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Biomedical subjects

A Antonovsky

Publications and source records attributed to A Antonovsky.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Ultramicrotomy of industrial alumina.

Industrial materials, such as alumina, often pose difficulties in their preparation for TEM examination. Composite and particulate materials are particularly difficult to prepare using conventional thinning techniques, i.e., ion beam and chemical jet thinning. Ultramicrotomy (UM) can be used to produce TEM specimens with a uniform thickness and an unaltered composition. Some crystalline materials, i.e., alumina hydrate, were difficult to section due to conflict between the cutting direction and cleavage planes. Sectioning was successful when these two directions were mutually parallel or perpendicular. At other orientations shattering occurred. Microcrystalline particulate materials, i.e., calcined alumina, were sectioned successfully in particles < 70 microns in diameter. The phases found in industrial alumina particles were gamma, delta, theta, and alpha alumina. Gamma alumina consisted of fine-grained, equiaxed crystallites. The selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns indicated poor crystallinity with a distinct hexagonal texture. Delta and theta alumina appeared as an undifferentiated intermediary microstructure of elongated grains. The SAED patterns indicated poor crystallinity, but without a distinct texture. Alpha alumina was found to be a coarse-grained crystalline phase with high diffraction contrast. SAED patterns consisted of fine, randomly oriented spots. Considerable variation was observed in the distribution of phases. In some specimens, discrete particles of gamma and alpha predominated. In others, particles were a mixture of phases representative of the bulk composition. To characterise these samples, TEM of numerous whole particles was required. Ultramicrotomy was the only preparation technique capable of producing such samples.

Aluminum Oxide↗
PubMed1995

The moral and the healthy: identical, overlapping or orthogonal?

The pathogenic paradigm which underlies almost all current Western medical research and practice focuses on concrete diseases and is devoted, at least in theory, to the relief of suffering from these diseases. Clearly, the relief of suffering is a humane, moral pursuit. I have posed the salutogenic paradigm as a major challenge, urging the importance of research directed to the understanding of the mystery of and clinical work directed to the facilitation of movement toward the health end of a health ease/dis-ease continuum. I have proposed the Sense of Coherence (SOC) concept as a key answer to the salutogenic question. As this model is increasingly welcomed, I have become increasingly sensitive to the ethical dangers raised by it, or by any orientation, such as the WHO definition of health, which has salutogenic elements. This paper is devoted to examining these ethical problems. The first follows from the need to define the concept of health. The temptation is to confuse health well-being with other aspects of well-being, reflecting the value judgments of the definer. Such confusion becomes dangerous when the definer holds power over others. The second problem, which has two coordinate parts, is even more serious. It arises out of the search for health-promoting factors. It pressures one to assume that a. what is functional, useful and positive for health is morally good; and b. what is morally good is functional for health. (And, of course, the converse assumptions about moral evils.)

Ethics, Medical↗
PubMed1994

The reality worlds of retirees: an Israeli case-control study.

The conceptual point of departure of this study was Cantril's "patterns of human concerns" as reflecting reality worlds. Subjects were 805 "on-time" retirees and 260 kibbutz members (who do not retire) interviewed at three points in time. We asked two questions: Can modal themes in this map of concerns be identified as characteristic of an Israeli cohort of the young elderly? Do gender, class, and retiree/kibbutz status lead to meaningful differences in mapping the world? A quite common modal pattern of concerns was found in the retiree sample, with a central focus on family and interpersonal relations. Commonalities between the different sociocultural groups seemed more striking than the differences.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1994

[The Kibbutz physician: family medicine theory in practice].

124 of 251 physicians living and working in 109 of the 194 kibbutzim in Israel answered a 125-item postal questionnaire on their professional and personal characteristics and the special issues affecting a kibbutz physician. Most were specialists in family practice, had had the best of modern medical training, were deeply involved in their communities, and were familiar with all aspects of their patients' lives. They were given the opportunity to express the bio-psycho-social model of family medicine. This study relates to the special encounter of family medicine theory and its practice in the kibbutz system of health care delivery, including the problems of the kibbutz physician and the degree of personal satisfaction derived.

