This is a report of an interdisciplinary workshop which was held to define the roles of different disciplines within a psychiatric unit. While the report emphasizes the medicolegal responsibility of the psychiatrists, we found, in a review of the knowledge background of the several disciplines, potentials for a further utilization of the knowledge which is acquired during their training. Meeting the patient's needs is the prime factor in determining the roles of the disciplines. The needs of the patient have expanded. Each discipline has both an exclusive role and an inclusive role. One important result of the workshop was the warmth and the esprit de corps that was felt afterwards.

Australia↗

PubMed1978

Acute cardiovascular toxicity of trazodone, etoperidone and imipramine in rats.

The cardiovascular effects of trazodone, a broad-spectrum antidepressant and its analogue etoperidone, were compared with imipramine, following intravenous infusion in rats. Their effects on electrocardiogram and blood pressure were simultaneously recorded until cardiac arrest. Hypotension was the primary effect of trazodone and etoperidone. ECG changes, i.e. lengthening of the PR interval, were observed only when the blood pressure reached very low values. On the other hand, imipramine produced first the well known ECG changes and then a drop in blood pressure. As far as mortality was concerned, trazodone was the least toxic drug, followed by etoperidone, whereas imipramine was most toxic; these differences being in agreement with the LD50 values reported in rats by the i.v. route. It is concluded that trazodone and etoperidone produce in rats cardiovascular effects, which are different from those of imipramine. Moreover these differences are consistent with their pharmacological properties, particularly their interaction with catecholamines, which are inhibited by trazodone or etoperidone and potentiated by imipramine.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Indicators of continuous improvement of the transfer of neonatal emergency cases in the Trento province].

The nursing personnel of the Neonatology Unit of Trento Hospital cares for the transportation of newborns in the Trento Province (more than 7500 transportations have been performed to date). Aim of the study is the evaluation of the quality of care as documented in the ad hoc neonatal transportation data-bank. A further goal is the formulation and validation of simple and easy to collect indicators of "improvement of care". Examples of indicators used to assess the activities of the years 1996 and 1997 were the number of transportations with functioning equipment; the number of newborns with body temperature registered; the number of transportation cards correctly filled out. These simple indicators allowed to identify areas where the quality of care could be improved. The cause-effect diagram used allowed the involvement of all the nursing personnel in the identification of problems and of possible solutions. An example of the process followed for identifying and preventing hypothermia is presented and discussed.

Efficiency, Organizational↗