Biomedical subjects

R Morrow

Publications and source records attributed to R Morrow.

39 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

A family practice model of health care for homeless people: collaboration with family nurse practitioners.

The growth of a large population of people without permanent housing in the United States has brought with it the necessity to address the unmet health needs of this group. As homelessness spreads, its demographic pattern has become more heterogeneous, with young vulnerable families now the major subgroup. This paper explores issues of homelessness in Westchester County, N.Y., which, despite being the 10th richest county in the United States, has the highest per capita homeless rate in the state. Children younger than age 18 represent the majority of this group. Barriers to the delivery of health care services are described, including fragmented life-styles, lack of insurance, insensitivity of care givers, distance from services, and inflexibility of traditional sources of health care. A model that has been developed for delivery of services is discussed. This model, the Outreach Health Care Unit, is run by nurse practitioners in collaboration with family physicians and is centered at the site of social service activities for homeless families and single men in Yonkers, N.Y. It is a collaborative endeavor of a nursing school, community hospital family practice residency program, and a network of social service agencies. The use of this model for education and research is also discussed since the goal is to provide both health services and training for health care providers.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Silver acetate mouth spray as an aid in smoking cessation: results of a double-blind trial.

BACKGROUND: We studied the use of an aversive technique to improve the outcome of smoking-cessation efforts. We hypothesized that a silver acetate mouth spray, which produces a strong aversive taste when cigarettes are smoked, would increase the quit rate among smokers. METHODS: Our study was a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that was carried out in a private family practice office in an urban area. We studied 42 smokers, who were recruited by advertisement and who were motivated to quit by self-report. They were randomly assigned active spray or placebo spray; all were given a written list of behavioral suggestions. The spray was to be used every 2 hours for 3 weeks during which time the subjects were to keep diaries of cigarette smoking and spray use. Biochemical measures (salivary thiocyanate and cotinine) were recorded at entry, at 3 weeks, and at 3 months. RESULTS: Thirty smokers completed the study. No differences were found between the two groups in quit rate or number of cigarettes smoked. CONCLUSIONS: Silver acetate aversive spray did not increase quit rate among motivated smokers.

Acetates↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Tuberculosis screening and anergy in a homeless population.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis has again emerged as a growing public health concern in the United States. Among the homeless population, increased risk factors contribute to immunodeficiency, which can cause false-negative results on purified protein derivative (tuberculin) (PPD) skin testing, the standard screening procedure for tuberculosis in individuals. We evaluated the accuracy of PPD skin test results by determining anergy status of patients when offering the PPD test. METHODS: A consecutive convenience sample of 105 underserved men and women were tested at a health clinic located in a homeless shelter in Yonkers, NY. These persons were currently homeless, living in a shelter, or formerly homeless and using the soup kitchen at the shelter. Three antigens, candidin, mumps, and trichophytin, in addition to PPD, were administered intradermally using the Mantoux method, and results were read 48 to 72 hours later on the 100 (95 percent) who returned. An individual was considered to be anergic if the delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions were less than or equal to 2 mm for each of the four antigens. RESULTS: Of the 100 persons who returned for follow-up, 5 (5 percent) were found to be anergic. Of these 5, all were previously known to be positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). CONCLUSIONS: PPD testing alone was found to be an accurate screening test in this population except in those who were HIV positive.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