Graduate Education in the Field of Substance Abuse

Abstract: Twenty-six part-time students from a variety of professional backgrounds are enrolled in the first year of a Graduate Diploma in Social Science (Drug Dependence) at the Phillip Institute of Technology in Victoria. The course is conducted under the auspices of the School of Social Work and commenced in 1984. It is argued that the graduates from this unique course could play a key role in providing personnel to fill positions in the areas of clinical work, staff development, drug education, programme development and management and research.     

健康教育对宫颈糜烂妇女治疗依从性的研究

目的 探讨多种形式的健康教育对提高宫颈糜烂治疗依从性的作用。方法 将确诊为宫颈糜烂的120例患者随机分为研究组、对照组。均给予相应的治疗。研究组增加健康教育内容。两组患者同时观察复诊率、治愈率、对医疗服务的满意程度、疾病的认知情况。结果 研究组增加健康教育后，患者复诊率、治愈率、诊疗满意程度、疾病认知情况均较对照组高(P＜O．05)。结论 健康教育能提高宫颈糜烂患者的治疗依从性，获得较高的治愈率。     

Methodological issues in music interventions in oncology settings: A systematic literature review

This paper is part of a systematic literature review and presents methodological issues within studies, investigating therapeutic applications of music in cancer patients. This review focuses on published international research from the USA, Canada, Australia and European countries using four electronic databases: PSYCHINFO, WEB OF SCIENCE, MEDLINE and SCIENCEDIRECT. Thirty-two papers were identified and each paper was coded in terms of sample type, basic research question, research design and methodological details, results and implications for future research. This paper addresses questions related to study design and methodology. It explores and discusses the relative advantages and disadvantages of various approaches.     

Predictors of mortality in an aging community-based cohort in Korea

Background: Multiple factors related to specific dimensions of health – general, physical and mental – contribute to mortality in the elderly, but their relative contributions to mortality risk is not well‐known. The objectives of this prospective population‐based cohort study were to measure mortality rates and to identify predictors of mortality in community‐dwelling men and women aged 65 years or older in Korea by examining self assessments of general health, objective medical burden, and measurement of cognition, mood and function. Methods: A total of 1245 elderly (529 men; 716 women) were followed up longitudinally for 3.5 years. Fixed predictor variables observed at baseline examined in Cox proportional hazards models were age, sex, education, chronic medical illnesses, self‐rated health, basic activities of daily living, depression measured by the Geriatric Depression Scale, and cognition measured by the Mini‐Mental State Examination. Results: Mortality rates were similar to those of the 2001 Korean population. Older age, male sex, poor self‐rated health and presence of cerebrovascular disease were significant predictors of mortality. Presence of ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease at baseline predicted mortality in men, but not in women. Depression predicted mortality only when chronic medical illnesses were excluded from the model. Conclusions: Subjective self‐rated health and objective medical burden are strong independent predictors of mortality in this elderly community population, in addition to age and sex.     

Evaluating podiatry services: Testing a treatment specific measure of health status

This study reports on the preliminary testing of a new measure designed for use alongside EQ-5D in evaluating outcomes in podiatry: the Podiatry Health Questionnaire (PHQ). Individuals aged 18 years or more, receiving podiatry services in clinic or domicilliary locations across four NHS Trusts in Yorkshire and Humberside UK took part in a questionnaire survey. Respondents reported high levels of problems on all six PHQ dimensions. Correlations suggested that the PHQ and EQ-5D were measuring distinct constructs. The levels on each dimension were well defined in terms of self-rated morbidity on the PHQ visual analogue scale (PHQ_vas) and the EQ-5D_vas, although PHQ_vas appeared to be slightly more sensitive to changes in health on the dimensions. There was a strong relationship between clinicians' Podiatry Clinical Score rating and reported symptoms for four out of six PHQ dimensions and PHQ_vas. The PHQ was able to distinguish respondents in terms of their self-reported morbidity in EQ-5D and in terms of their morbidity as assessed by clinicians. It is suggested that the respondent completed PHQ appears to be a useful new measure for assessing foot-related health. However, further investigation of the psychometric properties of the measure is required.     

