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The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery 80:431-8 (1998)
© 1998 The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc.

Current Concepts Review

Current Concepts Review - Methods for Locating Missing Patients for the Purpose of Long-Term Clinical Studies*

J. SCOTT SMITH, M.D.{dagger} and HUGH G. WATTS, M.D.{ddagger}, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

Investigation performed at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California at Los Angeles, and the Shriners Hospital for Children, Los Angeles


   Introduction
 
Long-term follow-up studies are essential in the evaluation of the results of medical care. Unanticipated side effects and early promising results that deteriorate with time are not uncommon findings in the evaluation of newly developed medical treatments. In addition, changes in the health-care system are exerting pressure on health-care providers to contain the cost of medical services. In an effort to be more cost-effective, hospitals and physicians are incorporating cost data into the medical decision-making process. The decision to select one treatment instead of another may be made on the basis of the relative costs involved, particularly over the short term. The effect that these economic factors have on the medical outcome may not be known until long-term follow-up studies have been completed.

For this reason, outcome studies have become increasingly popular in the effort to determine the overall effectiveness of various medical interventions. Investigators conduct outcome studies to evaluate . . . [Full Text of this Article]


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