Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand = Chotmaihet thangphaet
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
A comparison of serum magnesium sulfate levels in pregnant women with severe preeclampsia between intravenous and intramuscular magnesium sulfate regimens: a randomized controlled trial.
The frequency of blood samples that achieved therapeutic level was lower in the group of maintenance with intravenous regimen than the intramuscular regimen significantly at 15, 30, 60, 120 and 240 minutes after loading dose. The mean level of serum magnesium sulfate in the intravenous group was significantly lower than intramuscular group. This study supported to choose the maintenance by intramuscular regimen. However, further study is required to analyse the effect of higher level of magnesium sulfate in Thai patients.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Cost-effectiveness analysis of patient-controlled analgesia, intramuscular q.i.d. injection and p.r.n. injection for postoperative pain relief.
We conclude that the intravenous PCA method is a cost-effective technique. Although the PCA device is expensive, the cost-effectiveness analysis should give explicit figures for physicians and the hospital administrators to decide whether they should use the PCA instead of the conventional method.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Patient-controlled analgesia in Thai patients.
We conclude that the intravenous PCA method is acceptable, easy to use, does not depend on the patients' level of education, and is safe for Thai patients. The average pain scores at 48 hours postoperation of the PCA group was significantly lower than for the conventional and the I. ⋯ Thai culture might influence how much pain is accepted and the patients had not experienced other techniques, so they could not make a comparison. The amount of morphine used by the PCA group was intermediate between that used by the other two groups.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Laboratory investigation utilization in pediatric out-patient department Ramathibodi Hospital.
Laboratory investigations are inappropriately utilized in the Pediatric OPD of Ramathibodi Hospital and this is due to lack of knowledge and unawareness of the cost of tests. ⋯ 1. The utilization pattern was not correlated to the level of seniority of the physicians. 2. There was inappropriate laboratory utilization in this group of residents: overutilization defined as should not be ordered (26.9%), and underutilization defined as should have been ordered (17.7%). Most of the inappropriateness occurred in the ordering of microbiology (50%) and special blood chemistry (40%). 3. Only the number of tests per patient ordered by the R2I group was significantly lower than that of the R2C group in the late post-intervention period. The cost of tests per patient ordered by the R2C group was significantly increased as compared to their baseline. This suggested that the combination of education, chart audit and active feedback strategies was more effective than each strategy alone. 4. The appropriateness of the test ordering behavior of the resident intervention groups improved during the post-intervention period, although the change was not statistically significant. The control groups' behavior was statistically worse. This suggested that the strategy prevented the inappropriateness of test ordering behavior. 5. With the intervention, the overutilization significantly decreased while the underutilization increased. The underutilization might be a consequence of cost containment on laboratory utilization. 6. The cost of unnecessary tests accounted for 17.6 per cent of the total cost of tests ordered by the residents.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Direct epidural morphine injection during lumbar discectomy for postoperative analgesia.
A double-blind controlled study was done on 42 patients to test the analgesic activity of epidural morphine after lumber laminectomy for single level disc herniation. Sixteen patients received 3 mg preservative-free morphine. ⋯ The patients given epidural morphine had a longer postoperative pain-free period (6.28 vs 2.37 hours) and needed less postoperative analgesia (0.2 vs 0.9 times for paracetamol, and 0.16 vs 0.51 times for morphine). Epidural morphine injection under direct vision during discectomy operation is an effective and safe method for postoperative pain relief.