Improving D-dimer Positive Predictive Value for Outpatients with Suspected Deep Vein Thrombosis.
By Craig M Nelson, PhD, CLS; Geary S Wright, BA, MLT; Tom R Silbaugh, CPT; Louis J Cota, CLS

In a retrospective review, 1015 continuous patients with suspected deep vein thrombosis (DVT) were clinically evaluated in a laboratory with a D-dimer assay: 503 with a bioMérieux system and 512 with a Trinity Biotech system. With the Trinity Biotech assay, specificity increased from 41.3% to 66.9%, positive predictive value increased 2.3 times from 8.8% to 20.0%, and the probability of DVT increased from 25% to 38%. A significant number of unneeded compression ultrasounds were saved.
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From Our Lips To Whose Ears? Consumer Reaction to Our Current Health Care Dialect.
By Murray Ross, PhD; Toyomi Igus; Sophia Gomez

Every profession spawns a dialect, however, this qualitative study, conducted with consumers from Boston, New York City, St Paul, Billings, and San Diego, revealed a tremendous gap between what health care professionals say and what health care consumers hear. Negative language associations for consumers include: “medical decision support,” “guidelines,” “integrated care,” “evidence-based medicine,” and “best practices.” Positive language associations include: “communication,” “treatment,” and “coordination.”
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