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Biomedical subjects

D M Baer

Publications and source records attributed to D M Baer.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Limitations of quality control in physicians' offices and other decentralized testing situations: the challenge to develop new methods of test validation.

Traditional quality-control methods are effective for detecting systematic error caused by deterioration of reagents or instruments, but ineffective for detecting sporadic error, which is more likely to occur in low-volume testing environments. Decentralized testing performed by individuals without formal laboratory training has a high potential for sporadic errors. New methods for validating test results, used each time a test result is produced, should replace current quality-control procedures. Under the rules of CLIA '88, manufacturers and the US Food and Drug Administration have an opportunity to develop new approaches to test validation.

Chemistry, Clinical↗
PubMed1991

Social validity assessments: is current practice state of the art?

The use of evaluative feedback from consumers to guide program planning and evaluation is often referred to as the assessment of social validity. Differing views of its role and value in applied behavior analysis have emerged, and increasingly stereotyped assessments of social validity are becoming commonplace. This paper argues that current applications of social validity assessments are straying from the point originally proposed for them. Thus, several suggestions for improving current social validity assessment are proposed, including (a) expanding the definition of consumers to acknowledge the variety of community members able and likely to affect a program's survival, (b) increasing the psychometric rigor of social validity assessments, (c) extending assessment to heretofore underrepresented populations, (d) implementing widespread application of well-designed social validity assessments, (e) increasing meaningful consumer involvement in the planning and evaluation of behavioral programs, and (f) educating consumers to make better informed programming decisions.

Community Participation↗
PubMed1991

Reactivity in self-recording: obtrusiveness of recording procedure and peer comments.

Reactivity refers to behavior change that occurs during self-recording without specific programming of consequences. We analyzed the effects of obtrusiveness of recording procedure and peer comments on reactivity to self-recording. Three first-grade students in Experiment 1 completed math questions during a 5-min work period. When we gave the children recording devices and told them to try to complete more questions than the highest number they had previously completed, math performance increased, as did the number of verbalizations about it. Two children showed more reactivity when they used the more obtrusive recording device. Because the increase in math performance corresponded closely to increases in peer comments, we manipulated peer comments directly in Experiment 2. Four second-grade students completed a math task and an alphabet task. Three of the students showed increased math performance during periods when peer comments occurred compared to periods when peer comments did not occur. Although the data from the math task suggested that peer comments can enhance reactivity, we did not observe this relationship with the alphabet task. These results suggest that the conditions necessary to produce desirable results through self-recording are complex and contextually specific.

Auditory Perception↗
PubMed1991

An evaluation of a whole blood prothrombin analyzer designed for use by individuals without formal laboratory training.

BACKGROUND: The prothrombin time (PT) test, which is the most common coagulation test used in the outpatient setting, has not been recommended for office laboratory use because it has been technically difficult to perform. Consequently, serious errors in patient care could occur because of an erroneous result. The Coumatrak (E.I. Du Pont, Wilmington, Del) now allows nontechnically trained office staff to perform PT tests using a fresh capillary whole blood sample, individually packaged reagent cartridges, and a portable battery-operated instrument. METHODS: Coumatrak PT testing was compared with standard methods for both precision and accuracy, using protocols developed by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS). Reagent stability and operator variability were also studied. RESULTS: The results produced by a trained technologist and nontechnically trained staff were comparable. Test results obtained with the Coumatrak were approximately 10% higher than results obtained using standard laboratory equipment and methods using comparable blood samples from the same patients. It was found that the capillary blood specimen had to be rapidly transferred to the reagent cartridge in order to avoid factitiously low results. CONCLUSIONS: The Coumatrak can rapidly provide PT test results that are clinically useful for the office management of patients being treated with a warfarin anticoagulant and for the diagnosis of selected disorders. The system was found to be easy to operate, appropriate for use by individuals with little laboratory experience, and was subject to few operational problems during this study.

Allied Health Personnel↗