Biomedical subjects

Betty J Skipper

Publications and source records attributed to Betty J Skipper.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Interdisciplinary health education and career choice in rural and underserved areas.

PURPOSE: To assess the association between an educational rural health interdisciplinary programme (RHIP) and subsequent practice in US rural and underserved locations. METHODS: We carried out a longitudinal cohort study of RHIP students and randomly selected classmate controls for the years 1990-2001, using a mailed survey. OUTCOMES: Main outcome measures were first rural, any rural, first underserved and any underserved practice locations. Multivariate statistical methods were used to calculate prevalence ratios (PRs) by discipline while controlling for possible extraneous variables. RESULTS: Of 1396 surveys delivered, 820 were returned, giving a response rate of 59%. After exclusions, results from 255 RHIP and 534 control students were analysed for outcomes. Pharmacy students on the RHIP chose first and any rural practice locations more often than reference controls (PRs = 2.59 and 1.97, respectively; P < 0.05). Therapies (occupational, physical and speech therapy) RHIP students were associated with all 4 practice outcomes more often (PRs = 2.07, 1.85, 1.68 and 1.65, respectively; P < 0.05). Pharmacy and Therapies control students with rural training chose first rural and any rural practices more often (PRs = 2.58 and 1.62, respectively; P < 0.05 for both). Medicine and Nursing students did not choose outcome practice locations more often, but had small sample sizes and large numbers of controls with rural training. Rural health interdisciplinary students rated participation in rural training more highly as a factor in choosing first rural practices than did the controls who chose similar practices. CONCLUSIONS: Participation in RHIP and other rural training experiences may stimulate subsequent career choices in rural and underserved locations for Pharmacy and Therapies students. Other studies are needed to confirm these findings and answer questions raised by these data.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Required research by medical students and their choice of a women's health care residency.

OBJECTIVE: This study searches for association between the subject of medical students' required research projects and subsequent choices of residency, focusing specifically on women's health fields. STUDY DESIGN: Students at our school graduating between 1997 and 2004 (n = 535) were required to undertake a research project beginning in the preclinical years. The subject of their required research project was related to their subsequent choice of residency. RESULTS: Ninety-nine of the 535 projects (18.5%) were women's health related. Although overall there was no significant relationship between the research project and residency choice, students who completed a women's health care project were nearly twice (1.8, 95% CI, 1.4-2.3) as likely to enter a women's health (obstetrics and gynecology or family medicine) residency than those who did not. CONCLUSION: An association exists between student participation in women's health research beginning during preclinical years and the subsequent choice of a women's health residency.

Choice Behavior↗

PubMed2005

Improved patient notes from medical students during web-based teaching using faculty-calibrated peer review and self-assessment.

BACKGROUND: This study examines the effectiveness of Calibrated Peer Review (CPR), a Web-based writing development program, to teach and assess medical students' patient note-writing skills in a standardized fashion. METHOD: At the end of the clerkship year, 67 medical students were divided into three groups, introduced to CPR, and instructed in patient note-writing. Students then wrote notes for three clinical cases, presented in different order to each group. After training on faculty-calibrated standards, students evaluated their peers' notes and their own notes. Trained faculty, blinded to author, order, and group, also graded student notes. RESULTS: Faculty gave lower scores than students, but both groups found students' scores improved significantly from the first to the third note written. CONCLUSIONS: Student-written patient notes improved in quality while using CPR. The program uses approaches valued in medicine (accurate peer review and self-reflection) to enhance performance.

Clinical Competence↗

PubMed2004

New Mexico's 1998 drive-up liquor window closure. Study II: economic impact on owners.

AIMS: This study examined the economic impact of the New Mexico legislative action closing drive-up liquor windows on the retail establishments that operated them. DESIGN: A telephone survey was conducted 20 months after the closure seeking information and owners' opinions about how their outlets had changed since the closure and how this affected their business. In addition, 2 years of aggregated pre- and post-closure total gross receipts revenues were obtained from the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department, with convenience stores as a comparison group. FINDINGS: Interviews were completed for 149 of 220 establishments. Over one-quarter of former drive-up liquor windows (28%) had been converted to 'step-in' sales, defined as an outside door where customers can stop and enter the premises while their car is running. Almost two-thirds (61%) of owners reported decreased annual gross revenues following closure, with a reported average 15% reduction in alcohol sales. This is consistent with findings of decreased gross receipts for operators of non-urban, but not urban, drive-up liquor windows compared to convenience store gross receipts. Almost three-quarters (72%) of those surveyed would re-open the drive-up window if the law were rescinded. CONCLUSION: Over one-quarter of the drive-up owners converted to step-in alcohol sales that still allow a form of drive-up liquor sales. Despite this, the forced closure of New Mexico's drive-up liquor windows negatively impacted total sales and liquor sales revenues of establishments that operated them.

Alcoholic Beverages↗

PubMed2004

Psychiatric disorders of convicted DWI offenders: a comparison among Hispanics, American Indians and non-Hispanic whites.

