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Biomedical subjects

B C Eliason

Publications and source records attributed to B C Eliason.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Personal values of family physicians, practice satisfaction, and service to the underserved.

BACKGROUND: Personal values are defined as "desirable goals varying in importance that serve as guiding principles in people's lives," and have been shown to influence specialty choice and relate to practice satisfaction. We wished to examine further the relationship of personal values to practice satisfaction and also to a physician's willingness to care for the underserved. We also wished to study associations that might exist among personal values, practice satisfaction, and a variety of practice characteristics. METHODOLOGY: We randomly surveyed a stratified probability sample of 1224 practicing family physicians about their personal values (using the Schwartz values questionnaire), practice satisfaction, practice location, breadth of practice, demographics, board certification status, teaching involvement, and the payor mix of the practice. RESULTS: Family physicians rated the benevolence (motivation to help those close to you) value type highest, and the ratings of the benevolence value type were positively associated with practice satisfaction (correlation coefficient = 0.14, P = .002). Those involved in teaching medical trainees were more satisfied than those who were not involved (P = .009). Some value-type ratings were found to be positively associated with caring for the underserved. Those whose practices consisted of more than 40% underserved (underserved defined as Medicare, Medicaid, and indigent populations) rated the tradition (motivation to maintain customs of traditional culture and religion) value type significantly higher (P = .02). Those whose practices consisted of more than 30% indigent care rated the universalism (motivation to enhance and protect the well-being of all people) value type significantly higher (P = .03). CONCLUSIONS: Family physicians who viewed benevolence as a guiding principle in their lives reported a higher level of professional satisfaction. Likewise, physicians involved in the teaching of medical trainees were more satisfied with their profession. Family physicians who rate the universalism values highly are more likely to provide care to the indigent.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

What physicians can learn from consumers of dietary supplements.

BACKGROUND: Many Americans consume dietary supplements, including vitamins, minerals, herbs, and amino acids. Government regulation of dietary supplements is limited, and patients typically do not consult with their physicians regarding the use of supplements. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative study to describe patients' decisions about the use of dietary supplements and the communication they have with their physicians about such use. Four focus groups of customers from 3 local suburban health food stores were interviewed. RESULTS: The customers in the health food stores we investigated were motivated to pursue wellness and wanted to take responsibility for their health. They would welcome a partnership with their physicians, but generally believed that physicians are closed-minded and have little knowledge about dietary supplements. These consumers determined the effectiveness of dietary supplements through personal study and subjective experimentation. CONCLUSIONS: The health food store customers in our study were self-informed consumers who did not consult their physicians about their use of dietary supplements, because they did not believe that physicians were knowledgeable about or interested in supplements. An open-minded patient-centered approach would help physicians provide better care for patients who use dietary supplements.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Gastroenteritis in children: principles of diagnosis and treatment.

Gastroenteritis in children is a common reason for visits to family physicians. Most cases of gastroenteritis have a viral etiology and are self-limited. However, more severe or prolonged cases of gastroenteritis can result in dehydration with significant morbidity and mortality. This is often the scenario in third-world countries, where gastroenteritis results in 3 million deaths annually. A proper clinical evaluation will allow the physician to estimate the percentage of dehydration and determine appropriate therapy. In some situations, laboratory studies such as determination of blood urea nitrogen and serum electrolytes may be helpful. Stool studies are indicated if a child is having bloody diarrhea or if an unusual etiology is suspected, such as Escherichia coli O157:H7 or Cryptosporidium. Most children with gastroenteritis can be treated with physiologically balanced oral rehydration solutions. In children who are hypovolemic, lethargic and estimated to be more than 5 percent dehydrated, initial treatment with intravenous boluses of isotonic saline or Ringer's lactate may be required. Children with severe diarrhea need nutrition to restore digestive function and, generally, food should not be withheld.

Child↗
PubMed1996

Patient-initiated prevention discussions. Two interventions to stimulate patients to initiate prevention discussions.

