[Empathy deficit in adolescents : how to characterize and evaluate it clinically ? A litterature review].

Introduction : empathy has been considered since a long time under the angle of human sciences. Today, certain neuro-scientific postulates complement this knowledge. Context : observation of adolescents presenting psychiatric disorders, accompagnied by conduct disorders and/or psychopathic traits, frequently describe empathy deficits ; nurses should evaluate the nature and the degree of empathy of these adolescents.

Reducing pain in patients undergoing cardiac surgery after implementation of a quality improvement postoperative pain treatment program.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of a quality improvement postoperative pain treatment program after cardiac surgery.

Materials And Methods: This was a prospective, quasiexperimental study using nonequivalent groups comprising 3 periods: baseline (group baseline), implementation of the algorithm for acute pain management, and reassessment (group reassessment). Inclusion of 133 patients after elective cardiac surgery at an 18-bed surgical intensive care unit (SICU) at a Swiss university hospital.

Percutaneous vertebroplasty in octogenarians: results and follow-up.

Objectives: To determine pain relief, performance status, morbidity, and mortality associated with percutaneous vertebroplasty for spinal pain in patients aged 80 years and older.

Design: Prospective, descriptive, third-party independent interview, clinical audit.

Setting: University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland.

Harmonization of practice among different groups of caregivers: a guideline on arterial blood gas utilization.

Quality improvement programs based on guidelines should change practice and reduce intraindividual and interindividual variations as well as variations between groups of caregivers. We analyzed a quality improvement program in 3 groups of caregivers. The groups modified differently their practice.