Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Formative Phase (formative + phase)
Selected AbstractsMicroscopic configurations on the bare-bone surfaces of mammalian synovial jointsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OSTEOARCHAEOLOGY, Issue 6 2001A.E.W. MilesArticle first published online: 30 NOV 200 Abstract The smoothness characteristic of synovial joint surfaces of bare bones is shown to be an illusion; low-power microscopy of young adult human bones from interments revealed, on the surfaces of a variety of synovial joints, a system of basically hemispherical elevations, often united as short chains or groups. This system was also found on joints of a variety of species of six mammalian orders. Under the higher magnification of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), many elevations had a pit at their summits. The bare-bone surfaces of synovial joints have a thin covering of mineralized cartilage, including its mineralizing-front, which survives taphonomic processes, as well as the preparative procedures used in the study of articular surfaces. In its formative phase, the front has the chondrocyte,columnar structure of cartilage. It is postulated here that the newly-discovered elevations arise when cartilage formation is ceasing, or becoming dormant, and that each column-unit produces a globular mineralized mass, often with a pit which had accommodated a chondrocyte. These masses may incorporate the fibre systems of the unmineralized cartilage and aid in its attachment to the bony surface. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A Multifaceted Intervention to Implement Guidelines Improved Treatment of Nursing Home,Acquired Pneumonia in a State Veterans HomeJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 11 2006Evelyn Hutt MD OBJECTIVES: To assess the feasibility of a multifaceted strategy to translate evidence-based guidelines for treating nursing home,acquired pneumonia (NHAP) into practice using a small intervention trial. DESIGN: Pre-posttest with untreated control group. SETTING: Two Colorado State Veterans Homes (SVHs) during two influenza seasons. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-six residents with two or more signs of lower respiratory tract infection. INTERVENTION: Multifaceted, including a formative phase to modify the intervention, institutional-level change emphasizing immunization, and availability of appropriate antibiotics; interactive educational sessions for nurses; and academic detailing. MEASUREMENTS: Subjects' SVH medical records were reviewed for guideline compliance retrospectively for the influenza season before the intervention and prospectively during the intervention. Bivariate comparisons-of-care processes between the intervention and control facility before and after the intervention were made using the Fischer exact test. RESULTS: At the intervention facility, compliance with five of the guidelines improved: influenza vaccination, timely physician response to illness onset, x-ray for patients not being hospitalized, use of appropriate antibiotics, and timely antibiotic initiation for unstable patients. Chest x-ray and appropriate and timely antibiotics were significantly better at the intervention than at the control facility during the intervention year but not during the control year. CONCLUSION: Multifaceted, evidence-based, NHAP guideline implementation improved care processes in a SVH. Guideline implementation should be studied in a national sample of nursing homes to determine whether it improves quality of life and functional outcomes of this debilitating illness for long-term care residents. [source] Using participatory methods and geographic information systems (GIS) to prepare for an hiv community-based trial in Vulindlela, South Africa (Project Accept,HPTN 043),,JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2009Admire Chirowodza Recent attempts to integrate geographic information systems (GIS) and participatory techniques, have given rise to terminologies such as participatory GIS and community-integrated GIS. Although GIS was initially developed for physical geographic application, it can be used for the management and analysis of health and health care data. Geographic information systems, combined with participatory methodology, have facilitated the analysis of access to health facilities and disease risk in different populations. Little has been published about the usefulness of combining participatory methodologies and GIS technology in an effort to understand and inform community-based intervention studies, especially in the context of HIV. This article attempts to address this perceived gap in the literature. The authors describe the application of participatory research methods with GIS in the formative phase of a multisite community-based social mobilization trial, using voluntary counseling and testing and post-test support as the intervention. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Building a strong foundation for occupational health and safety: Action research in the workplaceAMERICAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE, Issue 8 2009Judith A. Daltuva MSW Abstract Background Action research (AR) holds promise as a method to improve occupational health and safety. Methods This case study explores the challenges and accomplishments during the first 6 months of an AR occupational health and safety committee at a manufacturing facility. Results Critical steps in the formative phase of the AR project included: (1) addressing differing power levels and perceived ownership of management and production committee members; (2) developing a collaborative approach to communication and problem solving; and (3) transitioning from dependence on university leadership to shared leadership among the committee. Conclusions AR can lead to greater empowerment to address occupational health and safety issues, and to improved dialoge between labor and management. AR can increase the likelihood that the problem will be understood, and effective solutions will be developed and their application supported and used throughout the organization. Am. J. Ind. Med. 52:614,624, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] | ||||||||||