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Biomedical subjects

R E Rakel

Publications and source records attributed to R E Rakel.

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1978

Susceptibility patterns of Staphylococcus in a family practice population.

Nasal swabs were obtained from 408 patients seen in a family practice office in an attempt to identify Staphylococcus aureus carriers. Isolated strains were tested for sensitivity to 11 antibiotics. Study participants were interviewed to obtain the following data: age, history of recent hospitalization and/or recent antibiotic use, number of household members, and occupation, if employed in a health-care facility. S aureus was isolated from 109 nasal swabs. This represents a 26.7 percent carrier rate. Only 25.7 percent of the isolates were sensitive to penicillin G and ampicillin. No statistically significant association was found between the patient variables and either the carrier rate or the sensitivity of the S aureus isolates to penicillin. The sensitivity testing demonstrated that 94.5 percent of the isolates were sensitive to tetracycline and erythromycin. Ninety-nine to 100 percent of the isolates were sensitive to all other antibiotics tested. The authors conclude that penicillin G should not be used in the treatment of S aureus infections. Erythromycin, due to demonstrated sensitivity and reasonable cost, is recommended for mild to moderate infections.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

Primary care- whose responsibility?

The increasing recognition of the importance of the primary care concept which has taken place in the past ten years has been accompanied by the rapid and successful development of family practice as a major response to marked deficits in primary care. More recently we are seeing more varied and fragmented approaches to this need by other specialties which have previously concentrated their efforts on secondary and tertiary care. Instead of competing for the primary care banner, the medical profession should give high priority to better understanding the nature of primary care and specifically training primary care physicians with a sufficiently broad range of knowledge and skills to provide primary care of high quality for patients of any age and their families.

Education, Medical, Graduate↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Use of antiplatelet medication for prevention of myocardial infarction and stroke.

Patients who suffer a heart attack can reduce the risk of another attack by 20% by taking 325 mg aspirin daily or every other day. The risk of stroke can be reduced by 50% in patients who experience atrial fibrillation or transient ischemic attacks. Although the benefit of aspirin use in women is controversial, data that suggest that women benefit as well as men are emerging. Antiplatelet drugs should be used only as adjunctive therapy and should not divert one's attention from the more important task of reducing major risk factors, such as smoking, hypertension.

Aspirin↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Success strategies for departments of family medicine.

Strong departments of family medicine in academic medical centers help assure the future scope and quality of family practice patient care, the ongoing evolution of family medicine as a scholarly discipline, and a continued flow of qualified medical school graduates into family practice residency programs and eventually into practice. This report presents key strategies of six successful departments of family medicine and describes the methods and skills considered important by the leaders of these departments. Common themes that emerge are (1) recruit and mentor the best faculty, (2) build a reputation for clinical excellence of faculty and residents, (3) become part of schoolwide curriculum activities, (4) establish a scholarly presence, and (5) develop networks of support.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Maintenance of clinical skills: a study of full-time physician teachers.

The ways in which full-time physician teachers of family medicine maintain their clinical skills were examined. A questionnaire survey of 500 randomly sampled physician teachers was conducted to examine their practice profile, both ambulatory and inpatient, and opinions as to the value of various activities in maintaining their clinical skills. Overall response rate was 84.4%, but only the responses of full-time teachers (69.6%) were used. Teachers spend 2.4 half days per week providing direct patient care and 3.1 half days per week supervising residents. Approximately 90% attend on an inpatient family medicine service, while about 60% admit and manage patients by themselves. A minimum of 2.3 half days per week of providing direct patient care was felt to be necessary to maintain clinical skills. Direct patient care was felt to be the single most important activity in maintaining clinical skills. While statistical differences among residency types existed, the faculty of the various types of residency programs had very similar practice profiles and opinions as to the maintenance of their clinical skills.

Clinical Competence↗