Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Coding System (coding + system)
Selected AbstractsNeurobehavioral assessment from fetus to infant: The NICU network neurobehavioral scale and the fetal neurobehavior coding scaleDEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES RESEARCH REVIEW, Issue 1 2005Amy L. Salisbury Abstract This review provides an overview and definition of the concept of neurobehavior in human development. Two neurobehavioral assessments used by the authors in current fetal and infant research are discussed: the NICU Network Neurobehavioral Assessment Scale and the Fetal Neurobehavior Coding System. This review will present how the two assessments attempt to measure similar processes from pre to post-natal life by examining three main components of neurobehavior: neurological, behavioral and stress/reactivity measures. Assessment descriptions, strengths and weaknesses, as well as cautions and limitations are provided. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. MRDD Research Reviews 2005;11:14,20. [source] Reduction of appeasement-related affect as a concomitant of diazepam-induced aggression: evidence for a link between aggression and the expression of self-conscious emotionsAGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR, Issue 2 2009Patricia S. Wallace Abstract Aggressive responding following benzodiazepine ingestion has been recorded in both experimental and client populations, however, the mechanism responsible for this outcome is unclear. The goal of this study was to identify an affective concomitant linked to diazepam-induced aggression that might be responsible for this relationship. Thirty males (15 diazepam and 15 placebo) participated in the Taylor Aggression Paradigm while covertly being videotaped. The videotapes were analyzed using the Facial Action Coding System with the goal of identifying facial expression differences between the two groups. Relative to placebo participants, diazepam participants selected significantly higher shock settings for their opponents, consistent with past findings using this paradigm. Diazepam participants also engaged in significantly fewer appeasement expressions (associated with the self-conscious emotions) during the task, although there were no group differences for other emotion expressions or for movements in general. Aggr. Behav. 35:203,212, 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Family functioning at meals relates to adherence in young children with type 1 diabetesJOURNAL OF PAEDIATRICS AND CHILD HEALTH, Issue 12 2009Susana R Patton Aims: This study examined associations between mealtime family functioning, dietary adherence and glycaemic control in young children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). We hypothesised that poorer family functioning would correlate with poorer dietary adherence and glycaemic control. Methods: Thirty-five families of children (M = 5.6 ± 1.5 years) with T1DM had meals videotaped in their home, which were coded for family functioning according to the McMaster Interaction Coding System. Children's dietary adherence was assessed according to deviations from the prescribed number of carbohydrate units per meal and recommended carbohydrate intake levels per day. Glycaemic control was measured via 14 days of self-monitoring of blood glucose levels. Results: Findings demonstrated significant negative associations between children's dietary adherence and two dimensions of family functioning: Task Accomplishment (r=,0.43, P= 0.03) and Behavioral Control (r=,0.54, P= 0.00). Affect Management correlated negatively with the percent of blood glucose levels below the normal range (r=,0.33, P= 0.05). Eleven families (31%) of young children with type 1 diabetes demonstrated mealtime family functioning in the unhealthy range. Conclusions: This was the first study to examine the relationship between mealtime family functioning and children's dietary adherence and glycaemic control in families of young children with T1DM. Previous research has found mealtime family functioning to be impaired in families of young children with T1DM when compared with families of children without diabetes. Research is needed to determine if family functioning and dietary adherence can be improved via specific family-based behavioural training around mealtimes. [source] A Psychophysical Investigation of the Facial Action Coding System as an Index of Pain Variability among Older Adults with and without Alzheimer's DiseasePAIN MEDICINE, Issue 8 2007Amanda C. Lints-Martindale MA ABSTRACT Objective., Reflexive responses to pain such as facial reactions become increasingly important for pain assessment among patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) because self-report capabilities diminish as cognitive abilities decline. Our goal was to study facial expressions of pain in patients with and without AD. Design., We employed a quasi-experimental design and used the Facial Action Coding System (FACS) to assess reflexive facial responses to noxious stimuli of varied intensity. Two different modalities of stimulation (mechanical and electrical) were employed. Results., The FACS identified differences in facial