PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A F Shaughnessy

Publications and source records attributed to A F Shaughnessy.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Improving prescription-writing skills in a family practice residency.

The objective of this study was to evaluate a novel method of physician education that uses copies of prescriptions written by study participants to provide feedback on their prescription-writing skills. A prospective, blind, completely random before-after design was used, with observation, intervention, and postintervention periods, each lasting four months. The study group comprised 20 family practice residents, stratified by year of training and randomly assigned to treatment or control groups. Copies of all prescriptions written by participating residents were evaluated for prescription-writing errors. During the intervention phase, prescription copies with errors were returned to the treatment group residents with a tactful comment pointing out the error and suggesting changes. Over the three time periods, there was a continuous decline in the rate of prescription-writing errors in the treatment group, but not in the control group. A significant number of physicians who received the feedback improved their prescription writing (p less than 0.01), but logistic regression failed to show a difference attributable to the intervention. In conclusion, written feedback on copies of prescriptions produced a small decrease in the number of prescription-writing errors. Further, long-term study may show a magnified effect of this teaching method.

Double-Blind Method↗
PubMed1990

Clinical pharmacists in family practice residency programs.

A project was undertaken to determine the number, specific activities, and demographics of clinical pharmacists directly involved with residency programs in family practice. A survey was mailed to the directors of all 381 family practice residencies, with a request either to forward it to the participating pharmacist or to return the survey if a pharmacist did not directly participate in the teaching program. With two mailings, responses were received from 85.3% of the residencies, with 80 pharmacists completing surveys. While the involvement of pharmacists in family practice residencies was similar to that reported in a survey 9 years ago, academic appointments and funding, in whole or in part by a college of medicine, had increased. This increased involvement may represent an acknowledgment by medical educators in family practice of the value of pharmacists participating in residency programs.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Prescription-writing patterns and errors in a family medicine residency program.

Copies of 1814 prescriptions written by 20 residents were reviewed to determine prescribing patterns and the incidence of prescription-writing errors. An average of 0.69 prescriptions were written per patient visit at an average cost (to the pharmacist) of $13.35. Over one third of all prescriptions were written using the generic name, and "dispense as written" was specified on only 3.25%. On average, 21% (n = 373) of all prescriptions collected contained at least one prescription-writing error. Errors were characterized as omissions (6%), unfulfilled legal requirements (1%), incomplete directions (1%), dose or direction errors (3%), unclear quantity to be dispensed (3%), or prescriptions written for nonprescription products (5%). A correct diagnosis and treatment plan can be undermined by a written prescription that is incorrect or miscommunicates the intention of the prescriber.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Nicotine chewing gum: effectiveness and the influence of patient education in a family practice.

The effectiveness of nicotine chewing gum in a family practice setting was evaluated. Ninety-nine subjects who were given a prescription for nicotine chewing gum were evaluated after one year to determine smoking status. Forty-nine subjects received only the gum, and 50 received the gum along with extensive personal instruction regarding its use. The two groups were compared with a third control group of 40 smokers who expressed no desire to stop smoking. At the end of one year, 12.2 percent of those receiving only gum and 10 percent receiving gum and instruction had stopped smoking, compared with a 20 percent cessation rate for the control group. The observed difference was not statistically significant (P greater than .05). Results of this study suggest that the use of nicotine gum alone may not be a viable alternative for family physicians whose patients desire to quit smoking.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Potential uses for metoclopramide.

Metoclopramide, a dopamine antagonist, is approved in the U.S. for the treatment of various gastrointestinal disorders. Its use has been investigated in a wide variety of diseases, including those not involving the intestinal tract. Although more study is required before routine clinical use of metoclopramide can be advocated, it may be effective in the treatment of tardive dyskinesia, in decreasing the risk factors associated with anesthetic-related aspiration, and as an adjunct in the treatment of gastric bezoars. It also may be used safely in patients with Parkinson's disease. The use of metoclopramide in the treatment of neurogenic bladder, orthostatic hypotension, tumor-associated gastroparesis, nonprolactinemic amenorrhea, failure to thrive, Tourette's syndrome, anorexia nervosa, and hiccups, as well as an adjunct to migraine therapy, has been investigated, but sufficient evidence has not been accumulated to advocate the use of metoclopramide in these disorders.

Anorexia Nervosa↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Survey and evaluation of newsletters marketed to family physicians.

BACKGROUND: Newsletters are marketed to physicians to provide a concise, accurate, and timely overview of the medical literature. The goal of these newsletters seems to be to present information that can be a suitable substitute for reading the original article. The purpose of this paper is to describe and evaluate newsletters pertinent to family physicians. METHODS: Newsletters appropriate for family physicians were selected by collecting newsletter advertisements and by searching newsletter directories. A 3-month sample and pertinent data were collected from the publishers. Evaluation criteria included accuracy and completeness of the abstracts, scope of coverage of the medical literature, and relevance of article sources. RESULTS: Eight newsletters were collected and evaluated. Accuracy was high for the evaluated abstracts. Abstract completeness averaged only 70 percent (range 55 percent to 92 percent). The type and source of abstracted articles varied widely among the newsletters. CONCLUSION: Newsletters available to family physicians vary widely; personal evaluation should supplement the results of the evaluation.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Refereed journals.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Humans↗