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S Priebe

Publications and source records attributed to S Priebe.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

The impact of the interviewer-interviewee relationship on subjective quality of life ratings in schizophrenia patients.

Subjective quality of life (SQOL) ratings are usually based on interviews. This study examined in which way patients' ratings differ depending on whom they are interviewed by. SQOL was assessed in 78 schizophrenia patients in an out patient clinic and in sheltered living arrangements. Using patients randomly allocated to two interview situations: one group was interviewed by external researchers, the other group by their case managers. On average, more favourable ratings were elicited by case managers. Some of the differences were statistically significant and substantial in size. Yet, opposing differences were also found regarding some life domains in one group. It may be concluded that a significant impact of the interviewer-interviewee relationship on SQOL ratings may exist, but that it is not consistent, unidirectional and uniform regarding life domains and across different settings and samples.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

[Discharge in inpatient care. Results of a survey. Postscript to part III of the Berlin Deinstitutionalization Study].

PURPOSE: 42 percent long-term patients from the Berlin Deinstitutionalization Study sample have been discharged to full-time institutional settings. METHODS: The questionnaires of a mail-survey covered features of 58 different non-hospital full-time institutional settings and care for a group of 125 long-term mental patients. RESULTS: The return rate was more than 70 percent. For 78 percent of the discharged former long-term inpatients the political goal of complete psychiatric care in the patient's home area has been reached, but only 20 percent live in smaller institutions of up to 40 places. CONCLUSIONS: The significance of other data of the survey does not exceed that of stock-taking and certain indications because of the selective data and the limitations of the method. There is an urgent need for further research in examining the quality of non-hospital institutional care for psychiatric long-term patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

[Similarities and differences in subjective quality of life of alcoholic women].

OBJECTIVE: The present study examined quality of life of alcoholic women in detoxification. The study aimed at providing data in line with a so-called subject oriented evaluation and at finding ways for improving clinical care. METHODS: 70 alcoholic women were asked about their quality of life and about their need for qualities help. A follow-up study, six months later, examined the extent of relapse. RESULTS: Alcoholic women differ in their subjective quality of life. Subgroups, which differ regarding the structure of quality of life, also vary in age, job situation and finances, age of admission and their view on their alcohol dependence. They differ in their needs, too. Subjective quality of life predicts relapse. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that subjective quality of life may be useful evaluation criterion. The assessment of quality of life may yield useful hints for therapeutic interventions.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

[Attitude of family to clozapine].

AIM: Evaluations of clozapine treatment by relatives of schizophrenic patients were assessed as part of an exploratory study and compared with the patients' own assessment. METHOD: 46 relatives of individuals suffering from schizophrenia were questioned by means of a problem-centred interview. RESULTS: In addition to the positive effects on the schizophrenic illness, relatives strikingly often pointed out the calming, sleep-improving effect of clozapine. As opposed to the patients, the majority of relatives were well aware of the risks associated with discontinuing the drug treatment. Both patients and relatives complained about the sedative effect and the increased need for sleep associated with clozapine treatment. However, diverging evaluations were given with regard to hypersalivation, anticholinergic effects, and weight gain. Relatives were more concerned about possible organ damage occurring as a long-term effect than the patients. Further, indications were found that relatives were more worried by the risk of haematotoxic effects resulting from clozapine treatment than the patients. It could be said that, among the relatives, there was a slightly greater awareness of the advantages of clozapine treatment in comparison with conventional neuroleptics than there was with the patients. CONCLUSION: The importance of relatives' views in the effort to secure adequate neuroleptic treatment despite the current economic restrictions should not be under-estimated.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

["Rather overweight and mentally present...". Patients evaluate clozapine].

