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Retained neuropsychological abilities of individuals with Alzheimer's disease.

Individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) retain certain cognitive abilities over the course of the disease. In this article, we describe retained cognitive-linguistic abilities and the status of activities of daily living (ADLs) of individuals in the early, middle, and late stages of AD. Knowledge of preserved abilities in AD is necessary for clinicians to structure communication-stimulation programs and to train caregivers in the most effective ways to facilitate communication. Using the Global Deterioration Scale (GDS) for staging severity of AD, an outline of preserved abilities by disease stage is provided. Attention, memory, and communication abilities are discussed, and samples of discourse from patients at different stages are included.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Eat Smart! Ontario's Healthy Restaurant Program: a survey of participating restaurant operators.

Eat Smart! Ontario's Healthy Restaurant Program is a standard provincial health promotion program. Public health units grant an award of excellence to restaurants that meet designated standards in nutrition, food safety, and non-smoking seating. The purpose of this study was to assess whether program objectives for participating restaurant operators were achieved during the first year of program implementation, and to obtain operators' recommendations for improving the program. Dillman's tailored design method was used to design a mail survey and implement it among participating operators (n = 434). The design method, which consisted of four mail-outs, yielded a 74% response rate. Fifty percent of respondents operated family-style or quick-service restaurants, and 82% of respondents learned about the program from public health inspectors. Almost all respondents (98%) participated in the program mainly to have their establishments known as clean and healthy restaurants, 65% received and used either point-of-purchase table stands or postcards to promote the program, and 98% planned to continue participating. The respondents' suggestions for improving the program were related to the award ceremony and program materials, media promotion, communication, education, and program standards. Program staff can use the findings to enhance the program.

Consumer Behavior↗

Library outreach: overcoming health literacy challenges.

OBJECTIVE: This paper examines the powerful influences of consumer health literacy on access to and use of relevant health information. METHOD: The paper describes how widespread problems with health literacy significantly limit effective dissemination of relevant health information in society, especially to many vulnerable populations where health literacy challenges are especially pervasive. RESULTS: The paper examines strengths and weaknesses of different programs for addressing health literacy problems, including educational programs, message design programs, and strategic communication training and intervention programs. IMPLICATIONS: The paper evaluates strategies that can be implemented throughout the modern health care system to address problems of health literacy by improving health information access, processing, and understanding. It concludes by examining several strategies that libraries can adopt to overcome many health literacy challenges.

Community-Institutional Relations↗

[Breast feeding in the etiology of diarrhea].

Information derived from different anthropological studies carried out in Guatemala as part of the activities of the maternal and child health and nutrition project reveal that, according to popular beliefs, maternal milk plays a definite role in the etiology of diarrheal diseases in the lactating child. This paper presents information on popular classification of diarrheal diseases that differ from biomedical definitions of same. Different factors that may alter the quality of mothers' breast milk and that may cause gastrointestinal diseases in the lactating child are given in detail. The possibilities and limitations of the popular concept frame of "hot-cold", so common in the popular medical beliefs in Latin American populations, are also pointed out as an explanatory model. Lastly, implications of findings in this study are suggested for public health programs, especially for the communication and education programs on breast feeding, and for the application of the high-risk focus.

Breast Feeding↗

A survey of reading, writing, and oral communication skills in North American veterinary medical colleges.

In the 1989 report by the Pew National Veterinary Education Program (PNVEP), communication skills topped the list of characteristics the veterinary graduate should possess in order to function effectively in the twenty-first century. To determine the reading, writing, and oral communication requirements and opportunities in veterinary curricula in the US and Canada, and to determine the perceived communication tasks that might be commonly required of practicing veterinarians in the next century, we sent a 15-item communications skills questionnaire to the academic deans of the 31 veterinary curricula in the US and Canada. The results reinforce the importance of communication skills in veterinary medicine, as detailed by the PNVEP over 10 years ago. Based on the responses to our questionnaire and on our own experiences with veterinary medical students, we make several recommendations to enhance communication instruction in veterinary medical curricula.

