Use of different combination diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis vaccines does not increase risk of 30-day infant mortality. A population-based linkage cohort study using administrative data from the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register and the National Death Index.

Objective

To determine whether differences in combination DTaP vaccine types at 2, 4 and 6?months of age were associated with mortality (all-cause or non-specific), within 30?days of vaccination.

Enhancing Nurse Assessment of Alcohol and Drug Dependency: A Preliminary Study

The purpose of this project was to prepare nurses to provide brief interventions for clients with alcohol or other drug (AOD) dependency in order to reduce hospitalization, morbidity, and mortality. The project was a collaborative process between a major medical center and a school of nursing. Nurses were surveyed for understanding of alcohol and other drug assessment, and a day long training was provided to teach techniques of brief interventions. The short-term results included increased knowledge of nurses about AOD assessment. Long-term results indicated that 95% of patients referred to the AOD team were confirmed to have AOD problems (Dunn & Ries, 1997). This project documents the need for nurses to have more knowledge about AOD problems and brief intervention techniques.     

Assessment of sexual abuse and trauma: Clinical measures

Examined are several measures currently used in the assessment of child abuse, sexual abuse, and trauma. These measures include structured clinical interviews, self report measures, screening inventory, symptom checklist, and some measures that include decision making properties. Issues and implications for clinical practice are explored.     

试论新世纪初期医院综合院力评价

作者阐述了医院综合院力的内涵与提出背景，提出了新世纪初期综合院力的评价内容体系，即一级评价内容7项，二级评价内容39项，三级评价内容15l项，并就各指标评价内容进行了讨论分析。     

Assessment in undergraduate psychiatric education

An assessment of medical students' psychiatric performance demonstrated no association between the ability to rate psychopathology or to observe interview behaviour and traditional written methods of academic achievement. This is in accordance with those few studies which have addressed this issue and indicates that there may well be at least three independent skills involved in clinical decision-making: the ability to engage in interpersonal interaction and elicit information; and the ability to acquire and use academic knowledge. This is consistent with work suggesting that maturational and learning processes influence clinical reasoning, and demonstrates that each component should be addressed in assessing students in psychiatry.     

The synchronization of respiration and swallow sounds with videofluoroscopy during swallowing

Simultaneous recording of adult subjects sipping small amounts of fluid from a cup have been obtained by videofluoroscopy together with feeding respiratory patterns and swallow sounds from the Exeter Dysphagia Assessment Technique (EDAT). These allowed visual representations of respiration and swallow sounds to be superimposed on a videofluoroscopy recording using a split-screen technique. Sequentially numbered, 1/50 sec, half-frame photographic prints were examined and schematic drawings of the relevant radiographs were made. These were superimposed on to the actual EDAT printed chart of the same swallow event, theri exact time relationship with respiration and cervical swallow sounds being preserved. The results allow events in the barium videofluoroscopy to be related to events in the feeding respiratory pattern and swallow sounds recorded by EDAT.     

The influence of clinical problems, age and social support on outcomes for elderly persons referred to regional aged care assessment teams

Abstract Background: Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACATs) have been established throughout Australia during the past seven years. Early studies of their effect have concentrated on their impact on the rate of institutionalisation of disabled elderly, the clinical characteristics of referred cases and the relationship between disability and recommended care plan. Aims: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between age, clinical features and social characteristics of AC AT subjects with outcomes at 12 months after assessment. Methods: The examination of an arbitrary sample of persons referred to ACATs over a year by one generalist geriatrician with follow-up of all cases by the three ACATs associated with the study was carried out. All analyses were performed on raw data presented as categorical variables in the form of contingency tables. Results: The sample included 324 subjects who suffered from 2030 clinical problems with a mean of 6.5 per person aged 75 or over and 5.5 for those under 75. Cardiovascular and neurological disease were the commonest source of problems. Study of accommodation outcome at 12 months, for those subjects who survived this period revealed that, in the older group, over 60% of subjects with neurological disease were resident in nursing homes while the majority of all other groups remained in the community, as did two-thirds of those aged under 75. Admission to a nursing home was independent of social support for older subjects with neurological disease, but it played a significant role in those with cardiopulmonary or musculoskeletal disease. Conclusions: The study demonstrates that for one-year survivors there is an increased likelihood of admission to a nursing home of people aged 75 or over with neurological disease, while those under 75 were more likely to remain at home. The association was independent of whether spouse, family or friends were living with the subject. (Aust NZ J Med 1994; 24: 378–385.)     

Training and assessment of laparoscopic skills.

Laparoscopic surgery is gaining popularity among the surgical community. While its prevalence expands, the need for reliable training and assessment tools is becoming increasingly important. Laparoscopic skills are not an innate behavior, nor can they be easily mimicked, and can only be acquired through hands-on training. A consensus exists among physicians that establishment and evaluation of technical skill in surgical training programs are inadequate and in need of improvement. A validated, reliable bench model that could train and assess could be standardized and provide numerous benefits including determination of which medical students should consider a career in surgery, valuable feedback to residents, a tracking mechanism of resident performance, a possible certification and recertification tool, and to allow for interinstitutional comparison. To this end, several potentially successful bench models testing dexterity, hand-eye coordination, and depth perception have been developed. A few models have been proven to be both valid and reliable indicators of technical skill. Although the future remains uncertain, enough groundwork has been laid to begin incorporating technical skill training and assessment into surgical training programs.     

Ethical and metaethical criteria for an emerging technology: risk assessment

This paper examines ethical criteria for the shaping of an emergingtechnology applied internationally in environmental regulation:quantitative risk assessment-risk management. The role of thephysician in its application, especially in the genetic testingthat will be employed, underlines the importance of understandingthe nature and prospects for reshaping of this technology toenable ethical practice. The Cartesian or mechanistic model(which currently dominates the technology) excludes factorsof emotion, making the connection between assessment and managementunfruitful functionally and ethically, and makes the model unresponsiveto human needs. The emotional factors, nested and mediated inthe organic hierarchy of the ecologically-defined community,constitute key psychological, social, cultural and politicalelements of the total burden of risk. Ethical criteria consistentwith an open society are suggested for reshaping the model toenable effective management.