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Biomedical subjects

P Patterson

Publications and source records attributed to P Patterson.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Computers and nurses.

This paper will consider some of the reasons why nurses must become computer literate and be both aware of, and able to use, information technology. There are advantages for nurses in professional standing, research opportunities and assistance with management problems. Without nursing involvement the use of computers will be imposed on nurses, and it is possible that such an imposition could limit nursing autonomy, exclude nurses from decision making and increase the nurse's workload without benefit. There is a rapid expansion of information and its electronic storage and processing. Are we as nurses aware of the implications of this? Do we really want to know about it? And are we ready to cope with the changes it could make in the way we practice? These are essential questions for curriculum planners now.

Computer Systems↗
PubMed1992

A validation of a physical activity monitor for young and older adults.

The accuracy of the Caltrac accelerometer was studied in 28 young (26.1 +/- 1.1 yrs) and 28 older (64.8 +/- 1.0 yrs; M +/- SEM) men and women to determine its usefulness as an activity monitor for young and older adults. Oxygen uptake was measured by indirect calorimetry while subjects walked on a motorized treadmill at six different speeds while wearing an accelerometer on the hip and on the upper back. The test-retest reliability of the Caltrac was r = .95 and r = .98 for young and older subjects, respectively. In the young group, activity counts correlated highly to net caloric expenditure (absolute minus estimated resting expenditure) (hip vs. kcal/kg: r = .89; back vs. kcal/kg: r = .88) when averaged across speeds, but the relationship was only moderate (back: r = .51; hip: r = .46) when the influence of speed was removed. In the older group the correlations were considerably weaker (back: r = .73; hip: r = .25), and essentially zero when the influence of speed was removed. These data indicate that the Caltrac is a highly reliable accelerometer that is useful for assessing qualitative differences in the level of physical activity among groups, but it lacks accuracy in quantifying energy expenditure in individuals, especially in older adults.

Acceleration↗