Administrative databases are increasingly used for studying outcomes of medical care. Valid
inferences from such data require the ability to account for disease severity and comorbid …

Objective To provide a single source for the best available estimates of the US prevalence of
and number of individuals affected by osteoarthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell …

Objective To provide a single source for the best available estimates of the national
prevalence of arthritis in general and of selected musculoskeletal disorders (osteoarthritis, …

Application of generic and specific measures of health status and quality of life to different
diseases, conditions, states, and populations is increasing. Four strategies for using these …

Context Back and neck problems are among the symptoms most commonly encountered in
clinical practice. However, few studies have examined national trends in expenditures for …

Before being introduced to wide use, health status instruments should be evaluated for
reliability and validity. Increasingly, they are also tested for responsiveness to important clinical …

Background The US population of former prison inmates is large and growing. The period
immediately after release may be challenging for former inmates and may involve substantial …

Background: Increases in prescriptions of opioid medications for chronic pain have been
accompanied by increases in opioid overdoses, abuse, and other harms and uncertainty about …

Context In recent decades, the fastest growth in lumbar surgery occurred in older patients
with spinal stenosis. Trials indicate that for selected patients, decompressive surgery offers an …

BACK pain ranks second only to upper respiratory illness as a symptomatic reason for office
visits to physicians. About 70% of adults have low back pain at some time, but only 14% …