Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R R West

Publications and source records attributed to R R West.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Childhood cancer in New Zealand: incidence and survival, 1961-1976.

Mortality from cancer in New Zealand children is higher than in most other western countries. This paper reports an analysis of the incidence and survival of all cases of childhood cancer registered in New Zealand from 1961 to 1976. The overall incidence was very similar to that reported by American registries, but higher than in Britain. Survival rates in New Zealand for children with lymphoma and leukaemia were rather poorer than in Britain as a whole, and appreciably worse than in Manchester and in selected regions of the USA. For most other malignancies, survival rates were similar to those in Britain. Survival rates in New Zealand were improving during the period of this study. The possible advantage of centralising treatment was examined by comparing the survival of children treated in the largest centre (Auckland--with 32% of all cases) and in other parts of the country. Children treated in Auckland generally had a longer remission, but experienced no significant advantage in five-year survival. This lack of advantage was not due to referrals from outside the region or to differences in racial composition.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

An example of medical audit under political pressure.

Management of medical services necessitates decisions regarding the possibly ineffective treatment programmes, hospitals and (even) individual practitioners. Although rigorous evaluations of effectiveness can only be achieved by randomized trials there has been, in recent years, much increase in audit (or peer review) activity. Ideally medical audit is undertaken as a collaborative exercise, and follows preplanned methods of data collection and evaluation of outcome. However, real management situations frequently do not conform to the ideal, as when the medico-political finger of accusation points at one particular hospital and asks for an immediate enquiry. This audit analyses the mortality and morbidity after coronary artery bypass graft surgery in the 'suspect' hospital and in control hospitals. The paper describes the difficulties of obtaining comparable records post hoc and the interpretations of small differences, mostly non-significant statistically yet possibly 'real', both in the characteristics of patients operated on and in the outcomes of operations.

Aged↗
PubMed1982

Shortening waiting lists in orthopaedic surgery outpatient clinics.

There is a long waiting list for orthopaedic outpatient appointments in South Glamorgan Area Health Authority as elsewhere. A detailed study of that waiting list was undertaken to identify factors that might lead to its better management and reduction. One-third of patients on the list failed to attend when appointments were offered. A postal-questionnaire to all those listed as waiting confirmed that many no longer sought specialist orthopaedic consultation. Another third of the patients reported that they had been treated previously for the same orthopaedic problem. It is concluded that improved management of long outpatient waiting lists could be achieved by correspondence with referring general practitioners to weed out those patients who no longer wish to attend, to reduce the burden of reviews and re-referrals of patients with "chronic" conditions, and to request priorities fairly so that earlier appointments may be offered to truly "new" patients with treatable or with potentially serious conditions.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1981

Acute lower respiratory tract infections in infants: the influence of central heating systems.

A cohort of 342 infants in a group practice population were studied during the first year of life to assess whether hot-air central heating was associated with more severe respiratory infections than radiator central heating.Infants born into council house families with ducted hot-air central heating were at no greater risk of contracting severe respiratory infections than those with radiator central heating. The risk of a respiratory infection was positively correlated with size of sibship and maternal smoking habits.

Heating↗
PubMed1979

Randomised multicentre trial of early mobilisation after uncomplicated myocardial infarction.

In a multicentre trial 742 patients in 13 hospitals in Wales were randomly allocated on the fifth day after uncomplicated myocardial infarction to be mobilised on the fifth or the tenth day. The trial shows no difference in first year mortality, nor in morbidity assessed after a median period of 13 months. Follow-up after one year suggests an unexplained lower mortality during the second and third years in the late mobilisation group.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Variation in rates of hospital admission for appendicitis in Wales.

In a study designed to investigate the variations in rates of admission to hospital for appendicitis in Wales Hospital Activity Analysis listings were analysed according to the sex and age of the patients and the month and day of the week of admission. The incidence of hospitalisation was greatest among boys aged 10-14 and girls aged 15-19. The number of admissions was higher on weekdays than at weekends, but there were no seasonal variations. Durations of stay differed between the 17 health districts. We conclude that admission rates vary mainly because of differing hospital admission policies. Admission is not wholly governed by the sudden onset of abdominal pain; other factors include the threshold of consultation of each patient, the referral habits of general practitioners, the availability of hospital beds, and the degree to which doctors and patients expect admission.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

The water story.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Calcium↗
PubMed1978

Sudden infant death syndrome in Cardiff, association with epidemic influenza and with temperature - 1955-1974.

The effects of social class, season, low temperature and sudden falls in temperature are investigated in 286 cases of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in Cardiff in the years 1955--1974. The association with low temperature was striking: unsuspected hypothermia may be an important feature of these deaths. Sudden infant death incidence was associated with influenza A but not influenza B epidemics.

Cold Temperature↗
PubMed1977

Cervical cancer: Age at registration and age at death.

The 5-year survival of women with localized (early-stage) cervical cancer is much higher than for women with non-localized (late-stage) cancer, but women with localized cancer tend also to be younger than those with advanced cancer. A new method of presenting the long-term survival is suggested, and the registrations of cervical cancers in South Wales are analysed in terms of average age at registration and average age at death. The observed average age at death was very close to 59 years regardless of stage (and age) at diagnosis, and calculations of expected ages at death of the whole populations suggest that more than half the advantage in survival shown by early stage cancers over late stage cancers is due to diagnosis of the former in younger women.

Age Factors↗