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PubMed1994

Academic physicians' assessment of the effects of computers on health care.

We assessed the attitudes of academic physicians towards computers in health care at two academic medical centers that are in the early stages of clinical information-system deployment. We distributed a 4-page questionnaire to 470 subjects, and a total of 272 physicians (58%) responded. Our results show that respondents use computers frequently, primarily to perform academic-oriented tasks as opposed to clinical tasks. Overall, respondents viewed computers as being slightly beneficial to health care. They perceive self-education and access to up-to-date information as the most beneficial aspects of computers and are most concerned about privacy issues and the effect of computers on the doctor-patient relationship. Physicians with prior computer training and greater knowledge of informatics concepts had more favorable attitudes towards computers in health care. We suggest that negative attitudes towards computers can be addressed by careful system design as well as targeted educational activities.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed1999

Academic outcome in long-term survivors of pediatric liver transplantation.

Fifty long-term (3-9 year) survivors of pediatric liver transplantation were assessed using IQ, achievement, and school history measures. Forty-seven of these children had been evaluated before transplantation on intellectual measures, with mean scores for the group found to be in the low average range. At follow-up evaluation, the scores remained in the low average range on all intellectual measures; performance on academic tests was also within the low average range. Thirteen children (26%) were classified as having learning problems based on discrepancies between intellectual and academic function, but only five of them (38%) had received special education services. Nine of the children (18%) had IQ scores less than 70. Academic outcome did not relate to diagnosis, time between diagnosis and transplantation, age at time of transplantation, or average levels of cyclosporin A. Careful assessment and appropriate special education services are indicated to optimize the educational outcome of children who survive liver transplantation.

Achievement↗
PubMed1999

Coronary MR angiography.

Coronary MR angiography has developed rapidly over the past several years. Not only is research being performed at academic centers but industry is also investing in dedicated contrast agents and cardiac MR imaging platforms. Although current coronary MR angiography has limited clinical utility, its place within the assessment of ischemic cardiac disease is evolving. The technology currently under investigation holds much promise, especially when one considers that MR has the potential to provide information currently supplied by the performance of a number of screening tests. It would be far more cost-effective to perform a single MR examination than to perform a stress echo, rest-stress nuclear medicine examination and a conventional coronary angiogram. In addition, clinicians need information about coronary flow and myocardial perfusion. Although some of this information can be currently obtained with an intravascular Doppler flow wire or by positron emission tomography, MR angiography offers the advantages of being both noninvasive and more easily accessible in comparison to either method. The combined information promised by a comprehensive cardiac MR examination that includes coronary MR angiography as a component is an exciting prospect.

Contrast Media↗
PubMed2006

Health behaviour and academic achievement in Icelandic school children.

Interest in the relationship between health behaviours and academic achievement has recently intensified in the face of an epidemic of childhood and adolescent obesity and converging school reforms in the United States and other nations with advanced economies. Epidemiologic research has demonstrated that poor diet and lack of adequate physical activity place children at risk for being overweight and obese and thus influence future health status. Additional research has also shown that children and adolescents whose diets are nutritious and whose participation in physical activity is high tend to perform better on various measures of cognitive performance and academic achievement. We analysed cross-sectional survey data from 5810 Icelandic school children to explore the relationship between selected health behaviours and academic achievement. Body mass index, diet and physical activity explained up to 24% (P < 0.01) of the variance in academic achievement when controlling for gender, parental education, family structure and absenteeism. Variance explained increases to 27% when depressed mood (P < 0.05) and self-esteem (P < 0.01) are added to the model, but confounds the role of physical activity. Although not robust, these findings are consistent with previous work and affirm the complexity of the relationship of health to academic achievement.

Achievement↗
PubMed2006

A randomised placebo-controlled trial of a self-help Internet-based intervention for test anxiety.

