The burden of caregiving among mental health nurses providing services to consumers with depression in Ghana.

Purpose: The study aims to explore the burden of caregiving among mental health nurses providing services to consumers with depression in Ghana.

Design And Methods: Interpretative phenomenological design and qualitative data FINDINGS: The study shows that several health system constraints and individual factors contribute to the burden of caregiving among mental health nurses. Health system challenges are the poor state of the psychiatric facility, while individual factors are stigmatizing attitudes, nonadherence to medication instructions, limited family support, and physical and verbal abuse.

Relationship of cataract symptoms of preoperative patients and vision-related quality of life.

Background: This study was conducted in an attempt to describe the status of cataract symptoms of preoperative cataract patients, as well as to determine the relationship between cataract symptom and vision-related quality of life measures.

Research Design: A cross-sectional study design was used. Study subjects were selected using non-probabilistic methods.

The role of quality improvement in disease management: a statewide tuberculosis control success story.

This study describes Mississippi's statewide latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) control management efforts to improve treatment outcomes using scientific quality improvement tools. LTBI medication completion rates were observed by month and by nine administrative health districts for a 12-month period. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to see if there was any significant change between preintervention and postintervention in medication completion rates.

Combining the benefits of decision science and financial analysis in public health management: a county-specific budgeting and planning model.

State public health agencies are charged with providing and overseeing the management of basic public health services on a population-wide basis. These activities have a re-emphasized focus as a result of the events of September 11, 2001, the subsequent anthrax events, and the continuing importance placed on bioterrorism preparedness, West Nile virus, and emerging infectious diseases (eg, monkeypox, SARS). This has added to the tension that exists in budgeting and planning, given the diverse constituencies that are served in each state.

Production of class A biosolids with anoxic low dose alkaline treatment and odor management.

The feasibility of full-scale anoxic disinfection of dewatered and digested sludge from Winnipeg, Manitoba with low lime doses and lagoon fly ash was investigated to determine if a class A product could be produced. Lime doses of 50 g, 100 g, and 200 g per kg of biosolids (dry) were used along with fly ash doses of 500 g, 1,000 g, and 1,500 g per kg of biosolids (dry). The mixed product was buried in eight-10 cubic metre trenches at the West End Water Pollution Control Center in Winnipeg.

Treatment of recurrent urinary tract infection with norfloxacin versus trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.

Norfloxacin, a broad-spectrum antimicrobial analog of nalidixic acid, was evaluated by comparing it to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole in 93 office patients with recurrent urinary tract infections. In this prospective randomized study, norfloxacin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole were given on the same dosage schedule with the former drug given as a 400-mg tablet twice daily and the latter drug given as a double strength tablet twice daily. Overall, 50 patients received norfloxacin and 43 patients received trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole with a cure rate of 96 percent and 79 percent, respectively.

Thermal injury in the pregnant patient.

Thermal injury sustained during pregnancy presents special management problems for both the gravid woman and her unborn child. Of 6,573 admissions to this burn center during the period of 1950 through 1982, 1,157 (17.6 per cent) were female and 448 (6.

Tetanus following a major thermal injury.

A case of tetanus in an unimmunized burned patient is presented. This foreign national sustained a 32% total body surface area burn, received inadequate prophylaxis initially, and subsequently developed tetanus 11 days postburn.

Superior mesenteric artery syndrome associated with scoliosis treated by a modified Ladd procedure.

A 16-year-old asthenic girl had idiopathic adolescent scoliosis and superior mesenteric artery (SMA) syndrome. After a Harrington rod procedure, the SMA syndrome produced a complete duodenal obstruction that did not resolve with nasogastric decompression, positioning, or peripheral intravenous nutrition. A complete derotation of the duodenum and the colon and stabilization of their mesentery (Ladd procedure with the Bill modification) resolved the obstruction and was considered the preferred operative treatment for this problem.

Lightning injury with survival in five patients.

Of a total of 4,153 admissions, five patients with lightning-associated injuries were admitted to a burn center during a 15-year period, 1969 through 1983. In these patients, the burned portion of the total body surface ranged from 3% to 29% (average, 16%), and all survived. The associated injuries and complications in these lightning-strike victims and a review of treatment guidelines are presented.

Ileosigmoid knot.

A 30-year-old black man had emergency surgery for an acute abdominal condition. Intraoperative diagnosis of an ileosigmoid knot was made and gangrenous bowel was resected, with ilioileostomy, reanastomosis, end colostomy, and Hartmann pouch.

Replacement therapy with modified immunoglobulin G in burn patients: preliminary kinetic studies.

Suppression of serum immunoglobulin G for periods ranging from days to weeks following thermal injury may enhance the risk of infection in burn patients. In an initial trial, we attempted to determine whether intravenous pulses of Immunoglobulin G (IgG) will establish and maintain normal serum IgG concentrations in this interval. The levels of endogeneous serum IgG in eight control patients, mean total burn size 45 percent body surface area (no IgG infusions), were measured by radial immunodiffusion on various postburn days.

Suppression of centrineurogenic shock lung by Dilantin (DPH) administered early in established hemorrhagic shock.

Centrineurogenic shock lung following acute hemorrhage was prevented by Dilantin (DPH) given preshock. Nineteen anemia (Hct = 30 +/- 5%) dogs were divided into five groups: one control (no anesthesia, no shock); one of three with 4 hours of anesthesia alone; and of 15 dogs with hemorrhagic shock, eight were without DPH, two with preshock DPH, and five received DPH 15 min after shock was established. Shock animals were rapidly bled to 40 mm Hg which was maintained for 2 hours, and all shed blood was reinfused.