Heart & lung : the journal of critical care
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Comparative Study
Dyspnea self-management strategies: use and effectiveness as reported by patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The purposes of this study were to (1) identify the frequency with which patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) use dyspnea self-management strategies and (2) quantitatively describe the patients' perceptions of self-management strategy effectiveness. ⋯ This study presents a beginning understanding of the perceptions of dyspnea self-management strategy effectiveness and frequency of strategy use in patients with COPD. The study also emphasizes the need for clinicians to individualize self-management strategy recommendations.
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Comparative Study
Overuse of prothrombin and partial thromboplastin coagulation tests in medical inpatients.
In the monitoring of anticoagulant therapy, prothrombin time (PT) is used to measure the effect of warfarin, whereas the partial thromboplastin time (PTT) measures the therapeutic effect of unfractionated heparin. Low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) does not require routine monitoring. ⋯ The review of the records of 50 medical inpatients found that PT and PTT were invariably requested together, despite a lack of indication. The 50 patients incurred a total of $2434 in unneeded costs. If representative of common clinical practice, significant cost savings may be possible. Education, computerization, and information on costs of individual tests may reduce unneeded investigations.