OBJECTIVE: Subjective evaluations by schizophrenic patients of clozapine treatment were assessed as part of an exploratory study. METHODS: A problem-centred interview was carried out with 80 patients at discharge from in-patient or day hospital treatment. RESULTS: In addition to expected effects (improvement or stabilisation of one's state of mental health, antipsychotic effects), patients surprisingly often highlighted clozapine's calming and relaxing effect as well as improved sleep as particularly positive. While more than half of the respondents expected a worsening of their condition in case they stopped taking their medication, only every fifth patient feared a relapse. Among the negative effects, fatigue and sedation were cited by far the most often. The absence of extrapyramidal side effects was clearly noted as an advantage of clozapine. Only every tenth of those questioned was aware of the risks for the haemotopoietic system associated with the drug. With regard to the obligatory blood tests, a surprisingly large number of patients was indifferent or stated that they had no opinion on the matter. DISCUSSION: Possible implications for patient information and compliance will be discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Achiral and chiral high-performance liquid chromatographic methods for clinafloxacin, a fluoroquinolone antibacterial, in human plasma.

Achiral and chiral HPLC methods were developed for clinafloxacin, a quinolone antimicrobial agent. For achiral assay, analytes were isolated from plasma by precipitating plasma proteins. Separation was achieved on a C18 column using an isocratic eluent of ion pairing solution-acetonitrile (80:20, v/v) at 1.0 ml/min with UV detection at 340 nm. The ion pairing solution was 0.05 M citric acid, 1.15 mM tetrabutylammonium hydroxide and 0.1% ammonium perchlorate. Inter-assay accuracy was within 4.9% with an inter-assay precision of 3.7% over a quantitation range of 0.025 to 10.0 microg/ml. For chiral assay, analytes were isolated from plasma by solid-phase extraction. Separation was achieved on a Crownpak CR(+) column using an isocratic eluent of water-methanol (88:12, v/v) containing 0.1 mM decylamine at 1.0 ml/min with UV detection at 340 nm. Perchloric acid was added to adjust pH to 2. Inter-assay accuracy was within 3.5% with a inter-assay precision of 5.4% over a quantitation range of 0.040 to 2.5 microg/ml.

Anti-Infective Agents↗
PubMed1998

[Measuring changes in subjective quality of life in chronic schizophrenic patients].

Subjective quality of life in a group of chronic schizophrenia outpatients was assessed within 1 1/2 years (n = 50) and 4-6 weeks (n = 47) using the Berliner Lebensqualitätsprofil (German version of the Lancashire Quality of Life Profile). There had been no systematic therapeutic interventions meanwhile. Stability and constancy for the longer interval was similar to results in the general population. The statistics for the shorter interval justify in particular use of the profile's total score and general well-being for the measurement of change. In contrast to cross-sectional data and the longer observation period, no significant common variation between psychopathological symptoms and subjective quality of life could be found for the shorter period.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1998

Objective and subjective quality of life of first-admitted women and men with schizophrenia.

Empirical studies have shown that there are differences between women and men with respect to the onset of schizophrenia and the development of their mental and social conditions. It was therefore the goal of this study to assess the objective life situation and subjective quality of life, as well as the differences, similarities and interrelations, at the onset of schizophrenia in women and men. Ninety schizophrenic patients were interviewed between the second and fourth weeks of their first hospital stay using the Berlin Quality of Life Profile, and rated according to the BPRS. Areas of social problems (work, living circumstances, safety and drug abuse) had become manifest with several of the patients, particularly among the young men, prior to first admission. Although objective conditions, gender and psychopathology have an impact on the subjective quality of life, it cannot be fully explained by them. Multivariate analyses have demonstrated that the factors influencing it are probably different for women and men, and schizophrenic women appraise their life circumstances in a different manner from men, as is true for differences between the statements of acutely and chronically ill patients. It can be concluded from the results of this study that psychiatric services should offer specific social support measures before or at first hospital admission and not after the illness has become chronic. The subjective construct of global quality of life apparently differs from one sample to another, and gender-related aspects, among others, have an impact on it.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Employment, attitudes toward work, and quality of life among people with schizophrenia in three countries.

