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Biomedical subjects

L M Kirk

Publications and source records attributed to L M Kirk.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

Survival analysis of cemented Press-Fit Condylar total knee arthroplasty.

We performed a survival analysis on 354 cemented primary Press-Fit Condylar (PFC) total knee arthroplasties (TKA) in 277 patients with prospective follow-up (mean, 6 years; range, 2-11.7 years). No patient was lost to follow-up. Using revision for all causes as the endpoint, the cumulative survival rate at 10 years was 95.5% (95% confidence interval, 90.1%-98.1%). The 10-year clinical outcome available on 41 patients was good, with significant improvement in pain and mobility assessments using the Nottingham data collection system. Our results indicate that the cemented PFC TKA has good long-term survival based on revision as the endpoint. Revision for implant failure is rare and brings to question modifications to this prosthesis.

Adult↗

Patient education pamphlets about prevention, detection, and treatment of breast cancer for low literacy women.

The objective of this project was to identify and assess readily available patient education literature about prevention, detection and treatment of breast cancer for the patient with low literacy skills. The target population had a reading comprehension level of sixth grade or lower. Nineteen pamphlets were analyzed using RightWriter and were found to have an average readability index of 9.15, therefore requiring at least a ninth grade level of reading comprehension. As a consequence, many pieces of the available literature were inappropriate for the target population. There are implications as a broader group of health care providers becomes more involved in the treatment of low literacy patients. In providing patient education literature to poorly educated patients, special emphasis should be given to determining readability. Both currently available and newly created literature should be analyzed for readability before assuming it is an aid to patient education.

Breast Neoplasms↗

Developing a support system for teaching and assessing clinical competence.

Primary care medical school faculty, in partnership with the faculty and staff of a Department of Biomedical Communications (Office of Medical Education) developed a teaching and logistical support system using standardized patients. The patients are used to teach history and physical examination skills to students in an introductory clinical medicine course. Having both clinical assessment team members, who are skilled biomedical communicators, and designated clinic rooms for standardized patients provides the foundation necessary for this growing area in medical education. Improved student performance, as measured by an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), and students' positive ratings and comments in the evaluation of the course demonstrated the efficacy of using standardized patients in teaching and assessing clinical performance.

Clinical Competence↗

Mammography in a mobile setting: remaining barriers.

This study examined the barriers to undergoing mammography perceived by a group of women with ready access to reduced-cost screening mammography in a mobile van at the workplace. The subject sample comprised women who made appointments for mammography at the Susan G. Komen Mobile Breast Center in Dallas. Women who underwent mammography and women who made appointments but did not undergo the examination were asked to complete a survey examining potential barriers to undergoing mammography. The group of patients surveyed were, as a whole, well educated, affluent, less than 50 years of age, and knowledgeable about breast cancer. Compliant women were more likely to have previously undergone mammography (P less than .001), to have been influenced by their physician's advice to undergo mammography (P less than .005), and to be influenced by the media than were noncompliant women (P less than .005). These findings may be useful in developing strategies to increase mammographic screening in a self-referred population.

Female↗

The health sciences communicator as faculty developer.

To determine the content for a model faculty development program for primary care faculty, a combination of the Delphi and Nominal Group Technique was used resulting in a curriculum with five units of instruction: development of curriculum and instruction, teaching methods, evaluation, administration, and academic survival skills. A philosophy for conducting faculty development is presented which includes concepts of andragogy, technology transfer, the diffusion of innovation, and networking. Program types include short-term, long-term, and extended programs such as fellowships.

Communication↗

Methods of improving patient compliance in chronic disease states.

Patients with chronic diseases fail to comply with the regimen prescribed by the physician for a variety of reasons. Physicians must be aware of the likelihood of noncompliance in the individual patient and make strong efforts to detect problems and persuade patients with the importance of adherence to a program designed to reach and maintain stated, and often negotiated, therapeutic goals. It is the physician's responsibility to teach, motivate, and strengthen the patient to maximize compliance in a largely unsupervised setting. This can best be accomplished by a process of "therapeutic partnership."

Chronic Disease↗

A guide to Mosaic and the World Wide Web for physicians.

Although the predecessor of the Internet as we know it has existed since 1969, few physicians have taken full advantage of its extensive and continuously expanding resources. This may be due in part to the perceived difficulty of navigating the sometimes circuitous routes to the data sources of interest. Newer and substantially more user-friendly interfaces have been developed recently, allowing simpler and more direct access to the full range of Internet resources. Arguably the most important of these is the National Center for Supercomputing Application's Mosaic, the link to an information domain known as the World Wide Web. This article provides an overview of the important medical resources that Mosaic offers the clinician, teacher, and researcher, together with information on how to obtain and configure the software.

Computer Communication Networks↗