Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Quality Of Life Of The Hemodialysis Patient, Tammy Bronson

Masters Theses

There are over 250,000 people currently afflicted with end-stage renal disease and the number is rising every year. Although kidney transplant is the treatment of choice, lack of viable organs limits this option. Hemodialysis is the most common treatment modality for end stage renal disease. Quality of care is continuously monitored by physicians, nurses and dietitians, however there is also the need to examine the quality of life of the hemodialysis patient. This study replicated the works of Ferrans and Powers (1993).

Overall quality of life and four sub-scales (health and functioning, social and economic, psychological/spiritual, and family) were evaluated …

Current Clinical Efficacy Of Chloroquine For The Treatment Of Plasmodium Falciparum Infections In Urban Dar Es Salaam, United Republic Of Tanzania, Zul Premji, C. Makwaya, J.N. Minjas

Pathology, East Africa

Reported is the use of a 14-day WHO protocol, which takes into account the clinical, parasitological and haematological responses to antimalarial drugs, to determine the efficacy of chloroquine in the treatment of uncomplicated malaria in young children (n = 200) in urban Dar es Salaam. Chloroquine failure was found in 43% of the children. Of these, 12.5% were considered to be early treatment failures and were given a single dose of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine. Fever subsided in all children treated with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and there were no parasitological failures. In addition, children treated with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine because of early treatment failure with chloroquine had …

Healthcare Workers' Perceptions Of Occupational Exposure, Sunita Mutha, Donna B. Jeffe, Lynn E. Kim, Paul B. L'Ecuyer, Bradley A. Evanoff, Victoria J. Fraser

Occupational and Health Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Golden Foundation For Building The Future

VCU University History Books

Founded in 1949, the Department of Health Administration at Virginia Commonwealth University has been recognized as one of the first programs of its kind and as one of America’s first distance-learning programs. This book explores how the department evolved with healthcare during its first 50 years and describes the department's growth, including PhD research, the Grant House, and international studies.

Decision Analytic Approach To Severe Head Injury Management., Harmanec D., Tze-Yun Leong, Sundaresh S., Poh K., Yeo T., Ng I., Lew T.

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Severe head injury management in the intensive care unit is extremely challenging due to the complex domain, the uncertain intervention efficacies, and the time-critical setting. We adopt a decision analytic approach to automate the management process. We document our experience in building a simplified influence diagram that involves about 3000 numerical parameters. We identify the inherent problems in structuring a model with unclear domain relationships, numerous interacting variables, and real-time multiple inputs. We analyze the effectiveness and limitations of the decision analytic approach and present a set of desiderata for effective knowledge acquisition in this setting. We also propose a …

Patient Safety, Risk Reduction, And The Law, Larry I. Palmer

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

What Explains Wage Differences Between Union Members And Covered Nonmembers?, Edward J. Schumacher

Health Care Administration Faculty Research

An individual covered by a collective bargaining agreement but who is not a union member is estimated to earn about 13% lower wages than a union member. Sectors with relatively few covered nonmembers are associated with a large coverage differential, while sectors with high proportions of covered nonmembers are associated with small differentials. This suggests freeriders either weaken the bargaining position of the union or weak bargaining positions increase the incentive to freeride. Only a modest amount of this differential is accounted for by unmeasured ability, the probationary period associated with newly hired union workers, or union status misclassification.

Processus Organisationnels Et Psycho-Sociaux Favorisant La Participation Des Travailleurs En Santé Et En Sécurité Du Travail, Marcel Simard, Marie-Claire Carpentier-Roy, Alain Marchand, François Ouellet

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Cette étude approfondit le phénomène de la participation directe des travailleurs à la prévention des lésions professionnelles, phénomène qui avait commencé à être exploré dans une recherche antérieure dont le rapport synthèse, intitulé La participation des travailleurs à la prévention des accidents du travail: formes, efficacité et déterminants a été publié par l'IRSST en 1997. Rappelons que ce phénomène réfère aux comportements préventifs que les travailleurs adoptent dans leur vie courante de travail, et à ce titre doit être distingué de la participation indirecte des travailleurs à la prévention qui s'exerce par l'intermédiaire de représentants sur le comité de …

Évaluation Des Risques À La Santé Et À La Sécurité Du Travail Dans Les Centres De Tri Des Matières Recyclables, Jacques Lavoie, Serge Guertin

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Les objectifs de ce projet étaient de documenter les nuisances (biologiques, chimiques, physiques et ergonomiques) dans trois (3) centres de tri de matières recyclables, d'interpréter ces données par référence aux normes d'exposition existantes ou aux niveaux recommandés rapportés dans la littérature scientifique et technique et d'identifier les caractéristiques ou variables à considérer lors de l'implantation de nouveaux centres et de faire des propositions sur les améliorations à apporter aux installations existantes.

