Counting on a Total Hip Replacement
Epidemiologists study the big picture of disease. They look at data to find out how a disease affects the population as a whole. Epidemiology doesn't just produce facts about disease. It also gives information about how the health care system works.
This article is about the Epidemiology of total hip replacement (THR) in the United States. The authors analyzed data from Medicare records of people 65 or older over the course of one year. They focused on patients who had THR or revision THR surgery, but not because of hip fractures, hip infections, or cancer. The authors discovered some interesting facts about THR.
By themselves, these numbers don't really tell doctors anything. But combined with other data, these facts give health professionals information that can help them provide better care.
References: Nizar N. Mahomed, MD, ScD, FRCSC, et al. Rates and Outcomes of Primary and Revision Total Hip Replacement in the United States Medicare Population. In The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. January 2003. Vol. 85-A. No. 1. Pp. 27-32.
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