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PubMed1998

Estimation of outcome and restriction of interventions in neonates.

OBJECTIVE: To learn whether pediatricians accurately estimate rates of survival and freedom from handicap in preterm infants and to learn whether their knowledge and attitude influence their choice of interventions that may enhance survival of extremely preterm infants. METHODS: Pediatricians practicing in Alabama were surveyed using a pretested questionnaire designed to identify pediatricians' knowledge regarding survival and handicap-free rates of infants born at gestational ages between 21 and 36 weeks. For infants born at each week of gestation, they were asked if they would provide specific therapeutic interventions. Survival and handicap-free rates were compared with published national rates. Pediatricians were divided into an optimist group and a pessimist group based on how their estimates of survival compared with national published data. The rates at which each group used therapeutic interventions were compared. RESULTS: The 159 (57%) responding pediatricians underestimated survival rates from 23 through 34 weeks' gestation and freedom from serious handicap from 23 through 36 weeks. Responses of the optimists approximated actual data whereas the pessimists underestimated neonatal outcome. Those pediatricians who underestimated neonatal outcome would intervene less often with invasive therapies, including mechanical ventilation, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, inotropes, and intravenous fluids, compared with those who accurately predicted outcome from 23 through 27 weeks' gestation. CONCLUSION: Pediatricians often underestimate neonatal outcome of preterm infants. Appropriate neonatal practice may be affected by this underestimation of the survival potential of preterm infants.

Alabama↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Present and premorbid self-image in patients with coronary heart disease].

AIM: The aim of this study was to find the differences between premorbid and present self-image in patients with coronary heart disease. METHODS: 70 patients with stable coronary heart disease treated at the Internal Medicine Department of the Military Hospital in Lublin and 70 healthy controls were studied. Mean age of the investigated patients was 53.11 years. 77% of the studied patients were city inhabitants and 23% were countryside dwellers. Subjects were studied with the use of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, by the Adjective Check List (ACL) and a questionnaire designed especially for the study of sociodemographic data of the investigated patients. Premorbid and present self-images were compared with the use of the ANOVA test. RESULTS: Our results showed that there are statistically significant differences between premorbid and present self-image in the perception of patients with coronary heart disease. CONCLUSIONS: 1. In present self-image, compared to the premorbid one, patients with coronary heart disease have low self-esteem, greater fear about the future, low endurance in performing tasks, they are less enterprising, have lower ability to overcome stress, they are more dependent and have a greater need to look for safety. 2. Women with coronary heart disease perceive themselves as having low self-esteem, low self-trust, more difficulties in overcoming stress and a lower ability to understand other people's behaviour as compared to the time before the disease. 3. Men with coronary heart disease perceive themselves as having less endurance, being less enterprising, having a negative attitude towards themselves and other people and being more dependant compared to the time before the illness.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2004

Survey on the current practice of nutritional therapy in Portugal.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: This survey aimed to provide a nationwide overview about the current practice of nutrition. METHODS: Questionnaires designed by the Portuguese Association of Parenteral Enteral Nutrition were sent, with postage-paid addressee envelopes, to all hospitals and primary-care institutions. RESULTS: Hospitals' response rate was 44/100 (44%), reaching 274/359 (60%) in primary care, P=0.02. A Nutrition Support Team (NST) was reported in 34% hospitals, 40% of which were teaching hospitals. In 3/15 (9%) hospitals, NST nutrition prescriptions covered the whole hospital population; in 16% the NST only acted on a consultant basis; in 30% they were involved in purchasing nutrition products and in 18% the NST promoted teaching/training. Physicians alone prescribed oral, enteral and parenteral nutrition in 50%, 64% and 74% hospitals, respectively, and also monitored parenteral nutrition in 69% hospitals; monitoring oral/enteral nutrition involved dietitians in 46% and 41% hospitals, respectively; nurses were never involved in NSTs and seldom participated in nutritional management. Most primary-care institutions with hospital units (91%) provided nutrition therapy and nurses were then the most involved professionals, P=0.001, even prescribing regimens while physicians favoured monitoring. CONCLUSIONS: Nutrition therapy is mostly unidisciplinary; the concept of a NST and its roles is wrongly perceived; education and training are eagerly awaited.

Data Collection↗
PubMed2005

Prevalence of abuse in fibromyalgia and other rheumatic disorders at a specialized clinic in rheumatic diseases in Guatemala City.

