Biomedical subjects

B J Hodgkins

Publications and source records attributed to B J Hodgkins.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1994

An expert system for the calculation of sample size.

Calculation of sample size is a useful technique for researchers who are designing a study, and for clinicians who wish to interpret research findings. The elements that must be specified to calculate the sample size include alpha, beta, Type I and Type II errors, 1- and 2-tail tests, confidence intervals, and confidence levels. A computer software program written by one of the authors (MHE), Sample Size Expert, facilitates sample size calculations. The program uses an expert system to help inexperienced users calculate sample sizes for analytic and descriptive studies. The software is available at no cost from the author or electronically via several on-line information services.

Data Interpretation, Statistical↗

PubMed1992

The home visit in resident education: program description and evaluation.

A home visit rotation was developed to provide family practice residents with a more comprehensive understanding of the effect of patient life-style on health status. The rotation emphasizes geriatric, community, and rehabilitative medicine. In addition, the curriculum addresses issues related to patient compliance, assessment of activities of daily living, patient psychosocial needs, community services, and exposure to medical equipment of potential use to homebound individuals. Over a three-year period, 209 home visits were made. Program evaluation data suggest that at the end of the three-month rotation, residents were less concerned with personal safety and more likely to agree that home visits were an important part of residency training. A comparison of pre- and post-test knowledge scores indicated significant increases in geriatric medicine, patient compliance issues, patient functional status, and community services. A follow-up telephone interview with patients found that some patients experienced anxiety when the home visit was scheduled, but the majority were positive about the experience.

Aged↗

PubMed1991

The urban health care clinic and its substance abuse population.

The effect of large numbers of patients with a history of substance abuse upon a health care system is rarely considered, nor is the health care system's response to such a clientele ever assessed. In this preliminary study, the collective effect of large numbers of substance abuse patients upon a clinic serving the urban poor and homeless is evaluated. The study examines the types of problems patients present to the clinic and the health care response, in terms of diagnoses and treatment plans, provided by the clinic. Using a random sample of 163 medical records, a retrospective analysis of reasons for visit, diagnoses and treatment plans was performed. Results indicated that patients with a history of substance abuse were more likely to present with chronic complaints and were not frequent return visitors to the clinic. No significant differences in either diagnoses or treatment plans for patients with a history of substance abuse were discovered. The implication of these results for health services provided to urban poor and homeless patients with histories of substance abuse was considered, as were reasons for the type of system response indicated by the results obtained.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

Demographic, social and stress correlates of hypertension among the urban poor.

The relationship of demographic, social, and psychological variables to the diagnosis of hypertension in a population of urban, poor, predominantly black out-patients is reported. Subjects were 182 patients presenting for health care at Wayne State University Family Practice Clinic. Age, race, marital status, attendance at religious services, education, employment status, income, source of income and interpersonal stress were significantly related to a diagnosis of hypertension in this sample. Of those characteristics found to be significantly related to hypertension, discriminative analysis showed that age, race, education and frequency of church attendance were most important in predicting a diagnosis of hypertension among this out-patient sample of the urban poor. Implications for clinical care and for future research needs are considered.

Adolescent↗