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Selected AbstractsInformation Therapy: the strategic role of prescribed information in disease self-managementINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RHEUMATIC DISEASES, Issue 2 2005Molly METTLER Abstract Information Therapy is a new disease management tool that provides cost-effective patient support to a much larger portion of the chronically ill population than is generally reached. Defined as the prescription of specific, evidence-based medical information to a specific patient, caregiver, or consumer at just the right time to help them make a specific health decision or take a self-management action, Information Therapy can be electronically integrated into the process of care. Information prescriptions made available through Information Therapy will support efforts to improve health outcomes and quality in disease management. [source] Perceived adverse patient outcomes correlated to nurses' workload in medical and surgical wards of selected hospitals in KuwaitJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 4 2009Fatimah Al-Kandari Aim., This study was carried out to identify the perceived adverse patient outcomes as related to nurses' workload. It also assessed nurses' perception of variables contributing to the workload and adverse patient outcomes. Background., Several studies have been published on adverse patient outcomes in which a correlation was found between nurses' workload and some adverse patient outcomes. Design., A cross-sectional survey was conducted between registered nurses (n = 780) working in medical and surgical wards of five general governmental hospitals in Kuwait. Data collection instruments., Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire consisting of three sections to elicit information about the sample characteristics, perception of workload and perceived adverse patient outcomes during the last shift and last working week. Results., The three major perceived adverse outcomes reported by the nurses while on duty during their last shift were: complaints from patients and families (2%), patients received a late dose or missed a dose of medication (1·8%) and occurrences of pressure ulcer (1·5%). Similarly, the reported adverse outcomes over the past week were complaints from patients and families (5%), patients received a late dose or missed a dose of medication (5·3%) and discovery of a urinary tract infection (3·7%). Increases in nurse-patient load, bed occupancy rate, unstable patients' condition, extra ordinary life support efforts and non-nursing tasks; all correlated positively with perceived adverse patient outcomes. Conclusion., This study sheds light on an important issue affecting patient safety and quality of care as perceived by the nurses themselves as caregivers. Relevance to clinical practice., Nurses' perception of variables contributing to adverse patient outcomes and their workload could significantly affect the provided nursing care and nursing care recipients. The findings could help in policy formulation and planning strategies to decrease adverse patient outcomes in many countries with a health care structure similar to that of Kuwait. [source] Preparing to Implement a Self-Management Program for Back Pain in New York City Senior Centers: What Do Prospective Consumers Think?PAIN MEDICINE, Issue 3 2010Sarah Townley RN Abstract Objective., Prior to testing the feasibility/potential efficacy of a newly developed self-management pain program for seniors with back pain, this study sought to: 1) determine prospective consumers' prior exposure to self-management pain programs, 2) determine their willingness to participate in the new program, and 3) ascertain perceived barriers/facilitators to program participation. Design., Cross-sectional survey. Setting., Six senior centers located in New York City. Participants., We enrolled a race/ethnicity stratified (African American, Hispanic, or non-Hispanic White) sample of 90 subjects who were ages 60 years or older and had chronic back pain. Results., While 60% of non-Hispanic Whites reported prior participation in a self-management pain program, fewer Hispanic (23%) and African Americans (20%) participants reported prior participation. Most participants (80%) were strongly willing to participate in the new program. Multivariate analyses revealed that only pain intensity had a trend toward significance (P = 0.07), with higher pain scores associated with greater willingness to participate. Few barriers to participation were identified, however, respondents felt that tailoring the course to best meet the needs of those with physical disabilities, providing flexibility in class timing, and informing individuals about program benefits prior to enrollment could help maximize program reach. No race/ethnicity differences were identified with respect to willingness to participate or program participation barriers. Conclusions., These data support efforts to disseminate self-management pain programs in older populations, particularly minority communities. The recommendations made by participants can help to guide implementation efforts of the newly developed pain program and may help to enhance both their reach and success. [source] Cyclooxygenase-2 and gastric carcinogenesisAPMIS, Issue 10 2003KIRSI SAUKKONEN Epidemiological studies have shown that the use of nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is associated with reduced risk of gastric cancer. The best-known target of NSAIDs is the cyclooxygenase (Cox) enzyme. Two Cox genes have been cloned, of which Cox-2 has been connected with gastric carcinogenesis. Expression of Cox-2 is elevated in gastric adenocarcinomas, which correlates with several clinicopathological parameters, including depth of invasion and lymph node metastasis. This suggests that Cox-2,derived prostanoids promote aggressive behavior of adenocarcinomas of the stomach. Cox-2 expression is especially prominent in intestinal-type gastric carcinoma and it is already present in dysplastic precursor lesions of this disease, which suggests that Cox-2 contributes to gastric carcinogenesis already at the preinvasive stage. Our most recent data show that Cox-2 is expressed in gastric adenomas of trefoil factor 1 deficient mice. Treatment of these mice with a Cox-2 selective inhibitor, celecoxib, reduced the size of the adenomas. Taken together these data support efforts to initiate clinical studies to investigate the effect of Cox-2 inhibitors as chemotherapeutic agents and as adjuvant treatment modalities against gastric neoplasias. [source] | ||||||||||