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Biomedical subjects

B A Elliott

Publications and source records attributed to B A Elliott.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Birth Order and health: major issues.

Birth Order has been described as a variable with a complex relationship to child and adult outcomes. A review of the medical literature over the past 5 years identified 20 studies that investigated the relationship between Birth Order and a health outcome. Only one of the studies established a relationship between Birth Order and a health outcome: third and fourth-born children have a higher incidence of accidents that result in hospitalization. The other demonstrated relationships are each explained by intervening variables or methodological limitations. Although Birth Order is not a strongly independent explanatory factor in understanding health outcomes, it is an important marker variable. Statistically significant relationships between Birth Order and health outcomes yield insights into the ways a family influences an individual's health.

Birth Order↗
PubMed1992

Interscalene blocks for chronic upper extremity pain.

A study of 25 patients was carried out to determine the efficacy of interscalene block (ISB) for the treatment of chronic upper extremity pain. An RSD score was used to categorize these patients. Seventeen of the 25 patients had less pain after ISB, and 14 also had increased range of motion of the affected limb. Patients with reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD)/causalgia, as well as other chronic pain conditions, improved. ISB was compared with stellate ganglion block (SGB) in patients undergoing both treatments. ISB seemed to be at least as effective as SGB for treatment of RSD/causalgia and may have some advantages over SGB. The role of somatic and sympathetic blockade is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Living will completion in older adults.

BACKGROUND: In December 1991, the Patient Self-Determination Act required health care institutions to provide incoming patients with information about living wills (LWs). Although LWs have been legalized in the majority of states, the number of people with a completed LW remains low. This study was designed to learn some of the reasons that so few people have an LW. METHODS: With the use of the health belief model, a questionnaire was designed to characterize the group that already had a completed LW and to identify the barriers older adults perceive in their completion of an LW. Older adults (aged 65 to 90 years) who dined at 10 local nutrition sites were asked to participate. Of the 214 subjects with usable responses, 15% already had executed an LW, 66% planned to complete an LW, and 86% wanted to have an LW. By means of multiple regression and discriminant analysis, the characteristics that defined each group were statistically determined. RESULTS: Two characteristics described those who already had an LW: they were highly educated and did not consider the LW form too long for its purpose. The older adults who planned to complete an LW identified two barriers impeding them: family issues and a need for assistance in completing the form. The majority of the older adults (61%) desired that their physicians initiate discussions with them about an LW. CONCLUSIONS: Conclusions from these data yield recommendations for health care providers toward implementing the act; physician-initiated discussions, community programs, and available information and assistance are needed.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Physician acquisition of cancer pain management knowledge.

Insufficient physician education in cancer pain management (CPM) is one of the major factors contributing to inadequate pain relief of cancer patients throughout the world. A survey of all physicians in direct patient care in Duluth, MN, (N = 243) was conducted to determine where they learned about CPM and how they would like to further their knowledge. Responses from 150 physicians (62%) have been analyzed, especially focusing on physician age and specialty. Statistically significant differences (p less than 0.001) document that residency training programs have been including CPM in their curricula since 1978 and that medical schools have not. Additional significant sources of CPM have been consultations with expert physicians, conferences and the literature. When asked how they would like to learn more about CPM, 84% of all physicians indicated that local conferences would be most effective. Physicians in various specialties indicated their differing preferences, too. This study suggests that improvements in CPM can occur through these mechanisms.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed1989

The physician's role in adolescent health education.

This study was designed to identify topics of interest to the adolescent that can be addressed by the physician in the clinic or the classroom and to assess the extent to which such discussions currently take place. A confidential questionnaire was administered to 223 11th-graders and 186 7th-graders in the Duluth public schools between December 1987 and December 1988. Seven broad areas of adolescent life were addressed. Topics that more than 50% of the teens would most like to discuss with physicians include lifestyle, sexuality, family life, and psychological concerns. Reportedly, physicians often discuss lifestyle and sexuality topics with 7th-grade students; substantially fewer 11th-graders report these conversations. Students stated that they prefer to discuss all these issues (except individual body change) with a physician in the classroom setting. The results of the study encourage physicians to talk with teens about lifestyle, sexuality, family life, and psychological concerns, preferably in the classroom, even into late adolescence.

Adolescent↗