Confrontations with reality: Crisis intervention services for traumatized families after a school bus accident in Norway

In August 1988 a Swedish schoolbus with 23 children and 11 adult passengers crashed into a tunnel wall in Norway. Twelve children and four parents died, 18 of the passengers survived. The victims' relatives (parents, spouses, siblings, and others) were transported to Norway and given a confronting support program at the University hospital in Bergen. The crisis intervention program is described: how the relatives were helped to confront and actively cope with some of the stressful situations from which traumatized families very often are protected. One year later 42 of the relatives answered a questionnaire evaluating the confronting support program that was offered during their stay in Norway. A majority of the respondents did not regret their participation in the program. The answers indicate that passivity and helplessness can be counteracted through a combination of confrontation with reality and emotional support.The study has received financial support from Skandia Insurance Co. (Sweden), Haukeland University Hospital and Norwegian Research Council for Science and the Humanities (377.92/021).     

A Systemic and Value-Based Approach to Strategic Reform of the Mental Health System

Most writers now recognize that mental health policy and the mental health system are extremely resistant to real changes that reflect genuine biopsychosocial paradigms of mental disorder. Writers bemoaning the intransigence of the mental health system tend to focus on a small analytical level, only to find themselves mired in the rationalities of the existing system. Problems are acknowledged to be system-wide, yet few writers have used a method of analysis appropriate for systemic problems. Drawing upon the General System Theory (GST) analytical perspective, this article advances a systematic approach to understand the mental health system and to facilitate the development of reform strategies that recognize the system's complexity and changing nature. The article first discusses the failure of major reform efforts in the mental health system and the limitations of mainstream analysis of mental health politics and policies with respect to the objectives of analysis and reform. This article describes how systems thinking has thus far influenced the study of the mental health policy and politics system, and argues that a systemic perspective is profitable for reconceiving the mental health system, enabling a fresh basis for the development of reform strategies. The mental health system should be seen as a social system influenced by larger political and economic dimensions, not just as a 'delivery system' scientifically constructed by neutral experts. Furthermore, the policy planning process should be viewed as part and parcel of a mental health system modeled as complex and dynamic. The systemic perspective outlined here should help both to clarify the value-based objectives that we hold for the system and, consequently, to plan for the strategic reforms that have so far eluded us. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

睡眠呼吸暂停综合征患者夜间睡眠呼吸参数的变化及护理对策(英文)

目的：探讨睡眠呼吸暂停综合征（ＳＡＳ）患者夜间睡眠呼吸参数的变化及相应护理对策。方法：对１６例ＳＡＳ住院患者在治疗前、睡眠姿势训练、气道持续正压（ＣＰＡＰ）呼吸机治疗三种状态下,进行整夜多导睡眠仪监测。结果：在ＳＡＳ整夜呼吸紊乱中,零点以后其危险因素大大增加,出现严重低氧血症,血压升高,心律失常,尤其是呼吸暂停时间延长,次数增加。而侧卧位可显著地改善低氧血症,最低血氧饱和度（ＳａＯ２）从（６２±１９）％升高至（８３±１１）％（Ｐ＜０．０１）,ＣＰＡＰ呼吸机治疗能使呼吸调节障碍得到明显的恢复,呼吸暂停由（４４．３±２２．６）次降至（０．２５±０．５４）次（Ｐ＜０．０１）。结论：护理上应密切观察病情变化,特别是零点以后应加强巡视,除观察呼吸运动外还应警惕脑血管病及心脏疾病的发生,对不具备ＣＰＡＰ呼吸机治疗条件者宜采取睡眠时督促取侧卧位。对ＳＡＳ患者进行健康教育也是减少危险因素的重要护理措施。     

What do patients want and do we want to know? A review of patients' requests of psychiatric services

OBJECTIVE: A systematic review was conducted of the literature concerning patients' requests of psychiatric care in order to identify the types of requests patients make, psychiatrists' perceptions of their patients' requests, and the relationship between requests and the outcome of care. METHOD: A total of 28 published original articles which fulfilled specific inclusion criteria were reviewed. RESULTS: The studies showed that there are certain core requests that patients make irrespective of the type of service attended. Patients mainly request psychological approaches, and the most common requests are for 'clarification', 'psychological expertise' and 'psychodynamic insight'. There is evidence that patients normally feel inhibited about making requests, and that psychiatrists often fail to identify what their patients want. CONCLUSION: The majority of patients attending psychiatric services have requests which they will express when encouraged to do so, but little is known about the relationship between patients' requests and the outcome of care. Recommendations are made for future research.     

