A process for developing a principle-centred district nursing service philosophy.

While it is well known that team vision and values statements in nursing can promote person-centred care, practitioner role clarity and empowerment, and service effectiveness, especially during times of change, their use in district nursing is limited. Accepted practice is to formulate vision and values statements 'from the top', and then seek buy-in from other staff groups, however, this inhibits practitioner engagement. This paper describes the use of group facilitation, based on principle-centred leadership practices, to engage practitioners in all the creative aspects of developing a values statement.

The stability of benzoyl peroxide by isothermal microcalorimetry.

Isothermal microcalorimetry may be used to determine kinetic and thermodynamic parameters for chemical reactions. This paper reports rate constants, determined as a function of temperature, and the activation enthalpy for the degradation of solid benzoyl peroxide as determined by isothermal microcalorimetry. Studies were conducted on aqueous suspension phase, solid benzoyl peroxide.

The stability of benzoyl peroxide formulations determined from isothermal microcalorimetric studies.

Recent developments in the analysis of microcalorimetric data output allow the possibility of determining both thermodynamic and kinetic parameters for complex reaction systems. Such experiments routinely take around 50 h, hence qualifying for the description rapid. The methods have earlier been applied to a study of the stability of benzoyl peroxide itself in aqueous suspension.

The impact of a health screening flow sheet on the performance and documentation of health screening procedures.

We monitored physician performance of stool occult blood testing and breast exams during health maintenance visits of patients aged 50 or greater, to assess the impact of a physician education program and the use of a health screening flow sheet on performance of these health screening procedures. During the baseline study period, use of these procedures was documented for only about 40% of patients. A physician education program (conferences reviewing appropriate health maintenance screening procedures, and information on the use of a specific health screening flow sheet) did not significantly change the rate of documented physician performance of these procedures.

MMPI identification of nonrehabilitants among disabled veterans.

Utilized the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) with IQ scores and selected biographic data to identify drop-outs in a Veterans Administration vocational rehabilitation program. Subjects were 61 male disabled veterans. Data were collected at VA Hospital Richmond, Virginia, between September 1973 and September 1974.