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Completed Surveys (completed + survey)
Selected AbstractsUniversity faculty perceptions of the health risks related to cigarettes and smokeless tobaccoDRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 2 2010NICHOLAS PEIPER Abstract Introduction and Aims. It is now widely understood by tobacco research and policy experts that smokeless tobacco (ST) use confers significantly less risk than smoking, but no studies have assessed tobacco risk perceptions in highly educated populations. The purpose of this study was to explore the perception of risks related to smoking and ST use among full-time faculty on two campuses at the University of Louisville. Design and Methods. In October 2007, a survey that quantified risk perceptions of cigarette smoking and ST use with respect to four health domains (general health, heart attack/stroke, all cancer, oral cancer) was sent to 1610 full-time faculty at the Belknap and the Health Sciences Center (HSC) campuses of the University of Louisville, and 597 (37%) returned a completed survey. Results. Overall, cigarettes were considered as high risk for all health domains by large majorities (75,97%). Except for heart attack/stroke, ST was also considered as high risk by the majority of faculty (69,87%), and at least half perceived cigarettes and ST to be equally harmful across all domains. HSC faculty had somewhat more accurate risk perceptions than Belknap faculty for ST, but both groups overestimated the risks, especially for oral cancer. Discussion and Conclusions. This study found that the risks of ST use are overestimated and conflated to that of cigarettes among highly educated professionals, demonstrating the need for better education about the risks of tobacco use and for communication of accurate information by health organisations and agencies.[Peiper N, Stone R, Van Zyl R & Rodu B. University faculty perceptions of the health risks related to cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. Drug Alcohol Rev 2010] [source] Survey of recently board-certified prosthodontists on the board-certification process.JOURNAL OF PROSTHODONTICS, Issue 3 2003Part 2: Preparation, impact Purpose A 2-part survey of recently board-certified prosthodontists was conducted in 2001. The first part of the survey, published in June 2003, determined the trends that assisted the candidates in attaining diplomate status. The second part of the survey was done to determine the preparation methods and resources used to prepare for the examination, the most difficult part of the examination, the most gratifying aspect of becoming board-certified, their current employment status, and whether board certification had any positive impact on their employment. Materials and Methods A questionnaire was mailed to 176 diplomates who had become board certified between the years 1993,2001. Of these, 131 board-certified prosthodontists returned the completed survey, resulting in a response rate of 74%. Results Results from this survey showed that 91% of the diplomates had taken the American College of Prosthodontists (ACP) Board Preparation course; most of the diplomates (41%) prepared for the boards by reviewing prosthodontic literature, reading textbooks, using the ACP Study Guide, and seeking the help of other board-certified prosthodontists; 89% of the diplomates felt that achieving board certification had a positive influence in their employment; 39% of the diplomates indicated that Part 2 of the examination was the most difficult to prepare for, and 41% indicated that Part 2 was the most difficult section; the majority of diplomates (31%) were employed by the military, and the most gratifying aspect of becoming board-certified was personal accomplishment (83%). Conclusions Trends were observed regarding prosthodontists who succeeded with their efforts to challenge the board examination. The majority of the diplomates were employed by the military. Most of the respondents indicated that they took the ACP Board Preparation course and found it helpful. The largest percentage of respondents reported that Part 2 was both the most difficult part to prepare for, as well as the most difficult to complete. The most gratifying aspect of becoming board-certified was personal accomplishment. [source] Incidence of and Risk Factors for Medical Malpractice Lawsuits among Mohs SurgeonsDERMATOLOGIC SURGERY, Issue 1 2006CLIFFORD S. PERLIS MD BACKGROUND Despite rising medical malpractice costs, little is known about the factors associated with claims filed against Mohs surgeons. OBJECTIVE We sought to define the scope of medical malpractice claims filed against Mohs surgeons and to identify salient factors associated with the filing and disposition of those claims. METHODS A comprehensive survey was mailed to 599 physicians with US addresses listed in the 2003 directory of the American College of Mohs Micrographic Surgery and Cutaneous Oncology. RESULTS Of the 300 completed surveys returned, 33 (11%) reported ever having been sued. Physicians who practiced Mohs surgery for a longer period of time were more likely to have been sued for malpractice. Physicians reported the wrong site and functional outcome as the most frequent causes of malpractice lawsuits. [source] Limited Opportunities for Paramedic Student Endotracheal Intubation Training in the Operating RoomACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 10 2006Bradford D. Johnston MD Abstract Background