Les microorganismes retrouvés dans l'air ont été mesurés en utilisant la méthodologie recommandée par l'ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) dans leur protocole E884-82 (1993). Les agents chimiques …

Travailleuses Et Travailleurs Atteints De Lésions Musculo-Squelettiques : Les Stratégies De Prise En Charge En Milieu De Travail Dans Le Secteur Électrique/Électronique De L'Île De Montréal. « Workeady » Phase 1 : Volet Qualitatif Québécois, Susan Stock, Suzanne Deguire, Raymond Baril, Marie-José Durand

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Click here for the English version of this report

PROBLÉMATIQUE

Plusieurs études ont démontré que des entreprises sont aux prises avec de nombreux cas de travailleuses et de travailleurs atteints de lésions musculo-squelettiques (LMS), comme des maux de dos, de cou, des tendinites à l’épaule ou au poignet, des cas de syndrome du canal carpien, etc. Les entreprises cherchent donc, de plus en plus, des solutions pour mieux gérer leurs cas de LMS dont les coûts économiques et humains s'avèrent élevés. C'est pourquoi de multiples interventions de prise en charge des travailleurs atteints de LMS ont vu le jour. À …

Mesure Du Monoxyde De Carbone Dans L'Échappement Des Moteurs Diesels, Michel Grenier

Rapports de recherche scientifique

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Tracer Gas Investigation Of Reingestion Of Building Exhaust In An Urban Environment, Ted Stathopoulos, Louis Lazure, Patrick Saathoff

Rapports de recherche scientifique

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Obstacles And Factors Facilitating Return To Work Of Workers With Musculoskeletal Disorders: Summary Of The Report On The Quebec Qualitative Study In The Electric And Electronic Sector Of Workready Phase I, Susan Stock, Suzanne Deguire, Raymond Baril, Marie-José Durand

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Cliquez ici pour la version française de ce rapport

Ce document est le résumé du rapport Travailleuses et travailleurs atteints de lésions musculo-squelettiques : les stratégies de prise en charge en milieu de travail dans le secteur électrique/électronique de l'Île de Montréal. « Workeady » phase 1 : volet qualitatif québécois (R-297).

This document is the summary of the report Travailleuses et travailleurs atteints de lésions musculo-squelettiques : les stratégies de prise en charge en milieu de travail dans le secteur électrique/électronique de l'Île de Montréal. « Workeady » phase 1 : volet qualitatif québécois (R-297).

La Santé Et La Sécurité Au Travail Dans Les Supermachés : La Relation Entre La Dose D'Exposition À Divers Facteurs De Risque Au Travail Et Les Problèmes De Risque Au Travail Et Les Problèmes : 5e Rapport, Lina Forcier, Sylvie Beaugrand, Claire Lapointe, Jacques Lemaire, Ilkka Kuorinka, Monique Lortie, Peter Buckle, Jean-Guy Richard

Rapports de recherche scientifique

S. 1 Objectifs

Ce volet avait comme objectif d'explorer s'il y avait des liens entre les problèmes musculo-squelettiques dans les supermarchés et le travail. Ce rapport présente donc les résultats spécifiques de ce volet, soit les résultats de l'analyse des liens entre la dose d'exposition à divers facteurs de risque au travail et les problèmes musculo-squelettiques des travailleurs.

S. 2 Méthodes et qualité des données

• La population d'employés pour ce volet de l'étude est constituée des employés de 4 supermarchés corporatifs qui ont répondu aux deux questionnaires suivants: le questionnaire sur les problèmes musculo-squelettiques (le Nordique) et le questionnaire sur …

Recherche Par Traçage Sur La Réintroduction Des Émissions D'Immeubles En Milieu Urbain, Ted Stathopoulos, Louis Lazure, Patrick Saathoff

Rapports de recherche scientifique

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Rt-Pcr Localization Of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase (Pepck) Mrna In Rat Proximal Tubule Segments During Ammonium Chloride Acidosis, Matthew Rankin Craig

Theses and Dissertations

In metabolic acidosis, the early increase in PEPCK mRNA and enzyme protein content contributes to the accelerated rates of ammonium and glucose formation. In situ hybridization demonstrated that expression of PEPCK was confined to medullary rays of rat kidney cortex in controls and spread throughout the cortex 10 hours following NH4Cl feeding (Am.J. Physiol., 267: F400, 1994). To identify the specific nephron segments expressing PEPCK in control and acidotic conditions, the mRNA for PEPCK along the nephron of the rat kidney was localized using the technique of reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in individual microdissected S1, S2 and …

