Qualitative Case Study: A Pilot Program to Improve the Integration of Care in a Vulnerable Inner-City Community.

Introduction: There is a strong correlation between vulnerable populations and poor health outcomes. Growing evidence suggests that person-centred interventions using 'link workers' can support communities to navigate and engage with health and community services, leading to improved health service access. We describe the initial phase and qualitative evaluation of a Healthy Living Program, supported by a link worker role.

How to implement patient experience surveys and use their findings for service improvement: a qualitative expert consultation study in Australian general practice.

Objective: To identify barriers (patient, provider, practice and system levels) to consider when implementing patient experience surveys in Australian general practice and enablers of their systematic use to inform service improvement in clinical practice as well as the broader health system.

Methods And Analysis: An expert consultation and qualitative content analysis of cross-sectional, open-text survey data. Data were collected from key international and Australian experts in the areas of measurement and quality improvement in general practice.

Implementing the Patient Activation Measure (PAM) in clinical settings for patients with chronic conditions: a scoping review.

Objective: The Patient Activation Measure (PAM) assesses the knowledge, skills and confidence of patients to manage their health, and has been consistently used as an outcome measure of health interventions. Using the PAM to tailor interventions to a patient's activation level is less understood. This literature review aimed to examine evidence for interventions using the PAM to tailor care for patients with chronic conditions, including enablers and barriers to implementation, and the impact on quality of care.

What do consumers with chronic conditions expect from their interactions with general practitioners? A qualitative study of Australian consumer and provider perspectives.

Background: More than half of Australian adults manage one or more chronic conditions through ongoing interactions with general practitioners (GPs). Their experience of general practice interactions has important implications for their health outcomes and is thus important to explore in-depth. Consumer expectations have emerged as a key consideration in this regard.

What matters to people with chronic conditions when accessing care in Australian general practice? A qualitative study of patient, carer, and provider perspectives.

Background: Research underpinning the patient experience of people with chronic conditions in Australian general practice is not well developed. We aimed to ascertain the perspectives of key stakeholders on aspects of patient experience, more specifically with regards to accessing general practice in Australia.

Methods: Using a qualitative design, semi-structured interviews were conducted by telephone and face-to-face with people living with one or more chronic conditions, informal carers, and primary care providers between October 2016 and October 2017.

Robotic nurse duties in the urology operative room: 11 years of experience.

The robotic nurse plays an essential role in a successful robotic surgery. As part of the robotic surgical team, the robotic nurse must demonstrate a high level of professional knowledge, and be an expert in robotic technology and dealing with robotic malfunctions. Each one of the robotic nursing team "nurse coordinator, scrub-nurse and circulating-nurse" has a certain job description to ensure maximum patient's safety and robotic surgical efficiency.

Various upper endoscopic findings of acute esophageal thermal injury induced by diverse food: a case series.

Esophageal thermal injury caused by food has been reported to occur mostly after drinking hot liquid food, and is known to produce alternating white and red linear mucosal bands. In addition, thermal injury caused by ingestion of hot solid foods is documented to be a cause of esophageal ulcers or pseudomembranes. From January 2006 to August 2012, five patients with suspected esophageal thermal injury underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy with biopsy.

Differential diagnosis of left-sided abdominal pain: primary epiploic appendagitis vs colonic diverticulitis.

Aim: To investigate the clinical characteristics of left primary epiploic appendagitis and to compare them with those of left colonic diverticulitis.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records and radiologic images of the patients who presented with left-sided acute abdominal pain and had computer tomography (CT) performed at the time of presentation showing radiological signs of left primary epiploic appendagitis (PEA) or left acute colonic diverticulitis (ACD) between January 2001 and December 2011. A total of 53 consecutive patients were enrolled and evaluated.

Is there a difference in the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease between peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis patients?

Background/aims: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common upper gastrointestinal disorder in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, little is known about the prevalence of GERD in dialysis patients. The aim of the present study was to investigate the difference in the prevalence of GERD in peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis patients.

Prenatal alcohol exposure results in long-term serotonin neuron deficits in female rats: modulatory role of ovarian steroids.

Background: Previous studies on male rodents found that prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) decreases the number of serotonin immunoreactive (5-HT-ir) neurons in the brainstem. However, data on the effects of PAE in females are lacking. In light of known sex differences in responsiveness of the 5-HT system and known effects of estrogen (E2 ) and progesterone (P4 ) in the brain, we hypothesized that sex steroids will modulate the adverse effects of PAE on 5-HT neurons in adult females.

Failure and malfunction of da Vinci Surgical systems during various robotic surgeries: experience from six departments at a single institute.

Objectives: To analyze the mechanical failures and malfunctions of the da Vinci Surgical (S) System during various robotic surgeries in 6 different departments at our institute and also evaluated the solutions for the failures and malfunctions.

Methods: From July 2005 to December 2008, a total of 1797 robotic surgeries were performed at our institute. The surgeries were performed using 4 da Vinci surgical systems (1 standard da Vinci system from July 2005 to July 2007 and 3 da Vinci S systems from July 2007 to December 2008).

Self-inclusion behavior and circular dichroism of aliphatic chain-linked beta-cyclodextrin-viologen compounds and their reduced forms depending on the side of modification.

[Reaction: see text]. The self-inclusion behavior and induced circular dichroism (ICD) characteristics of two beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) derivatives, in which a 1-methyl-4,4'-bipyridinium (viologen) group is connected by an octamethylene chain to either the primary (2(2+)) or secondary (3(2+)) side of beta-CD, and of their reduced forms, are investigated. 1H NMR studies showed that 2(2+) forms an intramolecular self-inclusion complex with K(in) = 3.

Isomeric [2]rotaxanes and unidirectional [2]pseudorotaxane composed of alpha-cyclodextrin and aliphatic chain-linked carbazole-viologen compounds.

[structure: see text] Capping the alpha-cyclodextrin (alpha-CD) complex of 1-(N-carbazole)-10-[4-(4-pyridinio)-1-pyridinio]decane with 3,5-dimethoxybenzyl bromide in DMF gives two isomeric [2]rotaxanes, 2a and 2b, while alpha-CD and 1-(N-carbazole)-10-[4-(1-methyl-4-pyridnino)-1-pyridinio]decane 3 in water form mostly a unidirectional [2]pseudorotaxane having the same alpha-CD orientation as 2b. Structures were elucidated from 1H NMR and circular dichroism spectra. The orientational specificity of alpha-CD in the 3/alpha-CD [2]pseudorotaxane is due to the slow dethreading rate of the 2b-type isomer.