BACKGROUND: The importance of past adverse experiences is increasingly recognized in patients with rheumatic disease. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to study the association of physical, verbal, and sexual abuse in patients with rheumatic disorders as compared with healthy volunteers. METHODS: In this case-control study, 500 new patients attending an outpatient rheumatic clinic were interviewed from September 1, 1999, to August 31, 2001. A total of 187 patients with 3 diagnoses were selected: 58 had fibromyalgia (FM), 74 rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and 55 patients with soft tissue rheumatic disease (STRD). All selected patients were asked to complete a questionnaire designed to obtain information regarding demographics and history of verbal, physical, and sexual abuse. A group of 187 healthy control subjects were also included, matched for sex and age. RESULTS: The prevalence of abuse was significantly more common in the rheumatic disease group than in the control group (48.1% versus 15%, P < 0.001). The prevalence of abuse among the groups was as follows: 70.7% of patients with FM reported abuse (24.3% verbal, 60.9% physical, and 14.8% sexual), 35.1% of patients with RA had a history of abuse (42.3% verbal, 30.7% physical, and 0% sexual), whereas 41.8% of patients with STRD reported abuse (43.4% verbal, 43.4% physical, and 0% sexual). When comparing the 3 groups, patients with FM showed a higher prevalence of abuse (P < 0.05). The abuse was usually longstanding (range, 1-10 years), and most abusers were close family members. CONCLUSION: Abuse, both physical and psychologic, was significantly increased in our rheumatic disease population, especially in patients with FM. Further studies are needed to fully establish its role. Questions about abuse may provide important information relative to care of our patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Patients' needs in hospital: nurses' and patients' views.

This study set out to identify the most important needs of hospital patients on surgical and medical wards and to assess the ability of nurses to identify these needs. The population consisted of 92 Finnish patients and 69 Finnish nurses. The study was carried out using a questionnaire designed on the basis of the need theory presented by Yura and Walsh. The results of the statistical analyses were presented in the form of frequencies, cross-tabulations and chi-square tests. The patients' most common needs were related to vital functions (44%), followed by those related to functional health status (38%) and environmental needs (36%). The last item on the list of expressed needs concerned reactions to functional health status (31%). Over 70% of the surgical patients suffered from problems related to sleep and rest. Less than 60% of them suffered from acute pain. Medical patients, in turn, had more frequent needs related to vital functions than did surgical patients. Three out of four medical patients suffered from acute pain. Sleep and rest disturbances, stress, bad mood and listlessness were also common problems. The nurses underestimated all patient needs, apart from environmental needs, which they regarded as the main concern of patients. There was a statistically significant difference between patients' and nurses' assessments for 38% of all needs. Moreover, there were differences in assessments between the surgical and medical wards included in the study.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

The occurrence of autoimmune diseases in patients with multiple sclerosis and their families.

The aims of this study were to determine whether the occurrence of autoimmune diseases is increased in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and their families and whether this is influenced by the type of MS. We conducted a case-control study using a questionnaire design to determine whether the prevalence of 11 autoimmune diseases is increased in patients with MS and their first-degree relatives compared to a random population control group and their first-degree relatives. We found that the total combined prevalence of the 11 autoimmune diseases was higher in the MS patients than in the controls, with an odds ratio of 1.7 (95% confidence interval 0.9-3.2; P = 0.10) increasing to 1.9 (1.0-3.5; P = 0.05) after adjusting for age. For persons aged under 60 years, the odds ratio was 2.3 (1.1-4.6). We also found that there was a significant increase in the total combined prevalence of the autoimmune diseases in the first-degree relatives of MS patients compared to the first-degree relatives of the control group (P = 0.003, odds ratio 2.2, confidence interval 1.3-3.7). Patients with primary progressive MS did not differ from patients with relapsing-remitting or secondary progressive MS in the personal or familial occurrence of autoimmune disease. In conclusion, although there were sources of possible bias, this study suggests that individuals with MS have a genetic predisposition to autoimmunity in general.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Wellness promotion beliefs and practices of pediatric physical therapists.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to elucidate wellness promotion beliefs and practices of pediatric physical therapists. METHODS: From a random sample of 500 American Physical Therapy Association Pediatric Section active members, 257 physical therapists (51%) returned usable questionnaires designed to gather information on professional and personal wellness beliefs and practices. RESULTS: Descriptive statistics and chi-square analyses were performed to describe current wellness promotion practices. Most participants considered wellness multidimensional, valued wellness, and incorporated wellness practices into their personal life. Only 54.5% of respondents, however, reported incorporating wellness into pediatric physical therapy practice. A third of the respondents identified themselves as either thinking or preparing to incorporate wellness promotion into practice. Factors associated with wellness promotion were older age group, knowledge, belief that wellness promotion was a physical therapy responsibility, and participation in personal wellness lifestyle activities. The most frequent barriers cited were external factors related to resources, time, and the child/family. CONCLUSIONS: Current pediatric physical therapy practice reflects a more traditional model of care rather than a wellness promotion approach. With a paradigm shift in healthcare toward wellness promotion, pediatric physical therapists need to align practice with current societal needs and national healthcare campaigns. Continuing education programs that are participatory and well matched to the characteristics and needs of the attendees combined with collegial support may prove fruitful in providing pediatric physical therapists with the knowledge, motivation, and strategies needed to accomplish this goal.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Barriers to effective communication in skilled nursing facilities: differences in perception between nurses and physicians.