Family Practice↗
PubMed1993

The structure and properties of the sense of coherence scale.

Previous work of the author presents a salutogenic theoretical model designed to explain maintenance or improvement of location on a health ease/dis-ease continuum. The model's core construct, the Sense of Coherence (SOC), was consciously formulated in terms which are thought to be applicable crossculturally. The SOC scale which operationalizes the construct is a 29-item semantic differential questionnaire, its design guided by Guttman's facet theory. A 13-item version of the scale has also been used. The purpose of the present paper is to present the extant evidence from studies conducted in 20 countries for the feasibility, reliability and validity of the scale, as well as normative data. In 26 studies using SOC-29 the Cronbach alpha measure of internal consistency has ranged from 0.82 to 0.95. The alphas of 16 studies using SOC-13 range from 0.74 to 0.91. The relatively few test-retest correlations show considerable stability, e.g. 0.54 over a 2-year period among retirees. The systematic procedure used in scale construction and examination of the final product by many colleagues points to a high level of content, face and consensual validity. The few data sets available point to a high level of construct validity. Criterion validity is examined by presenting correlational data between the SOC and measures in four domains: a global orientation to oneself and one's environment (19 r's); stressors (11 r's); health, illness and wellbeing (32 r's); attitudes and behavior (5 r's). The great majority of correlations are statistically significant. All available published normative data on SOC-29 and SOC-13 are presented, data which bear upon validity using the known groups technique.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1992

The interrupted consultation.

This paper focuses attention, in a modest empirical way, on a hitherto unexplored phenomenon. Widespread in Israel, the interrupted patient-physician consultation may or may not be found extensively elsewhere. It is assumed that interruptions coming from the social environment affect communication and hence diagnosis and therapy, as well as satisfaction of both doctor and patient. Observations were conducted in a random sample of 100 consultations, averaging 9.4 minutes, of four physicians in a neighbourhood health centre in Israel. Interruptions were recorded in 94 cases, with an average of 1.36 interruptions per consultation. Contrary to Israeli myth, most interruptions were not by other patients but by clinic staff. The phenomenon is considered in terms of cultural practice and the consequences of group practice, nurse autonomy and medical student teaching. Further research is proposed to study the extent, sources and consequences of interruptions in family practice and, if warranted, methods of coping.

Communication Barriers↗
PubMed1992

The sense of coherence concept and its relation to personality traits in Swedish samples.

The paper proposes that Antonovsky's salutogenic orientation and his sense of coherence (SOC) concept provide a sound theoretical basis for the study and strengthening of the caring component in clinical practice. In order to study the operational utility of the concept, the 29-item SOC questionnaire (in two formats) was administered to five Swedish samples (3 groups of nurses, patients in a hospital emergency department, and a general population sample). Psychometric data are provided which test the internal and test-retest reliability of the SOC scale. A Self-Motivation Inventory (SMI) and the Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP) were used to test the relation between the SOC concept and personality traits. The results revealed that those with strong SOC also scored as having more general motivation and less Somatic and Psychic Anxiety as well as less Hostility. In addition the data, though in some part modest in sample size, consistently supported the view that the SOC scale is a robust instrument. Particular note is taken of its crosscultural character and of its potential utility in clinical work.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1990

Detection of emotional problems in the primary care clinic.

Emotional problems are an important component of general morbidity in primary care settings. Research on the sensitivity of primary care physicians to such problems is, however, scanty. This study examines the prevalence of emotional problems among 776 patients in primary care clinics in Israel using the GHQ-28 and as detected by their physicians. Hypotheses were tested relating to physician and practice characteristics and the extent to which they affect the matching of the two methods of problem identification. Using the GHQ, 69% of the patients were classified as 'cases'; physicians identified 31% of the patients as 'cases'. Specialist status in family medicine, interest and belief in the importance of emotional health, good communication, a low patient load and familiarity with the patient all predicted a better match of physician classification to GHQ-defined 'caseness'. The implications of these findings for ongoing medical education are briefly discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Confronting developmental tasks in the retirement transition.

