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Biomedical subjects

B Edgren

Publications and source records attributed to B Edgren.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Effects of an asthma management program on the asthmatic member: patient-centered results of a 2-year study in a managed care organization.

OBJECTIVE: To report the results of a 2-year pilot program of asthma education based on National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute treatment guidelines. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Asthmatic members (n = 6698) of a managed care organization received education about their condition directly or through their primary care physician. Medical and pharmacy administrative claims data were reviewed to measure acute asthma events and prescribed therapies in the first (the baseline) and second years of the study. The claims data were augmented by member surveys from a stratified random sample of 2734 asthmatic patients who were members (6 years of age or older) in the baseline year. RESULTS: Compared with the first year, asthmatic members received fewer inpatient services and the proportion of asthmatic members prescribed oral inhaled corticosteroids increased 30% in the second year. Health-related quality of life, measured with validated general and disease-specific instruments; satisfaction with the quality of care; exposure to patient education; knowledge of the disease; and member's confidence in their ability to manage their disease showed statistically significant improvements during the follow-up year of the program for both adult and child asthmatic members. CONCLUSION: For asthmatic members of this health plan, a comprehensive asthma health management program improved processes of care and outcomes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Failure of educational videotapes to improve medication compliance in a health maintenance organization.

The value of mailed educational videotapes as a means of enhancing compliance with drug therapy was studied. Members of a health maintenance organization with a pharmacy claim for benazepril, metoprolol, simvastatin, or transdermal estrogen were randomly assigned to a study group or a control group. Subjects in the study group were mailed one of four videotape programs giving information on the drug prescribed and the inferred disease state. Control subjects received no educational materials. Subjects were enrolled from July 1, 1993, through January 2, 1994. Refill data were collected from July 1, 1993, through April 1, 1994. The medication possession ratio (MPR) was calculated as the total number of days' supply of a drug obtained by a member divided by the number of days between the time of enrollment and April 1, 1994, or the date the member was terminated from the plan. A subject was deemed compliant if his or her MPR was > or = 0.80. There were no significant differences in mean MPRs between the study group (n = 1993) and the control group (n = 2253). None of the mean MPRs was > or = 0.80, although 44% of control subjects and 46% of study-group subjects were compliant. Of 97 respondents to a survey mailed to a randomly selected subset of the study group, almost 87% reported that they had viewed the videotapes, and of these subjects, about 88% said they found them very useful or somewhat useful. A one-time mailing of videotapes to patients, with no individual follow-up, did not increase compliance with the medications monitored.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Hemodynamic effects following ingestion of an imidazoline-containing product.

Toxic ingestions constitute a major health problem for infants and young children, with an estimated 500,000 poisonings in 1980, 90% of them in children less than five years old. Mortality and associated expense are considerable. Sympathetic amines, while less commonly involved in pediatric poisonings, deserve special attention because of their potent cardiovascular side effects, eg, tachycardia and hypertension. Tetrahydrozoline, the active ingredient in several nasal and ophthalmologic over-the-counter medications, has previously been implicated in childhood ingestions. We report a case of tetrahydrozoline ingestion in which, paradoxically, lethargy, bradycardia, and hypotension were noted.

Bradycardia↗
PubMed1986

Intravenous lidocaine overdosage in a child.

A six-year-old child inadvertently received an IV solution containing lidocaine HCl. An estimated total dose of 1.2 gm. was administered over approximately an hour. The child had asystole and grand mal seizures associated with lidocaine serum concentration of 19.2 mcg/ml. The pharmacokinetics of lidocaine overdose and treatment are discussed.

Child↗
PubMed1985

Behavioural and endocrine reactions in boys scoring high on Sennton neurotic scale viewing an exciting and partly violent movie and the importance of social support.

Psychoendocrine and behavioural effects elicited by viewing an exciting and partly violent movie were studied in 12-year-old boys (n = 42). The boys were divided into three groups. Group A (n = 13) consisted of boys scoring below the median value on the Sennton neurotic scale for vegetative and anxiety symptoms. Group B (n = 13) consisted of boys scoring above the median value on the Sennton neurotic scale. None of these boys had ever visited a psychiatric treatment centre, and they all came from the same school. A third group, Group C (n = 16), consisted of boys who, at least once, had visited an out-patient clinic at a child psychiatric treatment centre for neurotic problems. These boys attended different schools in the hospital catchment area. Group C had the same mean score on the Sennton neurotic scale as did Group B. By having two groups of boys scoring both high on the Sennton neurotic scale, one of which knew the other boys and one that did not, we were able to study possible effects of social support on psychobiologic reactions in neurotic boys. The boys' reactions to the movie were assessed by: self-ratings; direct observations of the boys by a team of trained child psychologists; and by analysis of urinary output of adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol. Group B rated their experience the strongest, viewing the movie, while Groups A and C rated themselves as rather unaffected by it. Group C was rated less verbally active, both during the control and the film periods, than were the other two groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aggression↗
PubMed1984

Gentamicin dosing in the newborn. Use of a one-compartment open pharmacokinetic model to individualize dosing.

Gentamicin 2.5 mg/kg was given to 60 term and preterm neonates. Serum gentamicin concentrations were determined at 1, 7 and 11 h postinfusion. Linear regression analysis was used to determine half-life and volume of distribution. From these data a new dosing regimen and a predicted steady-state peak and trough gentamicin concentration were determined for each neonate. The predicted peak and trough were compared to a measured peak or trough drawn at least 48 h later. Criteria for successful peaks were met in 93% of the patients, while criteria for successful troughs were met in 83%. Individualized gentamicin dosing in the newborn based on a one-compartment open pharmacokinetic model is a useful clinical tool in predicting peak and trough gentamicin concentrations.

Gentamicins↗
PubMed1976

The validity of four bicycle ergometer tests.

The aim of this study was to compare the validity of four physical work and performance tests on bicycle ergometers commonly used in Sweden. The following four tests were compared: a) a work test of submaximal character designed for estimation of the maximal oxygen uptake of the individual (Vo2 max); b) a work test of maximal character designed for estimation of the highest work load an individual can sustain for 6 minutes (Wmax6min); c) the Cycling Strength and Endurance Test (CSET)-a performance test of maximal character consisting of a series of intermittently determined terminal thresholds; and d) a flexible work test of maximal character, the Individually Adapted Work Test (the IA-test): by a feedback mechanism the highest work load an individual can be expected to sustain for 4 minutes is determined. Criteria were cross-country runs (altogether 4) arranged a short time before and after the tests on the bicycle ergometer. Subjects were military conscripts, aged 17-25. When comparisons were made between the best prediction variable of each test, no significant differences were obtained. The size of the validity coefficients was .55-.70. However, the maximal work tests showed the highest validity coefficients. The investigation indicates that, when a work test is to be chosen, the problem, the practical conditions and the resources available should guide this choice.

Adolescent↗