Purpose: Several methods have been described for immobilization of the pelvis following bladder exstrophy closure, which can be challenging to manage. We hypothesized that immobilization can be significantly simplified using a modified mermaid wrap with padded Velcro® straps around the thigh and lower leg.
Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all patients who underwent bladder exstrophy closure in the newborn period at our institution from 1990 through 2010.
Background: A multidisciplinary team (MDT) approach to breast cancer management is the gold standard. The aim is to evaluate MDT decision making in a modern breast unit.
Methods: All referrals to the breast MDT where breast cancer was diagnosed from 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2011 were included.
Background: Emergency department (ED) crowding caused by access block is an increasing public health issue and has been associated with impaired healthcare delivery, negative patient outcomes and increased staff workload.
Aim: To investigate the impact of opening a new ED on patient and healthcare service outcomes.
Methods: A 24-month time series analysis was employed using deterministically linked data from the ambulance service and three ED and hospital admission databases in Queensland, Australia.
Although there have been encouraging recent studies showing a potential benefit from annual mammography in women aged 40-49 years of age with an elevated breast cancer risk due to family history there is little evidence of efficacy in women aged <40 years of age. A prospective study (FH02) has been developed to assess the efficacy of mammography screening in women aged 35-39 years of age with a lifetime breast cancer risk of ≥ 17 % who are not receiving MRI screening. Retrospective analyses from five centres with robust recall systems identified 47 breast cancers (n = 12 in situ) with an interval cancer rate of 15/47 (32%).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTriple assessment in men varies, possibly in response to currently published non-specific guidance. The study aims to assess the efficacy of triple assessment as part of an age related protocol currently used in the clinical setting. 1141 referrals between 01.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNF-κB is a master regulator of inflammation and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of immune disorders and cancer. Its regulation involves a variety of steps, including the controlled degradation of inhibitory IκB proteins. In addition, the inactivation of DNA-bound NF-κB is essential for its regulation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To develop a computer-aided detection (CAD) system for masses in digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) which can make use of an existing CAD system for detection of breast masses in full-field digital mammography (FFDM). This approach has the advantage that large digital screening databases that are becoming available can be used for training. DBT is currently not used for screening which makes it hard to obtain sufficient data for training.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Women with a significant family history of breast cancer are often offered more intensive and earlier surveillance than is offered to the general population in the National Breast Screening Programme. Up to now, this strategy has not been fully evaluated.
Objective: To evaluate the benefit of mammographic surveillance for women aged 40-49 years at moderate risk of breast cancer due to family history.
Background: The management of metastatic breast cancer requires monitoring of the tumor burden to determine the response to treatment, and improved biomarkers are needed. Biomarkers such as cancer antigen 15-3 (CA 15-3) and circulating tumor cells have been widely studied. However, circulating cell-free DNA carrying tumor-specific alterations (circulating tumor DNA) has not been extensively investigated or compared with other circulating biomarkers in breast cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Patient flow from intensive care to acute care units is often problematic and many discharges from intensive care to acute care are unsuccessful on the first attempt.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the factors that influence intensive care patient discharge.
Design, Setting, And Participants: This ethnographic study was undertaken in an Australian metropolitan tertiary hospital that had a 14-bed level 3 intensive care unit.
Domestic violence is a major public health issue that influences all aspects of affected women's lives (World Health Organisation, 2010). Women who are subjected to domestic violence seek help from a wide range of professionals within health and social care sectors, and evidence suggests that their experiences tend to be negative. We argue that current approaches are based on responses that are medically informed and provide an alternate lens from which to view women's health care needs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: We hypothesized that our compliance was low with recommended imaging for evaluation of traumatic bladder injury, which includes either a computed tomographic (CT) cystogram or plain cystogram. We sought to determine if poor compliance impacted diagnosis, management, and outcome of patients with bladder injury.
Methods: Patients with bladder injury were identified from all Level 1 hospital trauma registries in Utah from 1996 to 2010.
Aims And Objectives: To explore how complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) users make decisions about CAM use. Specifically, an exploration of the processes used by people with Type 2 diabetes, related to the assessment of information sources, factors influencing decision-making and the role of other key individuals, was undertaken.
Background: Patients with chronic illnesses increasingly seek to use CAM to improve their well-being.
Aim: To demonstrate the methodological usefulness of interpretive interactionism by applying it to the example of a study investigating healthcare experiences of women affected by domestic violence.
Background: Understanding patients' experiences of health, illness and health care is important to nurses. For many years, biomedical discourse has prevailed in healthcare language and research, and has influenced healthcare responses.
Background: The millions of peripheral intravenous catheters used each year are recommended for 72-96 h replacement in adults. This routine replacement increases health-care costs and staff workload and requires patients to undergo repeated invasive procedures. The effectiveness of the practice is not well established.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAmong vertebrates the neurohypophysial hormones show considerable variation. However, in eutherian mammals they have been considered rather conserved, with arginine vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OT) in all species except pig and some relatives, where lysine vasopressin replaces AVP. The availability of genomic data for a wide range of mammals makes it possible to assess whether these peptides and their precursors may be more variable in Eutheria than previously suspected.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims And Objectives: To examine registered nurses' decision-making when documenting care in patients' progress notes.
Background: What constitutes effective nursing documentation is supported by available guidelines. However, ineffective documentation continues to be cited as a major cause of adverse events for patients.
Background: Outbreaks of norovirus can have a significant operational and financial impact on healthcare establishments.
Aim: To assess whether containment of symptomatic patients in single rooms and bays at the beginning and end of norovirus outbreaks reduced the length of bed closure.
Methods: In 2007, we introduced a new strategy to limit the operational impact of hospital outbreaks of norovirus.
Purpose: This study aims to investigate if microcalcification detection varies significantly when mammographic images are acquired using different image qualities, including: different detectors, dose levels, and different image processing algorithms. An additional aim was to determine how the standard European method of measuring image quality using threshold gold thickness measured with a CDMAM phantom and the associated limits in current EU guidelines relate to calcification detection.
Methods: One hundred and sixty two normal breast images were acquired on an amorphous selenium direct digital (DR) system.
Nursing effectiveness science includes primary, secondary, and translational, clinically focused research activities which aim to improve patient or client outcomes. It is imperative, for the successful conduct of a program of nursing effectiveness science, that a clinical bridge is established between academic and healthcare service facilities. An Australian example of the development of a robust clinical bridge through the use of jointly funded positions at the professorial level is outlined.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The incidence of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) rose rapidly when the NHS Breast Screening Programme (NHSBSP) started in 1988. Some authorities consider that this represents both over-diagnosis and over-treatment. We report long-term follow-up of DCIS diagnosed in the first 10 years (April 1988 to March 1999) of the West Midlands NHSBSP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: The incidence of urolithiasis in children is increasing. However, stone composition studies in this population are limited. We sought to determine the effects of age, gender and geographical location on urinary stone composition in the United States pediatric population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: The purpose of this study was to undertake a cross-cultural adaptation, translation and psychometric analysis of the Illness Perception Questionnaire Revised for patients with traumatic injury in Taiwan.
Background: Illness representations are the cognitive understandings and emotional responses individuals develop, which help to determine their responses to health threats.
Methods: This methodological study involved four phases.