The Human Touch: Is Modern Technology Decreasing the Value of Humanity in Patient Care?

The art of nursing care is rarely a black or white concept. Within the art of caring for and saving lives, lies many paradoxical concepts, such as nurses' codependent relationship with technology. A literature review was completed with the purpose of answering the question of whether or not technology has decreased the value of humanity in patient care.

Clinical observation, pharmacotherapy and referral on discharge of patients with anxiety disorder in a psychiatric emergency service.

Introduction: To analyze factors associated with clinical observation, pharmacotherapy and referral on discharge of patients with anxiety disorder (AD) seeking care at a psychiatric emergency unit.

Method: A total of 5003 consecutive visits were reviewed over a three-year period at a psychiatric emergency service in a tertiary university hospital. Data collected included sociodemographic and clinical information as well as the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) and the Severity Psychiatric Illness (SPI) scale scores.

Utilization of psychiatric emergency services by homeless persons in Spain.

Objective: Studies examining the relationship between homeless persons and the use of psychiatric emergency services (PES) in a country with universal access to health care are lacking. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of homelessness in adults visiting a PES in Spain, identify the differences between homeless and non-homeless patients in the use of PES and analyze the factors associated with homelessness and the decision to hospitalize.

Method: The study included a total of 11 578 consecutive admissions to a PES in a tertiary hospital in Barcelona, Spain, over a 4-year period.

Comparative hemodynamic effects of urapidil and labetalol after electroconvulsive therapy.

Urapidil, a postsynaptic alpha 1 -adrenergic antagonist, has been reported to improve intraoperative hemodynamic stability, although it has never been used to prevent the hemodynamic response of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). This study was designed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of urapidil, as an alternative to labetalol, in preventing the hemodynamic response of ECT. Twenty-seven patients undergoing a series of six consecutive ECT treatments were studied.