Are Continuity Clinic Patients Less Satisfied When the Resident Is Postcall?

Due to recent public debate and newly imposed resident work hour restrictions, we decided to investigate the relationship of resident call status to their ambulatory patients' satisfaction. Resident continuity clinic patients were asked to rate their level of satisfaction on a 10-point Likert-type scale. Using multiple regression approaches, these data were then assessed as a function of resident call status. We found that in 646 patient encounters, patient satisfaction scores were significantly less when the resident was postcall, 8.99 ± 1.8, than when not postcall, 9.31 ± 1.3. We herein discuss etiologies and implications of these findings for both patient care and medical education.     

论现代医院技术创新

创新是医院发展主题,本文采用综合分析、收集资料、对比方法,对技术创新内容、技术创新原则、技术创新趋势进行了较详细的分析研究.     

The Use of Performance Improvement Methods to Enhance Emergency Department Patient Satisfaction in the United States: A Critical Review of the Literature and Suggestions for Future Research

Objectives: The authors reviewed the evidence on performance improvement methods for increasing emergency department (ED) patient satisfaction to provide evidence-based suggestions for clinical practice.
Methods: Data sources consisted of searches through MEDLINE, CINAHL, PSYCHINFO, Cochrane Library, and Emergency Medicine Abstracts and a manual search of references. Articles were included if they reported a performance improvement intervention targeting patient satisfaction in the ED setting. Articles on studies not conducted in the United States or that failed to provide enough details to allow critical evaluation of the study were excluded. Two authors used structured evaluation criteria to independently review each retained study.
Results: Nineteen articles met all selection criteria. Three studies found varying levels of support for multicomponent interventions, predominantly focused on implementation of clinical practice guidelines for specific presenting complaints and process redesign. Sixteen studies evaluated single-component interventions, with the following having at least one supportive study: using alternating patient assignment to provider teams rather than "zone"-based assignment, enhancing provider communication and customer service skills, incorporating information delivery interventions (e.g., pamphlets, video) that target patient expectations, using preformatted charts, and establishing ED-based observation units for specific conditions such as asthma and chest pain.
Conclusions: There is modest evidence supporting a range of performance improvement interventions for improving ED patient satisfaction. Further work is needed before specific, evidence-based recommendations can be made regarding which process changes are most effective. Recommendations are made for improving the quality of performance improvement efforts in the ED setting.     

Effects of self-management training in Type 2 diabetes: a randomized, prospective trial.

AIMS: The efficacy of three education programmes for Type 2 diabetic patients was tested in a randomized trial. A didactic-oriented training programme (treatment A) was compared with a self-management-oriented programme delivered in group sessions (treatment B). The latter programme was compared with a more individualized approach (treatment C). METHODS: One hundred and eighty-one Type 2 diabetic patients (age 55.6 +/- 6.3 years, diabetes duration 6.6 +/- 6.2 years, HbA(1c) 7.8 +/- 1.6%, female 49.7%) took part. Efficacy was assessed 3 months (t1) after baseline (t0) and at a follow-up 15 months (t2) after baseline. RESULTS: The fall in HbA(1c) in treatment B at t1 was sustained at t2 (t0 8.1 +/- 1.8%, t1 7.3 +/- 1.7%, t2 7.4 +/- 1.9%). In treatment A, HbA(1c) was unchanged throughout (t0 7.6 +/- 1.5%, t1 7.5 +/- 1.3%, t2 7.7 +/- 1.7%; treatment A vs. treatment B; P < 0.05). With the more individualized approach of treatment C, there was a fall in HbA(1c) at t1, but this was not sustained at t2 (t0 7.8 +/- 1.6%, t1 7.1 +/- 1.3%, t2 7.6 +/- 1.6%; treatment B vs. treatment C; P = 0.73). There were also significant benefits in treatment B subjects compared with treatment A in further medical (body mass index and fasting blood glucose), psychological (control, irritability and hunger dependency of eating behaviour, and trait anxiety) and behavioural (exercise) variables. There were no significant benefits of the more individualized treatment C compared with group treatment B. No significant differences were found regarding triglyceride levels, high-density lipoprotein, diabetes-related knowledge, negative well-being, urine or blood glucose levels or foot care. CONCLUSION: Self-management training had a significantly higher medium-term efficacy than didactic diabetes education. The group sessions were more effective than a more individualized approach.     