expression as a function of level of discomforting stimulation. As expected, there were no significant differences based on disease status (AD vs control group). Conclusions., This is the first study to discriminate among FACS measures collected during innocuous and graded levels of precisely measured painful stimuli in seniors with (mild) dementia and in healthy control group participants. We conclude that, as hypothesized, FACS can be used for the assessment of evoked pain, regardless of the presence of AD. [source] The implementation and assessment of a comprehensive communication skills training curriculum for oncologistsPSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 6 2010Carma L. Bylund Abstract Objective: The objective of this paper is to report the implementation and assessment of the Comskil Training Curriculum at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Method: Twenty-eight attending physicians and surgeons participated in communication skills training modules as part of a train-the-trainer program. Doctors were video recorded in clinical consultations with patients two times before training and two times after training, resulting in 112 video recordings for analysis. Recordings were coded using the Comskil Coding System. Results: Communication skills related to two of the six major skill sets, Establishing the Consultation Framework and Checking, increased following training. Limited changes emerged in three skill sets, while one skill set, Shared Decision Making, did not change. Doctors who attended more training modules had higher levels of change. Female participants demonstrated three skills more frequently than males post-training. Conclusions: The intervention produced significant communication skills uptake in a group of experienced attending clinicians, mediated by the amount of training. Future research should focus on the dose of training necessary to achieve skills uptake and the effect of skills training on patient outcomes. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Allometry of facial mobility in anthropoid primates: Implications for the evolution of facial expressionAMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Issue 1 2009Seth D. Dobson Abstract Body size may be an important factor influencing the evolution of facial expression in anthropoid primates due to allometric constraints on the perception of facial movements. Given this hypothesis, I tested the prediction that observed facial mobility is positively correlated with body size in a comparative sample of nonhuman anthropoids. Facial mobility, or the variety of facial movements a species can produce, was estimated using a novel application of the Facial Action Coding System (FACS). I used FACS to estimate facial mobility in 12 nonhuman anthropoid species, based on video recordings of facial activity in zoo animals. Body mass data were taken from the literature. I used phylogenetic generalized least squares (PGLS) to perform a multiple regression analysis with facial mobility as the dependent variable and two independent variables: log body mass and dummy-coded infraorder. Together, body mass and infraorder explain 92% of the variance in facial mobility. However, the partial effect of body mass is much stronger than for infraorder. The results of my study suggest that allometry is an important constraint on the evolution of facial mobility, which may limit the complexity of facial expression in smaller species. More work is needed to clarify the perceptual bases of this allometric pattern. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] The Observational Evaluation of Subjective Well-Being in Patients with Rheumatoid ArthritisAPPLIED PSYCHOLOGY: HEALTH AND WELL-BEING, Issue 1 2009Afton L. Hassett An important aspect of general health is subjective well-being (SWB), which is defined as happiness and overall satisfaction with life. Herein we examined the reliability and validity of observation-based ratings of SWB in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Ten RA patients experiencing a disease flare (period of increased symptoms) completed two semi-structured interviews (baseline and 4 weeks later) that were digitally recorded. Twelve healthcare professionals watched the 20 brief videos in random order and scored them using the Well-Being Coding System (WBCS) for observer-reported SWB. Patient-reported SWB scores and scores from the Medical Outcomes Study: 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36) were compared to observer-reported scores for SWB. We found inter-rater reliability to be extremely high and a significant relationship between observer SWB composite scores and patient SWB composite scores. Observer SWB composite scores and other scores associated with SWB from the SF-36 were also related significantly. There was also some evidence supporting the ability of observers to detect change in SWB. Taken together, we found preliminary evidence suggesting that when using information gleaned from brief patient interviews clinicians can make reliable and valid evaluations of patients' SWB. [source] Will Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine-Clinical Terms improve our understanding of