Art therapist’s perceptions of the role of the art medium in the treatment of bereaved clients in art therapy

The exploratory study’s aim was to examine how art therapists perceive the role of the art medium in the treatment of bereaved clients. Eight Israeli art therapists reflected on this topic through drawings and interviews. Qualitative analysis identified three major roles, specifically art as: (1) a space for the client’s grief work; (2) a communication channel that impacts the art therapist’s experience and therapeutic relationship; and (3) a shared space where client and therapist create a new narrative. The discussion deals with the findings and their clinical implications, identifying the central therapeutic processes involved in art therapy with bereaved clients.     

Sounds of the future? Ultrasonography in the field

During the past two decades, the development and maturation of ultrasonography as a diagnostic tool has revolutionized the practice of radiology, cardiology, obstetrics and surgery. In fact, few areas of medicine have not been affected by this technology. Unlike the still-frame images of standard X-rays and computerized axial tomography (CAT) scans, ultrasound technology displays an ongoing cross-sectional image of an anatomic area in "real time," which can then be stored and played back on videotape. This ability to quickly assess function, as well as anatomy, has become invaluable in the management of critically ill patients.     

Prediction of success in the first-year exam in the study of medicine – a prospective survey

OBJECTIVE: To identify predictors of students' success in the first-year exam in a new curriculum in the study of medicine in Vienna. DESIGN: We tested 11 topics (including socio-demographic variables, family background, school performance, economic situation, living conditions, social integration and health, learning capacity, study motivation and ability to cope with stress) for their relevance in terms of study success in a prospective study of an unselected student sample. Data were collected from questionnaires filled in by 674 first-year students (50.8% of the total number of 1327 new students) who enrolled in the academic year 2002/03. MAIN OUTCOME: Comparison of students who passed the first-year exam with students who failed identified four predictors: male sex, German mother tongue, performance in secondary school and learning capacity. CONCLUSIONS: The new curriculum exerted subliminal selectivity; the predictive powers of school marks and subjective learning capacity were confirmed; the influence of a student's sex should be investigated further; the influence of mother tongue requires modification of pre-study courses for foreign students.     

Are you in control of the method or is the method in control of you?

The starting point for this article is the concept that there is a risk in slavishly adhering to one particular method in nursing education. With this approach in mind, the aim was to examine the use of an educational model with drama in relation to Gadamer's idea of method, as well as to discuss the conditions for lifeworld dialogues in learning encounters.     

Perspectives of Alternative Medicine in the Field of Rehabilitation Medicine in Korea

1 Introduction. ′Medicine′ itself is not exactly a science, but it is an art——a healing art. Throughout history the humankind have used shamanism,witchcraft,religions,metaphysics,philosophy,science and/or technology as a tool in making better understanding and further improvement of healing art.     

Northern Ireland--state of the arts? An evaluation of the use of the arts in teaching caring

In recent years, nursing literature has shown a growing interest in the use of the arts as a teaching medium in nurse education. This interest has been further fostered by the advent of the curriculum revolution, which has underlined the need for nurse educationalists to attempt more innovative teaching strategies in helping their students develop caring skills. However, little has been done to establish the extent to which this medium is actually being used by teachers. The authors report on a survey which was carried out across Northern Ireland to gather evidence on the use of this strategy from teachers of nursing, midwifery and health visiting.     

Immunologic dissonance in the pathogenesis of sepsis

Sepsis is considered as a symptom complex resulted from an invasion of pathogen(s),provoking a cascade of harmful physiological changes including fulminating inflammatory responses detrimental to structures and functions of tissues and organs . The process may end in septic shock or terminate into multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and multiple organ failure, and they are both lethal. As yet both the incidence and mortality of sepsis remain high, and it has become the l…     

Advances in the study of the effects of enteric α-defensins on the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases

防御素作为小肠腺泡底部潘氏细胞分泌的主要抗菌肽,具有广谱的杀菌、抗炎、抗病毒功能,对肠道的黏膜屏障功能和免疫功能都有非常重要的维持和调节作用.近年发现防御素和炎症性肠病(IBD)的发病联系紧密.现将近年来肠源性防御素在IBD发病机制中作用的研究进展进行综述,以期为今后IBD的治疗提供一定的理论依据.     

Cortical dysbalance in the brain in migraineurs--hyperexcitability as the result of sensitisation?

A cortical dysbalance has a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of migraine. Numerous electrophysiological and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies have investigated the interictal excitability level in migraineurs and have shown a consistent lack of habituation during repetitive stimulation. There is some controversy in the current literature over whether this deficit is based on a lowered or an elevated preactivation level. However, the current discussion may be misguided. It seems that multiple external and intrinsic factors influence the level of cortical excitability and the frequency and intensity of attacks: Habituation is specific neither to migraine nor even to pain; the same phenomenon is found in tinnitus patients, for example. Cortical hyperexcitability is presumably the result of chronicity and the concomitant central sensitisation process.     

Does delivery matter? Users' perceptions of the significance of trust in the delivery of the Personal Advisor Service in the New Deal for Disabled Persons

Purpose: In the context of welfare pluralism where government in the UK has been contracting a number of public services out to a range of private and voluntary sector organisations, the aim of this study is to explore the extent to which decisions to become involved in employment support programmes are affected by the users' perceptions of those delivering the service. Method: A qualitative design involving two focus groups of fourteen participants was employed to examine the attitudes and perceptions of participants in the government's New Deal for Disabled Persons. The study sample was purposefully selected from client records of Shaw Trust a national charity for disabled persons, one of the organisations who have been contracted by the government to provide this service. Results: Two distinct but related themes of disillusionment with the government and the importance of trust emerged from the focus groups. Overall, the data suggests that the identity of those delivering the service significantly influences the decision to participate. As Shaw Trust is a voluntary organisation promoting the rights of disabled persons they were deemed to be trustworthy. The users were sceptical about the government's commitment to improving the lives of disabled people and were reluctant to engage with the state. Conclusions: Making the transition from dependency on disability benefits to paid employment is a quantum leap. For many the decision to put themselves forward for voluntary support schemes is affected by the extent to which they believe they can trust the agency delivering the service. It is imperative that the government listen to the service users who have been involved in these projects and learn from their experiences.     

Dose of dialysis in the intensive care unit: is the venom in the dose or in the clinical experience?

Many studies on the most 'adequate' dose of renal replacement therapy (RRT) in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury have obtained contradictory results. The previous issue of Critical Care reports a multi-centre study showing that a higher than conventional dose of RRT, whether continuous RRT or intermittent RRT, is not associated with better survival of these patients. This commentary highlights some of the problems associated with the interpretation of this and previously published studies. These problems include the use of targets of Kt/V urea or the ultrafiltration rate in millilitres per kilogram body weight, the latter quite difficult to estimate in these patients, the divergent co-morbidities of the patients, and the local experience of intensivists or nephrologists with either continuous RRT or intermittent RRT. The last factor could explain why some single centre studies did find an impact of dialysis dose on the survival of these patients whereas multi-centre studies did not.