Increased Solar Ultra Violet Radiation And Possible Links To Health Effects In Nunavut, Shaun Greig Carson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Ultra violet radiation (UVR) is believed to be linked to many health problems, and numerous studies have been conducted on Caucasian populations at all latitudes. Nunavut, in the Canadian Arctic, comprises approximately one fifth of Canada's land mass and has a scattered population, the majority of which (over 70%) is Inuit. Nunavut also possesses a unique physical geography, as well as culture, which may result in its population being at great risk from UVR Very little research has been conducted in Nunavut on the affects of increased solar UVR and possible links to health. This thesis has compiled baseline data …

Rehabilitation For Deafened Adults: A Puzzle With Missing Pieces, Miguel Oswald Aguayo

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study explored the psychological and social impact of adventitious deafness, and the rehabilitation services that were offered to individuals who acquired this condition in adulthood. Qualitative interviews were conducted with a sample of eight deafened adults, who were recruited from across Ontario. The results show that medical interventions (e. g., audiometric testing, hearing aid provision, and cochlear implantation) were relied on exclusively as a rehabilitation approach in providing care to deafened people. None of the study participants were offered individual, family, or group counselling by their hearing health service providers. This lack of attention to the socio-emotional needs of …

Factors That Influence Women’S Decision Regarding Hormone Replacement Therapy At Menopause, Judy Mixsell

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to describe factors that influence women's decision regarding hormone replacement therapy (HRT) at menopause. It is estimated that between 15 and 25% of eligible women are on HRT today. With all of the scientific evidence on the benefits of HR T, this percentage is very low. A questionnaire was sent to 420 randomly selected women from Black Hawk County ages 40 years and older. There were 161 usable responses for a 38.3% return rate. The majority of the women in the study were in the 40-60 years-old age group and were Caucasian college graduates. …

The Effect Of Compression Following Eccentric Exercise On Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, Scott Eric Dickman

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study was designed to investigate whether the use of a compression garment worn immediately following repeated bouts of eccentric tricep dips would result in reduced sensation of muscle soreness. A secondary purpose was to investigate whether a compression garment would decrease tissue edema following eccentric dips. Subjects consisted of 17 male and female volunteers from the University of Northern Iowa. Each subject was randomly assigned to either left arm control, right arm experimental or right arm control, left arm experimental. A custom-fit Jobst compression garment was placed on the experimental arm and worn continuously during the 72 hours (hr) …

Metaphonological Performance Of Children With Phonological Disorders: Phoneme Specific Influences, Alecia Ann Fett

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Phonological awareness skills are demonstrated in daily aspects of life, as young children reflect upon and manipulate sounds and words of their language through early literacy experiences. These social interactions contribute to the organization of emerging reading skills. Deficits in explicit knowledge of the phonological structure of a language could present difficulties in phonological awareness and production (Kamhi & Catts, 1986). Recent researchers have proposed that children's performance on metaphonological tasks can affect performance on reading tasks (Stackhouse, 1997). However, there is a lack of literature investigating the interrelationship between phonological production skills and phonological awareness in children with phonological …

A Divided Attention Task To Measure Functional Auditory Comprehension Deficits In Aphasia, Bruce Dewayne Bane

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This experiment assessed auditory comprehension in the presence of a divided attention task. Words and nonwords were embedded within the commands of the first subtest of the Revised Token Test (RTT) to comprise the divided attention RTT (dRTT). A statistically significant poor performance was found on the dRTT compared to the RTT. Further, the subjects' performance was found not to change from the beginning to the end of the dRTT suggesting that learning and fatigue were not meaningful variables in their performance. The position of the distractor (e.g., opposite the verb, color adjective, noun, or randomly placed) had mixed affect …

Benchmarking Financial Operations Using The Premier Operations Outlook Database, Margaret M. Thompson

Community & Environmental Health Theses & Dissertations

Acute-care hospitals have come under increased pressure to reduce costs while increasing the quality of providing care. Historically, increasing costs of providing care has had the greatest impact on the reduction of operating margins necessary to expand capital and for repayment of debt. Facilities can benchmark internal historical data to identify areas where costs have increased and are able to explain the factors that contribute to the increases. One of the challenges facing hospitals in their efforts to reduce operating costs is how, what, and where, do they obtain comparative data to benchmark the cost of operating medical facility to …