the disease burden posed by allergic disorders?CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGY, Issue 11 2007C. R. Simpson Summary Analysis of data collected through the use of high-quality computerized systems is vital if we are to understand the health burden from allergic disease. Coding systems currently used, such as the World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases and the Read system, have however been criticized as being unduly restrictive and hence inadequate for the detailed coding of allergic problems. Greater granularity of coding can be achieved by using the Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine-Clinical Terms (SNOMED-CT) system, which will be adopted by several countries including the United States and United Kingdom. Before the introduction of SNOMED-CT, it is important that several issues are resolved, including ensuring that adequate mapping occurs from existing systems, that the SNOMED-CT is trialled before general implementation, and that training is provided for users new to coding as part of their clinical practice. Of particular importance is that the allergy fraternity bring to light any gaps in allergy coding through the creation of a working group to advise the newly formed International Healthcare Terminology Standards Development Organisation. There is also a role for allergy experts, working in conjunction with government agencies and professional bodies, to determine a recommended set of codes, which will obviate some of the inevitable challenges raised by a very fluid coding structure for those wishing to undertake secondary analysis of health care datasets. [source] Reasons for visiting Polish primary care practices by patients aged 18,44 years: the largest emigrating age groupHEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 3 2009Magdalena Ignaszak-Szczepaniak MD PhD Abstract Over 3% of the entire Polish population migrate for a job within the European Union, most are aged 18,44 years. The main destinations are Germany, the United Kingdom and Ireland. Immigration is connected with the use of many public services, including healthcare services. Assuming Polish immigrants require medical consultations in the countries they reside in, the authors have analysed the reasons for patients' visits to general practitioners (GPs) in Poland in order to predict possible reasons why Polish patients living abroad may make appointments with GPs in other countries. Data from 22 769 visits to GP practices between June 2005 and May 2006 by Polish patients aged 18,44 years were collected electronically. Age was categorised into three groups (18,24, 25,34 and 35,44 years) and the reason for the visit was categorised according to the ICD 10 coding system. Among the 12 535 patients registered with GPs, 73.1% of women and 68.6% of men required consultations during the year the study was conducted. The highest percentage of visits was recorded for women aged 35,44 years, while men of the same age were the least likely to visit a GP. The mean number of visits per patient ranged from 1.89 for men aged 25,34 years to 3.11 for women aged 35,44 years. The means were similar for 18- to 24-year-old men and women. Women aged 35,44 years had a higher mean number of visits compared with women aged 18,24 years, whereas the opposite was true for men. The analysis of reasons for visits within the age groups indicated that the percentage of appointments for respiratory problems and general and unspecified problems dropped by more than half from the 18,24-year-olds to the 35,44-years-olds, while visits for musculosceletal, cardiovascular, and mental and behavioural problems increased by a factor of four. The presented results intend to enable healthcare services meet Polish immigrants' healthcare needs. [source] Parenting of 7-month-old infants at familial risk for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder,INFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Issue 2 2010Rivka Landau Patterns of interaction between parents and 7-month-old boys at familial risk for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and a comparison group were studied during a warm-up and two play episodes. The sample included 78 (47 at-risk, 31 comparison) mother,child and 45 (27 at-risk, 18 comparison) father,child dyads. A coding system developed by G. Kochanska (1997, 1998) was used. Infants in the risk group did not differ from the comparison group in the rate of emission of infant-related events. However, they received less adequate responsivity from both their fathers and their mothers to these events, and specifically to negative emotions or distress, than did the comparison group. Maternal psychopathology did not account for these findings. Mothers were more adequately responsive than were fathers, especially for physiological needs. The association between nonoptimal interaction in infancy and the development of ADHD is discussed. [source] Caregiving behavior and interactions of prenatally depressed mothers (antidepressant-treated and non-antidepressant-treated) during newborn acute pain,INFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Issue 4 2009Fay F. Warnock This exploratory study aimed