Cambridge, UK : Cambridge University Press, 1998.

Healthcare decision makers in search of reliable information that compares health interventions increasingly turn to systematic reviews for the best summary of the evidence. Systematic reviews identify, select, assess, and synthesize the findings of similar but separate studies, and can help clarify what is known and not known about the potential benefits and harms of drugs, devices, and other healthcare services. Systematic reviews can be helpful for clinicians who want to integrate research findings into their daily practices, for patients to make well-informed choices about their own care, for professional medical societies and other organizations that develop clinical practice guidelines. Too often systematic reviews are of uncertain or poor quality. There are no universally accepted standards for developing systematic reviews leading to variability in how conflicts of interest and biases are handled, how evidence is appraised, and the overall scientific rigor of the process. In Finding What Works in Health Care the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommends 21 standards for developing high-quality systematic reviews of comparative effectiveness research. The standards address the entire systematic review process from the initial steps of formulating the topic and building the review team to producing a detailed final report that synthesizes what the evidence shows and where knowledge gaps remain. Finding What Works in Health Care also proposes a framework for improving the quality of the science underpinning systematic reviews. This book will serve as a vital resource for both sponsors and producers of systematic reviews of comparative effectiveness research.

Ion exchange is one of the most common and effective treatment methods for liquid radioactive waste. This book reviews the current literature on the subject and reports on the existing state of the art of the application of ion exchange processes for liquid radioactive waste treatments and of the management of spent ion exchange media.

This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. Asbestos is a group of 6 different fibrous minerals that occur naturally in the environment. All forms of asbestos are hazardous, and all can cause cancer. This profile includes: (1) The exam¿n. and interpretation of toxicologic info. and epidemiological eval¿s. on asbestos to ascertain the levels of human exposure for the substance and its health effects; (2) A determination of whether adequate info. on the health effects of asbestos is available or in the process of development to determine levels of exposure that present a significant risk to human health; and (3) Where appropriate, identification of toxicologic testing needed to identify the types or levels of exposure that may present significant risk of adverse health effects in humans. Charts and tables.

Soils are receptacles for a wide range of hazardous chemicals generated by human activities. Whether or not this contamination is deliberate, accurate toxicity assessments are important for health and economic reasons. Soil Ecotoxicology discusses the sources, fate, and transport of hazardous chemicals in soils. The fate (biodegradation and modeling) and the potential impacts of pesticides on soil ecosystems are emphasized, and methodologies for performing toxicity assessments are provided.