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Care Arena (care + arena)
Selected AbstractsThe Creation of Emergency Health Care Standards for Catastrophic EventsACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 11 2006Robert A. Wise MD The creation of health care standards by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) in a defined area with known events follows a predictable process. A problem area (e.g., hand hygiene) is identified from multiple sources. The JCAHO then calls together experts from around the country, and through debate and the comparison of positions of various people within the health care arena, a new standard informed by these views can be developed. Once developed, it is vetted and becomes established as a Joint Commission standard. But what happens when an event has never happened, cannot be reliably predicted, and, one hopes, will never come to pass? How can one create any meaningful standards? This is the situation when considering a number of scenarios related to disasters and mass casualty events. [source] Prescribing non-psychopharmacological agents: A new potential role for psychologists in primary care settings and specialty clinicsJOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 10 2006Jay E. Earles At least 10 years have passed since the Department of Defense Psychopharmacology Demonstration Project graduated its first class of psychologists. All graduates of that program were credentialed to prescribe and the program received promising external reviews and audits. The profession has since moved well beyond the initial question, "Can and should psychologists prescribe?" posed over two decades ago. A number of professional schools and training institutions have implemented postdoctoral psychopharmacology training programs and over 20 states are actively pursuing legislative agendas. Given recent initiatives to provide health psychology services within the primary care arena, the authors introduce a new role in the scope of psychology's prescribing activities. They propose that psychopharmacological agents are not the only medications psychologists should be trained to prescribe and psychopharmacology training should include course work and supervision related to treatment within a primary care patient setting in addition to a traditional psychiatric one. The authors provide the rationale for primary care clinical health psychology training as the appropriate mechanism for psychopharmacology education and practice. Public health needs and epidemiological data provide the rationale for health psychologists additionally prescribing non-psychopharmacological agents. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 62: 1213,1220, 2006. [source] Recognizing And Treating Non-Infectious RhinitisJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NURSE PRACTITIONERS, Issue 9 2003Terrye Mastin APRN Purpose To increase clinicians' familiarity with nonallergic and mixed rhinitis and to differentiate these from allergic rhinitis, thus providing for an accurate diagnosis and facilitating a successful initial treatment program. Data Sources A Medline search of published journal articles was supplemented with known books and proceedings pertaining to rhinitis. Conclusions Although there is significant overlap of symptoms among the three types of rhinitis (i.e., allergic, nonallergic, and mixed), the patient history often contains clues that can aid in establishing a correct diagnosis. The new Patient Rhinitis Screen, a questionnaire developed for use in the primary care arena, facilitates the diagnostic process. Implications for Practice As the most common condition in the outpatient practice of medicine, rhinitis is frequently treated by primary care practitioners. Recent guidelines for the diagnosis and management of rhinitis suggest that a specific diagnosis of allergic, nonallergic, or mixed rhinitis leads to more effective treatment strategies. The result is successful and efficient care utilizing, as appropriate, broad-based and symptom-specific therapies. [source] Legislative Issues Impacting On The Practice Of The South African Nurse PractitionerJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NURSE PRACTITIONERS, Issue 1 2002Nelouise Geyer Purpose To present an overview of the impact of the nurse practitioner (NP) on the South African health care arena and describe the legislative framework for NP practice. Data Sources Statutes and laws of the government of South Africa; published professional guidelines; authors' experiences. Conclusions The key challenges for NPs in South Africa lie in lobbying for enabling legislation, obtaining access to education and training opportunities, and managing risks within the rapidly changing environment. Implications for Practice Some aspects of the NP's accountability and responsibilities have as yet not been adequately addressed in the current legislative framework and will certainly increase the risk for malpractice. South African NPs will have to establish partnerships with important role players, not only in South Africa, but also internationally, to ensure that an enabling environment for quality health services is created. [source] Improving the Quality of Workers' Compensation Health Care Delivery: The Washington State Occupational Health Services ProjectTHE MILBANK QUARTERLY, Issue 1 2001Thomas M. Wickizer Researchers and health policy analysts in Washington State set out to determine the extent to which administrative process changes and delivery system interventions within workers' compensation affect quality and health outcomes for injured workers. This research included a pilot project to study the effects of providing occupationally focused health care through managed care arrangements on health outcomes, worker and employer satisfaction, and medical and disability costs. Based on the results, a new initiative was developed to incorporate several key delivery system components. The Washington State experience in developing a quality improvement initiative may have relevance for health care clinicians, administrators, policymakers, and researchers engaged in similar pursuits within the general medical care arena. [source] | ||||||||||