Test anxiety is widespread and associated with poor performance in academic examinations. The Internet, not well-proven for the treatment of anxiety, should be able to deliver highly accessible Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). This study sought to test the hypothesis that CBT, available on the Internet, could reduce test anxiety. Ninety university students were randomly allocated to CBT or a control program, both on the Internet. Before and after treatment, the participants completed the Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI), an Anxiety Hierarchy Questionnaire (AHQ), the Exam Problem-Solving Inventory (EPSI), the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) and the Heim reasoning tests (AH) as a measure of test performance. Of the CBT and control groups 28% and 35%, respectively, withdrew. According to the TAI, 53% of the CBT group showed a reliable and clinically significant improvement with treatment but only 29% of the control group exhibited such a change. On the AHQ, 67% of the CBT group and 36% of the control group showed a clinically significant improvement, more than two standard deviations above the mean of the baseline, a change in favour of CBT. Both groups improved on the GSES, in state anxiety during exams retrospectively assessed, and on the AH tests. The improvement on the AH tests was probably a practice effect and not a reflection of a change in capacity for academic testing. This study thus supports use of CBT on the Internet for the treatment of test anxiety.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Is the introduction of a student-centred, problem-based curriculum associated with improvements in student nurse well-being and performance? An observational study of effect.

AIMS: To explore the impact of curriculum redesign and innovation on student well-being and performance, including essay and examination marks and sickness absence. BACKGROUND: While the emotional impact of preparing to be a health professional can be reduced by helping students to adapt, the positive effect of curriculum innovation and redesign is rarely evaluated. DESIGN, SAMPLE AND METHODS: Student nurse well-being and performance was compared at weeks 24/25 and 40/50 following course entry between comparable independent cohorts of students undertaking a traditional programme (N=406, 83% return rate) with those on an innovative, student-centred, problem-based educational programme (N=447, 79% return rate). The setting was a School of Nursing and Midwifery in the North-East of Scotland. Measures included stress and mental health outcomes and measures of performance including academic marks and sickness absence. RESULTS: At week 25 into the course students on the innovative course had fewer academic, clinical and personal worries than students in the previous more traditional programme and were more likely to report using adaptive direct, problem-solving coping at week 50. While students on the innovative course reported less distress in their first year of the course, they scored less well on comparable essay assignments and had reliably greater sickness absence totals than those educated by traditional methods. CONCLUSION: In this setting, curriculum innovation was associated with positive changes in student well-being but not on performance.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed2004

Comparing motor development of deaf children of deaf parents and deaf children of hearing parents.

Deaf children of Deaf parents perform better academically (Ritter-Brinton & Stewart, 1992), linguistically (Courtin, 2000; M. Harris, 2001; Vaccari & Marschark, 1997), and socially (Hadadian & Rose, 1991; M. Harris, 2001) than Deaf children of hearing parents. Twenty-nine Deaf children in residential schools were assessed to determine if a significant difference also exists in motor development between Deaf children with Deaf parents and Deaf children with hearing parents. In the locomotor area, 78.6% of Deaf children of Deaf parents and 73.3% of Deaf children of hearing parents reached or surpassed average performance levels. In regard to object control, 92.9% of Deaf children of Deaf parents and 93.3% of Deaf children of hearing parents reached or surpassed average performance levels. The study results show no significant difference between the motor development of Deaf children of Deaf parents and Deaf children of hearing parents.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2007

Endoscopic screening for varices in cirrhotic patients: data from a national endoscopic database.

BACKGROUND: The current guidelines for primary prophylaxis of variceal hemorrhage in cirrhotic patients recommend screening for varices with upper endoscopy (EGD). Utilization and outcomes of screening in clinical practice are unknown. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine the use of endoscopic variceal screening in diverse practice settings and to determine factors associated with the finding of esophageal varices. DESIGN: Endoscopic reports generated by the Clinical Outcomes Research Initiative (CORI) repository were analyzed to determine the use, changes over time, and findings of screening upper endoscopies between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2003. SETTING: Data from 68 CORI practices (70% community/17% academic/13% Veterans Affairs Medical Center [VAMC]) were evaluated. PATIENTS: A total of 1688 of 172,854 EGDs were performed for the purpose of screening for varices. RESULTS: Overall, there was a linear increase in annual proportion of screening EGDs performed (P < .0001). A significantly greater proportion of variceal screening EGDs are performed in academic centers compared with VAMC and community practices. Varices were found in 881 screened patients (52.2%). Varices were found more often in Child-Pugh class B/C (71.9%) compared with Child-Pugh class A (42.7%) patients. Of those with varices found, patients with Child-Pugh class B/C were more likely to have large varices than were patients with Child-Pugh class A (P = .02). LIMITATIONS: A limitation of this study was the inability to determine the total number of cirrhotic patients cared for at each CORI site included in this study. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic screening for varices represents a small proportion of all upper endoscopies performed. This proportion increased between 2000 and 2003. Varices were found more frequently in patients with more severe liver disease.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Is visual memory predictive of below-average academic achievement in second through fourth graders?