to examine time-based measures of the behaviors and interactions of prenatally depressed serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRI)-medicated mothers to their infant's pain (n = 10) by comparing them with similar measures obtained from prenatally depressed nonmedicated mothers and their infants (n = 10), and nondepressed mothers and their infants (n = 10). During the second trimester of their pregnancy, the 30 study mothers were assessed for depression and anxiety, with no further measures of maternal mood taken. Maternal and infant interactions were continuously videorecorded while the infant underwent a scheduled heel lance for routine blood screening that occurred when study infants were between the ages of 24 and 60 hr. Maternal behavior and infant cry, for all 30 cases, were coded second-by-second for the full duration of each infant's heel lance using a reliable coding system and analyzed using odds ratio and regression analyses. Infants exposed to prenatal SRIs and depressed maternal mood were more likely to have lower Apgar scores and to exhibit weak and absent cry. Even when duration of the heel lance was controlled for, women with depression during the second trimester were more likely to exhibit depressed behavior at 2 days' postpartum despite sustained SRI antidepressant treatment. Both groups of prenatally depressed mothers were more likely to exhibit diminished response to their infants' pain cue although nonmedicated mothers' expressions of depressed behavior were more similar to healthy controls. Comprehensive understanding is essential to optimize the clinical care of mothers and their infants in this complex setting. This study contributes preliminary new findings that warrant prospective and longitudinal studies to clarify further the impacts of prenatal SRI and maternal mental mood (e.g., chronic depression and anxiety) effects on the mother,infant interaction and infant pain and stress reactivity. [source] Image coding based on wavelet feature vectorINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF IMAGING SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 2 2005Shinfeng D. Lin Abstract In this article, an efficient image coding scheme that takes advantages of feature vector in wavelet domain is proposed. First, a multi-stage discrete wavelet transform is applied on the image. Then, the wavelet feature vectors are extracted from the wavelet-decomposed subimages by collecting the corresponding wavelet coefficients. And finally, the image is coded into bit-stream by applying vector quantization (VQ) on the extracted wavelet feature vectors. In the encoder, the wavelet feature vectors are encoded with a codebook where the dimension of codeword is less than that of wavelet feature vector. By this way, the coding system can greatly improve its efficiency. However, to fully reconstruct the image, the received indexes in the decoder are decoded with a codebook where the dimension of codeword is the same as that of wavelet feature vector. Therefore, the quality of reconstructed images can be preserved well. The proposed scheme achieves good compression efficiency by the following three methods. (1) Using the correlation among wavelet coefficients. (2) Placing different emphasis on wavelet coefficients at different decomposing levels. (3) Preserving the most important information of the image by coding the lowest-pass subimage individually. In our experiments, simulation results show that the proposed scheme outperforms the recent VQ-based image coding schemes and wavelet-based image coding techniques, respectively. Moreover, the proposed scheme is also suitable for very low bit rate image coding. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 15, 123,130, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ima.20045 [source] Optimizing Coding and Reimbursement to Improve Management of Alzheimer's Disease and Related DementiasJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 11 2002Howard Fillit MD The objectives of this study were to review the diagnostic, International Classification of Disease, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM), diagnosis related groups (DRGs), and common procedural terminology (CPT) coding and reimbursement issues (including Medicare Part B reimbursement for physicians) encountered in caring for patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD); to review the implications of these policies for the long-term clinical management of the patient with ADRD; and to provide recommendations for promoting appropriate recognition and reimbursement for clinical services provided to ADRD patients. Relevant English-language articles identified from MEDLINE about ADRD prevalence estimates; disease morbidity and mortality; diagnostic coding practices for ADRD; and Medicare, Medicaid, and managed care organization data on diagnostic coding and reimbursement were reviewed. