Biomedical subjects

Annette DeVito Dabbs

Publications and source records attributed to Annette DeVito Dabbs.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2003

Pattern and predictors of early rejection after lung transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Most lung transplant recipients experience improvement in their underlying pulmonary condition but are faced with the threat of allograft rejection, the primary determinant of long-term survival. Several studies examined predictors of rejection, but few focused on the early period after transplantation. OBJECTIVES: To describe the pattern and predictors of early rejection during the first year after transplantation to guide the development of interventions to facilitate earlier detection and treatment of rejection. METHODS: Data for donor, recipient, and posttransplant variables were retrieved retrospectively for 250 recipients of single or double lung transplants. RESULTS: Most recipients (85%) had at least 1 episode of acute rejection; 33% had a single episode; 23% had recurrent rejection; 3% had persistent rejection; 13% had refractory rejection; and 14% had clinicopathological evidence of chronic rejection. Serious rejection (refractory acute rejection or chronic rejection) developed in 27% of recipients. Compared with other recipients, recipients who had serious rejection had more episodes of acute rejection (P = .004), and the first acute episodes occurred sooner after transplantation (P = .01) and were of a higher grade (P = .002). CONCLUSIONS: Recipients who experienced higher grades for their first episode of acute rejection (P = .03) and higher cumulative rejection scores (P = .004) were significantly more likely than other recipients to have serious rejection during the first year after transplantation.

Chi-Square Distribution↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The utility of the Purpose-in-Life Test in persons with AIDS.

The purpose of this study was to describe the utility of the Purpose-in-Life Test among persons with AIDS using both Part A (quantitative) and Part B (qualitative). A cross-sectional descriptive design was used with a sample of 74 persons with AIDS from community settings. The Purpose-in-Life Test and a sociodemographic questionnaire were administered. Analytic methods included descriptive and inferential statistics and content analysis. Part A scores indicated that only one third of the participants reported a definite purpose in life; however, results from Part B demonstrated that the majority of participants viewed their life as meaningful and dynamic. Demographic characteristics such as race, income, and education were significantly related to purpose in life. Assessing purpose in life using both Part A and Part B of the Purpose-in-Life Test may assist nurses with a more in-depth understanding of purpose in life and assist persons with AIDS with identifying opportunities for personal growth.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Exemplars of mixed methods data combination and analysis.

BACKGROUND: Mixed methods research approaches can be applied to nursing and healthcare. Multiple perspectives and different types of data (e.g., social-behavioral data, numerical outcome measures, or clinical variables) often are needed to examine complex clinical problems and health behaviors fully. Although qualitative and quantitative methods are recognized widely as complementary for studying and explaining human phenomena, methodological techniques for combining and analyzing mixed methods data have received less attention. OBJECTIVES: To describe techniques for mixed methods data combination and analyses using three different design approaches. METHODS: Data combination and analysis techniques are presented using the following approaches: (a) mixed methods event analysis, (b) concurrent-mixed analysis for complementarity and completeness, and (c) concurrent nested analysis to provide a broader understanding of phenomena and enrich the description of participants. RESULTS: Research exemplars from topical areas such as weaning from long-term mechanical ventilation, medication-taking among community-dwelling persons with dementia, health control beliefs after lung transplantation, and recovery from subarachnoid hemorrhage are presented. Simple and complex matrix construction and a variety of graphical displays are used to illustrate data combination and analysis techniques for mixed methods research. DISCUSSION: The techniques for mixed methods data combination and analysis presented have the potential to advance the use and refinement of mixed methods research, thereby expanding the repertoire of methodologies to study complex phenomena of interest to nurses.

Data Interpretation, Statistical↗