In a randomized clinical trial, quality of health care as reflected in patient outcomes and cost of health care was compared between two groups of high-risk childbearing women: women diagnosed with diabetes or hypertension in pregnancy. The control group (N = 52) was discharged routinely from the hospital. The intervention group (N = 44) was discharged early using a model of clinical nurse specialist transitional follow-up care. During pregnancy, the intervention group had significantly fewer rehospitalizations than the control group. For infants of diabetic women enrolled in the study during their pregnancy, low birth weight (< or = 2,500 g) was three times more prevalent in the control group (29%) than in the intervention group (8.3%). The postpartum hospital charges for the intervention group were also significantly less than for the control group. The mean total hospital charges for the intervention group were 44% less than for the control group. The mean cost of the clinical specialist follow-up care was 2% of the total hospital charges for the control group. A net savings of $13,327 was realized for each mother-infant dyad discharged early from the hospital.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The question of 'Stress' in west greenlandic. An acoustic investigation of rhythmicization, intonation, and syllable weight.

The main purpose is to investigate whether stress is a relevant category in Greenlandic word prosody. I focus on tonal and durational parameters. The data material consists of word lists read aloud seven times by two subjects. The main findings are: (1) The prosodic characteristics of words can be explained in either tonal or durational terms. (2) The four different syllable types (of different 'weight') are distinguished in durational terms; further, there appears to be only a tripartite system of short, long and overlong. (3) There are intra-syllabic as well as inter-syllabic rhythmical adjustments. It is concluded that Greenlandic prosody does not include an autonomous stress category, either tonal or durational parameters alone will do. And although Greenlandic has distinctive quantity, there is room for considerable durational variation of segments.

Humans↗

PubMedDate not supplied

"Current ranking" should not have been published.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Humans↗

PubMedDate not supplied

HIV testing of sexual assault populations: ethical and legal issues.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Very low birth-weight infants: parental visiting and telephoning during initial infant hospitalization.

The purposes of this study were to examine visiting and telephoning patterns of families of very low birth-weight (VLBW) infants during their initial hospitalization and to identify factors related to visiting and telephoning. The sample of 65 VLBW infants (less than or equal to 1,500 gm) and their families was followed for 6 weeks in the special care nurseries. Mothers were the primary visitors, with the typical mother visiting the nursery twice per week. Fathers and other family members made most of their visits in the first few weeks with minimal involvement thereafter. During a typical week the number of telephone calls to the nursery from mothers ranged from one to three. Fathers and other family members made minimal calls. Significantly fewer visits were made by families in which the mother was unmarried, the mother was younger, Medicaid was the type of insurance, annual income was less than $10,000, and private transportation was unavailable. There were no significant relationships between total number of telephone calls made and maternal demographic variables.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Adjustment to breast cancer using downward comparison.

Downward comparison is a cognitive process that is used when events such as illness threaten a person's self-esteem. The afflicted person feels better about his/her situation when he/she compares himself/herself with another whose condition is worse. This study identified the presence of downward comparison in 195 women with recently diagnosed breast cancer and determined the impact of such comparison on adjustment. The results indicate evidence of downward comparison. In comparison to others with breast cancer, most patients indicated they thought that they were better in regard to physical condition, coping, medical condition, and life experience. Clinicians should assess for the presence of downward comparison at the time of diagnosis or when there is any change in the treatment plan that may be threatening to a patient. Future research of downward comparison and its relationship to self-esteem is indicated.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Incidence and pattern of jaundice in healthy breast-fed infants during the first month of life.

The incidence and pattern of jaundice in 155 normal, full-term, breast-fed, white infants was examined. Infants were screened for jaundice on Days 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13 following birth using transcutaneous bilirubinometry (TcB). By Day 3, 49.7% of the infants were classified as jaundiced (> 10 mg/dl). Infants with low TcB indices on Days 2, 3, and 5 never developed jaundice as indicated by elevated TcB indices on Days 7, 9, 11, and 13. Hence, it may be possible to target infants at risk for severe jaundice prior to discharge. The observed rate of 10.3% for breast-milk jaundice (jaundice present at Day 13) is significantly higher than the highest reported rate of 2.4% (z = 6.43, p < .01). Furthermore, the pattern of jaundice in these infants does not appear to have two peaks, indicating that it is not possible to distinguish between exaggerated physiologic jaundice and breast-milk jaundice using TcB.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Self-blame and adjustment to breast cancer.

PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between self-blame and illness adjustment in women with breast cancer. DESIGN: Descriptive, correlational design. SETTING: Outpatient facilities of two metropolitan medical centers. SAMPLE: 234 women diagnosed with stage I or II breast cancer. METHODS: Structured and semistructured interviews using the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale (PAIS), the Global Adjustment to Illness Scale (GAIS), an attributions and blame interview, and several questions about control over the cause and course of the cancer. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Self-blame, controllability, and adjustment to illness. FINDINGS: 39% of the sample reported some self-blame. Analysis of variance indicated that subjects with high levels of self-blame had poorer scores on the PAIS and GAIS. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate the need for further study of the self-blame/adjustment relationship. Researchers must clarify the characteristics that compromise adjustment in patients with breast cancer. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: The findings support the importance of assessing self-blame and providing information to discourage its use by patients with breast cancer.

Adaptation, Psychological↗