyä ja tarjoaa yritystasolla välineen kustannusten parempaan hallintaan ja seurantaan.

IAS 14 - Segment Reporting; The Requirements and Implementation

The principal aim of this study is to clarify the requirements of segment reporting and compare the requirements with the actual! implementation on different business lines. The empirical part was concluded by interviewing randomly selected companies that are publicly listed on the Helsinki Exchanges. The theoretical part of the study (chapters 2 and 3) will give basic information about shifting to IAS -standards and the requirements of IAS -standards. In order to meet the principal aim, a pre-empiric research was conducted by studying the annual accounts (year 2002) of randomly selected companies that already follow the IAS -standards of reporting. The companies in the pre-empiric research consist of both domestic and foreign companies. The aim of the pre-empiric study was to give a basis for the interview process on the empiric part of the study. The study indicates that implementing segment reporting has not brought any major concerns or problems. This is due to the fact that most companies that were examined - being publicly listed companies - have traditionally had a clear division between their geographical and commercial segments, and also been obliged to give reports according to these segments. In case of changes in corporate structure, shifting on new lines of businesses or downsizing of operations, the problems in reporting according to IAS -standards, may arise. Such changes will also require changes on information systems, providing the essential information for segment reporting. According to this study, most companies choose the commercial segment as their primary segment for reporting. The pre-empiric study indicates, that most of the companies already following the IAS -standards, still have a lot of improvement to do, in order to meet all the IAS requirements.

Planning and reporting of quality-of-life outcomes in cancer trials.

BACKGROUND: Information about the impact of cancer treatments on patients' quality of life (QoL) is of paramount importance to patients and treating oncologists. Cancer trials that do not specify QoL as an outcome or fail to report collected QoL data, omit crucial information for decision making. To estimate the magnitude of these problems, we investigated how frequently QoL outcomes were specified in protocols of cancer trials and subsequently reported. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study of RCT protocols approved by six research ethics committees in Switzerland, Germany, and Canada between 2000 and 2003. We compared protocols to corresponding publications, which were identified through literature searches and investigator surveys. RESULTS: Of the 173 cancer trials, 90 (52%) specified QoL outcomes in their protocol, 2 (1%) as primary and 88 (51%) as secondary outcome. Of the 173 trials, 35 (20%) reported QoL outcomes in a corresponding publication (4 modified from the protocol), 18 (10%) were published but failed to report QoL outcomes in the primary or a secondary publication, and 37 (21%) were not published at all. Of the 83 (48%) trials that did not specify QoL outcomes in their protocol, none subsequently reported QoL outcomes. Failure to report pre-specified QoL outcomes was not associated with industry sponsorship (versus non-industry), sample size, and multicentre (versus single centre) status but possibly with trial discontinuation. CONCLUSIONS: About half of cancer trials specified QoL outcomes in their protocols. However, only 20% reported any QoL data in associated publications. Highly relevant information for decision making is often unavailable to patients, oncologists, and health policymakers.

Breast imaging reporting and data system (BI-RADS™): como tem sido utilizado?

O Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS™), do American College of hRadiology, foi concebido para padronizar o laudo mamográfico e reduzir os fatores de confusão na descrição e interpretação das imagens, além de facilitar o monitoramento do resultado final. OBJETIVO: Identificar a maneira como vem sendo utilizado o BI-RADS™, gerando informações que possam auxiliar o Colégio Brasileiro de Radiologia a desenvolver estratégias para aperfeiçoar o seu uso. MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: Os dados foram coletados na cidade de Goiânia, GO. Foram solicitados os exames de mamografia anteriores a todas as mulheres que se dirigiram ao serviço para realização de mamografia entre janeiro/2003 e junho/2003. Foram incluídos na análise exames anteriores, realizados entre 1/7/2001 e 30/6/2003. RESULTADOS: Foram coletados 104 laudos anteriores, emitidos por 40 radiologistas de 33 diferentes serviços. Dos 104 laudos, 77% (n = 80) utilizavam o BI-RADS™. Destes, apenas 15% (n = 12) eram concisos, nenhum utilizava a estrutura e organização recomendadas pelo sistema, 98,75% (n = 79) não respeitavam o léxico e 65% (n = 51) não faziam recomendação de conduta. CONCLUSÃO: O BI-RADS™, apesar de bastante utilizado, não foi reconhecido como sistema para padronização dos laudos. Foi usado quase exclusivamente como forma de classificação final dos exames.

The REporting of studies Conducted using Observational Routinely-collected health Data (RECORD) statement.

Routinely collected health data, obtained for administrative and clinical purposes without specific a priori research goals, are increasingly used for research. The rapid evolution and availability of these data have revealed issues not addressed by existing reporting guidelines, such as Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE). The REporting of studies Conducted using Observational Routinely collected health Data (RECORD) statement was created to fill these gaps. RECORD was created as an extension to the STROBE statement to address reporting items specific to observational studies using routinely collected health data. RECORD consists of a checklist of 13 items related to the title, abstract, introduction, methods, results, and discussion section of articles, and other information required for inclusion in such research reports. This document contains the checklist and explanatory and elaboration information to enhance the use of the checklist. Examples of good reporting for each RECORD checklist item are also included herein. This document, as well as the accompanying website and message board (http://www.record-statement.org), will enhance the implementation and understanding of RECORD. Through implementation of RECORD, authors, journals editors, and peer reviewers can encourage transparency of research reporting.

Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System - BI-RADS®: valor preditivo positivo das categorias 3, 4 e 5. revisão sistemática da literatura

OBJETIVO: Avaliar artigos, na literatura, que verificam o valor preditivo positivo das categorias 3, 4 e 5 do Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS®). MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: Foi realizada pesquisa na base de dados Medline utilizando os termos "predictive value" e "BI-RADS". Foram incluídos 11 artigos nesta revisão. RESULTADOS: O valor preditivo positivo das categorias 3, 4 e 5 variou entre 0% e 8%, 4% e 62%, 54% e 100%, respectivamente. Três artigos avaliaram, concomitantemente, os critérios morfológicos das lesões que apresentaram maior valor preditivo positivo na mamografia, sendo nódulo espiculado o critério com maior valor preditivo positivo. CONCLUSÃO: Houve grande variabilidade do valor preditivo positivo das categorias 3, 4 e 5 do BI-RADS® em todos os estudos, porém foram identificadas diferenças metodológicas que limitaram a comparação desses estudos.

Disclosure of tax information -from tax reporting system to the financial statements, Case: Fortum Oyj

The main target of the study was to examine how Fortum’s tax reporting system could be developed in a way that it collects required information which is also easily transferable to the financial statements. This included examining disclosure requirements for income taxes under IFRS and US GAAP. By benchmarking some Finnish, European and US companies the purpose was to get perspective in what extend they present their tax information in their financial statements. Also material weakness, its existence, was under examination. The research method was qualitative, descriptive and normative. The research material included articles and literature of the tax reporting and standards relating to it. The interviews made had a notable significance. The study pointed out that Fortum’s tax reporting is in good shape and it does not require big changes. The biggest renewal of the tax reporting system is that there is only one model for all Fortum’s companies. It is also more automated, quicker, and more efficient and it reminds more the notes in its shape. In addition it has more internal controls to improve quality and efficiency of the reporting process.