BACKGROUND: When patients are active participants in discussions, comprehension and compliance are likely to improve. This study examines the use of two interventions to aid patients in initiating such discussions in the area of health maintenance. METHODS: The study was a randomized controlled trial of adult patients. The first intervention used two cards that listed seven core health maintenance concerns. The second intervention used a brief session with a nurse to help patients identify their health risks and develop a plan for seeking any desired information about these risks. An exit questionnaire and a telephone interview 4 to 6 weeks later assessed the extent to which (1) information seeking by patients was stimulated; (2) patients recalled the information obtained; (3) patients used the information to effect lifestyle changes; and (4) patients felt they participated in the decision to discuss health maintenance. RESULTS: Both interventions stimulated patients to request health maintenance information (both P < .05); the second intervention significantly increased patient recall (P = .018). Neither intervention, however, had a significant impact on lifestyle change or sense of participation in the decision to initiate discussion. Analysis of the second intervention did show that both increasing patients' recall of information (P = .008) and sense of involvement in the decision to discuss health maintenance (P = .003) significantly increases the likelihood of lifestyle change. CONCLUSIONS: Two interventions have been developed that are relatively simple and inexpensive methods to stimulate patients to seek health maintenance, and quite probably other health-related information. The blunted impact of these two interventions, however, raises the question of whether such simple and relatively inexpensive interventions are strong enough to stimulate patients to use this information to initiate change when one seeks to address a wide range of risks.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Personal values of exemplary family physicians: implications for professional satisfaction in family medicine.

BACKGROUND: Personal social values have been identified as important determinants of generalists' specialty choice. However, the personal values or "guiding principles" of generalist physicians have not been identified scientifically. To establish a benchmark, we measured the personal values of exemplary family physicians because they serve as role models for current and future physicians. We also explored the relationship between personal values and practice satisfaction. METHODS: We obtained a list of 330 family physicians nominated for the American Academy of Family Physicians' (AAFP) Family Doctor of the Year award for the years 1988 through 1993. We asked them to complete the Schwartz Values Questionnaire, a 56-item instrument for measuring personal values. They also answered three questions concerning practice satisfaction. RESULTS: The return rate was 83%. The physicians' mean age was 63 years. They had been in practice an average of 34 years, 93% were male, and 52% practiced in rural areas. Honesty was rated as the most important of the 56 values, and social power as the least important. Of the 10 value types (groups of common values), the responding physicians rated "Benevolence" as most important and "Power" as least important. Practice satisfaction correlated positively with the Benevolence value type (r = .21, P = .001) and negatively with the Power value type (r = -.15, P = .023). CONCLUSIONS: Of the 10 value types, Benevolence was rated the most important and Power the least important by exemplary family physicians, and both value types also correlated, positively and negatively, respectively, with their practice satisfaction. These results have implications for the selection, training, and career satisfaction of generalist physicians.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Influence of demographics and profitability on physician selection of family practice procedures.

BACKGROUND: Family physicians must make complex decisions regarding which procedures to learn in training and which to perform in practice. Factors that influence these decisions include community needs, the potential profitability of a procedure, and the desires and skills of the individual physician. METHODS: To further clarify some of these influences, we surveyed members of the Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians. The survey instrument included questions about 27 different procedures, including the perceived profitability of the procedure, which procedures they had discontinued, and which they planned to learn. RESULTS: More than 40% of family physicians reported doing skin surgery, flexible sigmoidoscopy, nonstress obstetrical testing, breast-cyst aspiration, multiple joint arthrocentesis, and Norplant insertion, whereas fewer than 6% perform colonoscopy, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, and nasolaryngoscopy. Fifty-seven percent of physicians had discontinued at least one procedure, and 34% planned to learn one or more procedures. Being younger, male, and practicing in smaller communities correlated with performing a greater number of procedures (P < .001), but female physicians performed more gynecologic procedures (P < .05). There was a statistically significant correlation (r = -.478, P < .05) between perceived low profitability of a procedure and family physicians discontinuing a learned procedure, and a marginal correlation between perceived profitability and planning to learn a procedure (r = .338, P < .1). CONCLUSIONS: Family physicians in Wisconsin vary greatly in the number and types of procedures performed. Community size, sex, and age are important variables associated with the number and type of procedures performed. The performance of procedures is dynamic: physicians both discontinue learned procedures and learn new procedures. The profitability of the procedure influences the learning and discontinuation of procedures.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Desiccated thyroid in a nutritional supplement.

Nutritional or vitamin supplements, which are largely unregulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are sold in health food stores and through mail-order catalogs, may contain various combinations and doses of vitamins, minerals, herbs, chemicals, and animal tissues. Some of the products marketed as nutritional supplements contain desiccated porcine or bovine thyroid. A patient came to our family practice center with resting tachycardia, amenorrhea, and weight loss. She had been taking a nutritional supplement containing desiccated thyroid for 3 months. Laboratory studies confirmed the presence of hyperthyroidism. The daily recommended and consumed dose of the product she had been taking exceeded the normal replacement dose by two to three times. There is potential for harm in the unregulated availability and distribution of desiccated thyroid to the public.

Adult↗