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Biomedical subjects

N Brooks

Publications and source records attributed to N Brooks.

83 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
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Return to work within the first seven years of severe head injury.

The rate and prediction of return to work was examined in 98 severely head injured patients during the first seven years after injury. The employment rate dropped from 86% before injury to 29% after. Younger patients, and those with technical/managerial jobs before injury were more likely to return to work than those over 45 years of age, or in unskilled occupations. Physical deficits were not related to return to work, but the presence of cognitive, behavioural, and personality changes was significantly related to a failure to return to work.

Age Factors↗
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Defining outcome.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Abbreviated Injury Scale↗
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Alcohol and other predictors of cognitive recovery after severe head injury.

The research examined the effects of alcohol and other variables on cognitive outcome after severe head injury. Alcohol consumption habitually and at the time of injury were strongly related, and both were related to age and educational level but not injury severity. Covariance analysis to remove the effects of age and education showed a reduction in the main effects, so that only alcohol consumption at injury was a significant predictor of memory, but not other cognitive areas late after injury. There were significant interactions between severity of injury (post-traumatic amnesia), and alcohol habitually or at time of injury, with increasing alcohol consumption increasing the size of the memory deficit. To have a short post-traumatic amnesia and have drunk heavily led to a worse memory score than that found in patients with a considerably longer post-traumatic amnesia who had drunk lightly or not at all.

Adolescent↗
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Clinical guidelines in community hospitals.

AIM: The objective of this study was to investigate the attitudes of community hospital staff towards clinical guidelines. METHOD: Twenty four staff members from 11 hospitals in one community trust were interviewed. The participants, primarily F and G grade nurses, but also some physiotherapists and occupational therapists, were asked about their use of, attitudes to and sources of clinical guidelines. RESULTS: A simple gap analysis identified that participants were familiar with local clinical guidelines and generally felt positively about them, but had a few reservations. However, they were generally unaware of national guidelines. CONCLUSION: This study has identified the reality of implementing and raising awareness of clinical guidelines in practice.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
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Nurse prescribing: what do patients think?

AIM: To explore nurse prescribing from the patient's viewpoint. METHOD: This study was undertaken in one primary care group in Leicestershire. All prescribing health visitors (n = 17), district nurses (n = 9) and practice nurses (n = 1) were asked to recruit five patients for whom they had prescribed. Fifty patients took part in a telephone or face-to-face interview. Participants were predominantly low or new users of nurse prescribing, while the nurse prescribers were experienced. RESULTS: Participants identified that nurse prescribers had key skills in assessment, observation, diagnosing and providing information. Nurse prescribing was accepted by all participants as a practical and responsive method of service delivery. Gains identified were better use of the nurse's and doctor's time, convenience, a quality relationship with the nurse and expertise of the nurse. Disadvantages identified included the limitations of the Nurse Prescribers' Formulary and the training and competence of nurse prescribers. CONCLUSION: This study helps affirm that nurse prescribers meet the needs of patients, with positive experiences in terms of the process and outcomes. Future developments suggested by participants appear to reflect government concerns. Such changes include the need to develop and maintain competence to uphold public safety and for the formulary to be expanded. To ensure that the NHS workforce is used more effectively, participants agreed with providing patient-centred services and the renegotiation of traditional roles.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Length of stay in community hospitals.

AIM: To identify the factors that contribute to variation in length of stay in hospital. METHOD: After a pilot study, an audit was undertaken in 11 community hospitals in a single trust over an eight-week period. Each ward was audited once. During the audit period 202 patients' records were reviewed, of which 71 were GP admissions and 131 were consultant admissions. RESULTS: Patients admitted to community hospitals were older, predominantly female, classed as at risk of malnutrition and had a reduced functional capacity. An increased length of stay could also be due to limited evidence of discharge planning on transfer from acute or residential homes, a lack of information about patients' social circumstances and how the discharge process was progressed, delay from referral to assessment by the multidisciplinary team, and pressure ulcers on admission to hospital. CONCLUSION: Recommendations for practice are: improved documentation, including an integrated discharge care pathway that is transferable across health and social care; multidisciplinary records; clinical leadership; adapting the current audit tool; and undertaking another audit after the recommendations have been implemented.

Age Distribution↗