BACKGROUND: Effective communication between nurses and physicians is central to the clinical care of nursing home residents. Anecdotal evidence suggests that communication between the groups is unsatisfactory, but no empirical data exist with which to validate assumptions. The purpose of this pilot study was to compare perceptions of potential communication barriers among nurses and physicians in four California nursing homes. METHODS: Registered nurses (n = 59), and physicians (n = 47) involved in the direct clinical care of nursing home residents completed a 12-item questionnaire designed to elicit perceptions about potential communication barriers. Five specific categories of barriers were identified. These included nurse competence, time burden of calls, necessity of calls, professional respect, and language comprehension. Responses were compared using t test analysis. RESULTS: Significant differences in perceived communication barriers were identified. Physicians, but not nurses, perceive nursing competence to be a significant barrier. Nurses perceive physicians to be unpleasant. Both physicians and nurses perceive that physicians do not value nurses' opinions. Neither group perceived language expression, language comprehension, or time burden of phone calls to be barriers to communication. CONCLUSIONS: Issues related to the perceived competency of nurses by physicians is consistent with existing data from other clinical settings. Differences in awareness about scope of practice and regulatory requirements between the groups may offer a partial explanation for the discordant perceptions. Perceptions by nurses (but not physicians) of unpleasantness and/or disrespect during telephone encounters may reflect the broader ongoing differences in professional culture, social status, and gender inequality between the two groups. Further clarification of the causes of barriers to effective communication is essential in order to plan appropriate interventions.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Postnatal home visits in teenage mothers: a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Teenage pregnancies are associated with negative socioeconomic effects. Our aim was to ascertain whether a postnatal home-visiting service for teenage mothers younger than age 18 years could reduce the frequency of adverse neonatal outcomes and improve knowledge of contraception, breastfeeding, and infant vaccination schedules in this parent group. METHODS: We enrolled 139 adolescents, attending a teenage pregnancy clinic, in a randomised controlled trial. After completing an antenatal questionnaire designed to assess their knowledge of contraception, infant vaccination, and breastfeeding, we assigned participants to either receive five structured postnatal home visits by nurse-midwives (n=65) or not (n=71). Assessment interviews were done 6 months postpartum. Our primary endpoint was unadjusted difference in knowledge between groups, and incidence of predefined adverse neonatal outcomes. Analysis was by intention to treat. FINDINGS: Three women withdrew before randomisation because of late fetal loss, 11 mothers withdrew because of adverse neonatal outcomes (adverse neonatal outcome was a primary endpoint, but resulted in withdrawal from the study for knowledge outcomes), and one left voluntarily. Follow-up data were, therefore, available for 124 teenagers. Postnatal home visits were associated with a reduction in adverse neonatal outcomes (intervention: 2; control: 9; relative risk 0.24, 95% CI 0.05-1.08), and a significant increase in contraception knowledge (mean difference 0.92, 95% CI 0.32-1.52). However, there was no significant increase in knowledge with respect to breastfeeding or infant vaccination schedules associated with the home visits. INTERPRETATION: Postnatal home-visiting services by nurse-midwives reduce adverse neonatal events and improve contraception outcomes, but do not affect breastfeeding or infant vaccination knowledge or compliance.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Attitudes and personality related to salt intake.

