In December, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a review and analysis of their most-read studies in 2018, which included research from two AcademyHealth members.
With over 380,000 views, the article by AcademyHealth member Dr. Ashish Jha, M.D., M.P.H. entitled “Health Care Spending in the United States and Other High Income Countries” was the second most-read study on the list. JAMA also measured “Altmetrics” — online attention and activity scores. With a 3987 Attention Score, this study ranked in the top 5% of JAMA research.
The study compared health care spending between the United States and the top 10 high-income countries and found that while the United States spends 17.8% of GDP on health care, nearly twice as much as other countries; it still has the lowest life expectancy and highest infant mortality rate. Commenting on this study, the editor in chief of JAMA and JAMA Network, Howard Bauchner, M.D., said, “At a time when there are extensive discussions of the value of health care in the US, this is among the best contemporary analyses that focus on this issue.”
The second AcademyHealth member research included on the list was a study entitled, “Prevalence of Prescription Medications With Depression as a Potential Adverse Effect Among Adults in the United States”. This article had a 2175 Altmetrics score and over 24,000 views. Led by Dima Mazen Qato, PharmD, MPH, PhD, the study looked at the link between prescription medicines and depression. Researchers found that many prescription medications have the potential for causing depression, and risk increases when taking multiple medications. At a time when adults in the United States increasingly use prescriptions, research on this issue is relevant and timely.
View the full list of JAMA Network Articles of the Year here.