General hospital psychiatry
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Gen Hosp Psychiatry · Sep 2008
ReviewPosttraumatic stress disorder in general intensive care unit survivors: a systematic review.
Our objective was to summarize and critically review data on the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in general intensive care unit (ICU) survivors, risk factors for post-ICU PTSD and the impact of post-ICU PTSD on health-related quality of life (HRQOL). ⋯ The prevalence of PTSD in ICU survivors is high and negatively impacts survivors' HRQOL. Future studies should comprehensively address how patient-specific factors (e.g., pre-ICU psychopathology), ICU management factors (e.g., administration of sedatives) and ICU clinical factors (e.g., in-ICU delirium) relate to one another and to post-ICU PTSD. Clinicians caring for the growing population of ICU survivors should be aware of PTSD risk factors and monitor patients' needs for early intervention.
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Gen Hosp Psychiatry · Sep 2008
Presence of psychiatric morbidity and regrets about participation in trauma-related research-a pilot study.
Little is known about the characteristics of individuals who regret their participation in trauma-related research. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate (1) regret after participating in a longitudinal study after a burn and (2) associations with psychiatric morbidity prior to the burn. ⋯ Regret and perceived negative consequences were infrequent. The results suggest that a longitudinal trauma-related research protocol is well tolerated by most patients with burns, despite the presence of prior psychiatric morbidity.
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Gen Hosp Psychiatry · Sep 2008
The 1995 Kikwit Ebola outbreak: lessons hospitals and physicians can apply to future viral epidemics.
This article looks at lessons learned from the 1995 Kikwit Ebola outbreak and suggests how modern hospitals should apply these lessons to the next lethal viral epidemic that occurs. ⋯ General lessons from the outbreak include the importance of having simple, well-defined triage procedures; staff who are flexible and able to adapt to situations with unknowns; and the need to protect staff physically and emotionally to ensure a sustained effort to provide care.
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Gen Hosp Psychiatry · Sep 2008
Letter Case ReportsDelayed thrombocytopenia after valproic acid overdose.
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Gen Hosp Psychiatry · Jul 2008
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyPsychiatric emergencies in prehospital emergency medical systems: a prospective comparison of two urban settings.
Psychiatric emergency situations (PES) are of high importance to the German prehospital physician-based emergency medical system. So far, however, no prospective studies regarding the incidence of PES have been performed, neither have effects of training programs on diagnostic and therapeutic accuracy been studied. ⋯ Accounting for 12% of all missions, psychiatric emergencies are a frequent reason for calls for EPs, equaling trauma-related and neurological emergencies. The most frequent reasons for calls were alcohol intoxication, states of agitation and suicidal behavior. The diagnostic and therapeutic accuracy of EPs may be improved with a concise standardized teaching program.