This study examines attitudes toward work, work incentives, and the impact of work on quality of life for people with schizophrenia, and investigates whether these findings differ among Western countries. We interviewed 24 randomly selected subjects with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder (12 employed and 12 unemployed) at each of three sites: Boulder, Colorado, United States; Berlin, Germany; and Berne, Switzerland. No significant differences were found in the subjects' attitudes toward work or subjective well-being, although Swiss patients had a higher cost-of-living-adjusted income. Unemployed subjects reported a lower subjective reservation (minimum financially worthwhile) wage than employed subjects in Berlin and Berne, whereas the reverse was true in Boulder. When subjects from all sites were combined, employed patients displayed less psychopathology and significant advantages in terms of objective and subjective measures of income and well-being: They were also more likely to stress the importance of work. The results suggest that work is associated with a markedly better quality of life for people with schizophrenia, but that disability pension programs in the United States might introduce work disincentives.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Do different subjective evaluation criteria reflect distinct constructs?

Four subjective evaluation criteria--self-rated symptoms, subjective quality of life, self-rated needs, and patients' assessment of treatment--were examined to determine whether they reflect distinct constructs and to what extent they are correlated. The four criteria were assessed in 90 newly admitted schizophrenia patients, 170 long-term-hospitalized schizophrenia patients, 154 patients with alcoholism admitted for the short term, and 68 patients with alcoholism in long-term rehabilitation, using identical instruments. The four criteria show substantial intercorrelations, except for assessment of treatment in the two acute treatment groups. One general factor explains between 43% and 55% of the variance in each group. Factor scores are associated with observer-rated psychopathology and objective data. The four criteria overlap in different patient groups, except in the assessment of treatment in acute groups. The use of more than one subjective criterion should occur only with specific hypotheses. A better theoretical framework is needed to explain the differences between and interrelationships of subjective evaluation criteria.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Assessing the quality of psychiatric hospital care: a German approach.

OBJECTIVE: The German Ministry of Health commissioned a nonprofit organization to develop a tool for assessing the quality of psychiatric hospital care. METHODS: The authors were members of an expert group established to develop an assessment tool that could be used by professional caregivers, patients, patients' relatives, managers, purchasers, and mental health care planners. RESULTS: A three-dimensional model was developed in which 23 quality standards may be applied to 28 areas of practice. For each application, questions can be asked at four levels to stimulate ongoing quality management: the individual treatment process, the individual outcome, the treatment unit, and the hospital as a whole. The authors provide sample questions to illustrate the approach. CONCLUSIONS: The approach to quality assessment embodied in the model is comprehensive and addresses ethical issues, but it is also complicated and difficult to handle. Unlike models developed in the United States, it is not intended to be objective or standardized, and it does not yield a score. To some extent, the model's approach to assessment may reflect German cultural values and traditions.

Consumer Advocacy↗
PubMed1998

[Initial hospitalization of schizophrenic patients. Illness manifestations, stresses, problems and resources].

PURPOSE: In this study we examined subjective views other than the usually studied quality of life, needs and treatment satisfaction, of first-admitted schizophrenic patients. METHODS: Data of 90 patients were gathered with two established and a new questionnaire. RESULTS: Signs of anxious unrest and loss of vigour are the most frequently reported complaints in patients as well as in a sample of the Berlin general population that was also studied but with a clearly higher incidence in the patients. Patients are most often burdened by concerns regarding their disease and their objective living conditions, especially work. They experience social contacts and leisure activities as helpful. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that complaints, burdens, worries and the fear of negative consequences--rather than being an expression of specific schizophrenic symptoms--are a non-specific reaction to a difficult and burdensome situation. In clinical practice, special consideration of this reaction and of the social conditions seems useful.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

[Treatment prognosis and discharge 2 years later. III. Berlin Deinstitutionalization Study].