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is grossly undercoded. Few AD cases are recognized at an early stage. Only 13% of a group of patients receiving the AD therapy donepezil had AD as the primary diagnosis, and AD is rarely included as a primary or secondary DRG diagnosis when the condition precipitating admission to the hospital is caused by AD. In addition, AD is often not mentioned on death certificates, although it may be the proximate cause of death. There is only one ICD-9-CM code for AD,331.0,and no clinical modification codes, despite numerous complications that can be directly attributed to AD. Medicare carriers consider ICD-9 codes for senile dementia (290 series) to be mental health codes and pay them at a lower rate than medical codes. DRG coding is biased against recognition of ADRD as an acute, admitting diagnosis. The CPT code system is an impediment to quality of care for ADRD patients because the complex, time-intensive services ADRD patients require are not adequately, if at all, reimbursed. Also, physicians treating significant numbers of AD patients are at greater risk of audit if they submit a high frequency of complex codes. AD is grossly undercoded in acute hospital and outpatient care settings because of failure to diagnose, limitations of the coding system, and reimbursement issues. Such undercoding leads to a lack of recognition of the effect of AD and its complications on clinical care and impedes the development of better care management. We recommend continuing physician education on the importance of early diagnosis and care management of AD and its documentation through appropriate coding, expansion of the current ICD-9-CM codes for AD, more appropriate use of DRG coding for ADRD, recognition of the need for time-intensive services by ADRD patients that result in a higher frequency of use of complex CPT codes, and reimbursement for CPT codes that cover ADRD care management services. [source] The double vocal signature of crested penguins: is the identity coding system of rockhopper penguins Eudyptes chrysocome due to phylogeny or ecology?JOURNAL OF AVIAN BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2005Amanda Searby Parent-offspring recognition systems are used in bird colonies to avoid misdirected parental care. In penguins, where the risk of confusion is particularly high, recognition is achieved by acoustic signals that constitute highly efficient vocal signatures. Comparisons between species from the Pygoscelis and Aptenodytes genera have revealed interspecific differences on the encoding of information within the signatures which correlate with the presence/absence of nests in the colonies. However a recent study of individual recognition in macaroni penguins Eudyptes chrysolophus revealed diversity within nest-building species. This paper investigates whether the original and intermediate signature system found in macaroni penguins is shared by another species of Eudyptes, the rockhopper penguin E. chrysocome. Vocal signatures of rockhopper penguins were analysed and compared to macaroni penguins'. We used a methodology derived from the theory of information to determine which parameters of the call were likely to encode individual identity. Playbacks of modified calls in the field complemented the analyses, and parent-chick reunions were compared between the two species. Our results reveal a similar double signature system within the Eudyptes genus, which integrates information simultaneously from the temporal and spectral domains. This double encoding is made through the tempo given by the successive syllables of the call and the harmonic content of the call. While it confirms the hypothesis that signatures are simpler in nest-building species, this result reveals differences in the efficacies of signatures within this category. This suggests that other parameters such as the mean distance recognition should be considered to account for the differences in the encoding of the vocal signatures and in their resulting efficacies. [source] Fathers' play with their Down Syndrome childrenJOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH, Issue 6 2008S. De Falco Abstract Background In children with Down Syndrome (DS), as in other groups of special needs children, development depends crucially on the degree to which parents provide appropriate stimulation and effective support. The majority of recent studies investigating interactions between parents and children with DS have been conducted on mothers. Method Through observation of child solitary play, child collaborative play with their father, and father play with their child, the current study focused on paternal contributions to child play in association with the effective quality of father,child interactions. A total of 19 children (M chronological age = 35.32 months, SD = 10.35; M mental age = 19.58, SD = 5.43) with DS and their fathers participated in the study. Two 10-min sessions, of child solitary play and collaborative play with their father, were videorecorded. A coding system for exploratory and symbolic play was applied to both sessions, and the Emotional Availability (EA) Scales were independently applied to the collaborative play session as a measure of the effective quality of the father,child interaction. Results Children showed more symbolic play during collaborative sessions compared with solitary sessions. Bivariate correlations showed positive associations between father play and child exploratory and