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Biomedical subjects

A C Markus

Publications and source records attributed to A C Markus.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

The ethics of placebo prescribing.

The prescribing of placebos brings into focus the practice of being truthful to patients. The term "placebo" has a generally pejorative connotation in medicine, although the Latin is "I shall please." More recently, the definition of "placebo" has expanded to include "medication without proven pharmacological activity." Yet it is known that the use of placebos often leads to substantial improvement. The effectiveness of placebos is a challenging and troubling issue for physicians.

Drug Prescriptions↗
PubMed1989

Validation of a computerized assessment (PROQSY) of minor psychological morbidity by Relative Operating Characteristic analysis using a single GP's assessments as criterion measures.

This is a study of the criterion validity of a newly developed computerized assessment (PROQSY) of minor psychological morbidity based on the Clinical Interview Schedule, employing a single GP's assessments as criterion measures of such morbidity and Relative Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis. Two-stage screening was carried out with a consecutive sample of 256 patients aged 15-69 consulting an experienced GP in a semi-rural setting over a six-week period. The GP made a standardized assessment of the reason for consultation and the degree of psychological disorder present. A 40% random sub-sample was then assessed using PROQSY. The area under the ROC curve using a GP criterion of minor psychological disorder ('degree of psychological problem - mild or greater') was 0.81 (S.D. = 0.06). However, the kappa coefficient obtained between this criterion assessment and the PROQSY assessment of minor psychological problem at the observed optimal cut-off score was only 0.28 (S.E. = 0.1; Z = 2.83). It is concluded that PROQSY may be recommended for further development as a research tool providing a valid measure of minor psychological morbidity as assessed by GPs in primary care settings.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

PROQSY: a computerised technique for psychiatric case identification in general practice.

Two-stage screening for minor psychiatric morbidity was carried out with a consecutive sample of 256 patients aged 15-69 consulting an experienced GP in a semirural setting over a seven-week period. Patients completed a short GHQ, and the GP made a standardised assessment of the reason for consultation and the degree of psychological disorder. A 40% random subsample were evaluated using PROQSY, a newly developed computerised psychiatric assessment based on the CIS. PROQSY is acceptable to patients in general practice, and yields an estimate of the prevalence of minor psychiatric morbidity (33%), and validity indices for the 12-item, 28-item, and 30-item GHQs, comparable with those found in similar studies, when the CIS has been administered by an interviewer. PROQSY may be recommended as a research tool, providing a criterion measure of minor psychiatric morbidity in general practice, where it may reduce time and manpower, and eliminate interviewer bias.

Adolescent↗