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Biomedical subjects

P Turnbull

Publications and source records attributed to P Turnbull.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

Pharmacy-based needle exchange (PBNX) schemes in south east England: a survey of service providers.

AIMS: To describe the activities of service providers with regard to (i) the business operation and policies defining pharmacy-based needle exchange (PBNX) in South East England; (ii) the day-to-day work of PBNX outlets from the provider perspective; and (iii) problems encountered by PBNX providers. DESIGN: (i) Postal self-completion questionnaire to all participating PBNX community pharmacies in South East England; and (ii) postal self-completion questionnaire to needle exchange coordinators. SETTING: Community pharmacy needle exchanges. PARTICIPANTS: Pharmacists in charge of needle exchange; and needle exchange coordinators. FINDINGS: Data were collected (i) from 381/440 (86.7%) participating community pharmacists, and (ii) 32/36 (88.9%) of coordinators. The study found that PBNX was reaching injecting drug users (many of whom used PBNX regularly), and providing a wide range of injecting equipment. Although pharmacists reported that problems such as shoplifting occurred relatively frequently, more serious problems such as violence were relatively rare. However, PBNX pharmacists reported needing further training for themselves and their staff. Suggested improvements included better advertising of services and improving returns rates for used injecting equipment. CONCLUSION: Needle exchange can reasonably be provided by non-specialist health care professionals such as community pharmacists. However, attention should to be paid to the educational needs of service providers who also require adequate support.

Education, Pharmacy↗

Prisons. Vancouver Conference Review.

Interesting and innovative programmes to tackle the problems associated with HIV/AIDS in prison have been and are being tried throughout the world. However, a number of political, legal and cultural barriers exist hindering the development of effective prevention and care and treatment approaches.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗

Temporal artery inflammation as a complication of anthrax.

A 41-year-old male patient was treated with penicillin for cutaneous anthrax affecting the region of the right eye. He was also given dexamethasone for 3 days to combat extensive oedema which was causing respiratory difficulty because of tracheal compression. After the oedema had resolved and the typical necrotic black eschar of anthrax had evolved, he developed acute inflammation of the right temporal artery. We believe this is the first report of this type of complication of anthrax.

Adult↗

Computer systems. Which system for GPs?

With over 100 systems to choose from, buying a computer system for use in general practice can be a difficult and arduous task. The Department of Health provides some guidelines to try and ease the problem, but there is very little empirical evidence which buyers can use to help them make decisions. Cathy Bakewell and Peter Turnbull describe some research which might help.

Ambulatory Care Information Systems↗

Acute haemodynamic and metabolic effects of dopexamine, a new dopaminergic receptor agonist, in patients with chronic heart failure.

Dopexamine, a new compound with postjunctional dopamine receptor activating and beta adrenoceptor agonist properties, was given to 10 patients with chronic heart failure at diagnostic cardiac catheterisation to investigate its acute haemodynamic and metabolic effects. The drug was administered by intravenous infusion in three incremental doses and produced significant dose related increases in cardiac index, stroke volume index, and heart rate and falls in systemic vascular resistance and left ventricular end diastolic pressure; aortic and pulmonary artery pressures were unchanged. Isovolumic phase (max dP/dt and KVmax) and ejection phase (peak aortic blood velocity, maximum acceleration of blood, and maximum rate of change of power with time during ejection) indices of myocardial contractility were all increased by dopexamine but these changes were hard to interpret in the presence of an increase in heart rate. Myocardial efficiency and ejection fraction were both increased and left ventricular end diastolic and end systolic volumes fell. These largely beneficial changes were achieved without a statistically significant increase in myocardial oxygen consumption or disturbance of myocardial metabolic function. Dopexamine was well tolerated but tremor was reported by two patients at the intermediate dose and mild chest pain by two patients at the high dose.

Adult↗

A comparative trial of the diagnostic quality of and tolerance for two concentrations of ioxaglate when used for phlebography.

We report a prospective, randomised, double blind study comparing the diagnostic quality of and tolerance for ascending phlebography in 100 patients using two different concentrations of ioxaglate, 320 mg/ml and 200 mg/ml. The immediate and delayed side effects were minimal in both groups and the difference between the two concentrations was not statistically significant. All the phlebograms were of diagnostic quality. We conclude that, with its lower osmolality, lower viscosity and lower cost, ioxaglate 200 mg/ml is a suitable medium for routine use in ascending phlebography of lower limbs.

Adolescent↗