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Biomedical subjects

S Houston

Publications and source records attributed to S Houston.

115 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Improving organizational performance. Administrative nurse specialist.

The Executive Nurse Council was challenged to develop strategies designed to empower staff nurses and nurse managers and create opportunities for professional growth. Implementation of these strategies resulted in broad-sweeping changes in roles and functions of groups and individuals at all levels of the organization. The authors describe a support role, administrative nurse specialist, designed to support staff and managers striving to actualize changes in a shared governance framework.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

HIV infection and Salmonella septic arthritis.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection predisposes to bacterial infection at may sites but septic arthritis is notably uncommon. An HIV seropositive patient who presented with oligoarticular septic arthritis due to Salmonella enteritidis and who responded poorly to antibiotic therapy and repeated aspiration of involved joints is described. Unusual features included the clinical presentation of septic arthritis in more than one joint, a protracted clinical course with radiological destruction of the hip, bone marrow suppression induced by cotrimoxazole, and death thought to be due to a gastropathy induced by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory therapy at a time when the septic arthritis appeared to have responded to treatment. Cure of Salmonella septic arthritis in HIV infected patients may be difficult and require aggressive prolonged treatment. Septic arthritis should be considered in the differential diagnosis in a patient with HIV infection and arthritis.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Structured care methodologies: tools for standardization and outcomes measurement.

In today's healthcare environment, institutions are striving to streamline processes, reduce costs of healthcare, and establish best practice patterns while maintaining and improving the quality of care provided. Various healthcare delivery models are in use including case management and outcomes management. Various tools or structured-care methodologies (SCMs) are incorporated into these different models to support cost reduction and streamline processes while enhancing quality of care. This article discusses the tools frequently used, such as critical pathways, algorithms, and guidelines, as well as how these tools can be used in combination to support each other. This article also addresses the benefits of SCMs, how these tools are developed, and how the data obtained can be used in quality enhancement programs.

Algorithms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Collaborative practice teams: from multidisciplinary to interdisciplinary.

The current competitive health care market includes consumers and payers who are demanding that providers demonstrate and validate the effectiveness of their interventions in promoting patient outcomes. Collaboration in the form of interdisciplinary teams is an effective mechanism for enhancing patient outcomes. The CPT acts as the vehicle for driving the outcomes management process. Seven skills used by CPT members enhance collaboration: clinical competence, credibility, consistency, assertiveness, structured meetings, valuing of time, and marketing of the CPT. Change is inevitable, and strategies for change will be useful in achieving the outcomes of carefully planned objectives and goals.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Linking outcomes management and practice improvement. The link between outcomes management and JCAHO functions.

Staff participating in the CABG outcomes management program continue to examine the effectiveness and efficiency of care processes and to redesign care to improve patient and organizational outcomes. In fact, this quality enhancement program is neverending as we strive continually to improve the care of CABG patients. The success, measured through improved process and outcome variables, has promoted the implementation of similar programs for other patient populations. Using foresight in the development of outcomes management programs to ensure inclusiveness of regulatory body or agency criteria encourages comprehensive programs that yield positive outcomes for both patients and organizations.

Coronary Artery Bypass↗