Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Training Technics”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 613 records · Page 34Linked to original sources

Barriers to the evidence-based patient choice (EBPC) consultation.

This study was conducted to explore barriers to the implementation of the 'evidence-based patient choice' (EBPC) consultation in medical practice. The theory behind EBPC encompasses the idea that patients should be provided with evidence-based information in a way that facilitates their ability to make choices or decisions about their health care. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with purposively selected general practitioners (GPs) (n=11), hospital doctors (n=10), practice nurses (n=5), academics (n=11) and lay people (n=8). Qualitative analyses of participants' responses were conducted to identify key themes and categories. Lack of medical evidence per se and evidence relevant to individual patients were the most commonly reported barriers to the EBPC consultation. Other barriers included: doctors' attitudes, limited time for doctors to keep up with the evidence and to introduce evidence into the consultation; economic and resource constraints and a lack of technical resources and training to enable doctors to practice this type of approach.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

Mid-term results of a second generation bifurcated endovascular graft for abdominal aortic aneurysm repair: the French Vanguard trial.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate prospectively the results of the bifurcated Vanguard endovascular graft for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. METHODS: Seventy-five patients, with a median age of 69.6 years (range, 48 to 88 years) and asymptomatic AAAs, were recruited in 14 French vascular institutions. An independent committee validated the indications for endovascular repair, and all the implantations were supervised by a well-trained medico-technical assistant. Further independent committees reviewed patient data, clinical data, and imaging follow-up examination. The main endpoints were implantation success, mortality, morbidity, reinterventions, and aneurysm evolution assessed with serial computed tomographic (CT) scanning. RESULTS: All the grafts were successfully implanted, resulting in a 100% success rate on an intent-to-treat basis. At discharge, there were no deaths, six significant local complications (8%) that necessitated surgery, no vascular complications, and six systemic complications (8%). The average durations of intensive care unit and hospital stays were 26 +/- 6 hours and 6 +/- 2.54 days, respectively. Predischarge CT scan results showed five type I and 18 type II endoleaks (total, 30%). At the end of the follow-up period (mean duration, 18.35 +/- 4.12 months; range, 17 days to 24 months), seven patients (9%) had died: one from sepsis, five from unrelated causes, and one from aneurysm rupture. The 2-year cumulative survival rate was 86% +/- 5.9%. Twenty-one subsequent endovascular or vascular procedures were necessitated (28%) in 17 patients (23%) to treat graft limb occlusion or stenosis (n = 9 patients) or to seal an endoleak (n = 8 patients). The 2-year cumulative survival rate free of reintervention was 67% +/- 7%. On CT scans, the mean AAA diameter decreased from 54 mm +/- 8.9 (range, 45 to 80 mm) before surgery to 51.6 mm +/- 9.1 at 6 months and to 43.4 mm +/- 4.4 at the end of the follow-up period (P =.001). Persistent endoleak was significantly associated with an increase in diameter (4 of 5 [80%] vs 1 of 47 [2%]; P =.001). CONCLUSION: In selected patients, the bifurcated Vanguard endovascular graft may be implanted with a low mortality and morbidity rate and a favorable mid-term survival rate. The decrease of the aneurysm size is a strong argument in favor of the efficiency of the device. However, lasting endoleaks with increased aneurysm diameter and occurrence of limb graft stenosis or occlusion raise concerns and justify a careful long-term follow-up monitoring of all patients who undergo treatment with endovascular technique.

Aged↗

Non-invasive Doppler-derived cardiac output: a validation study comparing this technique with thermodilution and Fick methods.

The high mortality and morbidity related to cardiac events remains a considerable problem in vascular surgery. Predicting high risk patients is difficult except perhaps by coronary angiography which is invasive, costly and impractical. It would be useful to have a technique which could easily measure cardiac output and stratify cardiac risk in patients needing vascular surgery. Doppler-derived cardiac output may be such a technique. It offers considerable advantages over Swan-Ganz thermodilution measurement in that it is non-invasive, continuous, inexpensive, and requires only limited technical skill and training. In order to assess and validate a Doppler cardiac output monitor (ACCUCOM 2, Datascope Medical Co. Ltd.), we undertook a prospective study comparing Doppler-derived measurements with those obtained by thermodilution and Fick methods. Twelve patients undergoing elective coronary angiography were studied. Swan-Ganz thermodilution catheters were inserted on completion of cardiac catheterisation and five consecutive thermodilution and Doppler measurements made in each patient. Oxygen saturation from pulmonary artery and aortic blood samples, and a single indirect Fick cardiac output, were calculated. Linear regression analysis for Doppler against thermodilution gave a correlation co-efficient (r) of 0.81 (p less than 0.002), and (r) for Doppler against the Fick method was 0.76 (p less than 0.02). Bland and Altman's statistical method showed the differences to be normally distributed. The mean difference (thermodilution minus Doppler) was 0.32 l/min SD 0.48 l/min, 95% confidence limits -0.64 to +1.28 l/min. Doppler-derived cardiac output compares well with traditional methods of measurement and may be a useful tool in the assessment and monitoring of the high risk vascular patient.

