Appraisal of modifiable hospitalization risks.
Nine prevention experts rated hospitalization risks of 64 hypothetical healthy adults between 20 and 65 years old. There was substantial agreement among seven out of the nine experts. Pairwise correlations between any two of the experts ranged between 0.66 and 0.86. Decision analytic tools were used to model the average of the experts' ratings. The panel of experts provided us with the factors used, the relationship between the factors, and the relative importance of each factor. An index based on this information was highly correlated with the judgments of seven experts. Thus, we concluded that the scoring procedure can simulate the experts' judgments. Next, the index was used in an interactive computer program to assess modifiable health risks of individuals. This program is provided along with the paper to facilitate further research on validity and impact of the program.
Department of Health Systems Management, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana.
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Alemi
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Stokes
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Rice
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Karim
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LaCorte
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Saligman
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Nau
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003198:Computer Simulation; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006306:Health Surveys; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008019:Life Style; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D014584:User-Computer Interface