Are Continuity Clinic Patients Less Satisfied When the Resident Is Postcall?

Due to recent public debate and newly imposed resident work hour restrictions, we decided to investigate the relationship of resident call status to their ambulatory patients' satisfaction. Resident continuity clinic patients were asked to rate their level of satisfaction on a 10-point Likert-type scale. Using multiple regression approaches, these data were then assessed as a function of resident call status. We found that in 646 patient encounters, patient satisfaction scores were significantly less when the resident was postcall, 8.99 ± 1.8, than when not postcall, 9.31 ± 1.3. We herein discuss etiologies and implications of these findings for both patient care and medical education.     

The Use of Performance Improvement Methods to Enhance Emergency Department Patient Satisfaction in the United States: A Critical Review of the Literature and Suggestions for Future Research

Objectives: The authors reviewed the evidence on performance improvement methods for increasing emergency department (ED) patient satisfaction to provide evidence-based suggestions for clinical practice.
Methods: Data sources consisted of searches through MEDLINE, CINAHL, PSYCHINFO, Cochrane Library, and Emergency Medicine Abstracts and a manual search of references. Articles were included if they reported a performance improvement intervention targeting patient satisfaction in the ED setting. Articles on studies not conducted in the United States or that failed to provide enough details to allow critical evaluation of the study were excluded. Two authors used structured evaluation criteria to independently review each retained study.
Results: Nineteen articles met all selection criteria. Three studies found varying levels of support for multicomponent interventions, predominantly focused on implementation of clinical practice guidelines for specific presenting complaints and process redesign. Sixteen studies evaluated single-component interventions, with the following having at least one supportive study: using alternating patient assignment to provider teams rather than "zone"-based assignment, enhancing provider communication and customer service skills, incorporating information delivery interventions (e.g., pamphlets, video) that target patient expectations, using preformatted charts, and establishing ED-based observation units for specific conditions such as asthma and chest pain.
Conclusions: There is modest evidence supporting a range of performance improvement interventions for improving ED patient satisfaction. Further work is needed before specific, evidence-based recommendations can be made regarding which process changes are most effective. Recommendations are made for improving the quality of performance improvement efforts in the ED setting.     

甲磺酸帕珠沙星注射液治疗急性细菌性感染有效性和安全性的多中心临床研究

目的评价甲磺酸帕珠沙星注射液治疗急性细菌性呼吸系统、泌尿生殖系统感染的有效性、安全性。方法采用随机单盲平行对照多中心试验方法。选择急性细菌性呼吸系统、泌尿生殖系统感染患者213例，可评价病例209例，随机编人试验组或对照组。试验组101例．每日1次给予甲磺酸帕珠沙星注射液300mg，iv，gtt，bid；对照组108例，每日1次给予加替沙星注射液200mg，iv，gtt，bid。疗程7～10d。结果甲磺酸帕珠沙星组、加替沙星组有效率分别为94．06％（95／101）和90．74％（98／108）；痊愈率分别为67．33％（68／101）和70．37％（76／108）；细菌清除率分别为94．62％（88／93）和93．62％（88／94）；不良反应发生率分别为7，69％（8／104）和5．50％（6／109）。两组有效性、安全性相似（P〉0．05）。结论甲磺酸帕珠沙星注射液治疗急性细菌性呼吸系统、泌尿生殖系统感染有效、安全，与加替沙星相当。     

有效控制与控制不佳的MRI阴性的GTCS病人发作间期SPECT对照研究

目的:利用单光子发射计算机断层摄影(SPECT)半定量分析有效控制与控制不良的MRI阴性的全面性强直阵挛发作癫(GTCS)病人的局部脑血流差异,探讨脑血流灌注与其预后的关系.材料和方法:对29例有效控制的和12例控制不佳的MRI阴性的GTCS病人进行发作间期99mTc-ECD-SPECT脑血灌流显像,10例年龄匹配的健康人作对照,用感兴趣区(ROI)的不对称指数(%AI)进行半定量分析.将SPECT分析结果与病人的临床表现与EEG相比较.结果:①控制不佳组与有效控制组在丘脑和基底节区的%AI存在显著性差异(P<0.05);②控制不佳组SPECT脑显像的异常率(83.3%,10/12)明显高于有效控制组的异常率(17.2%,5/29),两组具有显著性差异(P<0.01);而两组病人的EEG异常率分别为58.3%、44.8%(7/12、13/29),无显著性差异(P>0.05).结论:控制不佳的MRI阴性的GTCS病人往往存在发作间期的低血流灌注脑区,提示癫的难治性;而控制良好的病人多无明显异常发现,可能预后较好.     

CO2 laser in cancer surgery of the breast: a comparative clinical study

Review of the literature reveals little to no data regarding the use of the CO2 laser as a surgical modality in the local treatment of breast cancer. This study was undertaken to determine if the CO2 laser is a surgical improvement over the scalpel, influencing patient care during the surgical and postsurgical period. In the author's series, a total of 209 procedures were performed. Within this group, 105 cases were performed with CO2 laser and 104 cases performed with the scalpel. Biopsies were always performed as a separate procedure prior to definitive surgery. This study was not designed to compare cure rates, the medical follow-up period being 1 year. The results of this study demonstrate a significant improvement in patients' postoperative care, surgical technique, and hospital cost-effectiveness.