symbolic play. Cluster analysis identified dyads in low, medium and high EA groups, which differed in terms of each partner's play. Specifically, both fathers and children of high EA dyads were more likely to show more symbolic play and less exploratory play than those with low EA dyads. Conclusions Our findings enrich the theoretical perspective that dyadic interactions based on emotional involvement may lead to enhanced cognitive functioning in children with DS. [source] Developing A Database to Describe the Practice Patterns of Adult Nurse Practitioner StudentsJOURNAL OF NURSING SCHOLARSHIP, Issue 1 2000Nancy A. O'Connor Purpose: To describe the practice patterns of adult nurse practitioner students using a database composed of core health data elements and standardized nursing language. Design: Descriptive study of 3,733 patient visits documented by 19 adult nurse practitioner students in the academic year 1996,1997. Methods: A database was designed for documenting the full scope of practice of adult nurse practitioner students by use of core health data elements and the standardized nursing languages of NANDA and NIC. Nurse practitioner students used the database to document every linical encounter during their final clinical year of study. Most visits occurred in ambulatory care settings in a midwestern American city. Findingsx: Based on the American Medical Association's Evaluation/Management coding system, data indicated that 50% of visits were classified as problem focused, while 31.9% were expanded, 10% were detailed, and 8.1% were comprehensive. The most frequently occurring NANDA diagnoses were pain, health-seeking behavior, altered health maintenance, and knowledge deficit. The most frequently reported Nursing intervention classifications (NIC) were patient education, drug management, information management, and risk management. Conclusions: Using standardized nursing language to describe clinical encounters made visible the complex clinical decision-making patterns of adult nurse practitioner students. Systematic use of a database designed for documenting the full scope of practice of nurse practitioner students showed the applicability of standardized nursing language to advanced practice nursing contexts. [source] Classification for coding procedures in the intensive care unitACTA ANAESTHESIOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 8 2002H. Flaatten Background: There is no commonly accepted coding system for non-operative procedures in general, including intensive care unit (ICU) procedures. In order to create a classification of codes for ICU procedures, a system developed at the University Hospital of Bergen was evaluated in four Nordic countries. Methods: Classification codes were constructed using seven main groups of related procedures that were given a letter from A to G. Within each group major procedures were given a number from 00 to 99, with the possibility of up to 10 subclassifications within each procedure. A simple questionnaire regarding the use of coding general ICU procedures and some specific procedures was sent to 171 ICUs in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Norway. They were also asked to give their comments on the new classification coding system, which was attached. Results: One hundred and fifty-four questionnaires were returned (response rate 90%). Some or most of the ICU procedures were registered in the ICUs (82.2%). However 38% did not use any coding system and 24% used a specific internal system. The new classification coding system was well received, and was given a mean value of 7.5 using a VAS scale from 0 to 10 (best). Most ICUs would consider using this system if introduced at a national level. Conclusion: Most Nordic ICUs do register some or most of the procedures performed. Such procedures are however, registered in very different ways, using several different systems, and are often home-made. The new classification system of ICU procedures was well rated. [source] Comparison of two doses of breast milk and sucrose during neonatal heel prickPEDIATRICS INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2 2010Tutku Ozdogan Abstract Background:, The aim of the present study was to test analgesic effects of double- versus single-dose breast milk and compare this effect with efficacy of double- versus single-dose sucrose in a group of healthy term newborns during heel prick blood sampling. Methods:, Healthy newborns (n= 142) were consecutively allocated to one of the six groups: group 1, single-dose breast milk; group 2, single-dose sterile water; group 3, single-dose 12.5% sucrose; group 4, two doses breast milk; group 5, two doses sterile water; and group 6, two doses 12.5% sucrose before the heel prick. The medians for crying time and the pain scores according to the neonatal facial coding system were recorded. Results:, Crying times were 117 s, 126 s, 82 s, 128 s, 117 s, and 95 s in groups 1,6, respectively (P= 0.053). The mean pain scores were 4.60, 5.82, 3.91, 4.94, 5, and 4.05 in groups 1,6, respectively (P= 0.068). There was a significant difference between the groups for mean pain scores at 1 min and 3 min. There was a significant difference between the single-dose