PURPOSE: Controversy exists regarding the relation between visual memory and academic achievement. METHODS: A masked investigation of the relation between visual memory and academics was performed in 155 second-through fourth-grade children (mean age = 8.83 years). Visual memory ability was assessed with the Test of Visual Perceptual Skills visual memory subtest. The school administered the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test and Stanford Achievement Test. Age and verbal ability were controlled in all regression analyses. RESULTS: Visual memory score was significantly predictive of below-average word decoding (p = 0.027), total math score (p = 0.031), and Stanford complete battery score (p = 0.018). Visual memory score showed a positive trend in predicting reading comprehension (p = 0.093). CONCLUSIONS: Poor visual memory ability (as measured by the Test of Visual Perceptual Skills) is significantly related to below-average reading decoding, math, and overall academic achievement (as measured by the Stanford Achievement Test) in second- through fourth-grade children, while controlling for age and verbal ability.

Achievement↗
PubMed1998

Comparison of surgical complications after organ-preservation therapy in patients with stage III or IV squamous cell head and neck cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of minor and major complications in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract who require surgical salvage or planned neck dissection after an initial treatment regimen with radiotherapy or concurrent chemoradiotherapy for organ preservation. DESIGN: The medical records of 100 patients treated in a phase 3 trial comparing radiotherapy alone with concurrent chemoradiotherapy for stage III and IV head and neck squamous cell carcinoma were reviewed. Fifty-four patients underwent 59 surgical procedures. Twenty-nine planned neck dissections were performed for persistent neck disease or initial stage N2 or greater. For persistent or recurrent disease at the primary site, 30 salvage operations were performed. SETTING: Academic tertiary care referral center. RESULTS: Complications occurred in 15 (46%) of the 33 procedures in the radiation-only group and 12 (46%) of the 26 procedures in the chemoradiotherapy group. Major complications occurred in 4 (12%) of the procedures in the radiation-only group and 3 (12%) of the procedures in the chemoradiotherapy group. The incidence of minor complications was 33% and 35% in the radiation-only and chemoradiotherapy groups, respectively. The major complication rate for salvage operations did not differ between the radiation-only and chemoradiotherapy groups (16% and 27%, respectively; P=.79 by chi2 test). The incidence of major complications in planned neck dissections was 7% of the radiation-only group and 0% of the chemoradiotherapy group. CONCLUSIONS: After radiation or concurrent chemoradiotherapy, surgery can be performed with an acceptable rate of major complications. Adding chemotherapy did not increase the incidence of surgical complications. These results differ from other reports in the literature.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

An innovative strategy for conducting clinical research: the academic associate program.

Performance of high-quality clinical research usually requires procurement of substantial funding to support and sustain the research infrastructure. The authors have developed a program to support a research infrastructure that minimizes financial start-up costs and maximizes productivity of clinical-educator faculty with limited protected time. The program integrates clinical research with undergraduate education. The authors report the experience with the academic associate program at two academic institutions. They describe the program, provide measures of program success, and discuss potential methods for other institutions to initiate similar programs. Similar programs can be developed in a variety of outpatient and inpatient settings allowing the performance of high-quality clinical research in a time-efficient and cost-effective manner.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed1997

Improving the prescribing of antibiotics for urinary tract infection.

BACKGROUND: In recent years there have been changes in the recommended antibiotic treatment for urinary tract infections (UTIs). In particular, the use of amoxycillin or co-trimoxazole is now discouraged, with amoxycillin-potassium clavulanate, cephalexin and trimethoprim becoming first-line agents for uncomplicated lower UTIs. AIM: To examine whether academic detailing, performed by a pharmacist, could modify prescribing practices for antibiotics used in the treatment of UTI in the community setting. METHODS: The intervention was conducted in Southern Tasmania, using the remainder of the State as a control area. The target group of general practitioners was sent educational material designed to assist in the appropriate prescribing of antibiotics in the treatment of UTI. A pharmacist then visited each general practitioner and discussed the rational use of antibiotics for UTIs directly with him/her. Outcomes were measured using evaluation feedback from the general practitioners and pharmacoepidemiological data, which were not linked to diagnosis. The key variable examined was the total defined daily doses (DDDs) dispensed for the recommended first-line agents (amoxycillin-potassium clavulanate, cephalexin and trimethoprim) compared with amoxycillin (3 g single-dose form) and co-trimoxazole. RESULTS: The educational programme was very well received by the general practitioners. Changes in the prescribing of antibiotics commonly used for UTIs were evident in both study regions over the course of the study, but the improvements were significantly greater in the intervention area. CONCLUSION: Educational programmes utilizing academic detailing by pharmacists can modify prescribing practices within the community setting.

