Survey of sibling and peer visitation policies in southern California hospitals

A survey of southern California hospitals identified current visitation policies and the rationale for the restrictions of siblings and peers. Questionnaires mailed to the nursing administrators of 212 hospitals having designated pediatric beds indicated that the majority allowed some form of sibling visitation. The rationales for restriction most frequently given were prevention of infection and spread of communicable disease. The results indicate a gap between sibling visitation research and the theoretical rationale given to support restrictive policies.     

The link between memory performance,self-assessment,and affective status

Abstract

To investigate the relationship between memory performance, self-assessment of memory, and affective status, 67 elderly females were administered a self-assessment memory questionnaire and multiple measures of affect and laboratory memory test performance. Canonical correlations indicated that the memory performance scores were not related to the affective measures nor to the scales of self-assessed memory ability. Affective status and self-assessment of memory skill were related, suggesting that investigations of memory performance which rely on self-assessment should also measure affective status.     

Organised Assistance to Suicide in England?

Guidelines provided by the Director of Public Prosecutions suggest that anyone assisting another to commit suicide in England and Wales, or elsewhere, will not be prosecuted provided there are no self-seeking motives and no active encouragement. This reflects the position in Switzerland. There, however, no difference is made between assistance and inducement. In addition, the Swiss approach makes it possible to establish organisations to assist the suicides of both their citizens and foreign visitors. It should not be assumed that this approach is without controversy in Switzerland. Proposals for reform continue to be debated there, not least because of the concern about some of the actual practices of certain end-of-life organisations. It is likely that a few English citizens will continue to avail themselves of these services in Switzerland if they cannot find the help they require here. This paper explores the legitimacy of the current restrictive position adopted towards assisted suicide in England. It argues that the provisions within the guidelines prohibiting organisations that assist suicides, leaves some without the help they need. While legislative decriminalisation of assisted suicide and the establishment of state-sponsored suicide centres would represent the most permissive regime, this paper proposes that this would be a step too far. The preference here is for decriminalisation but adopting a ‘middle way’ between the two extremes: the more permissive approach provided by the ‘Swiss model’ is one that could be employed here, albeit within a more robust regulatory regime.     

The Urban Built Environment and Associations with Women’s Psychosocial Health

The determinants that underlie a healthy or unhealthy pregnancy are complex and not well understood. We assess the relationship between the built environment and maternal psychosocial status using directly observed residential neighborhood characteristics (housing damage, property disorder, tenure status, vacancy, security measures, violent crime, and nuisances) and a wide range of psychosocial attributes (interpersonal support evaluation list, self-efficacy, John Henryism active coping, negative partner support, Perceived Stress Scale, perceived racism, Center for Epidemiologic Studies—Depression) on a pregnant cohort of women living in the urban core of Durham, NC, USA. We found some associations between built environment characteristic and psychosocial health varied by exposure categorization approach, while others (residence in environments with more rental property is associated with higher reported active coping and negative partner support) were consistent across exposure categorizations. This study outlines specific neighborhood characteristics that are modifiable risk markers and therefore important targets for increased research and public health intervention.     

Hypnotic Age Regression and the Importance of Assessing Interpersonally Relevant Affect

The present study was undertaken to replicate an earlier experiment and to clarify which factors in this previous experiment (Nash, Johnson, & Tipton, 1979) were responsible for the obtained child-like behaviors of hypnotically regressed Ss. As in the previous study, 3 characteristics of the transitional object relationship (spontaneity, specificity, and intensity) were used as the primary criteria to investigate the effects of hypnotic age regression when Ss were regressed to age 3 and placed in 3 home situations. While in the previous study E suggested separation anxiety and isolation during the 3 home situations (mother-absent condition), the present study deleted all references to anxiety and isolation, and replaced them with suggestions of security and maternal proximity (mother-present condition). As expected, the mother-present versus mother-absent conditions led to similar hypnotized-simulating differences. In further accord with predictions, hypnotized Ss and simulating Ss requested a transitional object infrequently in the presence of mother. The importance of using dependent measures which index affective processes germane to interpersonal affect-laden experience is discussed.     

P REHOSPITAL U SE OF A NALGESIA FOR S USPECTED E XTREMITY F RACTURES

Introduction. Pain and its control have been studied extensively in the emergency department. Numerous studies indicate that inadequate treatment of pain is common, despite the availability of myriad analgesics. It has been suggested that oligoanesthesia is also a common practice in the prehospital setting. Objective. To assess the use of prehospital analgesia in patients with suspected extremity fracture. Methods. Emergency medical services (EMS) call reports were reviewed for all patients with suspected extremity fractures treated from June 1997 to July 1998 in a midwestern community with a population base of 223,000. Data collected included demographic information, mechanism of injury, medications given, and field treatment. Standing orders for administration of analgesia were available and permitted paramedics to give either morphine sulfate or nitrous oxide per protocol. Results. The EMS call reports were analyzed for 1,073 patients with suspected extremity fractures. The mean patient age was 47 years. Accidental injuries comprised 86.5% of those reviewed. Suspected leg fractures were most common (20%), followed by hips (18%), arms (11%), knees (10%), ankles (9%), shoulders (7.2%), hands (5.5%), and wrists (5.3%). Multiple trauma and assorted broken digits accounted for the remaining 14%. The most common mechanisms of injury were: fall (43%), motor vehicle collision (21%), and human assault (10%). Intravenous lines were placed in 9.4% of patients; 17% received ice packs; 16% received bandage/dressings; 25% received air splints; and 19% were fully immobilized. Analgesia was administered to 18 patients (1.8%): 16 patients received nitrous oxide and two received morphine. Conclusion. Administration of analgesics to prehospital patients with suspected fractures was rare. Prehospital identification and treatment of pain for patients with musculoskeletal trauma could be improved.     

Disaster Response After Hurricane Katrina: A Model for an Academic–Community Partnership in Mississippi

Team Reach Out Biloxi is a nursing student-initiated service-learning project with the goal of providing ongoing assistance to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. On 6 different occasions from 2005 to 2008, Purdue nursing students integrated their leadership skills with application of public health knowledge, compassion, and concern as they worked in partnership with the Gulfport region Coastal Family Health Clinics (CFHC). This article reviews the service-learning framework, course planning, and implementation of a 3-year posthurricane disaster project.     

Pediatric Power Wheelchairs: Evaluation of Function in the Home and School Environments

The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of four power wheelchairs when used by children to perform a variety of indoor activities. Eight boys and eight girls performed a series of 11 functional tasks when positioned in each of four different power wheelchairs reflecting different design classes. There were no significant differences for many of the dependent variables. However, the Everaid Turbo was significantly better for functional positioning at a standard kitchen table and at school desks and for accessing objects at different heights. By contrast the Invacare Jaguar was better for straight-line driving speed. Other findings include children's subjective impressions of the four power wheelchairs.