Adult↗

Clinical practice of embryo transfer.

In this review, several embryo transfer methods are considered, together with factors involved in achieving an effective transfer. The approach most used is transcervical intrauterine transfer. This is described in detail, together with the many variables influencing success, e.g. technical ability and training of personnel, catheter choice, value of a previous 'dummy transfer' and the need to minimize trauma during transfer and so prevent damage to the uterine lining, bleeding and uterine contractions. These factors can each negatively impact on pregnancy rates. Emphasis is put on quality, developmental stage and number of embryos to be transferred to limit multiple pregnancies and their unwanted side-effects. Culture to blastocyst stages and single embryo transfer when optimal quality embryos are available are discussed as means of avoiding multiple pregnancies. Reference is made to embryo cryopreservation and fertility following frozen embryo transfer. Other techniques, such as ultrasound-controlled transcervical intrauterine transfer, and ultrasound-controlled transmyometrial transfer, are reviewed. More invasive procedures, generically grouped as surgical embryo transfer, including gamete intra-Fallopian transfer (GIFT), zygote intra-Fallopian transfer (ZIFT), pronuclear stage transfer and embryo intra-Fallopian transfer (EIFT), are also described. These techniques had a place in IVF when the need to apply assisted reproductive techniques exceeded the capacity of most laboratories, but not today thanks to refined laboratory technology and improved understanding of implantation. Alternative assisted reproductive technologies, such as direct intra-follicular insemination (DIFI), Fallopian spermatic perfusion (FSP), peritoneal oocyte stage and sperm transfer and intra-vaginal culture (IVC), are mentioned briefly.

Cryopreservation↗

[Ultrasound diagnosis of the locomotor system].

Improvements of ultrasound technology with knew equipments allowed enormous advances in all fields of medicine during the last years. Several conditions concerning technical equipment and training of the operator have to be fulfilled to guarantee sufficient quality of the diagnostic information obtained in musculoskeletal ultrasound, Ultrasound is most commonly used in the assessment of soft tissue disease, detection of fluid collection, but can also be used to visualise structures such as cartilage and bone surfaces. Bone surface changes like erosions may be seen before they are apparent on plain x ray or even magnetic resonance imaging. Dynamic assessment of joint and tendon movements allows better understanding of the functional disorders than mainly static imaging methods. Advantages of ultrasound include its non-invasiveness, portability, relative inexpensiveness, lack of ionising radiation, and its ability to be repeated as often as necessary, making it particularly useful in the monitoring of treatment. Guidance of diagnostic aspiration, biopsy and injection treatment improves quality and security of these interventions. Newer ultrasound techniques including colour and power Doppler imaging, as well as bubble contrast agents and three dimensional reconstructions are promising tools for the future.

Contrast Media↗

Teaching clinically experienced physicians communication skills. A review of evaluation studies.

CONTEXT: Interest in the teaching of communication skills in medical schools has increased since the early seventies but, despite this growing interest, relatively limited curricular time is spent on the teaching of communication skills. The limited attention to the teaching of these skills applies even more to the physicians' clinical years, when attention becomes highly focused on biomedical and technical competence. Continuing training after medical school is necessary to refresh knowledge and skills, to prohibit decline of performance and to establish further improvements. OBJECTIVE: This review provides an overview of evaluation studies of communication skills training programmes for clinically experienced physicians who have finished their undergraduate medical education. The review focuses on the training objectives, the applied educational methods, the evaluation methodology and instruments, and training results. METHODS: CD-ROM searches were performed on MedLine and Psychlit, with a focus on effect-studies dating from 1985. RESULTS: Fifteen papers on 14 evaluation studies were located. There appears to be some consistency in the aims and methods of the training programmes. Course effect measurements include physician self-ratings, independent behavioural observations and patient outcomes. Most of the studies used inadequate research designs. Overall, positive training effects on the physicians' communication behaviour are found on half or less of the observed behaviours. Studies with the most adequate designs report the fewest positive training effects. CONCLUSION: Several reasons are discussed to explain the limited findings. Future research may benefit from research methods which focus on factors that inhibit and facilitate the physicians' implementation of skills into actual behaviours in daily practice.

