Conducting a Physical Examination on a Woman with a Disability

Sexuality and Disability -     

Is a bed centre in a hospital a hygienic hazard?

The contamination of linen and air in a bed centre, supply station and ward were compared, as well as the contamination of gowns used by the staff working in the ''clean'' and the ''dirty'' rooms of the bed-centre. The contamination of linen and air was low and there was no significant difference between the tested areas. The contamination on gowns used by the staff working in the ''dirty'' room was significantly higher than that on gowns used by the staff working in the ''clean'' room. This stresses the importance of dividing a bed centre into ''clean'' and ''dirty'' rooms. So organized, a bed centre does not seem to be a hygienic hazard.     

Impact of a postcard versus a questionnaire as a first reminder in a postal lifestyle survey.

STUDY OBJECTIVE--The study aimed to consider the impact of two different types of reminder on response rates and costs in a postal survey. DESIGN--The study was a cross sectional survey. A self-completion lifestyle questionnaire was used. Those who did not respond after the initial mailing were randomly allocated to receive either a postcard or questionnaire as a first reminder. All outstanding non-responders received a questionnaire as a second reminder. SUBJECTS--A representative sample of 698 adults aged 16-70 was used, drawn from a family health services authority register. MAIN RESULTS--Postcard reminders were as effective as questionnaire reminders in increasing response whether one or two reminders are sent. The costs per response were calculated. Two questionnaires as reminders were found to be 1.7 times more expensive than a postcard plus questionnaire. Including the initial mailing, the cost per response using all questionnaires was 1.3 times the cost when a postcard was used for the first reminder. CONCLUSIONS--To increase the response to a postal survey effectively and economically, two reminders should be sent--first a postcard and then a questionnaire.     

Endometrial morphology during a normophasic and a triphasic regimen: a comparison

It is expected that cycle control during oral contraceptive regimens may be correlated with the pattern of gradual endometrial maturation. Therefore the objective of the present study was to investigate the endometrial histology during a normophasic and a triphasic preparation. Biopsies were obtained at different intervals in the second treatment cycle from 21 women taking a triphasic pill and from 21 women taking a normophasic pill. The morphology of the endometria during the two regimens was evaluated and compared, as well as with the normal cycle histology. The study showed an early progestational effect and a rather hypoplastic growth during the triphasic regimen. The normophasic preparation was characterised by a better development and a more balanced glandular growth in proportion to the stroma, imitating the normal physiological mucosal changes very closely. From these observations it is concluded that a more reliable cycle control may be achieved by the use of this normophasic oral contraceptive as compared with the triphasic pill.