Twenty-three unsolved problems in hydrology (UPH) – a community perspective

This paper is the outcome of a community initiative to identify major unsolved scientific problems in hydrology motivated by a need for stronger harmonisation of research efforts. The procedure involved a public consultation through online media, followed by two workshops through which a large number of potential science questions were collated, prioritised, and synthesised. In spite of the diversity of the participants (230 scientists in total), the process revealed much about community priorities and the state of our science: a preference for continuity in research questions rather than radical departures or redirections from past and current work. Questions remain focused on the process-based understanding of hydrological variability and causality at all space and time scales. Increased attention to environmental change drives a new emphasis on understanding how change propagates across interfaces within the hydrological system and across disciplinary boundaries. In particular, the expansion of the human footprint raises a new set of questions related to human interactions with nature and water cycle feedbacks in the context of complex water management problems. We hope that this reflection and synthesis of the 23 unsolved problems in hydrology will help guide research efforts for some years to come.publishedVersio

Drug Utilization Review Current Status and Relationship to Assuring Quality Medical Care

Drug utilization is expected to increase in the years ahead, thereby fostering the use of cost control and quality assurance mechanisms in the form of drug utilization/peer review. An overview of the current status of drug utilization review (DUR) is presented, and an examination is made in terms of the relationship of DUR to assuring quality medical care. For the most part, existing drug utilization review systems are centrally based and retrospectively screen drug claims “by exception”, using quantity standards of appropriateness. The primary deficiency of current programs is the relative lack of “quality measures”, and secondarily, the need to integrate drug utilization review into the overall medical care review process. Recommendations for demonstration and research efforts are given. </jats:p

Physician Prescribing Patterns–

The purpose of this report is to delineate the different therapies prescribed in the outpatient setting for the various age groups in our population. The data were derived from a special tabulation of unpublished figures by the National Disease and Therapeutic Index, available from I.M.S. America, Ltd. The data provide a general introduction to the volume of drug use by age groups, and the appearance of drug products from the 100 most frequently prescribed list. Additionally, a more refined picture of differences among age groups by therapeutic category is presented. </jats:p