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Keywords: elderly people, home environmental hazards, injuries Introduction In both the United States and Australia, injury ranks sixth as a cause of death and morbidity in older people [1, 2]. [...]

Features a study to determine whether there are relationships between problem drinking and high alcohol consumption and outcomes such as work injuries and related absences.

Assesses the reliability and stability of using the Mortimer-Filkins test on persons charged with drunk-driving offenses to identify problem drinkers, with results indicating a high test-retest and internal-consistency reliability and the appearance of problem drinking as a stable characteristic across time. Use of the Wiley and Wiley method.

Compares the judgements of eight primary care physicians about alcohol-related problems in 371 of their patients with the patients' responses to the Short Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (SMAST) and the CAGE. Proportion of patients with levels of alcohol-related problems; The discrepancy between primary care physician's judgements and the SMAST and CAGE; Method; Results; Discussion; More.

Since drug abuse results in high costs to the community, it is vital that research funding be allocated in a way which ensures a maximum improvement in health for the money spent. This study explores the extent to which current research into drug and alcohol abuse in Australia reflects perceived research priorities. Two hundred and seventy-four ongoing research projects into drug and alcohol misuse were identified. Researchers currently working in this area were surveyed to ascertain perceived research priorities in terms of the drug studied, the type of data collected and the setting in which the study occurred. A comparison of ongoing projects with perceived research priorities indicated considerable discrepancies. Fewer intervention projects and more studies in laboratory and clinical settings were being undertaken than was perceived as desirable by the researchers. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for strategies for distributing research funds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of 833 employees aimed to determine the prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of high-risk and problem drinking in an industrial population. Variables measured included stressful life events, neuroticisrn, job satisfaction, years of service, job classification and type of shift. As measured by a 7-day retrospective diary, 12.5% of the sample were abstainers, 78.7% were light drinkers and 8.8% were high-risk drinkers. As measured by the Mortimer-Filkins test of problem drinking, 79.2% were non-problem drinkers, 15.2% were presumptive problem drinkers and 5.7% were problem drinkers. Variables that best predicted high-risk drinking were marital status, type of shift and education. Variables that best predicted problem drinking were stressful life events, marital status, education and neuroticism. The results indicate the need for a work-based intervention and provide information to identify at-risk employees and assist in the design of appropriate treatment programmes, including assistance with social and other problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this randomized trial patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes were allocated to one of four programs: a minimal instruction program (n=59). an education program of individual visits (n=57), an education program incorporating a group education course (n=66), and a behavioral program (n=59). Individual and group education programs had higher attrition rates than the behavioral and minimal programs. The four programs, which involved different amounts of patient contact time, delivery format, and instructional strategies. all produced reductions in HbA atid BMI, with no significant differences between the programs. There were no differences between groups over three time periods in total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, or proportion of patients consulting an ophthalmologist. The behavioral program ploduced a greater reduction in diastolic blood pressure over 12 months that the education programs and a greater reduction in the cholesterol risk ratio over 3 months than the other programs. The behavioral program patients were more likely to have visited a podiatrist after 6 months and reported higher satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Research shows that a number of provider interactional skills are empirically related to patient adherence, making interaction skills a necessary and important part of clinical competence. These skills fall into three broad categories: techniques to elicit and modify patients' health and treatment beliefs, to aid recall of information, and to aid adherence. Specific skills in each category are discussed. Research further shows that health care providers can be taught effective communication skills, and that one of the most effective teaching techniques is audio or video feedback in which the provider's interaction with a patient is judged by tutor and peers using explicit, empirically based criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A survey of 108 palliative care nurses practising in New South Wales, Australia, was undertaken to explore their professional needs and clinical knowledge. Opportunity for improved training was the most frequently nominated professional need. Only 12% of the sample had postgraduate qualifications in palliative care and fewer than 20% were currently undertaking postgraduate training. Sixty-three per cent of nurses indicated that a lack of opportunity for formal study was a problem for them. The results of the knowledge survey revealed a need for additional training. Many nurses did not have the clinical knowledge identified as minimal by an expert committee. Those nurses who had a postgraduate qualification in oncology scored more highly on the knowledge questionnaire than did those whose general nursing training was undertaken outside Australia. The implications of these findings for training and other professional support are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The role of preventive medicine in reducing mortality and morbidity is now widely recognized. Although general practitioners appear to be in an excellent position to offer preventive care, there is evidence that they currently do not detect or intervene for common risk behaviours. One reason for this may be the general practitioner's perception that patients do not expect such preventive activities to be a part of the doctor's role. A postal survey of 309 people randomly selected from the community was undertaken to examine perceptions about the general practitioner's role in detection and intervention for smoking, alcohol abuse, emotional problems and hypertension. Responses to the survey from 264 usable questionnaires indicated that people in the community accepted the general practitioner's role in preventive care, with most respondents indicating that they would appreciate being asked about the risks examined, would like the offer of intervention and would try treatments in these areas offered by the doctor. Few respondents indicated that they would change doctors as a result of preventive activity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A number of recent studies have used the direct observation technique to explore the nature of the medical consultation and its impact on outcomes such as diagnosis, adequacy of care, patient compliance and satisfaction. However, none of these included adequate assessments of the reactive effects of the observation procedure. The present research aimed at extending the current understanding of reactive effects in observation studies of doctor-patient interactions, and was part of a larger study involving the videotaping of over 2000 consultations in the primary care setting. Habituation to the observation procedure was assessed by examining changes over time in the doctor's rates of identifying smoking and psychiatrically disturbed patients. Data from 20 doctors and 619 consultations were assessed for smoking detection and 22 doctors and 564 consultations for psychiatric disturbance. When differences between sessions in case mix and the differential ability of individual doctors to detect were controlled for, there was no evidence of changes in the doctor's behaviour over time. Self- report measures of responses to the observation procedure were collected from 17 primary care physicians and 279 patients. While patients reported no reactive effects, the doctors felt that some aspects of their behaviour had been altered by the study procedures. Results are discussed in terms of strategies for assessing reactivity within observational studies of doctor-patient interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An abstract of the article "Tracking funded health intervention research" by Lesley A. King, Adrian Bauman and colleagues is presented.