Administration of digit span on the wechsler and binet: Differences that matter

The Digit Span subtest from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children was administered to 48 children. Half of the children were administred the test under the Wechsler procedures (last digit dropped in inflection), and the other half were administered the test under the Stanford-Binet procedures (uniform emphasis on all digits). Ss under the Wechsler procedure repeated significantly more digits in both the forward and backward conditions than did Ss under the Stanford-Binet procedures. It is suggested that for maximal use of normative data, examiners should be careful to administer these tests by the procedures under which they were standardized.     

An innovative enterostomal therapy nurse model of community wound care delivery: a retrospective cost-effectiveness analysis.

PURPOSE: A Canadian specialty nursing association identified the necessity to examine the role and impact of enterostomal (ET) nursing in Canada. We completed a retrospective analysis of the cost-effectiveness and benefits of ET nurse-driven resources for the treatment of acute and chronic wounds in the community. DESIGN: This was a multicenter retrospective pragmatic chart audit of 3 models of nursing care utilizing 4 community nursing agencies and 1 specialty company owned and operated by ET nurses. An analysis was completed using quantitative methods to evaluate healing outcomes, nursing costs, and cost-effectiveness. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Kaplan-Meier estimates were calculated to determine the average time to 100% healing of acute and chronic wounds and total nursing visit costs for treatment in a community setting. Average direct nursing costs related to management of each wound were determined by number of nursing visits and related reimbursement for each visit. A Monte Carlo simulation method was used to help account for costs and benefits in determination of cost-effectiveness between caring groups and the uncertainty from variation between patients and wounds. RESULTS: Three hundred sixty chronic wounds and 54 acute surgical wound charts were audited. Involvement of a registered nurse (RN) with ET or advanced wound ostomy skills (AWOS) in community-level chronic and acute wound care was associated with lower overall costs mainly due to reduced time to 100% closure of the wound and reduced number of nursing visits. The differences in health benefits and total costs of nursing care between the ET/AWOS and a hybrid group that includes interventions developed by an ET nurse and followed by general visiting nurses that could include both RNs and registered practical nurses is an expected reduction in healing times of 45 days and an expected cost difference of $5927.00 per chronic wound treated. When outcomes were broken into ET/AWOS involvement categories for treatment of chronic wounds, there was a significantly faster time to 100% closure at a lower mean cost as the ET/AWOS involvement increased in the case. For acute wound treatment, the differences in health benefits and total costs between the ET/AWOS and a hybrid nursing care model were an expected reduction in healing times of 95 days and an expected cost difference of $9578.00 per acute wound treated. Again, there was a significant difference in healing times and reduced mean cost as the ET/AWOS became more involved in the treatment. The financial benefit to the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care is estimated to increase as the involvement of nurses with ET/AWOS specialty training increases. CONCLUSIONS: The greater the involvement both directly and indirectly of an ET/AWOS nurse in the management of wounds, the greater the savings and the shorter the healing times.     

USE OF HERBAL THERAPIES AMONG MIDLIFE MEXICAN WOMEN

The cultural traditions of Mexican women living in the United States make it likely that some women promote their health and manage their symptoms using various herbal therapies, yet we know little about this phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to describe and compare midlife Mexican women living in the U.S. who were or were not using herbal therapies with regard to the extent of their acculturation, beliefs about herbs, and factors associated with their utilization of health services. A convenience sample of 30 Mexican women between the ages of 40 and 56 years completed face-to-face interviews in either English or Spanish. Nearly half reported using herbal therapies. With the exception of positive beliefs about herbs, we found few differences between herbal users and nonusers on acculturation or access to, and satisfaction with, health services. Although acculturation did not appear to influence whether the women used herbal therapies, it did relate to the types of herbs selected. Women most commonly reported using herbs popular in traditional Mexican culture, including manzanilla (chamomile), savila (aloe vera), ajo (garlic), uña de gato (cat's claw), and yerba buena (spearmint).     

Age Effects on Emotion Recognition in Facial Displays: From 20 to 89 Years of Age

Background/Study Context: An emotion recognition task that morphs emotional facial expressions from an initial neutral expression to distinct increments of the full emotional expression was administered to 482 individuals, 20 to 89 years of age.

Methods: Participants assessed six basic emotions at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of the full facial expression.

Results: Participants in the three oldest age groups (60s, 70s, and 80s) demonstrated decreased performance for the recognition of the fear, anger, and sad emotions. Increased age was associated with increased recognition rates for the disgust expression, whereas no age effect was detected for the happy and surprise expressions. Covariate analyses revealed age effects were reduced by processing speed, but were unaffected by decision-making ability. The effects of age on individual emotions and levels of presentation are discussed.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that age has the greatest impact on the recognition of the sad emotion and the greatest age effect at the 50% level of presentation across the adult life span.     

Setting-Level Influences on Implementation of the Responsive Classroom Approach

We used mixed methods to examine the association between setting-level factors and observed implementation of a social and emotional learning intervention (Responsive Classroom® approach; RC). In study 1 (N?=?33 3rd grade teachers after the first year of RC implementation), we identified relevant setting-level factors and uncovered the mechanisms through which they related to implementation. In study 2 (N?=?50 4th grade teachers after the second year of RC implementation), we validated our most salient Study 1 finding across multiple informants. Findings suggested that teachers perceived setting-level factors, particularly principal buy-in to the intervention and individualized coaching, as influential to their degree of implementation. Further, we found that intervention coaches’ perspectives of principal buy-in were more related to implementation than principals’ or teachers’ perspectives. Findings extend the application of setting theory to the field of implementation science and suggest that interventionists may want to consider particular accounts of school setting factors before determining the likelihood of schools achieving high levels of implementation.     

Results of Prefrontal Lobotomy on Chronic Psychotic States

To provide the general practitioner, as well as the specialist with concise, readily available information on the latest, proved methods of treatment of conditions commonly encountered in an average practice, POSTGRADUATE MEDICINE offers this department to its readers. It is not, of course, intended to present these discussions as the only acceptable therapeutic procedures to be used, but rather to offer simple regimens and recommendations based on the extensive experience of the physicians who prepared these summaries.