The ability of ‘family friendly’ organizational resources to predict work–family conflict and job and family satisfaction

The effectiveness of organizational interventions in reducing the adverse consequences of work–family conflict has produced mixed findings. This paper examines the relationship between the use of organizational ‘family friendly’ resources (such as crèche facilities, flexible working hours, and job sharing), with levels of work–family conflict, and job and family satisfaction over time. Using structural equation modelling, these associations were tested in 398 employed men and women who each completed a self‐report questionnaire administered on two occasions. The use of organizational interventions directly predicted increased levels of concurrent (Time 1) work–family interference and increased levels of subsequent (Time 2) job satisfaction. Both organizational interventions and family interventions (i.e. support) positively predicted subsequent family satisfaction. The research demonstrates that the provision of organizational ‘family‐friendly’ practices will produce improved psychological outcomes for employees. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preference awareness education as stress management training for academic staff

This paper describes a response directed stress management intervention (SMI) in the form of a Jungian based preference awareness education (PAE). It uses the Insights System of personality types to increase awareness of behaviour and communication preferences of self and different others. Eighteen self‐recruited academic employees participated for 7 weeks and received feedback about work preferences and personality type. The aim was to reduce perceptions of stress and interpersonal stress and to increase feelings of job satisfaction and interpersonal satisfaction. The data were analysed using two‐tailed t‐tests. No significant findings were observed for the total sample after training, however, interesting results were found for certain sub‐sample groups. Extravert‐thinking types, reported decreased stress levels (p > 0.018), and participants suffering high stress/interpersonal stress pre‐PAE, reported decreased stress levels (p > 0.010–0.018). Participants suffering low job/interpersonal satisfaction pre‐PAE, reported increased job satisfaction (p > 0.015–0.016). These results suggest that individuals who report high levels of stress and dissatisfaction are most likely to benefit from this type of intervention. Future PAE research might: (a) use pilot studies to meet the intervention preferences of employees that are reluctant to participate in SMIs; (b) include a wait‐list control group; use: (c) a follow up education/measures; (d) and organizational level (stressor directed) SMIs at the same time as response directed initiatives. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

歼击机飞行员改装体检脊柱病症的医学鉴定

目的对近几年来我院改装体检歼击机飞行员脊柱病症健康鉴定进行归纳总结。方法收集分析了261例歼击机飞行员体检和X线、CT的影像诊断资料,并对因脊柱病症体检不合格资料进行统计学分析。结果歼击机飞行员体检中,脊柱影像诊断中以腰椎间盘突出(49例)最多,但多数没有相应的临床症状,有20例因脊柱病症不合格,其中腰椎双侧峡部裂伴Ⅰ°滑脱9例,占不合格总数的45%,是不合格的主要原因。结论外科体检中应该重点加强对脊柱的检查,影像诊断应结合症状和脊柱功能作出鉴定,必要时应作随访观察。     

南海某岛礁作业人员睡眠状况与身心健康状况关系的研究

目的 研究南海某岛礁作业人员睡眠状况与身心健康状况的关系。方法 由经过统一培训的医务人员连续91d每日逐人逐项当面调查、记录。其中的“指数”指标，采用视觉模糊评分法。结果 随着在礁时阃的延长，作业人员睡眠状况明显变差，其主要影响因素依次为值勤（28．73％）、情绪（20．09％）、多梦（10．16％）、噪音（8．86％）和气候（7．73％）等。睡眠状况与身心健康状况明显相关，相关系数7=0．937～0．980，P＜0．01；睡眠指数对身心健康状况各指标均有明显影响（P＜0．01），睡眠时间主要影响体能指数、健康指数、工作质量指数、工作积极性指数、注意力指数及情绪指数等（P＜0．05～0．01），对食欲指数、记忆力指数影响则不明显。结论 在岛礁期间，影响作业人员睡眠的主要因素是值勤和情绪，睡眠状况明显影响身心健康状况。