Anti-Infective Agents, Urinary↗
PubMed2006

The association between vision quality of life and academics as measured by the College of Optometrists in Vision Development Quality of Life questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: Undetected visual problems are one of the causes of academic difficulties in the classroom. An easily administered screening device that identifies children who are likely to do poorly in school because of vision problems would be a valuable tool. The screening should be able to be performed by a classroom teacher or aide. The objective of this study was to determine if there was an association between vision-related quality-of-life factors (19-item College of Optometrists in Vision Development Quality of Life [COVD-QOL] questionnaire checklist) and academic performance. A secondary objective was to determine whether student and parent responses to the questionnaire would be similar. METHODS: Ninety-one parents or guardians and their children, attending the third, fifth, and seventh grades in a public school participated in this study. Both the parent or guardian and student independently completed the checklist. The scores of both groups were compared with the Stanford IX test scores for total reading, total math, total spelling, and total battery scores of the Stanford IX. The parent or guardian and student scores were compared to evaluate the agreement (intergroup reliability). RESULTS: Parent or guardian and student checklist scores were compared. The Wilcoxon Signed Rank test showed that the mean scores for the parent or guardian were significantly lower than for third grade students and also for the total sample. Visual symptoms were found to be inversely correlated to academic performance; the lower the academic score, the more symptoms were reported. Symptoms reported by third grade students and their parents tended to be more highly correlated with academic scores. In general, symptoms reported by the parent were more highly correlated with academic score than the symptoms reported by the student. CONCLUSION: The COVD-QOL questionnaire is a cost-effective, quick, and easy tool that may be used in school screening to identify possible visual symptoms that are correlated to academic performance.

Child↗
PubMed1996

Preoperative technetium Tc 99m sestamibi imaging. Paving the way to minimal-access parathyroid surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the reliability of technetium Tc 99m sestamibi scanning as a new adjunct to the surgical management of hyperparathyroidism. DESIGN: Preoperative localization of parathyroid adenoma by technetium Tc 99m sestamibi delayed washing-out scanning and high-resolution ultrasound was compared with a historical institutional experience of surgical intervention without preliminary localization studies. A 10-year retrospective review from 1985 to 1995 of patients with surgical hyperparathyroidism was performed. SETTING: Academic tertiary referral medical center. PATIENTS: Thirty-three technetium Tc 99m sestamibi scans in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism were correlated with eventual surgical and pathologic findings. The last 10 patients were also studied with 10-MHz linear transducer ultrasound, and the results were compared with those of the radionuclide scan and eventual surgical and pathologic findings. From 1985 to 1995, 142 patients underwent surgical exploration for primary hyperparathyroidism, and 125 records were available for review. RESULTS: The technetium Tc 99m sestamibi parathyroid scan correctly identified the site and presence of 31 adenomas among 34 confirmed tumors, a sensitivity of 91% and positive predictive value of 97%. The scan detected three anterior mediastinal adenomas that could not be removed through cervical exploration. In each instance median sternotomy was included in the primary surgery and allowed efficient, successful management of these ectopic adenomas. High-resolution ultrasound correctly identified nine of 10 cervical parathyroid adenomas and predicted the volume of each tumor to a statistically significant level. CONCLUSIONS: Hyperthyroidism has traditionally been treated surgically without preliminary localization studies. We found both technetium Tc 99m sestamibi scanning and high-resolution ultrasound to be highly sensitive at detecting parathyroid adenomas at the 90% level. Furthermore, preoperative localization allowed efficient surgical intervention for our group of patients who had high frequency of mediastinal adenomas that required transmediastinal surgery.

Adenoma↗
PubMed1989

Attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity and methylphenidate: the effects of dose and mastery level on children's learning performance.