A predominantly middle-class female sample of British adults completed questionnaires designed to estimate salt intake and to assess attitudes towards adding table salt to food, along with Cattell's 16PF personality inventory. The attitudes questions were based on the approach suggested by Fishbein and Ajzen, and proved to be good predictors of table salt use. The person's own feeling about table salt use was a better predictor than perceived pressure from other people. Beliefs about adding table salt were closely related to the person's attitude, but only beliefs about taste (not beliefs about health consequences) predicted usage. Beliefs about pressure from doctors and nutritionists/dietitians, but not family, were also related to usage. There was lower usage and more negative attitudes in respondents under 35 years old. Two of the second-order personality factors from the 16PF correlated with salt intake, but appeared to act through attitudes: tough poise (i.e. given to rapid action with insufficient thought) correlated positively with estimated table and cooking salt use; anxiety correlated positively with cooking use, with salt consumed in foods and with estimated total intake. The results suggest that any attempt to reduce salt intake might best be directed at satisfying taste, and not exclusively at augmenting anxiety about the health consequences of salt intake.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Epidemiologic aspects of arterial hypertension in Maracaibo, Venezuela.

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of arterial hypertension (HT) awareness and the influence of age, sex and body mass index on the degree of control of HT in the population of Maracaibo, State of Zulia, Venezuela. It included 7424 subjects, 3640 males (M) and 3784 females (F). Information was collected through domiciliary visits with a questionnaire designed for this purpose. Hypertension was defined as such when values were > or =140 mm Hg for systolic blood pressure (SBP) and > or =90 mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure (DBP). In the total sample, 36.9% were hypertensive. A higher prevalence in M (45.2%) than in F (28.9%), was observed. The percentage of HT increased with age in both genders. There was a high percentage of hypertensives with obesity (73.5%) which did not vary when discriminating for gender and age. Obese subjects were more prone to have HT until age 50. Those younger than 40 took less medication but were proportionally better controlled. Of the hypertensive population 54.3% were not aware of their condition, of 45.7% remaining, 22.8% did not have regular control visits, 18.4% inspite of medication were not controlled and only 4.5% were well controlled. Better control was observed in F (6.2%) than in M (3.3%), P < 0.001. It is concluded that HT is a serious public health problem because of its high prevalence and lack of control, and it is necessary to implement educational and medical programmes for the detection and control of this disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Prevention of ovarian cancer: a survey of the practice of prophylactic oophorectomy by fellows and members of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

A questionnaire designed to investigate attitudes to prophylactic oophorectomy was sent to 2817 fellows and members of the Royal college of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. A total of 1142 replies was received from those who performed regular sessions of gynaecological surgery. The number of respondents who said they would usually remove apparently normal ovaries at the time of abdominal hysterectomy from premenopausal women in age groups 35-39, 40-44, 45-49 and over 49 years was 4 (0.4%), 27 (2%), 234 (20%) and 585 (51%) respectively, and from postmenopausal women 974 (85%). The majority of respondents said that (i) they would prescribe hormone replacement therapy in oophorectomized premenopausal women (82%); (ii) they did not consider unilateral oophorectomy to have a role in prevention of ovarian cancer (84%); and (iii) they routinely discussed the question of prophylactic oophorectomy with their patients before operation (65%). Only 128 (11%) of the respondents believed that greater than or equal to 10% of ovarian cancers in the UK could be prevented by prophylactic oophorectomy at the time of operation for benign disease, and 505 (44%) would perform prophylactic oophorectomy as a primary surgical procedure in women who had a strong family history of ovarian cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Emerging trends on tenure policies and practices in nursing and allied health education.

The tenure system in academia is under attack, and there is a need for empirical data on the emerging national trends relating to tenure. This comparative study investigated the emerging trends on tenure policies and practices in nursing and allied health education. We surveyed the deans of National League for Nursing-accredited programs and deans of allied health programs belonging to the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions nationwide. The nursing (n = 187) and allied health (n = 75) deans completed a research questionnaire designed to capture the critical issues relating to tenure in higher education. We found no significant difference (p > 0.05) between the perceptions of the allied health and nursing deans on the policies and practices associated with tenure. The allied health and nursing deans had similar views on posttenure review, changes in traditional tenure, tenure quota practice, inducements for faculty to forego tenure, review of the tenure criteria, and the ranking of the primary criteria used in granting tenure. Both groups of deans expressed strong support for the tenure system. Overall, 72% of the allied health deans and 68% of the nursing deans indicated that a doctorate is the degree required for tenure in their institutions. The preponderance of allied health and nursing deans, 77% each, ranked teaching as the primary criterion used in tenure decision. On the other hand, only 22% of allied health deans and 19% of nursing deans rated research as the most important criterion used for tenure. Only 1% of allied health deans and 4% of nursing deans considered service as the most important criterion used in tenure decision. The role of clinical practice in tenure decision was not evaluated in our study and is worth investigating in follow-up studies.

