Full disclosure of adverse events to patients and families in the ICU: wouldn't you want to know?

In the past several years, there has been an increasing focus in our Canadian health care system related to patient safety. The Canadian Disclosure Guidelines, which were released in May 2008, discuss various patient safety initiatives underway across Canada. They emphasize the importance of a clear and consistent approach to disclosure, regardless of the variability in the definitions and interpretations across health care institutions.

Diagnostic interview assessed neuropsychiatric disorder comorbidity in 334 individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Is obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) a discrete disorder? Three hundred thirty-four individuals with OCD were interviewed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM (SCID). Results demonstrate that OCD is highly comorbid with other neuropsychiatric disorders, with 92% of OCD study participants receiving one or more additional Axis I DSM diagnoses. Among these additional diagnoses, lifetime mood disorders (81%) and anxiety disorders (53%) were the most prevalent.

Sociocultural influences on participation in genetic risk assessment and testing among African American women.

The objectives of this observational study were to describe the associations between cultural beliefs and values and participation in genetic risk assessment and testing among African American women at high risk for having a BRCA1 or BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) gene alteration. Subjects were 28 high-risk women who self-referred to a genetic counseling and testing research program. Overall, 61% subjects received BRCA1/2 test results and 39% declined.

The impact of item order on ratings of cancer risk perception.

Although perceived risk is central to most theories of health behavior, there is little consensus on its measurement with regard to item wording, response set, or the number of items to include. In a methodological assessment of perceived risk, we assessed the impact of changing the order of three commonly used perceived risk items: quantitative personal risk, quantitative population risk, and comparative risk. Participants were 432 men and women enrolled in an ancillary study of the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial.

Immunofluorescent cell assay of neonatal calf diarrhea virus.

A reliable plaque assay procedure has not yet been described for the neonatal calf diarrhea virus. Therefore, a previously developed immunofluorescent cell counting procedure was adapted to assay this virus. Adsorption of the virus to bovine kidney cells plateaued at 60 minutes.