Family Caregivers' Subjective Caregiving Burden,Quality of Life,and Depressive Symptoms Are Associated With Terminally Ill Cancer Patients' Distinct Patterns of Conjoint Symptom Distress and Functional Impairment in Their Last Six Months of Life

Context

Family caregivers constitute a critical component of the end-of-life care system with considerable cost to themselves. However, the joint association of terminally ill cancer patients' symptom distress and functional impairment with caregivers' subjective caregiving burden, quality of life (QOL), and depressive symptoms remains unknown.

创建良好的心理环境提供全方位优质服务

医院为患者创建温馨、舒畅的心理环境是当前医院改革中亟待解决的极其重要的任务之一。本文从①充分了解患者的心理需求；②注意患者的不良心理因素；③注意医务人员的不良因素三个方面阐述医院如何为患者创造良好心理环境及其重要性。并重点强调自觉培养自身良好的心理素质，保持稳定良好心态及自控力，尊重、理解患者，学习、实践与患者的沟通技巧，增强责任感，树立良好的白衣天使形象等要素是创建的基础。     

A randomized controlled trial of sedation in the critically ill

A randomized controlled trial comparing: a) a combination of oral chloral hydrate and promethazine to b) a continuous intravenous midazolam infusion, for maintenance sedation in critically ill children, was carried out. The level of sedation was assessed four hourly using a specifically devized sedation scale. Forty-four children entered the study of whom two were subsequently excluded. The number of satisfactory assessments (desired and actual levels of sedation equal) was significantly greater in the chloral hydrate and promethazine group (Chi-squared P <0.01; confidence intervals of the difference 0.06 to 0.20). The number of assessments at level 5 on the sedation scale (patient restless/distressed) was significantly greater in the midazolam group (Chi-squared P <0.05). The total number of satisfactory assessments in the two groups were only 61 and 48% respectively, suggesting that sedation can be considerably improved. Chloral hydrate and promethazine are more effective than midazolam as maintenance sedation in critically ill children. It is possible to prospectively study the efficacy of sedative drugs in critically ill children.     

Comparison of self-reports and biological measures for alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs consumption in psychiatric inpatients

BACKGROUND: Asking psychiatric in-patients about their drug consumption is unlikely to yield reliable results, particularly where alcohol and illicit drug use is involved. The main aim of this study was to compare spontaneous self-reports of drug use in hospitalized psychiatric patients to biological measures of same. A secondary aim was to determine which personal factors were associated with the use of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs as indicated by these biological measures. METHODS: The consumption of substances was investigated using biological measures (urine cotinine, cannabis, opiates, cocaine, amphetamines and barbiturates; blood carbohydrate-deficient transferrin [CDT] and gamma-glutamyl transferase [GGT]) in 486 consecutively admitted psychiatric patients, one day following their hospitalization. Patients' self-reports of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs consumption were recorded. Socio-professional and familial data were also recorded. RESULTS: The results show a low correlation between biological measures and self-reported consumption of alcohol and illicit drugs. Fifty-two percent of the patients under-reported their consumption of illicit drugs (kappa=.47). Patients with schizophrenia and personality disorders were more likely to disclose their illicit drug consumption relative to patients suffering from mood disorders and alcohol dependence. Fifty-six percent of patients underreported alcohol use, as evaluated by CDT (kappa=.2), and 37% underreported when using the CDT+GGT measure as an indicator. Smoking appeared to be reported adequately. In the study we observed a strong negative correlation between cannabis use and age, a strong correlation between tobacco and cannabis use, and correlations between tobacco, cannabis and alcohol consumption. CONCLUSION: This study is the first to compare self-reports and biological measures of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug uses in a large sample of inpatients suffering from various categories of psychiatric illnesses, allowing for cross-diagnosis comparisons.     

紧急纤维支气管镜在老年高危患者中的应用

目的　研究紧急纤维支气管镜 (纤支镜 )在老年高危患者中的应用。方法　老年急危重症患者 77例 ,其中急性生理和慢性健康评估 (APACHEⅡ )计分 >14分者 65例。所有患者共行 10 2例次紧急纤支镜操作 ,其中肺泡灌洗、气道分泌物吸引 76例次 ;纤支镜引导下经鼻气管插管 19例次 ;异物吸出 6例次。结果　 10 2例次紧急纤支镜操作抢救总有效率为 80 .3 % ,无危及生命的并发症发生。结论　紧急纤维支气管镜是抢救急危重症患者呼吸道病变紧急处理的有力武器 ,高龄严重心、肺功能障碍不是纤支镜操作的禁忌证     

Children With Chronic Physical Disorders: Maternal Reports of Their Psychological Adjustment

Advances in biomedical science have resulted in dramatic improvementsin the medical care of chronically ill and handicapped children.Past measurement problems have resulted in a lack of clarityregarding the psychological adjustment of these children. Themothers of 270 chronically ill and handicapped children wereadministered the Child Behavior Checklist in an attempt to identifypatterns of behavioral functioning across six pediatric chronicdisorders: juvenile diabetes, spina bifida, hemophilia, chronicobesity, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and cerebral palsy.In general, it was found that children in all chronic disordergroups were perceived by their mothers as evidencing on theaverage more behavioral and social competence problems thanexpected based on norms for children in general. However, theirbehavioral and social adjustment was reported as better thanthat of a normative sample of children referred to mental healthclinics. There were essentially no differences between childrenwith different chronic disorders in terms of behavior problemsand social competence. The results were taken to support theview that these children were as a group at risk for adjustmentproblems. They were also discussed in terms of the noncategorialapproach, which suggests that similar psychosocial challengesare faced across pediatric chronic physical disorders.     

Diabetic and nondiabetic hyperglycemia in the ICU

Hyperglycemia is a common feature in critically ill patients, whether they are diabetic or not, and it is associated with unfavorable outcome. The more severe the underlying disease, the more important the hyperglycemia appears to be although, we still cannot define whether hyperglycemia is just a marker of the severity of the acute illness or rather an active contributor to poor outcome. The review of the literature on this subject published from 2001 up today conveys a massive amount of information the interpretation of which is equivocal, due to the heterogeneity of patients (nondiabetic vs. diabetic, medical intensive care unit (ICU) pts vs. surgical ICU pts) and of interventions (dose and modality of insulin infusion).The association between high glucose level and mortality is strong in critically ill patients without a previous history of diabetes. Admission hyperglycemia seems to be an independent risk factor of in-hospital mortality in patients both with and without diabetes in cardiac, cardiothoracic and neurosurgical ICUs. No data are still available on general surgical ICU patients.Tight control of blood glucose levels has been demonstrated to improve outcome in both diabetic and nondiabetic critically ill patients. In surgical ICUs, tight glucose control improves mortality and reduces morbidity only among patients admitted in ICU for more than 5 days, while outcome is not improved in patients who stay in ICU for less than 3 days.However, it is not yet understood if such favorable effect is secondary to glucose control itself or if insulin plays a part, by means of its nonglucose, anabolic effects. More randomized controlled trials are needed, addressing specific issues—such as the optimal target glucose concentration and the most effective insulin regimen—especially in the general surgical patient.