Allied Health Occupations↗
PubMed2003

Dysautonomia in the joint hypermobility syndrome.

PURPOSE: Extraarticular manifestations of the joint hypermobility syndrome may include the peripheral nervous system. The purpose of this study was to investigate autonomic function in patients with this syndrome. METHODS: Forty-eight patients with the joint hypermobility syndrome who fulfilled the 1998 Brighton criteria and 30 healthy control subjects answered a clinical questionnaire designed to evaluate the frequency of complaints related to the autonomic nervous system. Next, 27 patients and 21 controls underwent autonomic evaluation: orthostatic testing, cardiovascular vagal and sympathetic functions, catecholamine levels, and adrenoreceptor responsiveness. RESULTS: Symptoms related to the autonomic nervous system, such as syncope and presyncope, palpitations, chest discomfort, fatigue, and heat intolerance, were significantly more common among patients. Orthostatic hypotension, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, and uncategorized orthostatic intolerance were found in 78% (21/27) of patients compared with in 10% (2/21) of controls. Patients with the syndrome had a greater mean (+/- SD) drop in systolic blood pressure during hyperventilation than did controls (-11 +/- 7 mm Hg vs. -5 +/- 5 mm Hg, P = 0.02) and a greater increase in systolic blood pressure after a cold pressor test (19 +/- 10 mm Hg vs. 11 +/- 13 mm Hg, P = 0.06). Patients with the syndrome also had evidence of alpha-adrenergic (as assessed by administration of phenylephrine) and beta-adrenergic hyperresponsiveness (as assessed by administration of isoproterenol). CONCLUSION: The autonomic nervous system-related symptoms of the patients have a pathophysiological basis, which suggests that dysautonomia is an extraarticular manifestation in the joint hypermobility syndrome.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

[A comparison of characteristics of functionally dependent elderly in Shanghai and Tokyo].

Characteristics of health conditions of functionally dependent elderly living in Shanghai and Tokyo were analyzed. In 1989, a survey was conducted in Shanghai incorporating screening and a questionnaire, designed and used in a survey conducted in 1985 by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in Tokyo. The following results were obtained: 1) Prevalence of functionally dependent elderly was higher among all age groups and either sex in Shanghai than in Tokyo. Subjects were younger in Shanghai than in Tokyo. 2) Analysis of causes for subjects becoming bedridden showed that cerebrovascular diseases ranked highest in proportion among either sex in Shanghai and among men in Tokyo. It was second among women in Tokyo. Subjects who were older showed a high proportion with senility and low proportion with cerebrovascular diseases. Among men the proportion with senility was lower in Shanghai than in Tokyo. 3) The proportion of subjects who were bedridden for at least five years among 85 years or over was nearly 3 times higher in Shanghai than in Tokyo. 4) The proportion of subjects 84 years or under with very low ADL was higher in Shanghai than in Tokyo for either sex. 5) The proportion with cognitive impairment was not different between the two cities. However subjects with abnormal behaviors were more commonly found in Tokyo than in Shanghai. This observed difference may possibly arise from differences in environmental stress.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1993

Retrospective evaluation of occupational exposure to organic solvents: questionnaire and job exposure matrix.

