Biomedical subjects

Barbara A Davis

Publications and source records attributed to Barbara A Davis.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

The relationship between spirituality and compliance in patients with heart failure.

A high incidence of noncompliance to prescribed treatment plans results in increased morbidity, hospitalizations, and mortality rates in patients with heart failure. Exploration of new avenues to encourage adherence is needed in nursing research. The purpose of this study was to explore whether a relationship existed between spirituality and compliance in patients with heart failure. The Spiritual Assessment Scale and the Heart Failure Compliance Questionnaire Revised were mailed to a convenience sample with a return response from 95 participants. Although mean scores for the Spiritual Assessment Scale and the Heart Failure Compliance Questionnaire Revised were high, data suggested no correlation existed between levels of spirituality and degree of compliance among the heart failure participants, r=16393; p=0.115. Although insignificant results were found between levels of spirituality and degree of compliance, the data did not rule out the importance of spirituality as a coping tool.

Aged↗

PubMed2005

Patients' perspective on choosing the emergency department for nonurgent medical care: a qualitative study exploring one reason for overcrowding.

INTRODUCTION: For decades it has been known that patients use emergency departments for nonurgent care needs. This study was conducted to help determine how the health care community can assist patients achieve consistent health care while meeting the patient's perceived needs. METHOD: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted based on interviews with 31 persons between 22 and 43 years of age following an ED visit for a nonurgent medical need. Exploration of the patient's perception was accomplished through open-ended questions in a structured interview format. Data were analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS: Patients who participated in our study revealed 3 major themes: (1) They were unable to obtain an appointment with a primary care provider (PCP); (2) they were referred by the staff (not the doctor) in PCPs' offices to be evaluated in the emergency department; and (3) it took less of their time to be seen in the emergency department than it did to contact their PCP, only to then be told to go to the emergency department. DISCUSSION: The findings of this study support the need for health care providers to find ways to provide nonurgent care in a timely and efficient manner. Multiple options for providing this care need to be conceived and evaluated.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Tamoxifen induces apoptosis in Fas+ tumor cells by upregulating the expression of Fas ligand.

PURPOSE: Tamoxifen (TAM), a nonsteroidal anticancer agent, is used in the treatment of breast cancer. In the current study, we investigated whether TAM induces apoptosis in tumor cells by altering the expression of Fas and Fas ligand (FasL). METHODS: Several tumor cell lines were used to test the ability of TAM to induce apoptosis, which was studied using the TUNEL assay. The effect of TAM on the expression of Fas and FasL was analyzed using a flow cytometer. RESULTS: TAM was found to suppress the growth of an estrogen receptor-positive human mammary tumor cell line (T-47D) by inducing apoptosis. Interestingly, TAM also induced apoptosis in an estrogen receptor-negative murine T cell lymphoma cell line, EL-4. The ability of TAM to induce apoptosis in T-47D and EL-4 tumor cells correlated with the increased expression of FasL but not Fas on the tumor cells. Similar to TAM, a metalloproteinase (MP) inhibitor, which is known to increase the expression of membrane-bound FasL, was found to induce apoptosis in both T-47D and EL-4 tumor cells by increasing the expression of FasL but not Fas. Furthermore, both TAM and the MP inhibitor failed to induce apoptosis in L1210 tumor cell lines that failed to express FasL. CONCLUSIONS: The current study demonstrates that TAM can induce apoptosis in Fas(+) tumor cells by upregulating FasL.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Overexpression of CRIP in transgenic mice alters cytokine patterns and the immune response.

Cysteine-rich intestinal protein (CRIP), which contains a double zinc finger motif, is a member of the Group 2 LIM protein family. Our results showed that the developmental regulation of CRIP in neonates was not influenced by conventional vs. specific pathogen-free housing conditions. Thymic and splenic CRIP expression was not developmentally regulated. A line of transgenic (Tg) mice that overexpress the rat CRIP gene was created. When challenged with lipopolysaccharide, the Tg mice lost more weight, exhibited increased mortality, experienced greater diarrhea incidence, and had less serum interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and more interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10. Similarly, splenocytes from the Tg mice produced less IFN-gamma and IL-2 and more IL-10 and IL-6 upon mitogen stimulation. Delayed-type hypersensitivity response was less in the Tg mice. Influenza virus infection produced greater weight loss in the Tg mice, which also showed delayed viral clearance. The observed responses to overexpression of the CRIP gene are consistent with a role for this LIM protein in a cellular pathway that produces an imbalance in cytokine pattern favoring Th2 cytokines.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Patient satisfaction of emergency nursing care in the United States, Slovenia, and Australia.

