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Biomedical subjects

C Franzi

Publications and source records attributed to C Franzi.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Barriers to effective communication in skilled nursing facilities: differences in perception between nurses and physicians.

BACKGROUND: Effective communication between nurses and physicians is central to the clinical care of nursing home residents. Anecdotal evidence suggests that communication between the groups is unsatisfactory, but no empirical data exist with which to validate assumptions. The purpose of this pilot study was to compare perceptions of potential communication barriers among nurses and physicians in four California nursing homes. METHODS: Registered nurses (n = 59), and physicians (n = 47) involved in the direct clinical care of nursing home residents completed a 12-item questionnaire designed to elicit perceptions about potential communication barriers. Five specific categories of barriers were identified. These included nurse competence, time burden of calls, necessity of calls, professional respect, and language comprehension. Responses were compared using t test analysis. RESULTS: Significant differences in perceived communication barriers were identified. Physicians, but not nurses, perceive nursing competence to be a significant barrier. Nurses perceive physicians to be unpleasant. Both physicians and nurses perceive that physicians do not value nurses' opinions. Neither group perceived language expression, language comprehension, or time burden of phone calls to be barriers to communication. CONCLUSIONS: Issues related to the perceived competency of nurses by physicians is consistent with existing data from other clinical settings. Differences in awareness about scope of practice and regulatory requirements between the groups may offer a partial explanation for the discordant perceptions. Perceptions by nurses (but not physicians) of unpleasantness and/or disrespect during telephone encounters may reflect the broader ongoing differences in professional culture, social status, and gender inequality between the two groups. Further clarification of the causes of barriers to effective communication is essential in order to plan appropriate interventions.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Pressure sores in nursing home patients.

One hundred and sixty-seven patients were part of a cross-sectional study examining pressure sores in patients in skilled nursing facilities. Every patient admitted to this study was physically examined for the presence or absence of pressure sores and evaluated according to a standardized procedure. Using logistic regression analysis, the variables most significantly associated with pressure sores included a history of hypertension, infection, unwelcome response to visitors, history of poor dietary intake and a pattern of slow or poor response to commands. Knowledge of these factors may lead to more intensive efforts to develop better methods of prevention and treatment of pressure sores.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Dietary preference for sweet foods in patients with dementia.

Using a telephone survey, patients with probable Alzheimer's disease (n = 31) and vascular dementia (n = 14) were compared with elderly normal controls (n = 43) in preferences for different foods. Patients with Alzheimer's disease had a greater preference than normal controls for relatively high-fat, sweet foods and for high-sugar, low-fat foods, but did not significantly differ in preference for other foods, including those high in complex carbohydrates and protein. Vascular dementia patients showed a similar pattern, not significantly different from that for Alzheimer's patients. Results did not consistently support a hypothesis that increased sweet preference is a nonspecific form of disinhibited behavior related to declining mental status, nor was a hypothesis relating sweet preference to serotonin activity within the brain consistently supported. Results provide preliminary evidence that craving for sweet food may be a significant part of the clinical syndrome of dementia, but further research is needed to delineate the psychological and biological mechanisms accounting for it.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Assessment of disruptive behavior associated with dementia: the Disruptive Behavior Rating Scales.

Disruptive behavior associated with dementia is a major clinical problem, but there has been limited methodology for assessing it. This study describes the development of a set of rating scales used to measure four dimensions of disruptive behavior that present frequent problems in patients with dementia: physical aggression, verbal aggression, agitation, and wandering. In addition, a total disruptive behavior scale is derived by averaging scores from these four scales. A sample of 16 patients in a skilled nursing facility was used to test interrater reliability and validity of this instrument. Interrater reliability was quite favorable for all scales. There was clear evidence for convergent validity of all scales except the verbal aggression scale, where a substantial correlation was found with one relevant external measure but not the other. There was also favorable evidence of discriminant validity for all scales except the verbal aggression scale. Psychometric properties of this instrument appear to be promising and indicate that it has potential utility for further research on causes and treatments for disruptive behavior in demented patients.

Activities of Daily Living↗