Canada↗

Can women's autonomy impede male involvement in pregnancy health in Katmandu, Nepal?

Women's empowerment programs focus primarily on increasing the decision-making power of women, while male involvement/couple-friendly programs emphasize communication and negotiation within couples in making decisions. In-depth-interviews and focus group discussions were conducted to investigate patterns of household decision-making and the context of male involvement behaviors in Katmandu, Nepal. A questionnaire focusing on household decision-making and husbands' roles during pregnancy was administered to 592 pregnant women receiving antenatal services at a large maternity hospital. Multivariate regression techniques were used to compare male involvement behaviors across varying levels of women's autonomy, represented by different decision-making patterns. Higher women's autonomy, as measured by her sole final decision-making power, was associated with significantly lower male involvement in pregnancy health. After adjustment for other covariates, each additional decision in which a woman had final say was associated with a significantly lower likelihood of her husband accompanying her to antenatal care (OR=0.70, p<0.01). Conversely, joint decision-making between the husband and wife was associated with significantly higher levels of male involvement in pregnancy health. For each additional decision made jointly with husbands, women were more likely to discuss health with their husbands (OR=1.47, p<0.001), to make birth preparations (OR=1.19, p<0.05), and to experience a high level of male involvement (OR=1.29, p<0.05). The positive associations between joint decision-making and male involvement imply that couple communication and shared negotiation strategies can improve health practices. These results indicate that programs intended to increase women's empowerment and/or women's health must consider the dynamics and ramifications of including or excluding males in their efforts. Involving husbands and encouraging couples' joint decision-making in reproductive and family health may provide an important strategy in achieving both women's empowerment and women's health goals.

Adult↗

Intercultural communication between patients and health care providers: an exploration of intercultural communication effectiveness, cultural sensitivity, stress, and anxiety.

Cultural diversity is becoming increasingly more important in the workplace. This is particularly true in health care organizations facing demographic shifts in the patients served and their families. This study serves to aid the development of intercultural communication training programs for health care providers by examining how cultural sensitivity and effective intercultural communication, besides helping patients, personally benefit health care providers by reducing their stress. Effective intercultural communication and cultural sensitivity were found to be related. Health care providers' levels of intercultural anxiety also were found to correlate with effective intercultural communication.

Clinical Competence↗

Nurses' responses to patients' communication.

In this article the results of research undertaken to explore and describe nurses' responses to patients' communication as a factor in health promotion, maintenance and restoration are discussed. Nurses who have completed their basic course in nursing, question the need for participation in post-basic interpersonal skills courses. In contrast to this, patients, families and communities complained that nurses communicate with them in a poor manner and do not listen to them. The research question arose: "How do nurses respond to patients' communication?". A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design was utilised. The naive sketch method was used to collect data regarding nurses' responses to patients' communication. To ensure trustworthiness Guba's model was implemented. Through data analysis five categories of nurses' responses on patients' communication were identified: reassuring: giving of advise/dictating from own frame of reference; explaining; moralizing; and first level empathy. The first four categories of communication patterns are detrimental to the promotion, maintenance and restoration of the patient's health. Previous interpersonal or communication skills programs completed by nurses, do not guarantee the internalisation of attitudes and effective communication skills that are conducive to the promotion, maintenance and restoration of patients' health.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

The use of powered leisure and communication devices in a switch training program.

The ability to operate switches in order to communicate more effectively and to control leisure activities has greatly enriched Pam's life. The switches have opened up a world of entertainment that she can enjoy independently. Both her desire and her ability to explore and master her environment have increased--a major thrust of functional independence so important in occupational therapy.

Adult↗

Risk communication: a tool for behavior change.