区域性卫生规划文献分析与评价

目的：对1990年至2002年6月期间在各种刊物上发表的区域性卫生规划的论文进行分析。方法：采用文献分析法，对论文发表的刊物、时间、作者所在地和单位、论文的主题和类别进行分析。结果：论文发表的刊物主要是卫生管理类、卫生经济、卫生政策、卫生资源等国家级刊物；发表的年份主要集中在1998年以后的几年中；作者所在的地区以北京、上海和山东最多；作者的单位以卫生行政单位和大专院校居多；论文的主题是以卫生资源配置居多；论文的类别以描述性的分析最多，理论研究其次。结论：应加强对区域性卫生规划实施评价和卫生资源配置方法的研究，不断总结经验，进一步推动区域性卫生规划的开展。     

The Impact of Exacerbations on the Asthmatic Patient's Preference Scores

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of exacerbations on mild to moderate asthmatic patients' preference-based, health-related, quality of life scores and also to describe the effect of these exacerbations on daily life. In a survey, 100 mild to moderate asthmatic patients in the United Kingdom were asked to rate three different health marker states on a scale between 0 (death) and 100 (perfect health), defined as: your asthma of today, a mild exacerbation, and a severe exacerbation of asthma. They were also asked to describe their symptoms and what they did when experiencing an exacerbation. During exacerbations the vast majority of asthmatic patients have significant symptoms and consume a considerable amount of health care resources, which often overlap. The health marker state “your asthma of today” was given a mean score of 81.0, a mild exacerbation a score of 62.1, and a severe exacerbation a score of 25.6, indicating a large impact on patients' daily life and their health-related quality of life. In conclusion, asthmatic patients are severely affected in their health and daily living by mild and severe exacerbations. Considerable effort should be made to reduce the number and severity of exacerbations.     

Improving emergency obstetric care in Mozambique: the story of Sofala.

OBJECTIVE: The 5-year project in the province of Sofala was designed to improve access, quality and utilization of emergency obstetric care (EmOC) by strengthening rural hospitals and health centers and ultimately the health system's capacity to respond to emergencies more quickly and effectively. METHODS: Implementation consisted of attention to infrastructure, human resource development, transportation and communication systems, and management. Specific management aspects that were targeted for improvement included: supportive supervision, logistics for supplies, equipment and drugs, record keeping, monitoring and evaluation, and quality improvement techniques such as maternal death audits. RESULTS: Access to EmOC improved with an increase in the number of fully functional EmOC facilities from 4 to 18. The number of women with obstetric complications who were admitted for treatment in participating facilities tripled, and the proportion of those women dying declined by half. CONCLUSIONS: Close collaboration and partnership with the provincial health directorate make the sustainability of many results likely while the replication of much of the Sofala model to other provinces is promising for the national strategy to reduce maternal mortality.     

5地市720名高中学生睡眠状况相关因素分析

目的了解省级示范高中学生睡眠状况及相关因素对学生睡眠的影响，为相关部门制订针对性改进措施提供依据。方法采用睡眠状况自评量表（self-rating scale of sleep，SRSS）对省级示范高中学生进行睡眠状况问卷调查，用SPSS 10．0 FOR WINDOWS进行数据的统计与分析。结果发现720名省级示范高中学生睡眠状态异常者占65．42％，显著高于全国常模（45．6％）。其中轻度睡眠问题占57．36％，显著高于全国常模（35．6％）。学业负担过重、缺乏良好的学习习惯、住宿条件差、家庭状况不好、家校距离远和心理问题是导致省级示范高中在校学生睡眠状态异常的主要因素。结论应促进高中生身心健康，提高其学习能力，改善其睡眠状况。