sucrose group and single-dose sterile water group at 1 min (P= 0.002). The babies in the sucrose group were active awake, whereas the ones in the breast milk group were asleep before heel prick. Conclusion:, Two doses of sucrose solution were not superior to single-dose sucrose. Neither single nor double doses of breast milk were effective in relieving pain in neonates. Two milliliters breast milk does not reduce response to pain during minor painful procedures in term neonates even when two doses have been given. Further studies are needed. [source] The potential of the European network of congenital anomaly registers (EUROCAT) for drug safety surveillance: a descriptive study,PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY, Issue 9 2006Willemijn M. Meijer PharmD Abstract Background European Surveillance of Congenital Anomalies (EUROCAT) is a network of population-based congenital anomaly registries in Europe surveying more than 1 million births per year, or 25% of the births in the European Union. This paper describes the potential of the EUROCAT collaboration for pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety surveillance. Methods The 34 full members and 6 associate members of the EUROCAT network were sent a questionnaire about their data sources on drug exposure and on drug coding. Available data on drug exposure during the first trimester available in the central EUROCAT database for the years 1996,2000 was summarised for 15 out of 25 responding full members. Results Of the 40 registries, 29 returned questionnaires (25 full and 4 associate members). Four of these registries do not collect data on maternal drug use. Of the full members, 15 registries use the EUROCAT drug code, 4 use the international ATC drug code, 3 registries use another coding system and 7 use a combination of these coding systems. Obstetric records are the most frequently used sources of drug information for the registries, followed by interviews with the mother. Only one registry uses pharmacy data. Percentages of cases with drug exposure (excluding vitamins/minerals) varied from 4.4% to 26.0% among different registries. The categories of drugs recorded varied widely between registries. Conclusions Practices vary widely between registries regarding recording drug exposure information. EUROCAT has the potential to be an effective collaborative framework to contribute to post-marketing drug surveillance in relation to teratogenic effects, but work is needed to implement ATC drug coding more widely, and to diversify the sources of information used to determine drug exposure in each registry. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Work narratives: Gender and race in professional personhoodRESEARCH IN NURSING & HEALTH, Issue 5 2003Mary-Therese Dombeck Abstract An ethnographic study was conducted to explore how nurses construe and understand their professional culture and their professional personhood. The sample was 36 nurses ranging in age from 26 to 63 (12 African American women, 11 White women, 13 men 12 White and 1 Caribbean Islander). Data were gathered through participant observation, audiotaped individual conversations, a process of seven consecutive group sessions, and short narratives written by the nurses in group sessions. The data were analyzed: (a) by a coding system that focused on the formal and informal roles, rules, and relationships in work and school settings; and (b) by examining the changes in participants' narratives about their professional identity during the process of the group meetings. All the nurses in the sample had been profoundly affected by the socially accepted "feminine" images of nursing. The findings also revealed racial issues in the nursing profession. The implications of this study point to the need for new models of nursing education and nursing leadership to overcome old images and to make nursing attractive to those from diverse backgrounds. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 26:351,365, 2003 [source] Phenological growth stages of roses (Rosa sp.): codification and description according to the BBCH scaleANNALS OF APPLIED BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2009U. Meier Abstract The phenological development stages of plants and their BBCH (Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt, CHemische Industrie)-coding system are used in agricultural and horticultural science and practice, botanical sciences, meteorology and climatic science as well as agricultural insurance, each with their own varying individual objectives. A proposal for a code for the phenological development of roses in general on the basis of the BBCH extended scale is presented. Ten principal growth stages have been defined from germination/sprouting, through leaf and shoot production to bud, flower and fruit production and to senescence and dormancy. Every principal growth stage has been subdivided into secondary growth stages. Under special conditions, it is helpful to use mesostages with three-digit codes. The mesostages are particularly relevant to roses, as many rose plants have more than one flower per plant. Descriptive keys with illustration aids for the use of the system are