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Biomedical subjects

T Johnston

Publications and source records attributed to T Johnston.

40 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Undergraduate medical education in geriatrics: nursing home experience.

Preclinical medical students undertook an elective course in geriatrics which combined instruction in history taking, physical diagnosis, and problem-oriented assessment of elderly patients in a nursing home. A drug utilization review and specific drug therapy plans were formulated by pharmacy students. The project identified general problems susceptible to institutional as well as individual remedy. The students were led beyond their initial preoccupation with "physical complaints" to interest in pertinent psychological, social, and economic factors. A model of geriatric education for health science students can productively link the health science center and community nursing homes with benefits for the student, the patient, and the nursing home.

Aged↗

Innovative programs for children and adolescents with spinal cord injury.

A few innovative programs have enabled children with SCI to surpass traditional levels of independence defined solely on preservation of motor function. Implementation of unique upper extremity and bladder surgical programs has provided children with tetraplegia the ability to manipulate objects without equipment and to independently empty their bladder, respectively. Innovative surgical programs have also restored privacy, dignity, and spontaneity. These are important gains previously unachievable by young persons with tetraplegia. Functional electrical stimulation has advanced children's abilities in upright mobility and has made significant impact on their quality of life by restoring hand and bladder capacities. Nurses play a leadership role in the delivery and integration of these dynamic programs.

Adolescent↗

Dental health of children with cerebral palsy following sialodochoplasty.

Drooling occurs commonly in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Surgical procedures, known as slalodochoplasties, are often performed for the control of drooling. These include major salivary gland excision, parasympathetic nerve section, duct ligation, and duct re-routing. Alterations in saliva amount, flow, and consistency occur following sialodochoplasty, and the resultant effect on dental homeostasis requires further investigation. This controlled study investigated 19 children with CP following sialodochoplasty (surgery group) and 75 children with CP treated nonsurgically (control group) who attended our hospital. Dental caries experience-including dmft, DMFT, and partial DMFS scores of mandibular incisors and canines only-plaque index, and enamel developmental defects index were recorded. Saliva buffering capacity and bacterial counts were assessed. The surgical group (median DMFT = 5.00) had significantly more dental caries when compared with the control group (median DMFT = 0.00), Wilcoxon Signed-rank Test, P < 0.0001. This study has shown that children with CP following sialodochoplasty have increased risk of dental caries when compared with those treated nonsurgically for drooling. Although no caries predictors were identified, alterations to the caries-protective role of saliva are considered the likely cause. Children who undergo this procedure should receive intensive pre- and postsurgical preventive dental therapy.

Adolescent↗