Correct retrospective assignment of subjects to an exposure category is affected by a variety of problems: 1) lack of an objective lifetime measurement; 2) dependence upon the accuracy and thoroughness of the job description; 3) heavy reliance upon the knowledge of experts. The aim of the study was the quantification of the performance of a job exposure matrix (JEM) in evaluating solvent exposure, using expert judgements as the reference method. The sources of discrepancies between the two methods were analysed within the framework of two community-based case-control surveys. One included 765 cases of bladder cancer (BC) and 765 controls, the other 298 cases of glomerulonephritis (GN) and 298 controls. The JEM had been set up previously for a case-control study on laryngeal cancer and is based on 4000 discrete job titles. Comparison between the JEM and expert exposure evaluation was carried out for 2736 job periods in the BC study and 929 in the GN study. Categories of exposure for both experts and JEM were dichotomized, using different cutoff points for exposure and non-exposure. Prevalence of exposure as assessed by the experts was twice as high in the GN study (19%) as in the BC study (10%), showing the importance of the questionnaire design and of the inclusiveness of the definition of exposure. Sensitivity of the JEM vis-a-vis the experts was low (23-63%), whereas specificity was rather high (87-98%). The best concordance between the two methods was obtained with a specific dichotomy from the JEM and a narrow definition of exposure by the experts. Bias and loss of power resulting from JEM misclassifications were calculated with a theoretical population odds ratio of 3 and an exposure prevalence of 10%. If the experts' classification of the subjects according to exposure is assumed to be 100% correct, using the JEM led to a bias in estimating the odds ratio, ranging from 1.5 to 2.1, and to a loss of power equivalent to a reduction in the number of subjects by a factor of 5 to 10. Analysis of systematic discrepancies between exposure assessments of the experts and the JEM showed that they were clustered with some job categories and arose from different sources: 1) inadequate job descriptions, related to the codification system adopted and necessitating the gathering of information at the individual level; 2) true disagreements between JEM and experts regarding the definition of solvent exposure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed2000

Estimation of neonatal outcome and perinatal therapy use.

OBJECTIVES: To learn whether US obstetricians and pediatricians accurately estimate rates of survival and freedom from handicap in preterm infants and to learn whether their knowledge and attitudes influence their choice of interventions that may enhance survival. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of obstetricians and pediatricians practicing in the United States was performed using a pretested questionnaire designed to identify their knowledge regarding survival and handicap-free rates of infants born at 23 to 36 weeks of gestation. At each week of gestation, they were asked whether they would provide specific therapeutic interventions to either the expectant mother or infant. Survival and handicap-free rates were compared with published national rates. Obstetricians and pediatricians were divided into an optimists group and a pessimists group, based on their estimates of survival. The rates at which each group used therapeutic interventions were compared. RESULTS: Both obstetricians and pediatricians underestimated survival rates from 24 through 35 weeks of gestation and freedom from serious handicap from 23 through 36 weeks of gestation. On the average, optimists accurately predicted neonatal survival. Obstetricians who underestimated neonatal survival would less often administer antenatal corticosteroids, perform a cesarean section for fetal distress, and transfer a mother to a tertiary center. Pediatricians who underestimated neonatal survival would less often use mechanical ventilation, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, inotropes, intravenous fluids, thermal support, and oxygen supplementation. CONCLUSION: Physicians underestimate survival and freedom from handicap in preterm infants. Underestimation of outcome is associated with restriction in the use of appropriate interventions.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗
PubMed1997

A physician survey on generic drugs and substitution of critical dose medications.

BACKGROUND: Generic substitution has become a common practice since the late 1970s. Because of the increased use of generic alternatives and concerns about the Food and Drug Administration standards for bioequivalency, especially with respect to narrow therapeutic index drugs, the awareness and attitudes of prescribing physicians to generic drugs and generic substitution are important. METHODS: A questionnaire designed to assess attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, and experiences with generic drugs and generic substitution was sent to 3639 physicians nationwide. Cluster analysis was used to identify attitudinal groups that were then analyzed with respect to differences in beliefs, knowledge, and experience with generic drugs. Perceptions of the therapeutic index for 15 branded drugs and comfort in substituting those products with generic alternatives were assessed. RESULTS: Physicians were classified into prosubstitution and antisubstitution groups, with a further division of antisubstitution physicians according to whether they felt influenced by outside pressures to substitute. Significant differences were found between the prosubstitution and antisubstitution groups with respect to beliefs about and experiences with generics and knowledge of the Food and Drug Administration bioequivalency standards. Of particular significance was the low percentage (17%) of physicians who correctly identified the Food and Drug Administration standards for bioequivalency. Prosubstitution physicians generally rated therapeutic indexes as wider than antisubstitution physicians. Physicians in all groups identified similar products they believed were not appropriate for substitution. CONCLUSIONS: Attitudes toward generic substitution are related to prescribing behaviors, beliefs about and experience with generic substitution, and perceptions of therapeutic index and comfort with substitution. Physicians need to understand the issues surrounding generic substitution and remain empowered to influence decisions to substitute.

Adult↗