included. [source] Effective coding in birth defects surveillance,BIRTH DEFECTS RESEARCH, Issue S1 2001Sonja A. Rasmussen Effective coding is critical to data collected by birth defects surveillance programs because subsequent use of the data depends on storage and retrieval of cases using codes. Hence, careful consideration needs to be given to the coding process. The primary goal of coding is to accurately, completely, and concisely represent infants with birth defects. Coding procedures need to accommodate the objectives of the surveillance program; for example, programs that focus on research may require different coding procedures from those that focus on linking infants to services. Several challenges exist in coding birth defects, including the need to distinguish infants with multiple defects and syndromes from those with isolated defects, and the need for strategies to code suspected defects for which confirmation is not available. Selection of a coding system by a birth defects surveillance program is central to the utility of the data collected. Most programs use a modification of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems-based (ICD) systems. This paper addresses ICD-based systems and the modifications used by many birth defects surveillance programs and presents examples of the problems in interpreting birth defects data because of inappropriate coding. Teratology 64:S3,S7, 2001. Published 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Sustained withdrawal behavior in clinic-referred and nonreferred infantsINFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Issue 3 2006Daphna Dollberg To examine the relations between infants' sustained withdrawal behavior and children's mental health status and maternal and child relational behavior, 36 clinic-referred and 43 control infants were evaluated. Families were visited at home, mother-child free play and feeding interactions were videotaped, and mothers completed self-report measures. Interactions were coded for sustained withdrawal using the Alarm Distress Baby Scale (ADBB; Guedeney and Fermanian, 2001) and for global relational patterns with the Coding of Interactive Behavior (CIB; Feldman, 1998). Higher ADBB scores were found for the referred group, with many infants (38.9% ) scoring above the clinical cutoff (vs. 11.6% in the control group). More negative relational patterns were found for the withdrawn group in terms of higher maternal intrusiveness, lower reciprocity, and lower child involvement. Associations were found between maternal and child behavior during play and feeding and child sustained withdrawal behavior at play. Sustained withdrawal also was associated with unpredictable child temperament and lower sense of parental self-efficacy. Maternal depressive symptoms were higher in the referred group and correlated with maternal and child relational patterns. The findings contribute to the construct and discriminant validity of the CIB and the ADBB coding systems, and suggest that sustained withdrawal may serve as a risk indicator for early socioemotional disorders. [source] The potential of the European network of congenital anomaly registers (EUROCAT) for drug safety surveillance: a descriptive study,PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY, Issue 9 2006Willemijn M. Meijer PharmD Abstract Background European Surveillance of Congenital Anomalies (EUROCAT) is a network of population-based congenital anomaly registries in Europe surveying more than 1 million births per year, or 25% of the births in the European Union. This paper describes the potential of the EUROCAT collaboration for pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety surveillance. Methods The 34 full members and 6 associate members of the EUROCAT network were sent a questionnaire about their data sources on drug exposure and on drug coding. Available data on drug exposure during the first trimester available in the central EUROCAT database for the years 1996,2000 was summarised for 15 out of 25 responding full members. Results Of the 40 registries, 29 returned questionnaires (25 full and 4 associate members). Four of these registries do not collect data on maternal drug use. Of the full members, 15 registries use the EUROCAT drug code, 4 use the international ATC drug code, 3 registries use another coding system and 7 use a combination of these coding systems. Obstetric records are the most frequently used sources of drug information for the registries, followed by interviews with the mother. Only one registry uses pharmacy data. Percentages of cases with drug exposure (excluding vitamins/minerals) varied from 4.4% to 26.0% among different registries. The categories of drugs recorded varied widely between registries. Conclusions Practices vary widely between registries regarding recording drug exposure information. EUROCAT has the potential to be an effective collaborative framework to contribute to post-marketing drug surveillance in relation to teratogenic effects, but work is needed to implement ATC drug coding more widely, and to diversify the sources of information used to determine drug exposure in each registry. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||