Patient satisfaction with nursing care in the emergency department (ED) was measured in 616 patients in California and Kentucky in the United States, Slovenia, and rural and urban Victoria in Australia. Patients were almost equally divided between men and women, primarily white, with a mean age of 44. They responded to the caring and teaching subscales of the Consumer Emergency Care Satisfaction Scale (CECSS). While scores indicated no differences in caring, the US and Slovenian groups reported greater satisfaction with teaching than did the Australian group. The subscale alpha coefficients were .87 for the caring subscale and .92 for the teaching subscale.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Patient satisfaction with triage nursing in a rural hospital emergency department.

This study examined what relationships or differences exist between patient and nurse characteristics, satisfaction with triage nurse caring behaviors, general satisfaction with the triage nurse, and intent to return to a rural hospital emergency department (ED). The ED, located at a 401-bed teaching hospital in a small southern city, averages 28,000 visits annually. Samples of ED nurses (N = 11) and ED patients (N = 65) were asked to respond to demographic forms and the Consumer Emergency Care Satisfaction Scale (CECSS) Adapted. Findings indicated that the nurse's acuity rating and the patient's perception of condition had a positive relationship. The patient's perception of condition, patient satisfaction, and caring satisfaction were predictors of intent to return. When patients perceived themselves as seriously ill or injured, they expressed less intent to return to that ED.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Patient anxiety and patient satisfaction in hospital-based and freestanding ambulatory surgery centers.

The study examined differences in patient anxiety and patient satisfaction between patients who experienced surgery at a hospital-based ambulatory surgery center versus a freestanding ambulatory surgery center. Forty-seven participants completed the State Trait Anxiety Inventory and Press Ganey Ambulatory Surgery Survey. Patients at both types of facilities experienced moderate levels of preoperative anxiety and were highly satisfied with care received. No significant differences were found in preoperative anxiety, overall satisfaction with care, or overall satisfaction with nursing care. The site where the surgery was performed may not be a determining factor in patient anxiety or satisfaction levels.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluating instruments for quality: testing convergent validity of the consumer emergency care satisfaction scale.

Having reliable and valid instruments is a necessity for nurses and others measuring concepts such as patient satisfaction. The purpose of this article is to describe the use of convergence to test the construct validity of the Davis Consumer Emergency Care Satisfaction Scale (CECSS). Results indicate convergence of the CECSS with the Risser Patient Satisfaction Scale and 2 single-item visual analogue scales, therefore supporting construct validity. Persons measuring patient satisfaction with nurse behaviors in the emergency department can confidently use the CECSS.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A randomized, controlled study of an Alzheimer's caregiver skills training program.

This study was an attempt to improve the quality of the relationship between dementia caregivers and their loved ones by decreasing the gap between caregivers' expectations and patients' actual functional abilities and by teaching supportive skills. Although a group of 49 caregiver-patient dyads were recruited, the outcome measures of only those dyads (47) that completed the week seven session were used for analysis. Half of the dyads were randomized to an intervention group and the other half to a waiting list. The intervention group (N = 24) completed a four-session caregiver training program in which caregivers first watched investigators administering to their loved ones the Texas Functional Living Scale and later progressed to helping their loved ones by appropriate cueing to perform the tasks involved. Comparisons were made between baseline scores, scores at seven weeks, and scores at the end of 17 weeks on the congruence between caregiver estimates and patients' actual performance on the Independent Living Scale and measures of cognition, function, preillness quality of relationship, caregiver mood, feeling of self-efficacy, and several other measures. We were not able to increase the congruence between caregiver estimates and patients' actual performance and found no change in any other measure. We didfind the expected relationship between depression and caregiver sense of self-efficacy.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Caregivers' perceptions of dementia patients' functional ability.

Dementia patients' caregivers often provide information about patients' daily functioning, but little is known about factors influencing caregivers' perceptions. Baseline data from an intervention trial were used to compare caregiver estimates of dementia patients' performance with their actual performance of instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) and to assess relationships between measures of caregiver responses to caregiving, self-perceived sense of self-efficacy, and depression. We also assessed patient cognition, overall function and behavioral disturbance, and caregivers' perceptions of their patients' behavior as manipulative or deliberate. Disparities between these estimates and actual patient performance on structured IADL tasks were unrelated to any caregiver, patient, or relationship factor that we measured

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Community-based chronic disease management program for African Americans.

Seventy-five predominately African American volunteers were enrolled in a community-based intervention program designed to lower blood pressure and HgbA1C levels in an African American population. Program components consisted of exercise, meal planning, weekly support groups, periodic cooking schools, and service coordination. Significant decreases in initial and 1-year values were seen in both systolic blood pressure (P < .0001) and diastolic blood pressure (P = .000) and HgbA1Cs for those with initial values > 7% (P = .013).

Black or African American↗