Scandinavian journal of primary health care
-
Scand J Prim Health Care · Dec 1990
Home-voided urine specimens in women. Diagnostic agreement with clean-catch midstream specimens.
One hundred and fifty women who brought a home-voided urine sample to a general practitioner were asked at the same consultation to provide another sample under controlled conditions. Seventy-three women had lower urinary tract symptoms and 77 were asymptomatic. The two samples were analysed for pyuria (greater than or equal to 5 leucocytes/HPF) and bacteriuria (greater than or equal to 10(4) v. greater than or equal to 10(5) cfu/ml). ⋯ There was, however, no difference in the distribution of pyuria or bacteriuria between the paired samples. Agreement, which was high for the diagnosis of pyuria (K = 0.80), was significantly lower for the diagnosis of bacteriuria (K = 0.52, P less than 0.01). A home-voided sample seems sufficient in the diagnosis of the dysuria-pyuria syndrome in women.
-
Scand J Prim Health Care · Sep 1990
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialEmotional and social effects of a controlled intervention study in a day-care unit for elderly patients.
The present study deals with social, behavioural, and emotional aspects of the life of elderly handicapped people in a day-care unit. It was hypothesized that passivity and lack of possibility to influence treatment may inhibit progress in therapy. 65 patients were randomly allocated to experimental and control groups. The programme was devised in collaboration with the patients in order to ameliorate the passivity factor in treatment (by means of improved personal control and social activation). ⋯ There were no changes in psychosomatic complaint scores or in any health/socioeconomic factor. However, there was a significant improvement in perceived health and life satisfaction. The results indicate that significant improvement in subjective well-being, lasting for at least three months after the end of day-care treatment, may be a consequence of the new intervention programme.
-
Scand J Prim Health Care · Jul 1990
Doctors in a white coat--what do patients think and what do doctors do?
Patients and general practitioners in northern Norway were asked their opinion on the doctors' use of a white coat in the consultation. 51.9% of the patients wanted their doctor not to wear a white coat, whereas 11.7% of the doctors never wore one. 5.7% of the doctors' staff members never wore a white coat. The patients' preferences were to some extent related to their own doctors' use of a white coat, and there was a significant increase in the demand for a white coat with increasing age of the patients.
-
Scand J Prim Health Care · Jul 1990
A three-year training programme for primary health care physicians in Poland.
A three-year training programme was developed and implemented by the Medical Centre of Postgraduate Education in Poland with the aim of improving the knowledge and skills of primary health care physicians working in the State Health Services' community centres. The programme creates several learning and self-assessment opportunities with the general principle of not distracting a doctor from his daily duties in a community health centre for more than one day a month. ⋯ It increased health authorities' activity in creating new learning opportunities and doctors' motivation to learn. Self-assessment made by the first group of trainees who completed the three-year programme (results obtained by means of a questionnaire) revealed substantial increase in professional competence resulting from the participation in the programme.
-
Scand J Prim Health Care · Mar 1990
The relationship between menarche and sexual, contraceptive, and reproductive life events.
Relationships between menarche and sexual, contraceptive, and reproductive life events were investigated by structured interviews of 585 Danish women, aged 15-54 years. Data were analyzed by multivariate test statistics. The trend toward an earlier menarche was confirmed. ⋯ After correction for coital debut, no association was observed between menarche and coital frequency, number of sexual partners, or use of oral contraceptives. Menarche was not associated with number of births, spontaneous or induced abortions, or frequency of ectopic pregnancies. The results suggest that the predictive value of the menarche for sexual and contraceptive life events is conditioned primarily by the association between menarche and coital debut.