Trending Articles
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Int J Qual Health Care · Dec 2003
Improving medication safety: the measurement conundrum and where to start.
The use of medication remains the most common intervention in health care. The complexity of both medication use and the medication management process, especially in the in-patient setting, create a significant risk for hospitalized patients. Despite the widespread recognition of the hazards that medication use poses to patients, there are no widely accepted or standardized methods to measure the safety of medication use. ⋯ Medication safety is a complex process and measurement of it needs to be a core component throughout the whole process. With the introduction of computerized analysis of patient information, measurement becomes much easier and potentially more powerful and achievable than either incident reporting or chart reviews for purposes of accountability, prevention, and ongoing improvement of both process and clinical practice. This paper reviews approaches to measuring medication safety from the perspective of both harm and error, and outlines a strategy that combines both approaches in the electronic era.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Comparative efficacy and potency of long-term therapy with glipizide or glyburide in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Long-term studies on the comparative efficacy and relative potency of glipizide and glyburide are sparse and controversial. ⋯ Glipizide and glyburide are effective in controlling hyperglycemia with similar doses in DM2. Glipizide exhibits greater reduction in FPG and 2PPG at 6 months. Additional studies are needed to validate equipotency of these drugs.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Acquisition of suture skills during medical graduation by instructor-directed training: a randomized controlled study comparing senior medical students and faculty surgeons.
Due to shortage of time and limited availability of faculty surgeons to teach basic surgical skills during medical graduation, the search for alternative ways of simulated training with feedback is needed. The purpose of this study was to compare the simulated teaching of suture skills to novice medical students by senior medical students and by experienced faculty surgeons. Forty-eight novice medical students were randomly assigned to three practice conditions on bench model (n = 16): self-directed suture training (control), senior medical student-directed suture skills' training, or experienced faculty surgeon-directed suture skills' training. ⋯ There was no significant difference (all p > 0.05) between the student-directed teaching and faculty-directed teaching groups. The magnitude of the effect (instructor-directed training suture) was considered large (>0.80) in all measurements. The acquisition of suture skills after student-directed training was similar to the training supervised by faculty surgeon, and the increase in suture performances of trainees that received instructor administered training was superior to self-directed learning.
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Violence and victims · Jan 2009
Mortality of women from intimate partner violence in South Africa: a national epidemiological study.
The purpose of this article is to describe mortality of women from intimate partner violence (IPV) in South Africa using a retrospective national study in a proportionate random sample of 25 mortuaries. Homicides identified from mortuary, autopsy, and police records. There were 3,797 female homicides, of which 50.3% were from IPV. ⋯ Blunt force injuries were more common, while strangulation or asphyxiation were less common. The national IPV mortality rate was more than twice that found in the United States. The study highlights the value of collecting reliable data across the globe to develop interventions for advocacy of which gender equity is critical.
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Clin Exp Obstet Gyn · Jan 2008
Case ReportsUterus didelphys with blind hemivagina and ipsilateral renal agenesis complicated by pyocolpos and presenting as acute abdomen 11 years after menarche: presentation of a rare case with review of the literature.
Congenital anomaly of the Müllerian duct system can result in various urogenital anomalies including uterus didelphys with blind hemivagina and ipsilateral renal agenesis. The diagnosis of this condition is usually made after menarche, but its rarity and variable clinical features may contribute to a diagnostic delay for years after menarche. ⋯ We demonstrated the difficulty in making a correct diagnosis of this rare congenital anomaly of the female genital tract, especially after many years since menarche. This condition should be considered to prevent misdiagnosis or suboptimal treatment and decrease morbidity and unnecessary surgical procedures.