Biomedical subjects

Dawn Carlson

Publications and source records attributed to Dawn Carlson.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Sources of payment for assistive technology: findings from a national survey of persons with disabilities.

This article provides an overview of who pays for the most commonly used assistive technology devices, special adaptations, and environmental accommodations by persons with disabilities in the United States. The latest findings from the 2001 survey of Use and Need of Assistive Technology and Information Technology by Persons With Disabilities in the United States conducted by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America, and the University of Michigan will be presented and compared to findings from earlier research and reviews of the literature. A modified discriminant function analysis was performed to determine the interaction between the source of payment for assistive technology used by persons with disabilities. In the sample of 1,414 such persons, 901 were found to use some form of assistive technology in their daily lives. Ten distinct sources of payment were specified. Respondents were able to mention up to three sources of payment for each example of assistive technology used. A total of 1,877 sources were mentioned. Overall, the most mentioned payment source was self or other family member in household, accounting for nearly 40% of all sources mentioned. The variables tested were found to have varying levels of interactive potency. Occupational status, education level, severity of impairment, opinion as to the effectiveness of assistive technology, and personal income were significant, whereas age, family income, opinion as to improvement over the past decade, and race were statistically unrelated to source of payment. From the perspective of relative discrimination on the basis of payment source, Medicare stands as the lone significant discriminant source of payment. The authors offer a summary and conclusion based on an integrated view of all available sources of information about payment.

Persons with Disabilities↗

PubMed2003

Sources of information about how to obtain assistive technology: findings from a national survey of persons with disabilities.

A modified discriminant function analysis was performed to determine the interaction between the source of information for assistive technology used by persons with disabilities. In the sample of 1,412 such persons, 901 were found to use some form of assistive technology in their daily lives. Ten distinct sources of information were specified. Respondents were able to mention up to three sources of information for each example of assistive technology used. A total of 930 sources were mentioned. Overall, the most mentioned information source was a physician or other health care professional, accounting for 53% of all sources mentioned. The only other frequently mentioned sources were family and friends (15%) and vocational rehabilitation counselors (13%). We found that physicians and health care professionals provide information to all groups without significant variance--this source of information is clearly nondiscriminant. Respondents who use family and friends as a source of information tend to be older, poorer, unemployed, more severely impaired, non-White, and, most significantly, render a more negative opinion of the amount and utility of information they have received about assistive technology, as well as the helpfulness of assistive technology in general. Persons obtaining information from vocational rehabilitation counselors tend to be better educated, non-White, unemployed, and have a more positive opinion about assistive technology. The limited size of the national population-based sample (n = 1,412) and very low number of responses indicating a state-based agency as the source of information about assistive technology did not allow state-by-state comparisons; alternative approaches, however, suggest a slight decline in the usage of the primary source (physician or other health care professional) with decreasing population, and a larger increase in the usage of family and friends as a source of information.

Data Collection↗

PubMed2002

Lithium toxicity: two case reports.

Lithium has many medical and psychiatric uses. These include cluster and migraine headaches, alcoholism, impulsive behavior, and bipolar disorder. Toxicity from lithium can occur by overdose (intentional or accidental) or, more commonly, from alteration in its clearance by the kidney. We present two cases of lithium toxicity. The first is a 57-year-old male who presented with confusion, ataxia, and lethargy. The second case involves a 52-year-old female with bizarre behavior who was unable to care for herself. Both patients received dialysis and recovered without sequelae.

Female↗