In a two-year follow-up we report on discharges in a cohort of 422 middle-term and long-term inpatients and prognoses of their psychiatrists and psychologists concerning time of discharge and location, after 50% long-term patients with a present stay of more than two years and 82% of middle-term patients (stay: 6-24 months) had been discharged. More than one-third of the long-term patients could be placed in sheltered accommodation, but 42% are still referred to nursing homes. All together 68% are still in institutional settings--either as inpatients or in nursing homes. Prognoses were not very reliable concerning the time of discharge but substantial with regard to placement in sheltered accommodation. This can be interpreted as a result of successful co-operation between inpatient and community-based services.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1998

[How does the quality of life of long-term hospitalized psychiatric patients change after their discharge into the community?].

In the Berlin deinstitutionalisation study, quality of life in 134 long-term hospitalised psychiatric patients was examined twice: Discharged patients were interviewed again one year after their return to the community, whereas patients who continued to be hospitalised were reinterviewed after 1(1/2)-2 years after the first interview. Quality of life was assessed by the Berlin Quality of Life Profile. Four groups were distinguished in the analysis: 1. patients who continued as inpatients in the same hospital, 2. patients who had been referred to other hospitals, 3. patients who had been discharged after less than one year of continuous inpatient care, and 4. patients discharged after more then one year of hospital care. The four groups differed significantly in several sociodemographic and illness-related variables. Regarding the objective quality of life data, the four groups differed significantly in respect of the spheres leisure, social contacts and safety at follow-up. Discharged patients had more leisure activities, more often a "good friend", and more frequent social contacts within the last week. They had been less often victim to a crime. In a cross-sectional analysis, the four groups showed significant differences regarding subjective quality of life in the spheres accommodation and safety. In a longitudinal analysis, no group showed any significant negative changes. Positive changes were found in the group of patients formerly hospitalised for more than a year most often: satisfaction with leisure activities, with the financial situation, and with accommodation improved significantly during the follow-up period. Results show a marked and significant improvement in the objective and subjective quality of life indicators in formerly long-term hospitalised patients after discharge.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Profiles of subjective quality of life in schizophrenic in- and out-patient samples.

For the use of subjective quality of life as an evaluation criterion, it should be known if measures are reliable, to what extent they are influenced by other variables and whether differences and similarities can be detected across treatment situations. Quality of life profiles (Berliner Lebensqualitatsprofil/Lancashire Quality of Life Profile) of 440 schizophrenic patients (from Berlin, Germany and from Wales, UK) were examined. Reliabilities differed between life domains and groups. The influence of other variables was moderate and varied between the groups. Several significant differences between subsamples could be shown between in-patients with a shorter present stay and out-patients. In addition, interesting similarities in profile patterns between in-patients with a longer stay (> or = 2 years) and out-patients can be found. Being admitted to a psychiatric hospital seems to have an influence on the level and structure of subjective quality of life for some time. Being in a psychiatric hospital for a longer time seems to coincide with a stabilization of level and structure of subjective quality of life. Future reports on subjective quality of life should include diagnostically homogeneous sampling and control the correlation with psychopathology. Further research is needed to clarify the impact of other variables (e.g. length of stay, cognitive variables, treatment features) on patients' satisfaction in different settings.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Measuring the quality of life of severely mentally ill people using the Lancashire Quality of Life Profile.

Quality of life (QOL) has become an important outcome measure for many disorders, including mental illness. The Lancashire Quality of Life Profile (LQOLP) was developed for use in operational contexts, and has been translated into several languages. It is in use in several European and North American community psychiatric services. The present paper addresses the questions: how easy is it to use?; how reliable is it?; do the results of the LQOLP vary by setting in a meaningful way?; how do the results co-vary with measures of clinical symptoms and social functioning?; how well does it measure change?; is it clinically useful? While most of the answers to these questions are favourable, there is a need for further research and development of the profile, in particular with reference to the consequences of the use of the profile as a routine monitoring instrument and the most appropriate form of statistical analysis in longitudinal data-sets.

Bias↗