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Biomedical subjects

Brian Southwell

Publications and source records attributed to Brian Southwell.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Automated laboratory reporting of infectious diseases in a climate of bioterrorism.

While newly available electronic transmission methods can increase timeliness and completeness of infectious disease reports, limitations of this technology may unintentionally compromise detection of, and response to, bioterrorism and other outbreaks. We reviewed implementation experiences for five electronic laboratory systems and identified problems with data transmission, sensitivity, specificity, and user interpretation. The results suggest a need for backup transmission methods, validation, standards, preserving human judgment in the process, and provider and end-user involvement. As illustrated, challenges encountered in deployment of existing electronic laboratory reporting systems could guide further refinement and advances in infectious disease surveillance.

Bioterrorism↗
PubMed2003

Residents' perspectives on the use of the Internet to improve infectious disease reporting.

Reports of infectious diseases to local and state public health agencies are often delayed and incomplete. Some of the clinicians charged with the responsibility for making notifications encounter various difficulties in reporting. These may include heavy patient loads that make it easy to forget to file reports, or cumbersome disease reporting mechanisms and systems. For some percentage of practitioners, knowledge of what and when to report infectious diseases is less than optimal. However, it is not clear how reporting methods or systems could be designed or improved, owing to lack of data on physicians' knowledge and views about them. We conducted a survey of resident physicians at three university teaching hospitals in Pennsylvania to ascertain their knowledge about reporting timeframe and responsibility, as well as their attitudes toward various methods to enhance disease reporting.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2002

Predicting intentions versus predicting behaviors: domestic violence prevention from a theory of reasoned action perspective.

A central assumption of many models of human behavior is that intention to perform a behavior is highly predictive of actual behavior. This article presents evidence that belies this notion. Based on a survey of 1,250 Philadelphia adults, a clear and consistent pattern emerged suggesting that beliefs related to domestic violence correlate with intentions to act with respect to domestic violence but rarely correlate with reported actions (e.g., talking to the abused woman). Numerous methodological and substantive explanations for this finding are offered with emphasis placed on the complexity of the context in which an action to prevent a domestic violence incident occurs. We conclude by arguing that despite the small, insignificant relationships between beliefs and behaviors found, worthwhile aggregate effects on behavior might still exist, thus reaffirming the role of communication campaign efforts.

Adult↗