Clear Lack (clear + lack)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Primary care physician beliefs about insulin initiation in patients with type 2 diabetes

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 6 2008
R. P. Hayes
Summary Background:, Insulin is the most effective drug available to achieve glycaemic goals in patients with type 2 diabetes. Yet, there is reluctance among physicians, specifically primary care physicians (PCPs) in the USA, to initiate insulin therapy in these patients. Aims:, To describe PCPs' attitudes about the initiation of insulin in patients with type 2 diabetes and identify areas in which there is a clear lack of consensus. Methods:, Primary care physicians practicing in the USA, seeing 10 or more patients with type 2 diabetes per week, and having > 3 years of clinical practice were surveyed via an internet site. The survey was developed through literature review, qualitative study and expert panel. Results:, Primary care physicians (n = 505, mean age = 46 years, 81% male, 62% with > 10 years practice; 52% internal medicine) showed greatest consensus on attitudes regarding risk/benefits of insulin therapy, positive experiences of patients on insulin and patient fears or concerns about initiating insulin. Clear lack of consensus was seen in attitudes about the metabolic effects of insulin, need for insulin therapy, adequacy of self-monitoring blood glucose, time needed for training and potential for hypoglycaemia in elderly patients. Conclusions:, The beliefs of some PCPs are inconsistent with their diabetes treatment goals (HbA1c , 7%). Continuing medical education programmes that focus on increasing primary care physician knowledge about the progression of diabetes, the physiological effects of insulin, and tools for successfully initiating insulin in patients with type 2 diabetes are needed. [source]


Help-seeking behaviour in patients with lymphoma

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER CARE, Issue 4 2008
D.A. HOWELL
Reducing cancer mortality is a priority for the UK Government and emphasis has been placed on introducing targets to ensure prompt diagnosis. Help seeking is the first step on the pathway to diagnosis and should occur promptly; however, patients with lymphoma take longer to seek help for symptoms than those with many other cancers. Despite this, the help seeking behaviour of these patients has not been investigated. This qualitative study examined the beliefs and actions about help seeking among 32 patients, aged 65 and over and newly diagnosed with lymphoma in West Yorkshire during 2000. Patients reported an extremely wide range of symptoms which were not always interpreted as serious or potentially caused by cancer. This, in association with a clear lack of knowledge about lymphoma, often led to help seeking being deferred. The range and characteristics of symptoms can largely be explained in terms of variations in the type, site and size of the lymphoma. The UK Government targets focus on the time after help seeking, yet for lymphoma it is also crucial to reduce the time taken to seek help. More education about the potential symptoms of this disease is needed among the general public. [source]


Cytogenetic, FISH, and molecular studies in a case of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia with karyotypic evolution

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HAEMATOLOGY, Issue 5-6 2002
Christian Chena
Abstract:, We report the clinical, cytogenetic, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and molecular findings in a 54-yr-old male patient diagnosed with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL), who showed progression to a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (Richter's syndrome). Genetic studies were performed at diagnosis and during the Richter's transformation (RT). A clonal karyotype with two dicentric chromosomes, psu dic(12,21)(q24;q10) and dic(17,18)(p11.2;p11.2), was found. Both rearrangements were confirmed by FISH. Molecular cytogenetics analysis using p53 probe showed monoallelic loss of this tumor suppressor gene in 43.8% and 77.3% of cells for the first and the second studies, respectively). In both studies, deletions of D13S319 (18% and 12% of cells) and D13S25 loci (13% and 12% of cells) at 13q14 were found. Polymerase chain reaction analysis showed the MBR/JH rearrangement of the bcl-2 gene. FISH studies using LSI bcl-2/IgH probe allowed quantifying the clonal cell population with this rearrangement (4% and 6.6% of cells at diagnosis and RT, respectively). To our knowledge, this is the first case with a psu dic(12,21) described in B-CLL. The low percentage of cells with the 13q14 deletion and bcl-2/IgH rearrangement suggests that they were secondary events that resulted from clonal evolution. Our patient had a short survival (9 months) and a clear lack of response to several therapeutic agents, confirming the association of p53 gene deletion and karyotypic evolution with disease progression. [source]


