International journal of clinical practice
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An anonymous questionnaire-based study was devised to examine the role of preoperative assessment of patients by pre-registration surgical house officers. One hundred and eight patients awaiting elective surgery were entered into the study. ⋯ More than 25% of patients who stated that the benefits of their operation had been explained cited the PAC as the source; 45% of patients who believed the risks of their surgery had been provided felt the PAC had been the only source of this explanation. It was concluded that preoperative assessment clinics are an efficient and effective means of providing patients with valuable information about their operation.
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Int. J. Clin. Pract. · Sep 1997
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialCyclical etidronate increases lumbar spine bone density in patients on long-term glucocorticosteroid therapy.
To determine whether cyclical etidronate modifies bone density in patients on chronic glucocorticosteroid therapy, annual bone density measurements were performed on 55 patients receiving glucocorticosteroids who were randomised to either continuous calcium supplementation or cyclical etidronate plus calcium supplementation in this secondary prevention study. Median L1-L4 lumbar spine bone density decreased by 0.7% in the calcium treated group after one year but increased by 3.1% in the group treated by calcium and etidronate (p = 0.00116). ⋯ There were no significant effects of treatment on femoral neck density. Cyclical etidronate and calcium increased lumbar spine bone density in patients established on prednisolone treatment over a two-year period but had no effect on femoral density.
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Int. J. Clin. Pract. · Jul 1997
Case ReportsSuicide attempt due to metoclopramide-induced akathisia.
Akathisia as a side-effect of metoclopramide has received increasing attention in consultation-liaison psychiatry in recent years. A case of metoclopramide-induced akathisia resulting in a suicide attempt is reported in order to highlight the suffering of such patients and the factors that lead to misdiagnosis.
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Int. J. Clin. Pract. · Jul 1997
The impact of pre-clerking clinics on surgical operation cancellations: a prospective audit.
Pre-clerking of all patients undergoing elective general surgical operations was introduced at our hospital in an attempt to reduce an unacceptably high operation cancellation rate. A prospective audit has been performed on the effect of this policy on the cancellation rate. Before the introduction of pre-clerking there was a marked seasonal variation in the number of patients who failed to attend for surgery, which could be explained by absence on holiday. This seasonal variation disappeared after the start of pre-clerking clinics, but there has been no reduction in the number of cancellations for medical reasons.