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Biomedical subjects

L Hughes

Publications and source records attributed to L Hughes.

107 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1975

Health hazard appraisal in patient counseling.

A program of annual health examinations was expanded to include counseling based on a computerized appraisal of individual patients' specific health hazard factors. Data obtained from a specially designed questionnaire, laboratory tests and a physical examination yielded a printout showing a number of weighted risk factors and their relation to ten leading causes of death as determined for that patient. From all of this information, a risk ("apparent") age was developed for the patient. The results were reviewed with each patient, and methods of correcting health hazards were stressed. A total of 488 persons were appraised, and 107 were randomly reappraised in less than a year, with the finding that the net risk age was reduced by 1.4 years. Such a reduction in risk age is significant; it indicates that appraisal-based counseling is an effective method of altering priorities of health practices.

Accidents↗
PubMed1975

Multiphasic health testing. Benefit-cost analysis of high-volume and low-volume testing programs.

Cost analysis of a low-volume multiphasic health testing program (30 patients/week) has demonstrated that unit costs are similar to those reported by high-volume automated programs (500 patients/week). This comparability in unit costs appears to result from the savings in personnel and space requirements of the smaller program as compared with the larger ones. Cost effectiveness studies (costs per positive findings) of comparable test groups have yielded similar results. This fact leads the authors to suggest that physicians should consider establishing multiphasic health testing programs in occupational and small group medical settings.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Comparison of tissue sources for the skin integrity function test (SIFT).

One of the in vitro models involved in an ECVAM-sponsored prevalidation study for acute skin irritation is the skin integrity function test (SIFT), which utilises full-thickness mouse skin. We have evaluated nine different skin types in order to identify the most useful model for assessing skin barrier function using transepidermal water loss (TEWL), electrical resistance (ER) and tritiated water flux (TWF) and sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) as a standard skin irritant. Tissues were: human skin (epidermis and whole), reconstituted human epidermis (RHE), pig (dermatomed and whole), rabbit (whole), rat (epidermis and whole) and mouse (whole). Barrier function was measured following sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) exposure and expressed as a damage ratio. Human epidermis gave good responses at high doses of SLS only. RHE had abnormally high permeability to water and therefore had little or no response to SLS. Pig skin gave low TEWL ratios and rabbit skin was a poor responder to SLS. Mouse whole skin performed best in this study, giving consistent high damage ratios to TEWL, ER and TWF following SLS treatment. Rat whole skin also performed well but was generally less responsive. We conclude that mouse skin is the best and most practical in vitro model for the SIFT approach for skin irritation prediction.

Animal Testing Alternatives↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Clinical utility of radioimmunoscintigraphy of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with radiolabelled LL2 monoclonal antibody, LymphoSCAN: preliminary results.

AIMS AND BACKGROUND: Adequate clinical staging of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients is essential because only localized disease can be treated satisfactorily. Many imaging procedures are necessary to stage the disease accurately. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of an antilymphoma antibody in the Fab' fragment form, labelled with 99mTc, to detect malignant lesions. METHODS: Radioimmunodetection (RAID) with 99mTc-labelled B-cell lymphoma monoclonal antibody IMMU-LL2-Fab' (LymphoSCAN; Immunomedics, Morris Plain, NJ, USA) was investigated in 10 patients (5 females and 5 males; age range, 20-72 years) with histologically proved non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Of the 10 lymphomas, 7 were intermediate grade and 3 were low grade. Whole body images with multiple planar views were obtained at 30 min, 4-6 and 24 h after i.v. injection of 1 mg LL2-Fab' labelled with 740-925 MBq of 99mTc. SPET of the chest or abdomen was performed in all patients 5-8 h after the immunoreagent injection. RESULTS: No adverse reactions were observed in any patient after Mab infusion, and no appreciable changes were seen in the blood counts, renal or liver function tests. A total of 18 of 21 (85.7%) lymphoma lesions were detected by RAID. All the tumor localizations were confirmed by clinical examination and with other imaging techniques, such as CT scan, MRI or gallium scan. In this series of patients no false-positive results were noted. As regards the biodistribution of the immunoreagent, no appreciable bone marrow activity was seen; splenic targeting was demonstrated in all patients; the tumor-to-non-tumor ratios ranged from 1.2 to 2.8 ad measured by the ROI technique; no difference in uptake was noted for different tumor grades. The images obtained 24 h after injection did not reveal new lesions, but areas of doubtful uptake were seen as positive focal areas in the delayed scan. CONCLUSIONS: LymphoSCAN seems to be useful for detection, staging and follow-up of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The impact of computerization on nursing: an interview study of users and facilitators.

When health care settings are computerized, nurses' jobs are affected. Hospitals must understand this important phenomenon in order to develop the best possible implementation strategies that consider the impact nurses may experience. The goals of this study were the following: 1) to explore the personal and job-related effects of computerization on nurses; 2) to determine the factors that helped these nurses cope during the computerization process; and 3) to derive recommendations that could assist hospitals implementing computerization in future. Twenty nurses were identified by their peers as knowledgeable informants for a research interview: 10 staff nurse users and 10 nurse educators or administrators serving as facilitators of the change. The confidential interviews were analyzed using a grounded theory approach with constant comparative analysis of the emerging categories. The investigators developed a visual model showing six themes that have the greatest effect on the nurses: 1) time frame, 2) choice of software, 3) communication, 4) the change process, 5) training, and 6) leadership. These themes were considered within a broad hospital context, in which budget, nurse involvement, policy practice issues, and other concurrent projects also influenced nursing. In addition, personal characteristics of each nurse affected how each nurse experienced the change to computerization. Recommendations from the respondents addressed a wide range of factors that may be useful to other hospitals planning to implement computerization in nursing.

Attitude to Computers↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Impact of computerization on nursing: automated order entry, care planning, and implications for recruitment.

Very few empirical studies have been completed which verify the actual benefits of automation for nursing. This article provides an overview of the results and implications of five research studies undertaken at a Canadian Hospital to ascertain the impact of computerization on selected aspects of nursing. These studies found that nurses perceived few positive benefits for direct care givers when order entry, results reporting and care planning were automated. This article will be of particular interest to nurse administrators who are embarking on automation within their hospitals.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMedDate not supplied

New nursing graduates: a key factor in nursing supply.

The Canadian nursing education system is the most significant contributor to the country's supply of registered nurses. This article provides current data on the numbers of nursing graduates produced in each province in 1994. The authors highlight some of the differences in the numbers produced and use the national average of new graduates as the percentage of the population of Canada as one method to arrive at the numbers of new graduates per year which each province could attempt to produce. This article provides a national perspective on current and future nursing human resources and will assist nursing administrators in their staffing plans related to registered nurses.

Canada↗