Paramedics, who often are the first to provide emergency care to critically ill patients, must be proficient in endotracheal intubation (ETI). Training in the controlled operating room (OR) setting is a common method for learning basic ETI technique. Objectives To determine the quantity and nature of OR ETI training currently provided to paramedic students. Methods The authors surveyed directors of paramedic training programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. An anonymous 12-question, structured, closed-response survey instrument was used that requested information regarding the duration and nature of OR training provided to paramedic students. The results were analyzed by using descriptive statistics. Results From 192 programs, 161 completed surveys were received (response rate, 85%). OR training was used at 156 programs (97%) but generally was limited (median, 17,32 hours per student). Half of the programs provided fewer than 16 OR hours per student. Students attempted a limited number of OR ETI (median, 6,10 ETI). Most respondents (61%) reported competition from other health care students for OR ETI. Other identified hindering factors included the increasing OR use of laryngeal mask airways and physicians' medicolegal concerns. Respondents from 52 (33%) programs reported a recent reduction in OR access, and 56 (36%) programs expected future OR opportunities to decrease. Conclusions Despite its key role in airway management education, the quantity and nature of OR ETI training that is available to paramedic students is limited in comparison to that available to other ETI providers. [source] Redefining Emergency Medicine Procedures: Canadian Competence and Frequency SurveyACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 7 2001FRCPC, Ken Farion MD Objective: To redefine the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (RCPS) procedural skills list for Canadian emergency medicine (EM) residents through a national survey of EM specialists to determine procedural performance frequency and self-assessment of competence. Methods: The survey instrument was developed in three phases: 1) an EM program directors survey identified inappropriate or dated procedures, endorsing 127 skills; 2) a search of EM literature added 98 skills; and 3) an expert panel designed the survey instrument and finalized a list of 150 skills. The survey instrument measured the frequency of procedure performance or supervision, self-reported competence (yes/no), and endorsement of one of four training levels for each skill: undergraduate (UG), postgraduate (PG), knowledge only, or un-necessary (i.e., too infrequently performed to maintain competence). Results: All 289 Canadian EM specialists were surveyed by mail; 231 (80%) responded, 221 completed surveys, and 10 were inactive. More than 60% reported competence in 125 (83%) procedures, and 55 procedures were performed at least three times a year. The mean competence score was 121 (SD ± 17.7, median = 122) procedures. Competence score correlation with patient volume was r= 0.16 (p = 0.02) and with hours worked was r= 0.19 (p = 0.01). Competence score was not associated with year or route (residency vs grandfather) of certification. Each procedure was assigned to a training level using response consensus and decision rules (UG: 1%; PG: 82%; unnecessary: 17%). Conclusions: A survey of EM clinicians reporting competence and frequency of skill performance defined 127 procedural skills appropriate for Canadian RCPS postgraduate training and EM certification. [source] Surgical margin determination in head and neck oncology: Current clinical practice.HEAD & NECK: JOURNAL FOR THE SCIENCES & SPECIALTIES OF THE HEAD AND NECK, Issue 11 2005Neck Society Member Survey, The results of an International American Head Abstract Background. Our aim was to investigate the ways in which surgeons who perform head and neck ablative procedures on a regular basis define margins, how they use frozen sections to evaluate margins, and the effect of chemoradiation on determining tumor margins. Methods. A custom-designed questionnaire was mailed to members of the American Head and Neck Society asking members how they evaluate and define tumor margins. Results. Of 1500 surveys mailed, 476 completed surveys were received. The most common response for distance of a clear pathologic margin was >5 mm on microscopic evaluation. A margin containing carcinoma in situ was considered a positive margin by most, but most did not consider a margin containing dysplasia a positive margin. When initial frozen section margins are positive for tumor and further resection results in negative frozen section margins, 90% consider the patient's margin negative. Most surgeons sample the frozen section from the surgical bed rather than from the main specimen. Nearly half use wider margins when resecting tumors treated with neoadjuvant therapy. When resecting recurrent or residual tumors treated with previous chemoradiation therapy, most resect to the pretreatment margin. Conclusions. No uniform criteria to define a clear surgical margin exist among practicing head and neck surgeons. Most head and neck surgeons consider margins clear if resection completed after an initial positive frozen section margin reveals negative margins, but this view is not shared by all. Most surgeons take frozen sections from the surgical bed; however, error may occur when identifying the positive margin within the surgical bed. The definition of a clear tumor margin after chemoradiation is unclear. These questions could be addressed in a multicenter prospective trial. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck27: XXX,XXX, 2005 [source] Afraid in the hospital: Parental concern for errors during a child's hospitalization,,§JOURNAL OF HOSPITAL MEDICINE, Issue 9 2009Beth A. Tarini MD Abstract OBJECTIVE: (1) To determine the proportion of parents concerned about medical errors during a child's hospitalization; and (2) the association between this concern and parental self-efficacy with physician interactions. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Tertiary care children's hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Parents of children admitted to the general medical service. OUTCOME MEASURE: Parental concern about medical errors. METHODS: Parents were asked their agreement with the statement "When my child is in the hospital I feel that I have to watch over the care that he/she is receiving to make sure that mistakes aren't made." We used multivariate logistic regression to examine the association between parents' self-efficacy with physician interactions and the need "to watch over a child's care," adjusting for parent and child demographics, English proficiency, past hospitalization, and social desirability bias. RESULTS: Of 278 eligible parents, 130 completed surveys and 63% reported the need to watch over their child's care to ensure that mistakes were not made. Parents with greater self-efficacy with physician interactions were less likely to report this need (odds ratio [OR], 0.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.72-0.92). All parents who were "very uncomfortable" communicating with doctors in English reported the need to watch over their child's care to prevent mistakes. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly two-thirds of surveyed parents felt the need to watch over their child's hospital care to prevent mistakes. Parents with greater self-efficacy with physician interactions were less likely to report the need to watch over their child's care while parents with lower English proficiency were more likely to report this need. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2009;4:521,527. © 2009 Society of Hospital Medicine. [source] Perceived versus reported social referent approval and romantic relationship commitment and persistencePERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS, Issue 3 2008PAUL E. ETCHEVERRY The current study examined social network influence processes on romantic relationship outcomes by obtaining the reported opinions of social referents as well as romantic relationship members' perceptions of social network members' opinions. Participants were 254 (151 women) college students from the United States involved in romantic relationships along with a male and female friend who all completed surveys regarding the participants' romantic relationship. This work demonstrated that perceived normative beliefs of social network members significantly mediated the effects of reported social network approval on relationship commitment. Participants' reports of relationship commitment were found to mediate the effect of subjective norms on relationship persistence. Along with network members' relationship approval, participants' satisfaction was found to predict participants' normative beliefs. [source] Communication of positive newborn screening results for sickle cell disease and sickle cell trait: Variation across states,AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS, Issue 1 2008Patricia L. Kavanagh Abstract In the US, all states and the District of Columbia have universal newborn screening (NBS) programs for sickle cell disease (SCD), which also identify sickle cell trait (trait). In this project, we surveyed follow-up coordinators, including one in the District of Columbia and two in Georgia, about protocols for stakeholder notification for SCD and trait. The primary outcomes were total number and type of stakeholder informed of a positive screen. We received 52 completed surveys (100% response). Primary care providers (PCPs) (100%), hematologists (81%), hospitals (73%), and families (40%) were the most commonly notified stakeholders of positive SCD screens, while PCPs (88%), hospitals (63%), and families (37%) were most commonly notified for trait. On average, 3.4 stakeholders were notified for a positive screening for SCD, compared to 2.4 stakeholders for sickle cell trait (P,<,0.001). In multivariate analyses for SCD, we found a 2.9% increase in stakeholders notified for each additional year of universal screening mandated in a state (95% CI: 1.4,4.4%). For trait, we found an 8.5% increase in stakeholders notified for each additional follow-up staff (95% CI: 1.3,15.7%), and a 1.3% increase for each additional percent of black births in the state (95% CI: 0.1,2.5%). Wide variation exists in stakeholder notification by NBS programs of positive screenings for SCD and trait. This variation may alter the effectiveness of NBS programs by location of birth. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Characteristics and practices of birth centres in AustraliaAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 3 2009Paula J. LAWS Background: Around 2% of women who give birth in Australia each year give birth in a birth centre. There is currently no standard definition of a birth centre in Australia. Aims: This study aimed to locate all birth centres nationally, describe their characteristics and procedures, and develop a definition. Methods: Surveys were sent to 23 birth centres. Questions included: types of procedures, equipment and pain relief available, staffing, funding, philosophies, physical characteristics and transfer procedures. Of the birth centres, 19 satisfied the inclusion criteria and 16 completed surveys. Results: Three constructs of a birth centre were identified. A ,commitment to normality of pregnancy and birth' was most commonly reported as the most important philosophy (44%). The predominant model of care was group practice/caseload midwifery (63%). Thirteen birth centres were located within/attached to a hospital, two were on a hospital campus and one was freestanding. The distance to the nearest labour ward ranged from 2 m to 15 km. Reported intrapartum transfer rates ranged from 7% to 29%. Thirteen centres had a special care nursery or neonatal intensive care unit onsite, or both. Eight centres undertook artificial rupture of membranes for induction of labour, while two administered oxytocin or prostaglandins. All centres offered nitrous oxide and local anaesthetic. Twelve centres had systemic opioids available and one offered pudendal analgesia. Fetal monitoring was used in all birth centres. Only three centres conducted instrumental deliveries, while 15 performed episiotomies. Conclusion: Birth centres vary in their philosophies, characteristics and service delivery. [source] Caring for cancer survivors,CANCER, Issue S18 2009A survey of primary care physicians Abstract BACKGROUND: The number of long-term US cancer survivors is expected to double by the year 2050. Although primary care physicians (PCPs) provide the majority of care for long-term cancer survivors, to the authors' knowledge, few data to date have detailed PCP practice patterns, attitudes, and challenges in caring for long-term cancer survivors. METHODS: Self-administered surveys were mailed to 406 community- and academic-based general internal medicine physicians in Denver, Colorado. Survey development included in-depth physician interviews and pretesting. Of the 299 responses, 72 were ineligible; an analysis of the data from 227 surveys is presented. RESULTS: The response rate was 76%. Community-based PCPs comprised 70% of completed surveys. Reported care patterns were assessed to create a multidimensional care score reflecting levels of attention to 4 areas of survivorship care: monitoring for cancer recurrence, management of late effects, sexual functioning, and mental health. Only 24% of PCPs met criteria for routinely providing more multidimensional survivorship care. More recent medical school graduates reported providing less multidimensional survivorship care when compared with their more experienced colleagues. Approximately 82% of PCPs believed that primary care guidelines for adult cancer survivors are not well defined, and 47% of PCPs cited inadequate preparation and lack of formal training in cancer survivorship as a problem when delivering care to long-term survivors. CONCLUSIONS: Although PCPs provide the bulk of care for long-term survivors within the survivorship phase of the cancer trajectory, only a small subset have reported providing multidimensional survivorship care. Results underscore a need for substantially increased training in survivorship care to support the delivery of multidimensional primary care for long-term survivors. Cancer 2009;115(18 suppl):4409,18. © 2009 American Cancer Society. [source] Genetics professionals' experiences with grief and loss: implications for support and trainingCLINICAL GENETICS, Issue 5 2010G Geller Geller G, Rushton CH, Francomano C, Kolodner K, Bernhardt BA. Genetics professionals' experiences with grief and loss: implications for support and training. This study was designed to determine the degree to which clinical genetics professionals are comfortable with grief and loss, whether discomfort with grief and loss is associated with clinician distress, and what factors predict comfort with grief and loss for the purpose of developing recommendations for support and training. We surveyed 300 clinical geneticists (MDs), genetic counselors (GCs) and genetic nurses randomly selected from their professional associations. Out of 225 eligible clinicians, 172 completed surveys (76% response rate). The vast majority of respondents have clinical interactions with patients and families who are experiencing grief, loss and/or death. However, nearly 20% of respondents reported that they did not feel ,comfortable in the presence of grief and loss'. Twenty-nine percent of respondents disagree or strongly disagree that they ,have been adequately trained to address issues of death, dying, grief/bereavement, and end of life care'. Reported discomfort with grief and loss was strongly correlated with clinician distress. Predictors of comfort with grief and loss included perceived adequacy of training, tolerance for uncertainty, significant personal experiences of loss and deriving meaning from patient care. In conclusion, as follows. A significant minority of clinical genetics professionals experience discomfort in the presence of grief and loss, and feel inadequately prepared for such experiences. Greater attention should be paid to training clinicians in how to deal with grief and loss, and supporting them through such difficult experiences in an effort to reduce their distress. [source] | ||||||||||||||||