585-nm Pulsed Dye Laser in the Treatment of Surgical Scars Starting on the Suture Removal Day

BACKGROUND: The optimal time frame to improve the quality and cosmetic appearance of scars by laser therapy has not been clearly elucidated by prior controlled clinical trials. OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of the 585-nm pulsed dye laser (PDL) in the treatment of surgical scars starting on the day of suture removal. METHODS: Eleven patients (skin types I-IV) with 12 postoperative linear scars that were greater than 2 cm were treated three times on monthly intervals with the 585-nm PDL (450 micro s, 10-mm spot size, 3.5 J/cm2 with 10% overlap) on one scar half, whereas the other half received no treatment. Scars were later evaluated by a blinded examiner using the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) for pigmentation, vascularity, pliability, and height. Scars were then blindly examined for cosmetic appearance using a visual analog scale. RESULTS: One month after the last treatment, final scar analysis by the blinded examiner revealed a significant difference between treated and untreated sites, with the treated halves scoring better in all scar parameters in the VSS and in cosmetic appearance. The treated halves demonstrated an overall average improvement in the VSS between the first treatment score and the final score of 54% versus 10% in the controls (P=0.0002). The cosmetic appearance score (0=worst; 10=best) at final assessment was significantly better for the treated scars, scoring 7.3 versus the averaged control score of 5.2 (P=0.016). CONCLUSION: The 585-nm PDL is effective and safe in improving the quality and cosmetic appearance of surgical scars in skin types I-IV starting on the day of suture removal.     

Token economy in a hospital rehabilitation system

A ward-based token economy programme which formed one part of a larger rehabilitative service for long-stay psychiatric patients is described. The clinical effectiveness of the programme is examined by the use of various nursing, psychological and psychiatric assessments before and after the patients' treatment on the ward, and the progress of former patients is followed-up as they move to different parts of the rehabilitation service. Significant clinical gains in patients' psychiatric symptomatology and problem behaviour on the ward are reported, although there were indications that improvement was not fully maintained as the patients moved on to other parts of the service. Comparison of the present clinical programme with the earlier research programmes on the ward indicated that the present regime was superior. The advantages and problems of token economy as a rehabilitative facility are discussed, outlining the various different roles for token economy with psychiatric rehabilitation. Finally, the future of token economy for long-stay patients is considered, questioning whether it might more appropriately be replaced by other structured ward programmes.     

db/db mice exhibit severe wound-healing impairments compared with other murine diabetic strains in a silicone-splinted excisional wound model

The pathophysiology of diabetic wound healing and the identification of new agents to improve clinical outcomes continue to be areas of intense research. There currently exist more than 10 different murine models of diabetes. The degree to which wound healing is impaired in these different mouse models has never been directly compared. We determined whether differences in wound impairment exist between diabetic models in order to elucidate which model would be the best to evaluate new treatment strategies. Three well-accepted mouse models of diabetes were used in this study: db/db, Akita, and streptozocin (STZ)-induced C57BL/6J. Using an excisional model of wound healing, we demonstrated that db/db mice exhibit severe impairments in wound healing compared with STZ and Akita mice. Excisional wounds in db/db mice show a statistically significant delay in wound closure, decreased granulation tissue formation, decreased wound bed vascularity, and markedly diminished proliferation compared with STZ, Akita, and control mice. There was no difference in the rate of epithelialization of the full-thickness wounds between the diabetic or control mice. Our results suggest that splinted db/db mice may be the most appropriate model for studying diabetic wound-healing interventions as they demonstrate the most significant impairment in wound healing. This study utilized a novel model of wound healing developed in our laboratory that stents wounds open using silicone splints to minimize the effects of wound contraction. As such, it was not possible to directly compare the results of this study with other studies that did not use this wound model.     

Evaluating clinical educators: an employer's perspective

An Australian school of nursing's attempt to introduce an evaluation process required by management for clinical educators involved in undergraduate preregistration education is discussed Reliance on student feedback and clinical agencies' perceptions of the quality of teaching were seen as inadequate mechanisms for evaluation The evaluation process adopted incorporated observation of the educators together with self-reflection on their performance We conclude that post-briefings were poorly used and generally not reflective Educators relied heavily on their clinical skills and used a limited range of teaching strategies Whilst evaluation of clinical educators was time consuming and therefore costly, it is argued that it is essential to the integrity of the course The evaluation process has provided direction for support and development of clinical educators within the context of the curriculum     

The lived experience of clinical educators

This phenomenological study was undertaken to discover the everyday meanings which clinical educators of pre-registration Bachelor of Nursing students attached to their experiences as clinical educators The researcher employed a qualitative design using audiotaped in-depth interviews with four registered nurses employed as clinical educators in four different schools of nursing in Victoria, Australia Using hermeneutics, thematic analysis revealed five themes of meaning central to the lived experiences of clinical educators They are (a) being human, (b) having standards, (c) developing own teaching style, (d) learn as you go, and (e) not belonging The first three themes are described in the literature on clinical education, however, the latter two are unique to this research The results of this study indicate there is need for extensive preparation and on-going support of clinical educators The researcher, who is respectful of the enormity of the task which educators face in preparing students for practice, speculates whether clinical educators are the vanguards of student learning in the clinical field It is evident that the participants of this study did not possess many of the role requirements of clinical educators identified in the literature Further studies are needed which explore the link between student learning and clinical educator support     

Making poverty a practice issue

Trends in poverty and changes in service provision are combining to make the promotion of health in poverty a particular challenge to health and welfare practitioners. The evidence suggests that practitioner groups have failed to respond adequately to this challenge. Factors concerned with professional perceptions of poverty, the nature of qualifying and post-qualifying education and the difficulties associated with taking research into practice all appear, in some way, to contribute to practitioners’ failure to incorporate a poverty perspective in their work. A team training approach appears to offer one way forward in the practice-setting. Using a team training approach, the‘Health Promotion in Poverty Project’ has sought to enable the lessons learnt from the broad base of poverty theory and research to be used by practitioners to build responsive and integrated support strategies for low-income families with dependent children.