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Biomedical subjects

P Higgins

Publications and source records attributed to P Higgins.

59 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Radial dose distribution of 192Ir and 137Cs seed sources.

The radial dose distributions in water around 192Ir seed sources with both platinum and stainless steel encapsulation have been measured using LiF thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD) for distances of 1 to 12 cm along the perpendicular bisector of the source to determine the effect of source encapsulation. Similar measurements also have been made around a 137Cs seed source of comparable dimensions. The data were fit to a third order polynomial to obtain an empirical equation for the radial dose factor which then can be used in dosimetry. The coefficients of this equation for each of the three sources are given. The radial dose factor of the stainless steel encapsulated 192Ir and that of the platinum encapsulated 192Ir agree to within 2%. The radial dose distributions measured here for 192Ir with either type of encapsulation and for 137Cs are indistinguishable from those of other authors when considering uncertainties involved. For clinical dosimetry based on isotropic point or line source models, any of these equations may be used without significantly affecting accuracy.

Brachytherapy↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Occupational health services for municipal employees.

Most municipalities have departments responsible for fire, policing, public works, parks, sanitation, health, water, administration, and communications. A comprehensive occupational medicine program must address the potential and actual health hazards associated with each of these fields, as well as pre-employment/placement medical evaluations, medical surveillance, wellness programs, work-related injury, case management, return-to-work accommodations, and drug and alcohol testing. While no standard for municipal occupational heath services exists, a comprehensive approach to the variety of work settings that are inherent even in small municipalities is important for the service provider.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Computer versus lecture: strategies for teaching fetal monitoring.

The purpose of this study was to determine how well novice nurses learned basic fetal monitoring concepts from a computer-assisted instructional program and a scripted lecture with equivalent content. A pretest-posttest experimental design was conducted. Forty-eight junior baccalaureate nursing students beginning their first maternity rotation were recruited for the study from a southwestern university. Thirty-nine students provided complete data sets. None had prior experience or education in fetal monitoring. Two strategies were used to teach basic fetal monitoring concepts: a scripted lecture with black-and-white transparencies and an equivalent computer-assisted instructional program. Statistical significance was set at p = 0.05. There were no significant differences between the computer and lecture groups' learning on the basis of age, education, or vision. There was a positive, nonsignificant gain in mean scores from the pretest to the posttest for both groups. The greatest difference was in the program completion time with the computer-assisted instruction group completing the program 43.6% faster than the lecture group.

Audiovisual Aids↗