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Biomedical subjects

A L Knight

Publications and source records attributed to A L Knight.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

The prevention of tetanus in the elderly.

Tetanus is a rare disease in the United States, which predominantly affects the elderly and who have a lower prevalence of tetanus immunity compared with younger age groups. A large proportion of the elderly have not received primary immunization for tetanus and do not receive recommended tetanus booster immunizations. Although expert panels support immunization of all persons, without an upper age limit, physicians either are unaware of or do not act on recommendations to immunize the elderly. Improved education of physicians and patients, emphasizing a case-finding approach, may reduce the number of tetanus cases in the elderly. Studies are needed to find ways to improve tetanus immunity in the elderly.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

The family physician and home care.

House calls can still serve many functions in the overall care of the patient. By improving the relationship between physician and patient, providing the physician with important information that can only be gained from a home visit and allowing the physician to remain active in the care of the homebound patient, house calls make a valuable contribution to the total care of certain patients. House calls should remain a part of the practice of the family physician and can be incorporated into a busy physician's practice.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1991

The house call in residency training and its relationship to future practice.

The aging of the population makes education in geriatrics vital to family practice residents, including training in house calls. This study examined the relationship of house call training in residency with current house call practices of recent graduates of family practice residencies. A questionnaire mailed to a random national sample of 301 family physicians who completed residency training between 1981 and 1986 obtained a 66% response rate with three mailings. House calls were not required in the curriculum for 80% of respondents, 30% never did house calls in residency, and 55% recognized they were not well trained in house calls. Graduates of programs in which faculty made house calls and those in which residents made house calls on a longitudinal basis were significantly more likely to offer house calls in their practices. This suggests that resident education can offer positive experiences in house call training to encourage future physicians to include house calls in their practices.

Family Practice↗
PubMed1990

Stevens-Johnson syndrome after radiotherapy.

We have reported a case of classic Stevens-Johnson syndrome in association with treatment using a cobalt radiation therapy unit. Previous reports of such an association have been extremely rare. At the time of the reaction, the patient's only medications were methyldopa and trichlormethiazide. Other drugs in the thiazide class have been associated with such a reaction. We feel this is an unlikely association in our patient, however, because she had been on trichlormethiazide for a number of years. This report suggests the role of radiotherapy as a rare cause of Stevens-Johnson syndrome.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Beliefs and policies of Maryland nursing home medical directors regarding tetanus immunization.

Tetanus is more common in the elderly, who have a higher case-fatality rate than younger age groups. Immunization against tetanus is recommended for all elderly, including nursing home residents, but the tetanus immunization policies of nursing homes are unknown. Nursing home medical directors in Maryland were surveyed about their beliefs concerning tetanus and the tetanus immunization policies of their nursing homes. One hundred twenty-five directors of 212 responded (59%). In most of the nursing homes, no policies existed for routine tetanus immunization. Medical directors graduating from medical school after 1960 and medical directors with more than 50 nursing home patients were more likely to believe that tetanus immunization is cost-effective in nursing home patients. Only 3% of the respondents always immunize their nursing home patients with chronic skin ulcers. We believe tetanus immunization is an uncommon practice in Maryland nursing homes. Nursing home medical directors should establish policies to promote tetanus immunization.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

House call practices among young family physicians.

Once a major part of medical practice, physician house calls have declined in frequency over the years. Recently, it has been suggested that house calls are increasing. This study examined the current self-reported house call practices among recent graduates of family practice residency programs in the United States. A questionnaire was mailed to a cross-sectional, random national sample of 301 family physicians who are members of the American Academy of Family Physicians and who completed a residency between 1981 and 1986. There was a 66% response rate to three mailings, with 197 questionnaires analyzed. Sixty-two percent of the physicians reported they were making house calls. The majority (53%) made less than one house call per month. Fewer than 15% made house calls on a weekly basis. There was a downward trend by residency year in the percentage of physicians making house calls when comparing graduates from 1981 to 1986. House calls do not appear to be a significant part of the practice of young family physicians.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Medical management of pressure sores.

The pressure sore is a common clinical problem that is frequently seen by family physicians. Prevention is the best treatment, but once the condition occurs, adherence to several principles makes treatment easily standardized. These principles include improvement in the general health of the patient, relief of pressure, cleanliness, disinfection, and stimulation of granulation tissue. Any treatment regimen that is to be considered for use should achieve these goals. This article reviews the treatment options available and gives recommendations for the medical management of pressure sores based on these principles and the available data.

Humans↗
PubMed1972

Let George do it.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

New York↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Management of tetanus in the elderly.

BACKGROUND: Tetanus is primarily a disease of the elderly. Both the incidence and the case-fatality rates are higher in the elderly population. Physicians need to be aware of special needs concerning the treatment of tetanus in this population. METHODS: A comprehensive review of the literature concerning the treatment of tetanus was undertaken. Using the key words "tetanus," "geriatric," "elderly," and "aged," the MEDLINE files were searched from 1985 to the present. Articles dating before 1985 were accessed by cross-referencing the more recent articles. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Once the diagnosis of tetanus is suspected, intensive, expectant management is necessary. The patient should receive intensive care with treatment aimed at prevention of muscle spasms, prevention of respiratory tract and metabolic complications, and neutralization of circulating toxin. Potential complications of tetanus include pulmonary embolus, aspiration pneumonia, malnutrition, and pressure sores.

Age Factors↗