Medicine and Health Commons^™

Next-Of-Kin Perceptions Of Physician Responsiveness To Symptoms Of Hospitalized Patients Near Death, Joel C. Cantor, Jan Blustein, Matthew J. Carlson, David A. Gould

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Many different medical providers visit critically ill patients during a hospitalization, and patients and family members may not feel any physician is truly in charge of care. This study explores whether perceiving that a physician was clearly in charge is associated with reports by surviving next of kin about the responsiveness of physicians to symptoms in hospitalized patients near the end of life. We conducted telephone interviews with surviving next of kin of adult patients (n = 1107) who died in one of five New York City teaching hospitals between April 1998 and June 1999 after a minimum 3-day inpatient …

Providing Health Care For Older Persons In Singapore, Peggy Teo, Angelique Chan, Paulin Straughan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Health care social policy in Singapore has passed the burden of care to the individual and the family on the rationale that it would enable the state to contain the costs of long-term care by channelling some of its funds to community services and to providing essential health services to all Singaporeans and not just the older group. While a wide array of services has come into existence, there is a lack of integration between the available resources and needs of the individual/family and what has been availed at the community and state levels. Part of the problem lies in …

Introduction Of A Waterless Alcohol-Based Hand Rub In A Long-Term Care Facility, Lona Mody, Mcneil A. Shelly, Rongjun Sun, Bradley Suzanne, Carol A. Kauffman

Sociology & Criminology Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVE:

To examine the impact of introduction of an alcohol-based hand rub on hand hygiene knowledge and compliance and hand colonization of healthcare workers (HCWs) in a long-term-care facility (LTCF).

METHODS:

Two floors of an LTCF participated. Ward A used the hand rub as an adjunct to soap and water; ward B was the control. HCWs' hands were cultured using the bag-broth technique for Staphylococcus aureus, gram-negative bacilli (GNB), Candida, and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). HCWs completed a questionnaire at baseline and after an educational intervention and introduction of rub.

RESULTS:

Hand hygiene practices, knowledge, and opinions did not change after …

Might A Psychosocial Approach Improve Our Understanding Of Itching And Scratching?, Herbert M. Adler

Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Onset Of Major Depressive Disorder Among Adolescents, John P. Hoffmann, Scott A. Baldwin, Felicia G. Cerbone

Faculty Publications

Objectives: To examine the association between parental affective disorders and psychoactive substance use disor- ders and the onset of major depressive disorder (MDD) among adolescents and young adults and to determine whether this association is affected by stressful life events, family cohesion, self-esteem, or gender. Method: Prospective cohort study of 804 adolescents, aged 11–17 years, and their parents who were followed for seven consecutive years. The sam- ple was drawn from the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. Parental diagnoses were based on Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R administered during study screening stage. Diagnoses of MDD and age of onset were based …

From Fleck’S Denkstil To Kuhn’S Paradigm: Conceptual Schemes And Incommensurability, Babette Babich

Articles and Chapters in Academic Book Collections

This article argues that the limited influence of Ludwik Fleck’s ideas on philosophy of science is due not only to their indirect dissemination by way of Thomas Kuhn, but also to an incommensurability between the standard conceptual framework of history and philosophy of science and Fleck’s own more integratedly historico-social and praxis-oriented approach to understanding the evolution of scientific discovery. What Kuhn named “paradigm” offers a periphrastic rendering or oblique translation of Fleck’s Denkstil/Denkkollektiv, a derivation that may also account for the lability of the term “paradigm”. This was due not to Kuhn’s unwillingness to credit Fleck but rather to …

Expanding Self-Direction In Services For The Aged And People With Disabilities, Ruth A. Burgess

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Medicaid-funded long-term care services are traditionally delivered in nursing homes. States may apply for waivers which allow them to provide home and community based services with Medicaid funds. Because these services are by definition an alternative to nursing home care, waiver services are generally based upon a medical model which emphasizes medical deficits and tends to restrict consumers’ movements to inside the home. Recent developments such as the Olmstead Decision and federal New Freedom Initiatives have caused states to recognize that consumers desire and have a legal right to be part of a community rather than institutionalized or homebound. These …

Reproductive Health Services In Kwazulu Natal, South Africa: A Situation Analysis Study Focusing On Hiv/Aids Services, Lewis Ndhlovu, Catherine Searle, Robert A. Miller, Andrew A. Fisher, Ester Snyman, Nancy L. Sloan

HIV and AIDS

This Horizons report examines the readiness of reproductive health services in South Africa, which are primarily geared to women, to deliver HIV and AIDS treatment, care, and prevention services. The goal of the study was to obtain information from a representative sample of provincial health care facilities offering reproductive health services in KwaZulu Natal to meet the growing demand for HIV/AIDS-related services. Ninety-eight hospitals, community health centers, and clinics participated in the situation analysis that identified gaps in service delivery and determined priorities for service integration. Results of the study were presented to a large audience of Department of Health, …

Empowering Communities To Respond To Hiv/Aids: Ndola Demonstration Project On Maternal And Child Health: Operations Research Final Report, Hope Humana, Linkages, National Food And Nutrition Commission, Ndola District Health Management Team, Horizons Program, Zambia Integrated Health Project

HIV and AIDS

A pre–post intervention study conducted in Zambia by Horizons and local NGOs and governmental organizations demonstrated that HIV voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) and infant feeding counseling (IFC) to mothers attending maternal and child health (MCH) clinics are vital components of any mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) reduction strategy, whether or not antiretrovirals (ARVs) are available. These interventions enable mothers to make informed and healthy decisions. Data from the Ndola Demonstration Project yielded encouraging results from efforts to improve the capacity of mothers to make informed decisions about their own health and the health of their infant. The interventions succeeded in raising …

