Variations of a Commonly Used Medication Adherence Assessment Scale: Do Changes in Scale Change Structure Results?

Medication nonadherence is a major barrier to both patients and health care professionals when trying to manage medical conditions. An appropriate self-report adherence tool would be helpful in determining a patient's medication adherence. To observe variations in scale scores based on modifications to an Original Adherence Scale, with the hypothesis that making modifications to the Original Adherence Scale will create variations in the percentage of adherent patients.

Acyclovir concentrations in human breast milk after valaciclovir administration.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the valaciclovir and acyclovir pharmacokinetic profiles in serum and breast milk after valaciclovir administration to women after delivery.

Study Design: Valaciclovir (500 mg twice daily for 7 days) was given to 5 women after delivery who were breast-feeding healthy term infants. Matched serum and breast milk samples were obtained after the initial dose, on day 5 and 24 hours after the drug was discontinued.

Cefazolin is inferior to cefotetan as single-dose prophylaxis for women undergoing elective total abdominal hysterectomy.

The purpose of this prospective, randomized, double-blind clinical trial was to compare the efficacy of 1-g doses of intravenous cefazolin with that of 1-g doses of intravenous cefotetan in preventing major operative site infections after elective abdominal hysterectomy. A major operative site infection requiring parenteral antimicrobial therapy developed in 46 (9%) of 511 evaluable women: 30 (11.6%) of 258 women given cefazolin prophylaxis and 16 (6.

Prophylactic antibiotics for suction curettage in incomplete abortion.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of 200 mg of prophylactic doxycycline in preventing pelvic infection after curettage for spontaneous (incomplete) abortion.

Methods: A randomized, prospective, double-blinded study was carried out involving 300 women with an incomplete abortion who were given either placebo or 200 mg of doxycycline orally 30-60 min prior to curettage. A hematocrit, WBC count, pregnancy test, syphilis serology, Neisseria gonorrhoeae culture, and Micro Trak (monoclonal antibody test, Syba, San Jose, CA) for Chlamydia trachomatis were performed.

Abdominal wound problems after hysterectomy with electrocautery vs. scalpel subcutaneous incision.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between postoperative abdominal incision problems and opening subcutaneous tissues with electrocautery or scalpel. Women scheduled for elective abdominal hysterectomy who gave informed consent were randomly assigned to subcutaneous abdominal wall tissue incision by electrocautery or scalpel. Postoperative abdominal wound problem diagnoses included seroma, hematoma, infection, or dehiscence without identifiable etiology.