Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to C E Coons.
Several types of portable infusion devices are now available, allowing patients to receive continuous parenteral narcotics at home. Six of the most commonly used pumps in Canada are presented. Various features of the pumps are compared including cost, flow rate, bolus capability, ease of operation, medication preparation and safety. Consideration of all these factors should aid an institution in selecting a narcotic infusion device.
To develop a quick, practical tool to identify home environments likely to be suboptimal for the development of children, we adapted segments of the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) Inventory, which assesses the environments of children from birth to 6 years, and devised the Home Screening Questionnaire (HSQ). Whereas the HOME Inventory requires a home visit, the HSQ consists of two forms, one for children from birth to 3 years, another for 3 to 6 years, that are completed by parents without a home visit. The questions are formulated at the third to sixth grade reading level and can be completed in 15 to 20 minutes. Scoring and interpretation by a professional takes 5 minutes. HSQ questions were answered by more than 1500 parents of low-income families. Between 81% and 86% of the environments determined to be of concern by the HOME Inventory were identified by the briefer and less expensive HSQ. Thus the HSQ readily lends itself to use by health care providers who serve low-income families.
Prevention of mental retardation is discussed in terms of etiology and level of prevention (primary, secondary or tertiary). The aim of primary preventive medicine is to avert the disease before its onset. Secondary preventive medicine involves early identification and treatment of a disease to reduce its duration and/or severity. Tertiary prevention limits the degree of disability and fosters rehabilitation in chronic diseases. Prevention of mental retardation relies heavily on primary and secondary preventive techniques. Generally, preventive techniques related to organically caused mental retardation are secondary. Attempts are made to identify and treat impairments which cause deficient mental functioning. Since such impairments can occur at any time and are not always observable, routine developmental screening is recommended. A two-stage developmental screening procedure developed by the authors consists of an abbreviated version of the Denver Developmental Screening Test (DDST) followed by the full DDST when indicated. Primary preventive techniques are appropriate for the prevention of environmentally-caused mental retardation. If negative environmental influences can be identified and eliminated early, socio-cultural mental retardation might be averted or if identified early may be decreased to prevent the retardation process. To meet the need for an environmental screening instrument, the authors developed the Home Screening Questionnaire (HSQ). A combined developmental/environmental screening process is recommended.