Microfinance And Households Coping With Hiv/Aids In Zimbabwe: An Exploratory Study, Carolyn Barnes, Erica Keogh, Nontokozo Nemarundwe, Loveness Nyikahadzoi, Ellen Weiss

HIV and AIDS

This study, conducted in Zimbabwe, sought to better understand the relationship between a microfinance program, Zambuko Trust, and how microentrepreneurs’ households cope with the impact of HIV/AIDS. The study examined how HIV/AIDS is affecting Zambuko’s operations and what microfinance institutions (MFIs) can do to lessen the impact of HIV/AIDS on their clients and operations. The findings indicate several small yet important ways that MFI programs help microentrepreneurs and their families respond to these impacts through access to credit and business management training. Participation in a microfinance program led to income smoothing and better financial management, which can help households mitigate …

Access To Care Among Vulnerable Populations Enrolled In Commercial Hmos, Matthew J. Carlson, Jan Blustein

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Abstract: This cross-sectional study compares self-reported access to care among a representative sample of 13,952 HMO enrollees in New Jersey. Using multivariate logistic regression, this study found that compared with college graduates, those with less than a high school education reported more difficulty obtaining tests or treatment. Compared with whites, Hispanics were more likely to report difficulty seeing their primary care provider, and African Americans reported greater difficulty seeing a specialist and obtaining tests and treatment. Enrollees in poor health were more likely to report problems seeing a specialist and obtaining tests and treatment than enrollees in excellent health. Income …

Evaluating Operations Research Utilization: Guidelines For Assessing Process And Impact, M. Celeste Marin, Jane T. Bertrand

Reproductive Health

The Population Council has been providing technical assistance and conducting Operations Research (OR) studies in family planning and reproductive health for over two decades. These studies are designed to identify problems and test strategies to resolve those problems, providing program managers, administrators, and policymakers with the information they need to improve service-delivery systems. The ultimate goal is that strategies tested through OR will be adopted, leading to changes in policy or operational procedures at institutional, national, or international levels. These changes are what we refer to as impact. The purpose of the new approach to evaluation described in this Evaluation …

Determination Of Seric Retinol Levels In Relation To Consumed Diet And The Prevalence Of Anemia In Preschool- And School-Aged Children In The Communities Of Cuambo And La Rinconada, Imbabura Province, Verónica Chávez

Theses and Dissertations

In this investigation the seric retinol levels were determined in order to relate them with consumed diets by preschool- and school-aged children and the prevalence of anemia in the communities of Cuambo and La Rinconada, Imbabura province, in order to later compare them with reference values. Blood samples were taken from 74 children from the two communities, 30 in La Rinconada and 44 in Cuambo, beneficiaries of the Benson Institute, to determine retinol, ferritin, hemoglobin, and hematocrit. Also, a 24-hour record with frequency of food consumption survey was given to the studied children's parents, making a sample of 56 families. …

Red Series Reference Values In Healthy People From 15 To 60 Years Old Who Live Between 1700 And 1850 Meters Above Sea Level (Coroico - Nor Yungas - La Paz, 2001), Maria Eugenia Quispe Nina

Theses and Dissertations

This study occurred in the area of Coroico at 1700 meters above sea level and in the community of Carmen Pampa, situated at 1850 meters above sea level. Coroico is the capital of Nor Yungas province, department of La Paz. This study hopes to contribute information on reference values for erythrocyte numbers, hemoglobin values, and hematocrits for people between 15 and 60 years old that live between 1700 and 1850 meters above sea level, with the goal of facilitating precise diagnosing of anemia. The study used samples of healthy people, residents with more than two months in Coroico, of middle …

A Comparison Of Human Energy Fields Among Children, Youth, Adults, & Dahn Masters, Geoffrey K. Leigh, Karen A. Polonko, Catherine D. Leigh

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

While concepts and investigations of human energy fields have been developed for centuries, there has been little systematic work comparing the fields of children, adolescents, and adults. In addition, general fields have had little comparison between average adults and those participating in an intense practice that may affect the field. Using the GDV machine, this research compared small groups of children, adolescents, average adults, and Dahn Hak Masters on measures of 20 basic aspects of the human energy fields, including the seven chakras. Differences were found in seven of the 13 field parameters as well as all seven measures of …

Health Education For Urban Refugees In Cairo : A Pilot Project With Young Men From Sierra Leone And Liberia, Elizabeth Coker, Alison Bichard, Andrea Nannipieri, James Wani

Faculty Journal Articles

This pilot project, conducted under the auspices of the Forced Migration and Refugees Studies Program (FMRS) at the American University in Cairo, arose as part of a continued commitment to outreach projects of direct benefit to the refugee community. Maintaining healthy behaviors and accessing adequate health care are particular challenges for refugees living in large urban areas such as Cairo. Young refugees are at risk for unplanned pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and other health-related problems such as nutritional deficits and stress-related disorders. Education in their country of origin may have been disrupted, and in Cairo they may be separated from …

The Information Needs Of The Families Of Patients With Advanced Cancer In An Acute Hospital, Sue Davis

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

A diagnosis of cancer has a major impact on the family as well as the patient. The families of patients with advanced cancer have many needs. In particular, a number of researchers have identified family members' needs for information as a priority. Most of this research, however, has been undertaken in the context of Palliative Care settings. Few empirical studies have been undertaken to examine the information needs of these families in an acute hospital setting. The aim of this study is to modify an existing tool, The Family Inventory of Needs (FIN), to more precisely assess the information needs …