This paper considers retirement as a widespread developmental transition. It seeks to exploit and advance Erikson's life cycle model, taken as a heuristic device, in three ways: noting major transition challenges between generativity and integrity; distinguishing between tasks and outcomes in such transitions; and viewing such tasks as derived from historical, biological, psychological, and sociocultural realities. Analysis of such realities in the lives of Israeli retirees pointed to four care tasks: active involvement, reevaluation of life satisfaction, reevaluation of a world view, and a sense of health maintenance.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Childhood vulnerability and adult invincibility.

This study is salutogenic, focusing on the people who cope successfully with the handicapping background of a high-risk childhood. Of those aged 0-15 in 1947 in a total population survey of 2 Swedish parishes, 221 persons with 3 or more childhood psychiatric risk factors were identified. Personal interviews were conducted with 148 of them in 1988-1989. Four measures were used: the Sense of Coherence Scale, the Symptom Distress Checklist, the Quality of Life Scale, and a qualitative overall measure of health status using all interview material. Data analysis focuses on stressing the considerable proportion who managed to overcome their handicapped backgrounds. The sense of coherence is proposed as a powerful explanatory variable in such success.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1990

Attitudes toward retirement in an Israeli cohort.

The three-fold purpose of this study was 1) to clarify the concept of "attitudes toward retirement" and its multidimensional structure; 2) to test hypotheses about the relationship between attitudes and gender and SES; and 3) to analyze the relationship between attitudes and the Sense of Coherence concept in terms of the functional consequences of different attitudes. A sample of 805 (432 men and 373 women) Israeli "on-time" people on the verge of retirement were interviewed. Results point to the importance of distinguishing between perceptions of gains and losses in the retirement developmental transition; identification of blue-collar workers, with ambivalent attitudes, as a high-risk group; and the importance of a strong Sense of Coherence in adopting attitudes presumably functional in coping with the developmental transition.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

The submerged part of the iceberg and the family physician.

The paper describes an effort to make contact with a part of the population registered with a family practice in an Israeli neighbourhood health centre. Of 407 files reviewed, of patients aged 45 years and over, 15.5% showed there had been no contact with the family doctor for at least three years. The patients were invited to make an appointment for an examination. The experience of the study led to the following conclusions: (1) files are often out-of-date, containing patients no longer in the practice; (2) an invitation is insufficient motivation for most patients to visit the doctor but it can serve as a trigger when there is an existing problem; (3) a considerable number of patients with some direct contact with the health care system obtain care in what is called 'corridor medicine'; (4) significant health problems were identified among those who came and ease of mind was provided for others; (5) data in the files for earlier periods indicated significant untreated illness in all patients. If this survey in a single practice is in any way typical, a serious problem of health care delivery confronts the family practitioner.

Family Practice↗
PubMed1982

Personality factors as predictors of medical students performance.

Personality characteristics were studied among a group of candidates chosen to study medicine in a selection process determined in large part by personal interview ratings. These personality characteristics were examined further with regard to their relation to student performance in an interpersonally community-oriented school of medicine. Seven scales taken from the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) were studied in regard to their relationship to interview ratings, cognitive and clinical performance and an overall rating by a team of teaching staff. 'Dominance', 'Self-acceptance', 'Well-being'., 'Tolerance', 'Responsibility' and 'Achievement via conformance' were found to be significantly, albeit modestly, correlated to interview ratings, while 'Achievement via independence' was not. All seven CPI scales, except Responsibility significantly differentiated between contrasted groups on cognitive examination scores and overall teachers' ratings, but not on clinical ratings. Discriminant analyses suggested that 'Achievement via independence', 'Self-acceptance', 'Dominance' and 'Achievement via conformance' were the best overall predictors of congnitive performance and teaching staff ratings. Implications for selection of training of interpersonally, community-oriented professionals in medicine and allied helping fields are discussed.

Achievement↗
PubMed1980

Editorial comment.

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Cross-Cultural Comparison↗