A cross-sectional study was undertaken to elicit patient and learner opinions about bedside teaching (BST). Only 48% of learners reported that they had been given enough BST during their undergraduate training, while 100% thought BST to be the most effective way of learning clinical skills. Seventy seven per cent of patients enjoyed BST and 83% said that it did not make them anxious. The preferred site for case presentations was the conference room. Further quantitative studies are needed to investigate perceived impediments to BST from the teachers' point of view.

Bed-side teaching is the process of active learning in the presence of a patient. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a teaching hospital to obtain the opinions of clinical teachers about bed-side teaching including perceived hindrances to its implementation. Of 152 teachers, 78% responded to the questionnaire. Ninety-five per cent reported that bed-side teaching is an effective way to teach professional skills. Time constraints, noisy wards and patients not being available were reported as the most frequently experienced hindrances to bed-side teaching. The survey found strong support for bed-side teaching but a substantial number of barriers to its implementation. Further research is required to study methods that will improve bed-site teaching.

We used data from the 2005-06 Community Tracking Study site visits to examine the impact of quality reporting on hospitals' data collection and review processes, feedback and accountability mechanisms, quality improvement activities, and resource allocation. Individual hospitals participate in multiple, varied reporting programs with distinct effects on hospital operations. Reporting programs play complementary roles in encouraging quality improvement but are poorly coordinated and command sizable resources, in large part because of inadequate information technology. Policy should be directed at encouraging formal assessments of how individual and combinations of programs affect quality outcomes, and the development of adaptable information systems. Several studies document the benefits of providing hospitals feedback on their quality performance, particularly comparative information. 4 An evaluation of the HQI pilot found that hospitals responded by placing higher priority on quality 1 4 1 2 S e p t e m b e r / O c t o b e r 2 0 0 6 D a t a W a t c h

Background-A systematic literature review was conducted to assess the eVect of treating reflux oesophagitis on asthma outcomes. Methods-Randomised controlled trials of reflux oesophagitis treatment in adults or children that reported asthma health outcomes were included and assessed in accordance with the standard Cochrane systematic review process. Patients were typically adults with asthma and concurrent symptomatic gastro-oesophageal reflux who received interventions that included pharmacological therapy, conservative management, and surgery. The following outcome measures were assessed: lung function, peak expiratory flow, asthma symptoms, asthma medications, and nocturnal asthma. Results-From 22 potentially relevant published and unpublished randomised controlled trials, 12 were included. Treatment duration ranged from 1 week to 6 months. Eight trials reported that treatment improved at least one asthma outcome, but these outcomes diVered between trials. Overall, treatment of reflux oesophagitis did not consistently improve forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV 1 ), peak expiratory flow rate, asthma symptoms, nocturnal asthma symptoms, or use of asthma medications in asthmatic subjects. Significant improvement in wheeze was reported in two studies. Conclusions-The published literature does not consistently support treatment of reflux oesophagitis as a means of controlling asthma. Further large randomised controlled trials in subjects with a demonstrated temporal relationship between gastro-oesophageal reflux and asthma are needed. These trials should be conducted over at least 6 months to allow adequate time to observe a treatment eVect.