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Biomedical subjects

R P Hauber

Publications and source records attributed to R P Hauber.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Living in limbo: the low-level brain-injured patient and the patient's family.

One hallmark of severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a loss of consciousness followed by varying states of consciousness. Estimates suggest that 30-40% of individuals who survive severe TBI will stay in low-level or reduced states of consciousness for prolonged periods. The state of coma is relatively easy to diagnose; however, differential diagnosis of other states of reduced consciousness have proven to be much more difficult, precipitating a number of problems related to prognosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. Accurate diagnosis is critical in determining the prognosis for persons with severe TBI because it has significant implications for the patient, family, clinician, and payer. Studies have shown that prognosis directly influences numbers and types of treatments recommended. Often, families find themselves being forced to make critical decisions with little knowledge and a great deal of uncertainty. Understanding reduced states of consciousness and facilitating accurate evaluation of such states allow neuroscience nurses to help families effectively cope during this difficult time.

Brain Injuries↗
PubMed1999

Use of telerehabilitation to manage pressure ulcers in persons with spinal cord injuries.

Pressure ulcers are a common and serious secondary complication of spinal cord injury. In addition to being costly and difficult to treat, pressure ulcers may interfere with many aspects of patient and family life, including the ability to meet educational, vocational, and social goals. Treatment of pressure ulcers includes weekly assessment by a clinician, a requirement that often is impossible for clients to meet. In an effort to improve outcomes in wound care treatment, a rehabilitation center undertook an exploratory project to determine whether wound care via telerehabilitation was a viable alternative to clinic visits. Telerehabilitation is the use of telecommunication technology to deliver rehabilitation services at a distance. Eight patients being followed in the outpatient clinic participated in the project. The Picasso Still-Image Videophone was used to capture and send images from the patients' homes to the clinic. Findings from the exploratory study demonstrated that pressure ulcers can be successfully managed via telerehabilitation.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Anger and blood pressure readings in children.

This study investigated the relationship of state and trait anger measured by the Jacob's Pediatric Anger Scale, patterns of anger expression measured by Jacob's Pediatric Anger Expression Scale, and blood pressure readings (BPR) in 230 third-grade children. Analysis of data revealed significant inverse relationships between anger suppression and diastolic BPR and anger reflection and control and both diastolic and systolic BPR. As anger suppression increased, diastolic BPR decreased. As anger reflection and control increased, both systolic and diastolic BPR decreased. When gender was considered, the relationship between anger reflection and control and systolic BPR was apparent only for girls, whereas the relationship between anger reflection and control and diastolic BPR was apparent only for boys. When correlations were computed based on gender and race, a significant inverse relationship between anger reflection and control and systolic BPR in Black girls was found. The results suggest that the influence of race and gender on the relationships between anger expression and systolic and diastolic BPR, which has been documented in adults, may be present in childhood.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1994

Self-administered versus nurse-administered epidural analgesia after cesarean section.

OBJECTIVE: To compare two methods of administering analgesia by the epidural route after cesarean sections. DESIGN: Quasi-experimental. SETTING: The postpartum area of a large community hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty women undergoing planned cesarean sections with epidural anesthesia. INTERVENTIONS: The control group received continuous epidural analgesia with nurse-administered boluses and the experimental group with self-administered boluses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pain control, side effects from medication, amount of medication required, postoperative activity levels, and patient satisfaction. RESULTS: Subjects receiving continuous epidural analgesia with self-administered boluses of analgesic used significantly less fentanyl and fewer supplemental intravenous pain medications than subjects receiving continuous epidural analgesia with nurse-administered boluses of analgesic. CONCLUSIONS: Subjects in self-administered group required less pain medication than subjects in nurse-administered group.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1992

Factors associated with closed head injury in a pediatric population.

The purpose of this study was to identify characteristic factors in children who sustained closed head injury (CHI) between birth and less than 15 years of age. A two-year retrospective audit of charts from a large metropolitan pediatric hospital with a trauma center yielded a sample of 138 charts that met the established criteria for inclusion in the study. Using a descriptive design, data were gathered on age, sex, race, cause of injury, severity of injury, season of accident, time of accident and length of hospital stay. Data analysis revealed that males were 1.5 times more likely to sustain CHI than females. Both sexes showed the highest incidence of CHI during the first year with a second less dramatic peak at around 6 years of age. Transportation-related causes accounted for 57.2% of the injuries with falls accounting for another 22.5%. Of the transportation-related injuries, 27.5% were associated with motor vehicle accidents. The lack of restraint use for subjects in the motor vehicle accident group was associated with 5 deaths as opposed to no deaths in subjects who were restrained. Over 70% of the injuries occurred in the time periods of 2:00-6:00 p.m. (31.9%) and 6:00-10:00 p.m. (40.7%). CHI occurred less frequently in the winter (13.8%) than any other season. Using the Glasgow Coma Scale scores, 56.5% of the injuries were categorized as mild, 17.4% were moderate and 26.1% were severe. There was an 8% mortality rate secondary to injury in the sample.

Accidental Falls↗