Communication↗

Video networking of cardiac catheterization laboratories.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility and accuracy of a video telecommunication network to transmit coronary images to provide on-line interaction between personnel in a cardiac catheterization laboratory and a remote core laboratory. METHODS: A telecommunication system was installed in the cardiac catheterization laboratory at Kaiser Hospital, Los Angeles, and the core laboratory at the University of California, Irvine, approximately 40 miles away. Cineangiograms, live fluoroscopy, intravascular ultrasound studies and images of the catheterization laboratory were transmitted in real time over a dedicated T1 line at 768 kilobytes/second at 15 frames/second. These cases were performed during a clinical study of angiographic guidance versus intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) guidance of stent deployment. During the cases the core laboratory performed quantitative analysis of the angiograms and ultrasound images. Selected images were then annotated and transmitted back to the catheterization laboratory to facilitate discussion during the procedure. RESULTS: A successful communication hookup was obtained in 39 (98%) of 40 cases. Measurements of angiographic parameters were very close between the original cinefilm and the transmitted images. Quantitative analysis of the ultrasound images showed no significant difference in any of the diameter or cross-sectional area measurements between the original ultrasound tape and the transmitted images. The telecommunication link during the interventional procedures had a significant impact in 23 (58%) of 40 cases affecting the area to be treated, the size of the inflation balloon, recognition of stent underdeployment, or the existence of disease in other areas that was not noted on the original studies. CONCLUSIONS: Current video telecommunication systems provide high-quality images on-line with accurate representation of cineangiograms and intravascular ultrasound images. This system had a significant impact on 58% of the cases in this small clinical trial. Telecommunication networks between hospitals and a central core laboratory may facilitate physician training and improve technical skills and judgement during interventional procedures. This project has implications for how multicenter clinical trials could be operated through telecommunication networks to ensure conformity with the protocol.

Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary↗

Direct dosing of preweaning rodents in toxicity testing and research: deliberations of an ILSI RSI Expert Working Group.

Laboratory animal studies designed to assess the effects of exposure of a test substance during postnatal development are commonly utilized in basic research and to evaluate potential hazard to children for chemical and pharmaceutical regulation. Direct dosing, defined here as the administration of a test substance directly to a preweaning mammal, has been identified as a useful tool that can be used in the conduct of such studies for regulatory purposes. The International Life Sciences Institute Risk Science Institute (ILSI RSI) convened an Expert Working Group to develop guidance on the design and implementation of direct dosing regulatory studies on preweaning mammals, which was published as an ILSI monograph in 2003 (Zoetis and Walls, Principles and Practices for Direct Dosing of Pre-Weaning Mammals in Toxicity Testing and Research, Washington, DC: ILSI Press, 2003). A summary of the Working Group conclusions regarding direct dosing studies with laboratory rodents are presented here, although the ILSI monograph also includes rabbits, canines, swine and nonhuman primates. Issues to be considered when designing the protocol include selection of the test species, the route of administration, dose levels, and the timing of dosing. Knowledge of the maturational status of the test species and information on critical windows of development are important in creating a valid study design. Most common routes of administration (e.g., oral, inhalation, injection) are possible with typical laboratory species; however, adjustments may be necessary due to practical considerations. Information on the pharmacokinetic profile in young animals versus adults and in the test species versus humans is very useful for determining dosing parameters. The conduct of the study and the interpretation of the data will be improved by an understanding of confounding factors as well as statistical and biological issues specific for postnatal studies. Ultimately, the success of the study will depend upon careful preparation, including thorough training of the technical staff.

Animals↗

Screening for stereopsis without the use of technical equipment: scale development and cross-validation.