An emotive subject: insights from social, voluntary and healthcare professionals into the feelings of family carers for people with mental health problems,

HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 2 2009
Ben Gray BA PhD Senior Research Fellow CCCU
Abstract Caring for people with mental health problems can generate a whole range of positive and negative emotions, including fear, disbelief, guilt and chaos as well as a sense of purpose, pride and achievement. This paper explores the emotions of family carers from the perspectives of social, voluntary and healthcare professionals. Sixty-five participants were interviewed, the sample included directors, managers and senior staff from social, voluntary and healthcare organisations. Participants were encouraged to talk in detail about their understanding of the emotions of family carers. Findings highlight a rich understanding of the broad spectrum of carer emotions and the huge emotional adjustments that are often involved. Diagnosis was seen to be imbued with negative emotions, such as fear, anger and denial. However, feelings of hopelessness and desolation were often counterbalanced by feelings of hope, satisfaction and the emotional rewards of caring for a loved one. Participants noted a clear lack of emotional support for family carers, with accompanying feelings of marginalisation, particularly during transitions and especially involving young carers as well as ethnic minorities. By way of contrast, carer support groups were suggested by professionals to be a holistic, effective and economical way of meeting carers' emotional needs. This paper explores the challenge of family carer emotions from the perspective of managers and practitioners and draws out implications for research, policy and practice. [source]


Primary care physician beliefs about insulin initiation in patients with type 2 diabetes

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 6 2008
R. P. Hayes
Summary Background:, Insulin is the most effective drug available to achieve glycaemic goals in patients with type 2 diabetes. Yet, there is reluctance among physicians, specifically primary care physicians (PCPs) in the USA, to initiate insulin therapy in these patients. Aims:, To describe PCPs' attitudes about the initiation of insulin in patients with type 2 diabetes and identify areas in which there is a clear lack of consensus. Methods:, Primary care physicians practicing in the USA, seeing 10 or more patients with type 2 diabetes per week, and having > 3 years of clinical practice were surveyed via an internet site. The survey was developed through literature review, qualitative study and expert panel. Results:, Primary care physicians (n = 505, mean age = 46 years, 81% male, 62% with > 10 years practice; 52% internal medicine) showed greatest consensus on attitudes regarding risk/benefits of insulin therapy, positive experiences of patients on insulin and patient fears or concerns about initiating insulin. Clear lack of consensus was seen in attitudes about the metabolic effects of insulin, need for insulin therapy, adequacy of self-monitoring blood glucose, time needed for training and potential for hypoglycaemia in elderly patients. Conclusions:, The beliefs of some PCPs are inconsistent with their diabetes treatment goals (HbA1c , 7%). Continuing medical education programmes that focus on increasing primary care physician knowledge about the progression of diabetes, the physiological effects of insulin, and tools for successfully initiating insulin in patients with type 2 diabetes are needed. [source]


Increasing research evidence in practice: a possible role for the consultant nurse

JOURNAL OF NURSING MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2008
HARRY CHUMMUN BSc (Hons)
Aims, To determine the extent to which clinical nursing practice has adopted research evidence. To identify barriers to the application of research findings in practice and to propose ways of overcoming these barriers. Background, Way back in 1976, nursing and midwifery practice started adopting research evidence. By 1990s, there was some transparency of research evidence in practice, but more could have been done to widen its adoption. Many barriers were identified which could hinder implementation of the evidence in practice, and the effort to remove these remains weak. Evaluation, 25 research articles from across Europe and America were selected, and scrutinized, and recommendations analysed. Findings, Many clinical practitioners report a lack of time, ability and motivation to appraise research reports and adopt findings in practice. The clinical environment was not seen as research friendly as there were a general lack of research activities and facilities locally. There was a clear lack of research leadership in practice. Implication for nursing management, This paper reviewed the research evidence from several published research papers and provides consultant nurses with practical suggestions on how to enhance research evidence application in their practice. It recommends how consultant nurses can make their practice more research transparent by providing the required leadership, creating a research-friendly organization, developing a clear research agenda and facilitating staff develop a local research framework for reading research and implementing research evidence in their practice. [source]