This investigation examined the relationship between methylphenidate (MPH) and the learning and recall of paired associations by children with attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADDH). Forty-five children with ADDH were randomly assigned to one of three groups (novel, partial mastery, and mastery learning) that varied in the amount of previous learning of paired associations and participated in a double-blind, placebo-control, repeated-measures-across-dose (crossover) design. Each child received four doses of MPH (5 mg, 10 mg, 15 mg, and 20 mg) and a placebo in a random, counterbalanced sequence. The results indicated that both the rate of acquisition and accuracy in learning paired associations were significantly, but differentially, affected by MPH dose and the degree of learning mastery. The implications of these results for psychopharmacological research and the monitoring of psychostimulant effects on children's learning performance in academic settings are discussed.

Association Learning↗
PubMed2005

National audit of the recent utilization of endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair in Canada: 2003 to 2004.

OBJECTIVES: Worldwide, increasing proportions of aortic aneurysms are repaired electively via the endovascular route. The purpose of this study was to report the recent utilization of endovascular repair in Canada by reviewing a national administrative database. METHODS: The Canadian Institute for Health Information database (a collection of all acute care hospitalizations) was reviewed to identify patients who received nonemergent repair of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) between April 1, 2003 and March 31, 2004. During this 1-year period, differentiation between endovascular (EVAR) and open repair was possible using ICD-10-CA procedural codes in eight of ten provinces. Case volumes, patient age, length of hospitalization, and mortality were stratified by method of repair, province, and size and teaching status of hospitals. RESULTS: In this 1-year period, 1996 patients in eight provinces (representing 72% of Canada's population) underwent open repair (n = 1818, 91.1%) or EVAR (n = 178, 8.9%) of a nonruptured AAA. National utilization rates were 8.4 and 0.8 per 100,000 population for open repair and EVAR. These rates were more constant for EVAR (0 to 1.3) then for open repair (4 to 18.3) when analyzed on a provincial basis. Mean patient age did not differ between EVAR and open repair (73.7 vs 71.9 years, P = 0.4) while mean length of stay (5.8 vs 11.9 days, P = 0.03) and in-hospital mortality (0.6% vs 4.6%, P = .025) were significantly lower for EVAR than for open repair. Most EVAR (96%) and more than half of open repairs (56%) were performed in academic teaching centers. CONCLUSIONS: Although EVAR results in significant reductions in length of hospitalization and early mortality, it continues to be underutilized in Canada compared with other national reports involving administrative databases.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Computerized provider order entry and patient safety.

Computerized provider order entry (CPOE) and clinical decision support (CDS) are advocated health care information technologies for improving patient safety through reduction and prevention of medication errors. CPOE and DCS target specific errors in medication processes, particularly in prescribing and ordering. These are of particular importance in pediatrics, because children may be more vulnerable to prescribing errors than adults. Studies of CPOE/CDS performed at academic medical centers have demonstrated their effectiveness in reducing medication process errors in pediatrics, but scant data so far show effects on health outcomes. CPOE/CDS adoption requires significant expertise in health care processes, information technology, and change management. Adoption is a high-cost, high-risk venture with political implications.

Child↗
PubMed2003

Legal considerations for cryopreservation of sperm and embryos.

OBJECTIVE: To summarize the case law for cryopreservation of sperm and embryos and make recommendations for desirable characteristics that should be included in a cryopreservation clinic's disposition agreements. DESIGN: A literature review of case law and legal review articles was performed. SETTING: Academic research center. PATIENT(S): None. INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): None. RESULT(S): Two court cases involving cryopreserved semen and five cases involving cryopreserved embryos are reviewed. CONCLUSION(S): The state of the law surrounding cryopreservation is recent and unsettled. Disposition agreements can provide cryopreservation clinics some degree of certainty in this unsettled area of law. Those drafting cryopreservation disposition agreements are assisted by lessons learned from cryopreservation cases and insight gained from law review articles. It is evident that cryopreservation agreements will be most successful and most likely to be enforced if they are unambiguous, consistent with public policy, and include: a duration provision, each individual's contact information, the individual's provisions for use of their gametes in case of death, and responsibilities of cryopreservation clinic and individuals. Individuals must enter into agreements with a true understanding of the contained provisions.

Contracts↗