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Appropriate Education (appropriate + education)
Selected AbstractsThe attitudes of health care staff to information technology: a comprehensive review of the research literatureHEALTH INFORMATION & LIBRARIES JOURNAL, Issue 2 2008Rod Ward Objectives:, What does the publicly available literature tell us about the attitudes of health care staff to the development of information technology in practice, including the factors which influence them and the factors which may be used to change these attitudes? Methods:, Twelve databases were searched for literature published between 2000 and 2005 that identified research related to information technology (IT), health professionals and attitude. English language studies were included which described primary research relating to the attitudes of one or more health care staff groups towards IT. Letters, personal viewpoints, reflections and opinion pieces were not included. Results:, Complex factors contribute to the formation of attitudes towards IT. Many of the issues identified were around the flexibility of the systems and whether they were ,fit for purpose', along with the confidence and experience of the IT users. The literature suggests that attitudes of practitioners are a significant factor in the acceptance and efficiency of use of IT in practice. The literature also suggested that education and training was a factor for encouraging the use of IT systems. Conclusions:, A range of key issues, such as the need for flexibility and usability, appropriate education and training and the need for the software to be ,fit for purpose', showed that organizations need to plan carefully when proposing the introduction of IT-based systems into work practices. The studies reviewed did suggest that attitudes of health care professionals can be a significant factor in the acceptance and efficiency of use of IT in practice. Further qualitative and quantitative research is needed into the approaches that have most effect on the attitudes of health care staff towards IT. [source] Food allergy in adolescents and adultsINTERNAL MEDICINE JOURNAL, Issue 7 2009J. Yun Abstract There has been an increase in the prevalence of food allergy in the last few decades. Adult food allergy may represent persistence of reactions that commenced in infancy and early childhood or it may be initiated in adulthood through new sensitizations. Persistence of peanut allergy is an example of the former situation. Approximately 20% of children will develop tolerance to peanuts, so there will be an increasing number of individuals reaching adulthood where this problem will need ongoing management. In addition to peanut, tree nuts, fruits, vegetables and seafood are implicated as common causes of food allergy in adulthood. Sensitization may occur directly to a food allergen or indirectly through cross-reactivity with an aeroallergen. Adults may present with a spectrum of clinical manifestations from oral allergy syndrome to fatal anaphylaxis. The management of food allergy consists of appropriate education regarding avoidance of implicated foods, modifying potential risk factors for anaphylaxis, such as asthma and prompt recognition and treatment of acute reactions. [source] The impact of pressure ulcer risk assessment on patient outcomes among hospitalised patientsJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 13 2009Mohammad Saleh Aims and objectives., To determine whether use of a risk assessment scale reduces nosocomial pressure ulcers. Background., There is contradictory evidence concerning the validity of risk assessment scales. The interaction of education, clinical judgement and use of risk assessment scales has not been fully explored. It is not known which of these is most important, nor whether combining them results in better patient care. Design., Pretest,posttest comparison. Methods., A risk assessment scale namely the Braden was implemented in a group of wards after appropriate education and training of staff in addition to mandatory wound care study days. Another group of staff received the same education programme but did not implement the risk assessment scale and a third group carried on with mandatory study days only. Results., Nosocomial Pressure Ulcer was reduced in all three groups, but the group that implemented the risk assessment scale showed no significant additional improvement. Allowing for age, gender, medical speciality, level of risk and other factors did not explain this lack of improvement. Clinical judgement seemed to be used by nurses to identify patients at high risk to implement appropriate risk reduction strategies such as use of pressure relieving beds. Clinical judgement was not significantly different from the risk assessment scale score in terms of risk evaluation. Conclusions., It is questioned whether the routine use of a risk assessment scale is useful in reducing nosocomial pressure ulcer. It is suggested clinical judgement is as effective as a risk assessment scale in terms of assessing risk (though neither show good sensitivity and specificity) and