BACKGROUND: Although adequate stereopsis is important for many common sensory-motor activities, large-scale normative samples of the relationship between stereopsis and other individual difference variables are relatively scarce, and stereopsis is often not routinely tested even in settings where it might play an important role. This is, in part, due to the fact that data collection requires individual testing, the use of costly technical equipment and trained personnel. METHOD: Beginning with a pool of 161 items and an initial sample of 542 individuals, we developed a self-report inventory-suitable for group testing, survey administration or rapid individual screening--possessing a high correlation with laboratory measures of stereopsis. The inventory was then cross-validated against laboratory measures of stereo-acuity in a separate sample of 573 subjects. RESULTS: For the combined samples, the resulting 10-item Stereopsis Screening Inventory (SSI) correlated with laboratory measures of per cent stereopsis (r = 0.80). The inventory's reliability was assessed with a resulting internal consistency coefficient (alpha) of 0.88. CONCLUSIONS: The SSI provides a fast, valid and inexpensive measure of uncorrected stereopsis which can be used for rapid screening or epidemiological surveys. The correct classification rate for the SSI was 84% for a low fence requiring 65% stereopsis or better, and 81% for a high fence of residual stereopsis of 25% or less. A conversion equation, with inventory and scoring procedure is given in the Appendix.

Adolescent↗

Coordinated strategies for controlling micronutrient malnutrition: a technical workshop.

Participants in a November 1991 workshop concluded that coordinated strategies for controlling malnutrition due to iodine, iron, vitamin A and other micronutrients deficiencies are technically feasible and should be given consideration in planning control efforts. Coordinated surveys involving clinical, biochemical and dietary assessment of multiple micronutrients are feasible. Multiple fortification is also possible using such vehicles as salt, processed rice or sugar. Supplementation efforts can be integrated with existing health care programs. Food-based strategies are also effective. The best examples have been community-based and have included a strong nutrition and health education component designed to change food consumption patterns, improve food preservation and preparation practices, and link income-generating activities with food production activities. Successful coordinated efforts will require a strong political commitment and a supportive infrastructure. Specific recommendations include the formation of national coordinating bodies for micronutrient deficiency control, establishment of a micronutrient information network and expansion of technical exchange and training.

Developing Countries↗

The Fort McMurray Demonstration Project in social marketing: health- and safety-related behaviour among oil sands workers.

This is the first round in a series of surveys conducted in Fort McMurray as part of the Fort McMurray Demonstration Project in social marketing. This component of the survey was intended to focus on the most prominent group of employed workers in the community and to compare their patterns of response with the community as a whole. Respondents to the survey were overwhelmingly male (96%), married (72.9%) and living in households of two to five persons (87.9%). They were predominantly aged 30-44 (55%) and graduates of high school (53.5%). Younger male workers (below age 30) were more likely to have a high school diploma (78.3%) or some additional technical or vocational training (21.7% compared to 12.5% overall) and to be unmarried or separated. Attitudes toward safety-related behaviours were stronger than for respondents from the community as a whole. Approximately 70-100% of all age groups and both sexes showed strong agreement with attitudes involving child car seats and the unacceptability of drinking and driving. These attitudes include strong advocacy of vigorous enforcement of occupational health and safety standards. However, they showed a variability similar to the community as a whole in behaviour at home compared to work, generally reporting more consistent use of personal protection on the job than in their own homes, particularly hearing protection. Even so, they were much less likely to perform stretching and warm-up exercises prior to exertion than community residents in general. The potential may exist to transfer the technology and attitudes from workplace health and safety to community safety. One possible strategy to accomplish this is to involve workers in this industry directly in community initiatives. This strategy may be generalizable to any community in which there are major employers who place a heavy emphasis on risk control and occupational health and safety.

Adult↗

Developments in the new genetics.

The advent of recombinant DNA has introduced novel ways of diagnosing genetic disorders. The application of these techniques in affected families, coupled with genetic counselling, should help prevent the recurrence of a proportion of cases, and thereby reduce a considerable amount of suffering, and in some cases the expense of caring for a severely affected individual. However, such aims may be achieved only when the importance of such services is more widely recognized and they become more generally available. Counselling and prenatal diagnostic services have been available in University Centres of Medical Genetics for at least the last 20 years yet still only a proportion of the population at risk avail themselves of these services. The role of Health Departments in ensuring that those at risk are aware of and then use these facilities is clear. Health education must play an important role in this regard. Furthermore, there is a real need for financial support to employ adequately trained medical and technical staff in such centres. Currently, these problems are being debated by such bodies as the Clinical Genetics Society and the Royal College of Physicians. With the co-operation, help and support of Public Health Departments in the future, these exciting developments will not remain within the confines of research laboratories but will be extended to the community at large. In this way all those at risk in the population can benefit.

DNA, Recombinant↗

The process to develop a meaningful community health assessment in New York State.