The heparin management test: a new device for monitoring anticoagulation during coronary intervention

Whole blood coagulation analysers are widely used during percutaneous coronary interventions. The precise degree of anticoagulation in patients is important in this setting. The aim of this investigation was to compare the results obtained with ACT (Hemochron) and HMT, the Heparin Management Test (TAS) in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions. Patients (n=100) were enrolled prospectively. Each patient received 10,000 units of heparin. At the end of the procedure, the mean ACT was 284±31 seconds and the mean HMT was 292±33 seconds. The correlation between the two methods was highly significant (r=0.64, p<0.001). The HMT correlates well with ACT values in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions. Its use in the management of these patients should be considered.     

Coping with rheumatoid arthritis. How can specialist nurses influence it and promote better outcomes?

• ? Psychological stressors are said to be an important influence on the outcome of chronic illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis (Engel, 1977).
• ? Helping patients to cope with stressors is identified as a central concept in the delivery of nursing care (Khan et al., 1994). It is thus reasonable to suggest that rheumatology nurses may be key players in the process of coping with rheumatoid arthritis.
• ? But in order for rheumatology nurses to be effective players in this process, they need to discourage coping behaviour(s) linked to poor outcomes, and/or promote an overall behaviour pattern linked to a better outcome. Literature showing the link between different coping behaviours and outcome is examined, and cognitive restructuring is emphasized as one method nurses could use.
• ? Having identified coping behaviour which is optimal in terms of future outcome, further study of different forms of coping-based educational intervention is suggested, to reveal how such patterns of behaviour can be taught by nurses in the most effective way

     

Comparative study of quality of life between the Chinese and Japanese adolescent populations

Researchers from Japan, China and Singapore have initiated a collaborative project, with the aim of comparing adolescent quality of life (QOL) internationally. This study presents the primary results of the investigation conducted in Beijing, China, and Kobe, Japan. The 70-item Quality of Life Questionnaire for Adolescents (QOLQA) was developed and evaluated in Japan and China. In total, 1114 Japanese and 613 Chinese junior high school students, aged 12-15 years, completed the questionnaire. Chinese students scored significantly higher than the Japanese students in overall QOL scores and in most domains. For both groups, subjects had highest score in the independence domain and lowest in psychological domain. In terms of overall QOL score, Chinese male students ranked first, followed by Chinese girls, Japanese boys, and Japanese girls. In the Japanese group, a continuing decrease of QOL scores with age was observed without exception, but no such tendency was present in their Chinese counterparts. No parallel relationship was observed between the higher level of economic development and better quality of life. The results also suggest that mental health promotion should be a priority in improving overall quality of life of adolescents both in Japan and China.     

Does smoking cessation improve mental health?

There is a possibility that cessation of smoking improves mental health, but there are no studies that have demonstrated this. A cohort study was performed for 1 year in 18 males who spontaneously stopped smoking (cessation group) and 173 who continued to smoke (smoking group). The mental health state was evaluated using the Japanese version of the 30-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-30) before the cessation of smoking and 6 months and 1 year after smoking cessation. Changes in the GHQ score were compared between the cessation and smoking groups. In order to control the effects of confounding factors, multiple regression analyses were performed using the GHQ score after 6 months and 1 year as dependent variables. The GHQ score in the cessation group significantly decreased 6 months and 1 year after smoking cessation (P < 0.04 and 0.01, respectively, by paired t-test). In the smoking group, the GHQ score slightly decreased. Repeated measure analysis of variance revealed that the decrease in the GHQ score in the cessation group was significantly larger than in the smoking group. Multiple regression analysis revealed significant effects of smoking cessation on mental health after controlling for other confounding factors. It can be concluded that smoking cessation may improve mental health.     

Medical Specialization,Profession, and Mediating Beliefs That Predict Stated Likelihood of Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention: Targeting Educational Interventions

Practitioner-level educational approaches that promote screening and brief intervention (SBI) seldom consider providers' profession and medical specialization. Strategies that consider these variables may be better equipped to affect change in beliefs and behavior. The aim of this study was to identify beliefs that predict stated likelihood of practicing SBI by specialty and health profession in order to guide the direction of educational strategies. Physicians and nurse practitioners were studied that specialized in family, internal, obstetric gynecology (ObGyn), and pediatric medicine. The results indicated that independent of amount of previous postgraduate alcohol education and knowledge, self-rated competence mediated between specialty and likelihood of practicing SBI. For instance, low self-rated competence for ObGyn was a barrier that suppressed likelihood of practicing SBI. Other findings were that role legitimacy mediated the association between profession and likelihood of SBI, so that lack of role legitimacy was a barrier for physicians but not for nurse practitioners. We suggest that targeted educational strategies for ObGyn and pediatric clinicians may prove more effective than the prevalent one-size-fits all approaches aimed at general adult populations.