determining appropriate care. Relevance to clinical practice., Clinical judgement may be as effective as employing a risk assessment scale to assess the risk of pressure ulcers. If this were true it would be simpler and release nursing time for other tasks. [source] Risk factors of Hong Kong Chinese patients with coronary heart diseaseJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 7 2007Sek Ying Chair RN Aims and objectives., The aims of the study were to describe the level of modifiable coronary risk factors and to explore the relationships among these risk factors in patients with coronary heart disease. Background., Appropriate patient education and therapies for coronary risk reduction will prevent recurrent cardiac events and progression of coronary heart disease. Therefore, having knowledge of the risk profile of these patients is essential so that appropriate contents and focus of patient educations can be developed. Methods., Coronary heart disease patients admitted for cardiac catheterization at the two studied hospitals in Hong Kong were recruited for this study. Demographic date and risk factors of blood pressure, smoking status, body mass index, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and exercise level were collected from subjects as well as from medical records for analysis. Results., The body mass index was significantly different among non-smoker, ex-smoker and smoker (p = 0·027). Non-smokers had the highest body mass index but smokers had the lowest body mass index among the three groups in this study. Physical inactivity, overweight and hypercholesterolaemia were the risk factors seen in about 50% of the studied subjects. Body mass index correlated positively with systolic blood pressure but negatively correlated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and hour of exercise. Conclusions., Heavier subjects had a higher systolic blood pressure but a lower level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Heavier subjects also exercised less. The study results provided additional information on the database of the risk profile among Hong Kong cardiac patients. Relevance to clinical practice., Hypertension, obesity, physical inactivity, abnormal serum lipid levels and smoking are the modifiable risk factors for coronary heart diseases. As physical inactivity, overweight and hypercholesterolaemia were found in half of the studied subjects, the importance of risk factors control should be addressed to this group of patients. Nurses should be aware of their educator role to provide appropriate education to coronary heart disease patients with the focus on reducing and controlling of cardiac risk factors, which has been shown to be effective in reducing the progress of disease. [source] Does the School Nurse-to-Student Ratio Make a Difference?JOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 1 2004Martha Guttu ABSTRACT: Public schools must provide an appropriate education for students with complex health needs. Chronic illnesses such as asthma and diabetes, social morbidities, injuries, and conditions that limit learning such as poor vision commonly affect school-aged children. School nurses often assume a leadership role in providing services for these children. However, although a national standard for school nurse/student ratio has been proposed, little research has examined the relationship between different school nurse-to-student ratios, level of health services provided in schools, and student outcomes. This study examined data in a 21-county region in eastern North Carolina served by a regional school nurse consultant. The school nurse-to-student ratio in these counties ranged from 1:451 to 1:7,440 based on full-time equivalencies. Two systems offered no school nursing services.*** Data from school years ending in 2000,2002 were considered in the analysis. A significant correlation was found between the increased presence of school nurses and services provided to children with diabetes (r = ,.52, p = .000) and asthma (r = ,.43, p = .002). Schools with better ratios provided more counseling services to children for social conditions such as depression and unintended pregnancy (r = ,.38, p = .006), and more follow-up for school-related injuries (r = ,.43, p = .003), and a higher percentage of children with vision problems received follow-up care (r = ,.37, p = .007). A case analysis of one school district that experienced a significant improvement in nurse/student ratio over the study period provides further evidence that school nurses make a difference. [source] Prevalence, knowledge and care patterns for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease in United States minority populationsALIMENTARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 5 2010E. Yuen Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2010; 32: 645,654 Summary Background, While there is evidence of ethnic variation in the prevalence of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms, few population-based studies examine GERD symptom prevalence amongst the growing Hispanic minority in the