Health And Educational Outcomes Of Children Who Experienced Severe Neonatal Medical Complications, Timothy B. Smith, Glenna C. Boyce, Glendon Castro

Faculty Publications

To determine the long-term developmental and educational outcomes of a sample of low birthweight infants with intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), developmental assessments and interviews were conducted eight years after the initiation of an early intervention project. At the time of the follow-up, 62% of children were experiencing some developmental or behavior problems, with visual impairments, cerebral palsy, and attention deficits occurring most frequently. Grade of IVH and the number of days spent in the neonatal intensive care unit were the best predictors of later developmental delays. The sample also scored below average on school achievement; approximately 30% of those in school …

Evaluating Therapy Outcome At A University Counseling Center Wit The College Adjustment Scales, Timothy B. Smith, Mark A. Nafziger, Gwenna C. Couillard

Faculty Publications

To assess the effectiveness of time-limited therapy in a university counseling center, 333 clients' pre-counseling and post-sixth session College Adjustment Scales (CAS) scores were compared. Statistical significant decreases in reported symptomatology were found on all CAS scales. Analyses of CAS data for students who were notably distressed prior to receiving counseling also yielded statistically significant differences, with effect sizes revealing moderate to large decreases in symptomatology. Further replicative work is recommended to document the impact and effectiveness of counseling center services.

Acoustic And Perceptual Improvements In Tracheoesophageal Voice Using A Neck Strap, Christopher Dromey, Carol Kapusta-Shemie

Faculty Publications

Tracheoesophageal (TE) speech, which relies on pulmonary air directed through a one-way valve from the trachea to the esophagus, has become an effective means of voice restoration for many alaryngeal speakers. Whereas the success rate for TE speech has been reported to reach 80% to 90%, complications are not uncommon. In a few cases, pouching of the neck at the level of the neoglottis has been observed. This has previously been reported to negatively affect functional communication, and has been associated with a flaccid or hypnotic vibratory segment. The application of pressure, either manually or by way of a neck …

Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia In Visceral Leishmaniasis, Salman Adil, Mohammad Khurshid, Lkram A. Burney

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

A case of an 8-month old male child, who presented with lgG mediated Coomb’s positive hemolytic anemia and visceral leishmaniasis is presented. The hemolytic anemia resolved following the treatment of leishmaniasis. Although various other mechanisms of anemia have been described, so far the association between IgG-mediated hemolytic anemia and visceral leishmaniasis has not been reported.

Needle Localization For Breast Biopsy: The Patient's Experience, Marian De Walt Morgan

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The needle localization procedure for breast biopsy (NLP) can be painful and distressing for some women. This study was carried out to learn what factors might increase or decrease NLP pain and distress, and to gain insight into possible interventions to make the procedure more comfortable for all patients. One hundred and thirty-eight women were surveyed following breast needle localization at two central Virginia hospitals. The influence of eight variables (lidocaine, self-regulation, anxiety, worry about breast cancer, breast tenderness, finding mammography painful, difficulty with surgery, and distress of blood drawing) on four outcome variables (pain incidence, pain intensity, pain unpleasantness, …

Classification Of Participants Into Two Health Resource Utilization Groups By The Health Enrollment Assessment Review (Hear) Survey, Jody W. Donehoo

Health Services Research Dissertations

The study examined the ability of the Health Enrollment Assessment Review (HEAR) survey instrument to classify participants into one of two groups according to utilization of health resources anticipated in the following year. Developed by the U.S. Air Force, the HEAR survey is used worldwide by the Department of Defense for enrollees in TRICARE Prime, the military's adaptation of the HMO model of managed care. Individual HEAR reports are prepared for survey participants and their primary care providers in TRICARE Prime. Although it is currently administered worldwide to a majority of the 8.4 million health care beneficiaries of the Department …

Myelofibrosis In Severe Vitamin D Deficiency Rickets, Mehnaz Atiq, Zehra Fadoo, Fouzia Naz, Mohammad Khurshid

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in infants and children in the underdeveloped countries¹. Infants with mild deficiency tend to present with complications like hypocalcemic seizures whereas occurrence of pathological features in advanced rickets is well elucidated². Secondary myeloflbrosis has been reported as a complication of severe rickets and in these children anemia, myeloid metaplasia and bone marrow aplasia strongly suggested myelofibrosis. Despite the high prevalence of rickets in the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent, there has been no report on this complication.We present a case of severe clinical rickets who had developed secondary myelofibrosis with hepatosplenomegaly. The purpose of …