This chapter presents some of the theories and models underpinning effective communication practice. It also emphasizes the central role of communication in achieving effective program implementation. Whether the communication is aimed at changing the attitudes and behavior of professionals, various segments of the public, or other target audiences, the basic approach is the same. The following checklist provides a guide to program planners (Arkin 1991): Commit adequate time, effort, and resources to communication planning and pretesting. Begin by singling out specific issues and specific target audiences. Then design messages based on the target audiences' values, needs, and interests. Conduct (or review existing) market research on the target audience to understand what will motivate them. Pretest messages and materials with the target audience to assure understanding and relevance to their needs and interests. Make sure that messages and materials appear where the target audience will pay attention to them (for sensitive issues, community and interpersonal channels that allow interactive discussion are very important). Produce public service announcements that are of high quality, community specific, marketed to stations, and targeted to audiences likely to see them when public service air time is available (such as fringe viewing times). Combine public service announcements with news and other uses of the mass media (e.g., building on related news) to increase exposure to issues. Use a combination of the mass media and community channels that will reach the target audience. Work collaboratively with other organizations, including drug treatment facilities, law enforcement and social service agencies, and other community organizations that have complementary strengths. Begin to coordinate efforts as early as possible in program planning. Use a multipronged communication strategy to focus on what an individual should do, how the individual can start to change, and factors that help reinforce individual change, such as peer approval and community support. Track progress and identify when, and what kind of, changes are needed in communications. Combine communications with other strategies needed to support change (e.g., access to treatment or positive alternatives to drug use). Set reasonable, short-term communication objectives to reach the long-term goal. Then, commit to communications as one program component over the long term. It is important to remember that one-shot campaigns are unlikely to have a lasting effect and that progress is incremental.

Behavior↗

Adverse reactions to vaccines.

(The opinions or assertions contained herein are the private views of the authors and are not to be construed as official or as reflecting the views of the Department of the Army or the Department of Defense.) Immunization healthcare is becoming increasingly complex as the number and types of vaccines have continued to expand. Like all prescription drugs, vaccines may be associated with adverse events. The majority of these reactions are self-limited and not associated with prolonged disability. The media, Internet and public advocacy groups have focused on potentially serious vaccine-associated adverse events with questions raised about causal linkages to increasing frequencies of diseases such as autism and asthma. Despite a lack of evidence of a causal relationship to a variety of vaccine safety concerns, including extensive reviews by the Institute of Medicine, questions regarding vaccine safety continue to threaten the success of immunization programs. Risk communication arid individual risk assessment is further challenged by the public health success of vaccine programs creating the perception that certain vaccines are no longer necessary or justified because of the rare reaction risk. There is a need for improved understanding of true vaccine contraindications and precautions as well as host factors and disease threat in order to develop a patient specific balanced risk communication intervention. When they occur, vaccine related adverse events must be treated, documented and reported through the VAERS system. The increasing complexity of vaccination health care has led the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to identify Vaccine Safety Assessment and Evaluation as a potential new specialty.

Drug Hypersensitivity↗

Communication deviance in the families of schizophrenics: a comment on the misuse of analysis of covariance.

Serious contradictions in recent research programs concerning communication anomalies in parents of schizophrenics have been generated by invalid statistical analyses. The method of analysis used, the analysis of covariance, can lead to erroneous conclusions in the context of these studies, and thus, other means must be sought for bringing these important research programs into common focus.

Analysis of Variance↗

Breaking down the communication barrier.

Dr. Hawkins addresses the problem of how QA managers can best persuade physicians of the importance of QA programs. Since communication is the basis of educating clinicians, the author analyzes the diametrically opposite perspectives of QA managers and physicians even as they pursue the common goal of quality healthcare. While doctors are primarily loyal to patients and peers with an immediate care focus, process-oriented QA managers emphasize the institution and its longer-term goals. To overcome physician resistance to change, Dr. Hawkins offers an adult learner model that stresses understanding the medical staff's viewpoint, negotiation and respect. Physicians are enthusiastic about QA when it helps solve "the endemic daily system problems." The author concludes by recommending that QA managers join physicians on their clinical rounds to bridge the gap between their different approaches.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