Conducting and producing a meaningful Community Health Assessment (CHA) is an important and essential public health service and a mandatory biennial activity for New York State's (NYS) Local Health Departments. The Assessment Initiative project has allowed the NYS Department of Health to better understand and identify strategies to strengthen CHAs and to develop training, education, and technical assistance programs. The Assessment Initiative project has benefited from participation, coordination, and sharing of resources and expertise with other community health improvement initiatives in NYS, including those that emphasize collaborative approaches to health improvement, workforce development, and expanding access to data.

Community Health Planning↗

Health care and higher education. The time diary approach for management development.

Discusses a project which aimed to determine the employee development needs of Plymouth Polytechnic and Derriford Hospital NHS senior technicians. Using the time diary approach, it revealed employer and employee variance in opinions over desired managerial competences and variance in the training needs for the two organizations. In the case of NHS technicians it was possible to define areas where provision of a new training scheme would be beneficial. Their counterparts in higher education revealed a much lower degree of interest in the provision of external assistance to develop their managerial skills further. Concludes that the Polytechnic would need to implement structural changes to the work environment before introducing any new training schemes for technical staff.

Data Collection↗

A 2020 vision of patient-centered primary care.

Patient-centered care has received new prominence with its inclusion by the Institute of Medicine as 1 of the 6 aims of quality. Seven attributes of patient-centered primary care are proposed here to improve this dimension of care: access to care, patient engagement in care, information systems, care coordination, integrated and comprehensive team care, patient-centered care surveys, and publicly available information. The Commonwealth Fund 2003 National Survey of Physicians and Quality of Care finds that one fourth of primary care physicians currently incorporate these various patient-centered attributes in their practices. To bring about marked improvement will require a new system of primary care payment that blends monthly patient panel fees with traditional fee-for-service payment, and new incentives for patient-centered care performance. A major effort to test this concept, develop a business case, provide technical assistance and training, and diffuse best practices is needed to transform American health care.

Family Practice↗

Family psychoeducation and schizophrenia: a review of the literature.

Family psychoeducation has emerged as a treatment of choice for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, and other disorders. More than 30 randomized clinical trials have demonstrated reduced relapse rates, improved recovery of patients, and improved family well-being among participants. Interventions common to effective family psychoeducation programs have been developed, including empathic engagement, education, ongoing support, clinical resources during periods of crisis, social network enhancement, and problem-solving and communication skills. Application of family psychoeducation in routine settings where patients having these disorders are usually treated has been limited, reflecting attitudinal, knowledge, practical, and systemic implementation obstacles. Through consensus among patient and family advocacy organizations, clinician training, and ongoing technical consultation and supervision, this approach has been implemented in routine clinical settings.

Family Relations↗

MR imaging: quality assessment method and ratings at 33 centers.

PURPOSE: To outline a quality assessment method with peer review for magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-three providers in the Philadelphia area were rated on a random sample of 132 brain, 124 cervical spine, and 113 lower extremity MR imaging examinations performed during 1990. Blinded peer review was performed by panels of three subspecialty-trained academic radiologists. Technical performance, completeness, and report appropriateness of each MR imaging examination were evaluated. Aggregated scores were calculated to rate provider performance for each of the three parameters of quality. RESULTS: Two or three panelists assessed technical performance as inadequate in 15 cases, completeness as incomplete in 58 cases, and the interpretative report as inappropriate and affecting treatment in 72 cases. Eleven providers received an unsatisfactory rating on one or more parameters of quality. The association between unsatisfactory ratings and the use of low-field-strength (< or = 0.6-T) imagers was statistically significant (P < .008). CONCLUSION: Substantial deficiencies were identified in the performance of examinations and interpretation of MR images in the Philadelphia area in 1990. These findings indicate the need for a program to monitor quality of MR imaging.

Brain↗

Screening ultrasound in blunt abdominal trauma.

Ultrasound is used worldwide to evaluate patients with blunt abdominal trauma. Sometimes referred to as an extension of the physical exam, ultrasound can rapidly help distinguish patients with injury requiring computerized tomography (CT) or surgery (typically 5%-10%) from those with no abdominal injury (> 90%). Ultrasound has several advantages in the setting of trauma. It is portable, integrates easily into the resuscitation of trauma victims without causing delay in therapy, is noninvasive, and has no associated morbidity. Limitations of ultrasound include its dependence on operator skill and technique, poor image quality in patients with morbid obesity or extensive subcutaneous gas, limited visualization of the retroperitoneum, and less reliable localization of visceral injury compared to CT. Successful use of abdominal ultrasound in the setting of trauma can be maximized with adequate sonographer training, appreciation of technical limitations, and adherence to an appropriate trauma ultrasound protocol.

Abdominal Injuries↗