OBJECTIVE: Alcohol-impaired offenders have high prevalence rates of psychiatric disorders; however, differences in prevalence rates among ethnic minorities have not been investigated. This study compares lifetime prevalence estimates of DSM-III-R psychiatric disorders (alcohol and drug abuse and dependence, nicotine dependence, major depressive disorder [MDD], dysthymia, generalized anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder and antisocial personality disorder [ASPD]) among Hispanics, American Indians and non-Hispanic whites convicted of driving while alcohol-impaired. METHOD: Offenders (758 women, 631 men) previously referred to a screening program in Bernalillo County, NM, were interviewed for this study using a structured diagnostic interview. RESULTS: Adjusting for age, education, income and marital status, Hispanic women had significantly higher rates of alcohol abuse (odds ratio [OR] = 2.2) and lower rates of alcohol dependence (OR = 0.3), drug abuse (OR = 0.4) and nicotine dependence (OR = 0.3) than non-Hispanic white women. American-Indian women showed significantly lower rates of alcohol dependence (OR = 0.5), nicotine dependence (OR = 0.2) and MDD (OR = 0.3) than non-Hispanic white women. Hispanic men had significantly lower rates of alcohol dependence (OR = 0.6), drug dependence (OR = 0.5), nicotine dependence (OR = 0.2), MDD (OR = 0.5) and ASPD (OR = 0.4) than non-Hispanic white men. American-Indian men also reported significantly lower rates of drug dependence (OR = 0.5), nicotine dependence (OR = 0.2) and ASPD (OR = 0.3) than non-Hispanic white men. CONCLUSIONS: After statistically adjusting for demographic differences, minority groups were in general less affected by substance abuse problems and had similar or lower rates of other psychiatric disorders when compared with non-Hispanic whites.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Use of herbal medicine by elderly Hispanic and non-Hispanic white patients.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To determine the types and prevalence of herbal medicines used by Hispanic and non-Hispanic white individuals aged 65 years and older. Secondary objectives were to compare herbal medicine use according to ethnicity, sex, age, socioeconomic status, and education level, and to determine patients' beliefs about herbal medicines. Use of nonphysician health care providers such as acupuncturists and chiropractors also was assessed. METHODS: Data for a cross-sectional, interviewer-administered survey were collected at the University of New Mexico Senior Health Center, an ambulatory health care clinic, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, from February 1996-January 1997. To participate in the study, patients had to be at least 65 years of age, established patients at the clinic, and live independently in a community dwelling. They were excluded if they had dementia, lived in an institution, or belonged to any ethnic group other than Hispanic or non-Hispanic white. Ethnicity was determined by asking the patients in which ethnic group they identified themselves. RESULTS: A total of 186 patients were surveyed: 84 Hispanic (34 men, 50 women) and 102 non-Hispanic white (47 men, 55 women). Of the 186 patients, 91 (49%) admitted to having taken herbal medicines in the previous year. The most common were spearmint, chamomile, aloe vera, garlic, brook-mint, osha, lavender, ginger, ginseng, and camphor. Most of the patients who used herbal medicines were 65-74 years of age and took them primarily for health care maintenance or self-perceived problems. CONCLUSION: As approximately half of the elderly patients stated that they used herbal medicines, health care providers should be knowledgeable about herbal remedies and provide reliable information to their patients about them in a nonjudgmental manner.

Aged↗

PubMed2002

Differing effects of inotropic agents on length change deactivation of isolated rat myocardium.

BACKGROUND: A rapid change in length of cardiac muscle during isometric contraction is followed by developed force that is less than appropriate for the new length because of deactivation of the contractile system. Length change deactivation may have favorable or unfavorable effects on cardiac function, depending on the circumstances under which it is produced. METHODS: Left ventricular papillary muscles from male Sprague-Dawley rats were arranged for recording of isometric force. After each control or reference isometric contraction, a quick release-quick stretch V-step was applied to the following contraction. For each repetition of control and experimental contractions, the time of application of V-steps was increased by 20 ms until peak force was reached. Effects of these V-steps were assessed from ratios of peak redeveloped force to peak force in an isometric reference contraction. Slopes of plots of these ratios versus time after the onset of the contraction were used to quantify the effects of inotropic agents on deactivation. RESULTS: Increasing calcium from 2.5 to 5.0 or 7.5 mM increased force by 12+/-4% (mean+/-SEM), did not change time to peak, and did not significantly alter the deactivation slope. Adding 5 mM epinephrine increased force by 16+/-5%, decreased time to peak by 34+/-3%, and increased the deactivation slope by 106+/-9% (P<0.001). Caffeine had variable effects on peak force, increased time to peak by 47+/-4%, and decreased the deactivation slope by 71+/-5% (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The quantitatively different effects of the three agents on length change deactivation slopes and time to peak force suggest a common mechanism, probably involving thin-filament cooperativity.

Animals↗