Journal of evaluation in clinical practice
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Outpatient versus inpatient laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a prospective randomized study of symptom occurrence, symptom distress and general state of health during the first post-operative week.
Few randomized clinical trials focus on patients' symptoms of the first post-operative week following outpatient (OPS) versus inpatient (IPS) laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). The objective was to compare these treatment modalities with regard to patients' perceptions of pain and other post-operative symptoms, amount of distress, level of anxiety and general state of health during the first post-operative week. ⋯ Laparoscopic cholecystectomy patients in both groups recover equally well, indicating that a greater proportion of LC patients should be offered the outpatient modality.
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Pressure ulcers are a potential complication for intensive care patients and their prevention is a major issue in nursing care. Therefore, this study aims to assess pressure ulcer prevalence in intensive care patients, patients' characteristics and preventive measures related to pressure ulcer prevalence in intensive care patients and to determine the most common body sites of pressure ulcers. ⋯ It is crucial to select appropriate and applicable preventive material/devices and nursing care measures. Moreover, factors related to the presence of pressure ulcers should be taken into consideration in order to prevent development of further pressure ulcers.
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Relative to other regions in the USA, Mississippi has a high prevalence of tobacco use and tobacco-related disease. This study assessed the tobacco-related knowledge, attitudes and intervention behaviours of family doctors, dentists and nurse practitioners in the state of Mississippi. ⋯ Despite a high prevalence of tobacco use and tobacco-related disease in Mississippi, primary care providers in Mississippi provide tobacco cessation interventions at an unacceptably low frequency relative to other regions. Training is likely to increase the frequency of intervention behaviours.
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In this article, the difference between team and group is tested empirically. The research question posed is How are teams formed? Three theoretical concepts that distinguish groups from teams are presented: sequentiality, parallelism and synchronicity. The presumption is that groups cooperate sequentially and teams synchronously, while parallel cooperation is a transition between group and team. ⋯ The studied team developed cooperation with synchronous elements but never attained a level that corresponds to idealized conceptions of teams. This is used as a basis for challenging ideas that teams are harmonious and free from conflicts and that cooperation takes place without friction.
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Although courses in acupuncture are increasingly available to doctors, little is known about educational outcomes, or the impact on doctor practices. We sought to characterize doctors who seek acupuncture training, and describe acupuncture practice and referral patterns after training. ⋯ Among doctors enrolling in an acupuncture training programme, half encountered barriers that prevented use in clinical practice. Those who did use acupuncture found it to be helpful for treatment of pain. Given the expanding pool of doctors trained in acupuncture in the USA, outcomes research is needed to further evaluate medical acupuncture practice.