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W Petro

Publications and source records attributed to W Petro.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

"Open-word" questions: an effective tool in gauging education of patients with COPD.

For evaluation of the success of patient education in patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), multiple-choice tests are commonly used. Using these tests, however, only passive knowledge can be examined. We attempted to evaluate, with the help of "open-word" questions and keywords, as used in examinations of students of arts, the active knowledge achieved by 12 patients who had been participants in one of our indepth courses of patient education. The results of this "open-word" test were compared with the results of multiple-choice tests with 91 participants. The average results of the "open-word" tests, with 36% correct answers, were remarkably worse than those of the multiple-choice tests with 80% correct answers. In our opinion, this allows the conclusion that the active knowledge attained in the patient-education courses is clearly lower than the passive knowledge achieved, and that, on the other hand, multiple-choice tests cannot be considered as the exclusive method to evaluate the success of patient education because their questions may quite often prove to be too easy.

Female↗
PubMed1996

[Long-term oxygen therapy: which form of administration can be recommended?].

A great variety of application devices for long-term-oxygen-therapy are being used. In order to find out which products can be especially recommended we conducted an inquiry among German lung specialists asking which devices they were preferring and why. Additionally, in a clinical study the efficiency of basic types of products has been compared. Data about patients' acceptance of different devices have been collected by another inquiry. As it turned out the most efficient models (e.g. oxygen catheters) are only accepted by a very small number of patients. So they can not be recommended for long-term-oxygen-therapy. Patients' acceptance concentrates on nasal oxygen cannulae having two tubes that lead into the nostrils but no foam pad. The product PARI 96.2020 is expecially favoured as it combines "tight fit", "soft material" and "easy handling", criteria most important for the patients. Similar models (PARI 96.2021 and Airlife), although following on the next two places, are only favoured by half as much patients. As obviously quite simple, functional products are preferred to very sophisticated and expensive ones, future development should also follow the demands of patients, not only theoretical considerations.

Equipment Design↗
PubMed1994

[Cortisone anxiety in chronic obstructive respiratory tract diseases: a patient survey].

Patients with chronic-obstructive lung diseases often develop unrealistic anxiety about the side-effects of cortisone therapy. Distorted descriptions in mass-media are the reason for the anxiety. The relations between cortisone anxiety and other variables of the subjective and objective situation will be investigated within a model of health psychology. About 10% of the 66 patients completing a questionnaire express attitudes, which could be interpreted as cortisone anxiety. The patients with cortisone anxiety differ in other characteristics as well.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

[Analysis of causes of incorrect use of dose aerosols].

Preparations administered by inhalation make relatively high demands on the skill and knowledge of the patient in handling this form of application, for the effectivity of the therapy is inseparably linked to its faultless application. The present article aims at analysing possible mistakes in handling and at finding the most effective way of avoiding them. Several groups of patients with different previous knowledge were analysed in respect of handling skill and the influence of training on an improvement of the same; the patients' self-assessment was analysed by questioning them. Most mistakes are committed by patients whose only information consists of the contents of the package circular. Written instructions alone cannot convey sufficient information especially on how to synchronize the release operations. Major mistakes are insufficient expiration before application in 85.6% of the patients and lack of synchronisation in 55.9%, while the lowest rate of errors in respect of handling was seen in patients who had undergone training and instruction. Training in application associated with demonstration and subsequent exercise reduces the error ratio to a tolerable level. Pulverizers free from propelling gas and preparations applied by means of a spacer are clearly superior to others in respect of a comparatively low error rate. 99.3% of all patients believe they are correctly following the instructions, but on going into the question more deeply it becomes apparent that 37.1% of them make incorrect statements. Hence, practical training in application should get top priority in the treatment of obstructive diseases of the airways. The individual steps of inhalation technique must be explained in detail and demonstrated by means of a placebo dosage aerosol.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

[The circadian rhythm of ciliary beat frequency of human nasal cilia in probands with healthy lungs and in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease. Includes adrenergic stimulation by terbutaline].

Brush biopsies taken from the human nose eight times during 24 hours were examined under a phase contrast microscope and the ciliary beat frequency was measured directly by a photosensitive cell. Ten healthy volunteers showed in two series of measurements, at 600, 1200, 1800, 2400 initially and 300, 900, 1500, 2100 six weeks later, a marked decrease in ciliary beat frequency towards the middle of the day and a statistically higher beat frequency in the early morning. The influence of the adrenergic drug terbutaline led to a cilioexcitation ranging from 0.1-1.4 Hz (mean: 0.9 Hz). In contrast to, neither a circadian variation of the ciliary beat frequency nor a stimulation by terbutaline could be observed in a group of fifteen patients with chronic bronchitis or bronchiectasis at 600, 1200, 1800 and 2400.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Patient training in obstructive respiratory tract diseases--the status in Germany].

