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Biomedical subjects

J Spicer

Publications and source records attributed to J Spicer.

53 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

Epidemic of hospital-acquired infection due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in major Victorian hospitals.

During 1979, the Victorian Health Commission received reports of a rising proportion of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates from an increasing number of institutions. At least 31 metropolitan hospitals were involved, and six of these reported MRSA totaling between 20% and 40% of all Staph. aureus isolates. Since that time, the problem has continued. In some university teaching hospitals, strains of MRSA now cause from 200 to 300 new cases of hospital-acquired infection each year. Sepsis occurs mainly in patients who underwent surgery, premature neonates and in the immunocompromised or debilitated patients. The organism involved is multiresistant. Recent isolates show increasing resistance, particularly against gentamicin, chloramphenicol and, more lately, fusidic acid and rifampicin. Only vancomycin can be relied upon for empirical treatment. There is concern that increasing use of vancomycin will select vancomycin-resistant strains of MRSA, so that, in the near future, there may no longer be any effective antibiotic therapy against hospital staphylococci.

Australia↗
PubMed1981

Aids and services for disabled people-getting the message across.

Information about aids and services for disabled people has two primary target audiences - the administrators and the disabled recipients - and their needs and problems are different. The administrators experience problems with the diversity and poor quality of information available to them, making it difficult for them to keep up-to-date in all relevant areas without becoming massively overloaded. The disabled themselves suffer from problems related to the whole information dissemination system. They are often referred from one agency to another and are frequently required to extract information rather than having it freely volunteered. Their decreased functional ability, mobility, motivation and sometimes educational level compound this problem so that many disabled people frequently fail to find out about their entitlements. Two areas of information availability causing great problems to both groups are those of aids and financial assistance. Aids supplied to disabled people in their own homes are currently much underused and the take-up rate for financial benefits is frequently quite low. Some solutions to these problems include improvements in the quality of information available to both groups by ensuring more appropriate form and content, communication medium and distribution points. The recognition that most people prefer to ask for information rather than seek it out from written sources is important since the provision of a 'named' person employed by Local Authorities in this capacity would contribute greatly to the improved dissemination of information.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1979

Distribution and interrelations of coronary risk factors in a community sample of Auckland men.

Distributions and interrelations of blood pressure, serum cholesterol, triglycerides, urate and glucose, cigarette and alcohol consumption and ECG characteristics were assessed in a community sample of 524 Auckland men aged 30-55. The distributions of these variables were generally similar to those found in other New Zealand samples, indicating that New Zealand levels of coronary risk factors lie in the upper reaches of the US and European range. Notable amongst the interrelations found were the pattern of relationships between serum cholesterol, triglycerides and urate, and the association of both body mass and alcohol intake urate level.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

An evaluation of the counselling given to patients having a therapeutic abortion.

The results of a questionnaire evaluating patient's reactions to counselling for their therapeutic abortion are reported. Most considered that counselling was necessary and that it provided support throughout the abortion process. The counselling appeared to relieve anxiety for many patients, but seemed to be less effective for patients who were not of European origin.

Abortion, Therapeutic↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of text telephones designed for people with impaired hearing or speech.

PURPOSE: The primary aim of this study was to assess a range of desktop text telephones and to provide comparative data to enable healthcare professionals and users to make informed choices when selecting products. Our second objective was to highlight the effect of different product features on ease of communication. METHODS: We used three methods of evaluation. (1) User trials of seven desktop textphones were carried out by 28 people. (2) The same desktop textphones, along with three portable models, were appraised by two independent assessors. (3) All 10 products were discussed by groups of hearing and hearing-impaired users-112 in all. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Participant ratings, user comments, and observations of sample conversations all revealed that ease of communication was greatly influenced by the type of technology employed to connect the textphone to the telephone network. Overall, conversations held on text telephones with a direct connection were more successful and produced fewer garbled messages than those made with an acoustic connection. Although individual preferences were expressed, other defining features such as the size of keyboard, display type and size of text did not have a comparable impact on communication. Future research and development could focus on the design of products that would cater simultaneously for the communication needs of hearing, deaf and speech-impaired users.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A collaborative work study program between nursing service and education.

A work study program allows students to gain academic credit while earning a salary for the nursing services they render. At the same time, they gain additional experience to increase clinical competence. The program can also serve as a recruiting device for the employing healthcare agency. The authors describe a specific work study program developed between a nursing department in a large urban medical center and a university nursing program.

Clinical Competence↗