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Pragmatic clinical trials (PCTs) seek to improve the generalizability and increase the statistical power of traditional explanatory trials. They are a major tenet of comparative effectiveness research. While a powerful study design, PCTs have been limited by high cost, modest efficiency, and limited ability to fill relevant evidence gaps. Based on an American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) supported meeting of national stakeholders, we propose several innovations and future research that could improve the efficiency and effectiveness of such studies focused in the U.S. Innovations discussed include optimizing the use of community based practices through partnership with Practice Based Research Networks (PBRNs), using information technology to simplify PCT subject recruitment, consent and randomization processes, and utilizing linkages to large administrative databases, such as Medicare, as a mechanism to capture outcomes and other important PCT variables with lower subject and research team burden. Testing and adaptation of such innovations to PCT are anticipated to improve the public health value of these increasingly important studies.

BackgroundMedication adherence may be a proxy for healthy behaviors and other factors that affect outcomes. Prior studies of the association between placebo adherence and health outcomes have been limited primarily to men enrolled in clinical trials and cardiovascular disease outcomes. We examined associations between adherence to placebo and the risk of fracture, coronary heart disease, cancer, and all-cause mortality in the 2 Women's Health Initiative hormone therapy randomized trials.MethodsPostmenopausal women randomized to placebo with adherence measured at least once were eligible for analysis. Time-varying adherence was assessed by dispensing history and pill counts. Outcome adjudication was based on physician review of medical records. Cox proportional hazards models evaluated the relation between high adherence (≥80%) to placebo and various outcomes, referent to low adherence (

Introduction Asbestos is a generic term for a group of six naturally occurring, fibrous silicate minerals (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry [ATSDR], 2001). These fibers belong to two [...], Asbestos is an established human carcinogen. Asbestos-containing building materials (ACBM) are used in surfacing materials, thermal system insulation (TSI), and miscellaneous materials, and they have been used in buildings in Jamaica in the past. The objective of the study described here was to identify ACBM, its characteristics, and its determinants in Jamaican hospitals. A walk-through survey of all hospitals was undertaken and 152 bulk samples were collected from 26 public and private hospitals. The samples were analyzed using polarized light microscopy. Sixteen (61.5%) hospitals had ACBM used mainly as TSI. The ACBM in most cases was friable and in a poor condition indicative of fiber release and contained the fibers chrysotile, amosite, and crocidolite. The age of hospitals was not associated with the presence of ACBM. Results indicated potential risk of asbestos exposure in hospitals. The hospital authorities should formulate and implement an asbestos policy for hospitals and undertake proper management of asbestos in all hospitals.

Fungal infections have become an increasing problem for older persons in the United States (1 -4). Compared with years past, older adults today are more likely to be considered for [...]

Adverse events related to long‐term use of bisphosphonates have raised interest in temporary drug discontinuation. Trends in bisphosphonate discontinuation and restart, as well factors associated with these decisions, are not fully understood at a population level. We investigated temporal trends of bisphosphonate discontinuation from 2010 to 2015 and identified factors associated with discontinuation and restart of osteoporosis therapy. Our cohort consisted of long‐term bisphosphonate users identified from 2010 to 2015 Medicare data. We defined discontinuation as ≥12 months without bisphosphonate prescription claims. We used conditional logistic regression to compare factors associated with alendronate discontinuation or osteoporosis therapy restart in the 120‐day period preceding discontinuation or restart referent to the 120‐day preceding control periods. Among 73,800 long‐term bisphosphonate users, 59,251 (80.3%) used alendronate, 6806 (9.2%) risedronate, and 7743 (10.5%) zoledronic acid, exclusively. Overall, 26,281 (35.6%) discontinued bisphosphonates for at least 12 months. Discontinuation of bisphosphonates increased from 1.7% in 2010, reaching a peak of 14% in 2012 with levels plateauing through 2015. The factors most strongly associated with discontinuation of alendronate were: benzodiazepine prescription (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.5; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.1, 3.0), having a dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan (aOR = 1.8; 95% CI 1.7, 2.0), and skilled nursing facility care utilization (aOR = 1.8; 95% CI 1.6, 2.1). The factors most strongly associated with restart of osteoporosis therapy were: having a DXA scan (aOR = 9.9; 95% CI 7.7, 12.6), sustaining a fragility fracture (aOR = 2.8; 95% CI 1.8, 4.5), and an osteoporosis or osteopenia diagnosis (aOR = 2.5; 95% CI 2.0, 3.1). Our national evaluation of bisphosphonate discontinuation showed that an increasing proportion of patients on long‐term bisphosphonate therapy discontinue medications. The factors associated with discontinuation of alendronate were primarily related to worsening of overall health status, whereas traditional factors associated with worsening bone health were associated with restarting osteoporosis medication. © 2019 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]