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Biomedical subjects

N Campbell-Heider

Publications and source records attributed to N Campbell-Heider.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Contraceptive implant use among inner city teens.

PURPOSES: This study develops a clinical profile of urban teens who selected Norplant for contraception; determines which variables identify the subjects most likely to be compliant with the method; and determines the most common reasons for early termination of use. METHODS: Demographic and health history data and reasons for termination of use were collected prospectively for 122 inner city teens who received Norplant. Life table analysis and the Mantel-Haenszel procedure were used to investigate differences between Norplant retainers and terminators. RESULTS: The sample consisted of black and Hispanic teens between the ages of 13-19 years, the majority of whom had one or more children and were in school. One and two year retention rates were 71% and 62%. The highest removal rates occurred during the 3-6 month interval after insertion. A significant finding was that teens who have experienced induced abortion were more likely to retain Norplant. Common reasons for termination of use included general and social concerns, including pregnancy desire. CONCLUSIONS: Norplant retention rates for this teen sample were greater than the compliance rates reported for other conventional methods. Similar to noncompliance with oral contraceptives, discontinuance of the method was most likely to occur in the first 6 months of use. A history of induced abortion identifies those teens most likely to retain Norplant, suggesting that these teens might evaluate contraceptive risks and benefits differently than those with no abortion history. Pregnancy desire was a common reason for terminating Norplant use.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Geriatric functional assessment in acute care: a pilot project.

This experimental pilot project examined 33 acute care patients over age 70 to determine if length of stay, cost of stay, and functional decline during hospitalization could be reduced through early assessment. A gerontological clinical nurse specialist (GCNS), using three established instruments, scored all patients within 72 hours of admission to the study unit in relation to mental status, physical functioning, and ability to perform activities of daily living. The instruments included the (a) Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), (b) PULSES Profile, and (c) Katz Index of Activities of Daily Living (Katz ADL). The GCNS's assessments and recommendations for care were documented in patient charts. Subjects were randomly assigned to experimental or control groups. Those in the experimental group received GCNS monitoring, which included daily (except weekends) patient visits to assess newly developed problems, response to interventions, and follow-through on previous recommendations. Other patients received only the usual care. Subjects were retested prior to discharge. The differences between change scores from admission to discharge were not statistically significant. However, the GCNS observed several positive trends in medical and nursing staff practices in relation to increased staff awareness of geriatric care needs. Replication of this study using a larger sample of high-risk elderly patients is needed to further delineate the potential benefits of the unit-based model.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1988

Nurses' attitudes toward conventional and automated vital signs measurement methods.

The acceptance and assimilation of new medical technologies into the health-care arena is a complex process involving financial, humanistic, and clinical considerations. This experimental research compared nurses' attitudes regarding the clinical acceptability of conventional methods of measuring vital signs with their attitudes toward a new, automated method, using the IVAC Model 4000 Vital-Check. Two studies were conducted, at different university-affiliated hospitals, involving different nursing-care-delivery models. The 102 nurses who participated in the studies generally favored the automated method with respect to provider convenience, patient acceptance, and the opportunity to simultaneously perform other nursing assessments. Conventional techniques were preferred for patients on isolation precautions and in some very specific clinical situations such as those requiring detection of abnormalities in the heart rhythm. Interviews of patients were also conducted at both sites and their comments supplemented and supported the quantitative findings for the nurses. Patients seemed to adapt very well to the new technology. They were particularly interested in being better able to monitor their own measurements with the automated process.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1987

Barriers to physician-nurse collegiality: an anthropological perspective.

This paper discusses social and cultural factors that impede collegial interaction of physicians and nurses. While physicians encourage a form of 'team work' in which nurses are subordinate, nurses seek mutual collegiality with physicians. This phenomenon is apparent in various degrees between all educational categories of nurses and physicians. We suggest that nurse expectations of status enhancement through increased knowledge and skill--the nurse practitioner model--fail to consider the deeply rooted structures of hierarchy, in particular gender hierarchy, that pervades medical care. Physician-nurse collegiality does offer benefits to patients; to achieve it nurses must devise methods to alter these structural barriers.

Culture↗