An analysis of the situation in respect of the activity of the Working Group "Patient Training" of the German Society of Pneumology reveals that the development has been a positive one. During the period under scrutiny (1988-1990) the patient training measures were markedly broadened for patients suffering from obstructive airway diseases. A significant increase took place in specialised hospitals and in the medical practices of physicians. Patients suffering from asthma, chronic obstructive bronchitis and pulmonary emphysema were trained both for coping with their individual diseases and with subsequent and concomitant diseases. On the whole, about 18,000 patients were trained in Germany. Both own material and in an increasing measure material supplied by the pharmaceutical industry was successfully employed. Although most of the trainers are physicians, these are being increasingly joined by nurses and physiotherapists. In the consulting-rooms of practising physicians, patient training is performed mainly up to two hours after consulting hours, especially in the evening. Preferred subjects are technique of inhalation, problems of therapy and causes of airway diseases. Second in importance after the individual talk with the patient is the group discussion. To spread patient training it will be necessary to set up pilot units: however, the medical professional organisations should also help in translating the project into reality. Standardisation of training measures for clinic and practice is planned and will be a future target for the working group. The aim is to officially integrate training measures into the therapeutic concept in obstructive airway disease also for practising physicians.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[Efficiency of portable sleep apnea screening instruments].

Diagnosis of a sleep apnoea syndrome in severely snoring patients with diurnal sleepiness is growing in importance in the consulting rooms of general practitioners, internists, ENT specialists and pneumologists. However, time and cost reasons limit the diagnostic procedures conducted by practitioners to outpatient screening. Two different systems are presently available in Germany. The MESAM system (Madaus, Freiburg) records by means of a microphone and various electrodes the oxygen saturation, heart rate, snoring and sleeping position of the patient. The Apnoe-Check System (Medanz, Starnberg) determines the nasal and oral respiratory flow by means of a mask fitted with thermistors. Evaluation is accomplished in the case of MESAM via a conventional personal computer whereas with the Apnoea Check System the apnoeas and their duration can be read off direct from a writer. The cost ratio of these systems is approximately 3:1 (MESAM:Apnoea Check). Wie compared both systems by parallel measurements on 19 female and male patients and controlled the results obtained by measurements with a CO2 infrared absorption spectrometer in our sleep lab. A total of 3201 nocturnal events were recorded via MESAM and 1488 via the Apnoe-Check System. The highest number of apneas was recorded by MESAM in a patient with severe sleep apnea syndrome, namely, 546 apnoeas in one night. The lowest number of apnea events was experienced by a healthy male with 33 apneas in a night. With the Apnoe Check the maximum of nocturnal events was 255, the minimum being 8 events in one patient. In 64.6% of all nocturnal events there was time congruence for both systems.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Circadian Rhythm↗
PubMed1990

[Bad Reichenhall model of structured patient education. Asthma, bronchitis, emphysema].

As the third "pillar" in the treatment of chronic obstructive airway diseases after acute treatment and long-term drug treatment aimed at avoiding late sequelae of the disease, this article describes the "patient school". Its aims are, on the one hand to motivate the patient to develop better compliance, and, through the utilisation of non-medicamentous possibilities, to greatly improve the patient's quality of life and his long-term prognosis. The Bad Reichenhall model is characterized as an integrated concept with the following main thrusts: helping the patient to better cope with and accept his disease, to provide education and behavioral training with the aim of permitting the patient to adapt his activities to the constraints of his disease.

Asthma↗
PubMed1990

[Pilot study for evaluating patient education in asthma, bronchitis, emphysema with the support of the Bad Reichenhall Research Institute for Diseases of Respiratory Organs, Inc].

In a pilot evaluation study, 186 out of-so far-600 patients who underwent 40 "educational cycles" were submitted to a controlled interview to determine the learning effect, patient's views on educational matters and, at least in part, on the success of the latter in terms of improved quality of life, treatment and the social environment. For this purpose, questions that appeared similar while having the identical content, were asked prior to "schooling", immediately following such instruction and six months later. The return rate of the 6-month questionnaires achieved an astonishing almost 80%, which represents a very good figure. Sixteen questions were asked about the contents of instruction, which, in turn, divided up into six complexes.

Asthma↗
PubMed1990

[A strategy for optimal standardized education of patients with obstructive respiratory tract diseases].

The contraindication between optimal treatment and, nevertheless, increasing morbidity and mortality in bronchial asthma results in interest being focussed on patient education aimed at improving the patient's own responsibility. The decisive object of any educational measures must be to increase this sense of own responsibility. In Germany, such educational measures are rarely provided, for the most part being offered by rehabilitation centres. At the present time, statistical data on the effect of such measures are available for some 500 patients. These patients are better informed and are better able to cope with their disease on a day-to-day basis, while therapeutic discipline is improved. The patients themselves desire such education in close conjunction with hospitals (rehabilitation centres) and their own physicians. The newly founded working group Patient Education at the Germany Society for Pneumology and Tuberculosis, has set itself the task of coordinating presently available activities. In an initial phase, current activities offered are made known and matched to one another. The next step is to work put the common essentials of the educational aims, contents and forms for children and adults with asthma, bronchitis and emphysema. The final objective is to establish standards for educational programmes to be provided by hospitals and rehabilitation centres, and for pre- and post-instruction by the patient's own physician.

Adult↗