Mortality from lower respiratory infection in nursing home residents. A pilot prospective community-based study.

Background: Lower respiratory infections (LRI) are an important cause of morbidity, mortality, and hospitalization of nursing home residents, yet treatment recommendations have primarily been based on the minority who are hospitalized. We sought to prospectively evaluate risk factors for mortality from LRI in community nursing home residents.

Methods: We studied residents of 10 central Missouri nursing homes (910 beds) from January 1994 to September 1994.

Efficacy of an intervention to promote use of hearing protection devices by firefighters.

Numerous cases of hearing loss consistent with noise-induced damage were noted among firefighters in the city of Columbia, MO. A survey of firefighting vehicles in operation showed that the firefighters were exposed to excessive noise levels and put at risk for noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Audiologic evaluation showed that 36 percent of the firefighters had moderate or severe hearing loss (a threshold of 40 decibels (dB) or more at 3,000, 4,000, or 6,000 hertz (Hz) in either ear).

Gender and the attribution of the nurse practitioner and physician status.

The purpose of this study was to discover whether sex-role sterotypes were used to identify members of two professions, nurse practitioners and physicians. Participants reported whether they believed a videotaped health care provider was a physician or a nurse practitioner. Results showed that male providers tended to be identified as physicians, whereas female providers tended to be identified as nurse practitioners.