US as well as Asians in the West. Aim, To examine the prevalence, awareness and care patterns for GERD across different ethnic groups. Methods, A population-based, cross-sectional survey was fielded in English, Chinese and Spanish that assessed self-reported GERD prevalence, awareness and care patterns in four ethnic groups (Caucasian, African American, Asian, Hispanic). Results, A total of 1172 subjects were included for analysis: 34.6% experienced GERD symptoms at least monthly, 26.2% at least weekly and 8.2% at least daily. Statistically significant differences in raw prevalence rates between racial groups were found: 50% of Hispanics experienced heartburn at least monthly, compared with 37% of Caucasians, 31% of African Americans and 20% of Asians (P > 0.0001). Significant differences in knowledge and care-seeking patterns by ethnicity were also observed. Conclusions, This study confirms the high prevalence of GERD symptoms in the US and introduces Hispanics as the ethnicity with the highest prevalence rate. Asians in the US have higher rates of symptoms than in the Far East. These data demonstrate a need for culturally appropriate education about GERD symptoms and treatment. [source] What stresses remote area nurses?AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 4 2009Current knowledge, future action Abstract Objective:,Review and synthesise the literature identifying the stresses experienced by remote area nurses (RANs). Identify interventions implemented to address identified stresses. Explore the use of the job demands,resources (JD-R) model. Methods:,A comprehensive literature review was conducted using the meta-databases Ovid and Informit. Setting:,Remote Australian primary health care centres. Results:,The reported demands experienced by RANs can be grouped into four themes: (i) the remote context; (ii) workload and extended scope of practice; (iii) poor management; and (iv) violence in the workplace and community. In this high-demand, low-resource context, the JD-R model of occupational stress is particularly pertinent to examining occupational stress among RANs. The demands on RANs, such as the isolated geographical context, are immutable. However, there are key areas where resources can be enhanced to better meet the high level of need. These are: (i) adequate and appropriate education, training and orientation; (ii) appropriate funding of remote health services; and (iii) improved management practices and systems. Conclusion:,There is a lack of empirical evidence relating to stresses experienced by RANs. The literature identifies some of the stresses experienced by RANs as unique to the remote context, while some are related to high demands coupled with a deficit of appropriate resources. Use of models, such as the JD-R model of occupational stress, might assist in identifying key areas where resources can be enhanced to better meet the high level of need and reduce RANs' levels of stress. [source] Willingness-to-pay and quality of life in patients with vitiligoBRITISH JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 1 2009M.A. Radtke Summary Background, Vitiligo is a chronic pigmentary disorder of the skin, affecting 1,2% of the general population. Although not life threatening, vitiligo may considerably influence patients' health-related quality of life (QoL) and psychological well-being. Willingness-to-pay (WTP) is a construct reflecting disease burden and QoL reduction which has not yet been used in vitiligo. Objectives, To assess the WTP and the QoL of patients with vitiligo. Methods, Patients with vitiligo were included in a nationwide German postal survey. WTP was assessed by two standardized items, and QoL was evaluated using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and the EuroQol (EQ-5D) questionnaire. QoL data were compared with n = 1511 patients from a national survey on psoriasis. Results, The questionnaire was completed by 1023 patients (71·5% women, mean age 44·4 years, mean disease duration 20·3 years) with vitiligo. The mean DLQI was 7·0 (7·5 in women, 5·5 in men) compared with 8·6 in psoriasis. Of the patients with vitiligo, 24·6% had a DLQI > 10 which indicates severe QoL reductions, compared with 34·1% in patients with psoriasis. The highest mean DLQI value was observed in the patient group aged 20,29 years. EQ-5D mean score was 83·6 compared with 75·3 in psoriasis. Of the patients with vitiligo, 32·9% would pay more than 5000 Euro in order to achieve complete disease remission. WTP was highest among middle-aged patients (30,60 years). There was a significant correlation between DLQI scores and WTP (,2 = 65·43, P < 0·001). Moreover, WTP significantly correlated with duration of disease, and with body surface area affected (P < 0·001). Conclusions, Vitiligo causes substantial disease burden as reflected by QoL impairment and high WTP, especially in women. These results should draw the attention of physicians to this disease, as appropriate education and treatment are likely to improve the QoL of patients with vitiligo and may support patients' compliance and empowerment. [source] | ||||||||||