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D Pointon

Publications and source records attributed to D Pointon.

3 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Monitoring adverse drug reactions: scales, profiles, and checklists.

BACKGROUND: Globally, adverse drug reactions (ADRs) make a substantial contribution to ill health. Introducing a systematic approach to patient surveillance could mitigate these problems. Formalized medication monitoring schedules have been proposed as one strategy to diagnose and action side-effects and the problems emanating from adverse drug reactions. To date, most developments have been linked to antipsychotic medications. Several scales, checklists, and side-effect profiles are available, including the West Wales ADR (adverse drug reaction) profile. However, relatively little work has been undertaken on the clinical validity, reliability, and sensitivity of these instruments. AIM: This paper describes the development of the monitoring schedule approach to medication management. It also reviews and compares the instruments available for monitoring the adverse drug reactions of antipsychotic medications. The UKU (Udvalg for Kliniske Undersogelser) scale and the West Wales ADR profile assess a broader range of physiological parameters and potential problems than other instruments. However, to be adopted in practice, such instruments must achieve a balance between clinical gain and practical cost, including the time spent in administration. CONCLUSION: Further work is needed to explore the translation of formalized ADR surveillance programmes into clinical gains and improved outcomes for clients.

Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems↗
PubMed1997

Prolonged use of coloured overlays for classroom reading.

Ninety-three children in a primary school and 59 children in two first-year classes of a secondary school were asked individually to observe a paragraph of random letters arranged to resemble text, and to compare the perceptual effects on its clarity of coloured plastic sheets overlaid on the text. A total of 29 colours were compared using 10 coloured plastic sheets and 19 pairwise combinations of sheets, one superimposed on another. The resulting colours sampled CIE 1976 hue angle (huv) and saturation (suv) systematically and efficiently. All the children who reported beneficial perceptual effects (53 per cent) were given their preferred overlay or combination of overlays to use as and when they wished. When the children were examined three months later the children tended to choose a colour similar to one they had chosen previously. Ten months later, 22 per cent of those offered the overlaps were still using them of their own volition. These children, but not those who had ceased to use their overlay(s), read randomly ordered simple words more quickly with their overlay than without. In a second independent group of children referred to the Norfolk Sensory Support Service, who used overlays routinely, the reading speed was similar with a grey or clear overlay; and slower than with the chosen coloured overlay, suggesting that reduction of contrast was not the critical factor. In a third independent group of children in a primary school in Kent, the increase in reading speed with the chosen overlay predicted the children who continued to use their overlay during the ensuing eight weeks.

Attention↗