PubMed HealthSearch

Biomedical subjects

E M Thomson

Publications and source records attributed to E M Thomson.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

Marketing the dental hygienist as a manager in oral health care settings.

In 1985, the ADHA, in response to the changing health care environment, identified six roles for the future of dental hygiene. The administrator/manager role, one of the six, is an expansion of dental hygiene skills to facilitate the provision of quality oral health care. Oral health care settings require personnel trained in management to accomplish practice-related goals and objectives. Dental hygiene is preparing individuals to assume managerial roles to fill this health care need. This paper discusses the skills and knowledge level required to assume managerial roles and strategies for marketing the dental hygienist as a manager.

Administrative Personnel

Regional variations in tuberculosis policy in the Cape and Ciskei.

Regional variations in tuberculosis policy in Cape Town, Paarl and Ciskei, as well as problems experienced by health workers, are examined. South African policy is compared with modern trends and recommendations drawn from the international literature and is found to conform in many respects, although tuberculosis services are not always integrated with curative services. The most marked variation occurs in Ciskei, where policy requires hospitalization of as many patients as possible. The majority of problems in implementing policy relate to lack of funds and medical infrastructure.

Drug Therapy, Combination

The implementation of tuberculosis policy in three areas in South Africa.

The implementation of tuberculosis policy at hospital and clinic level was examined in three areas (Cape Town, Paarl and Ciskei). Investigation showed that bacteriological diagnosis, standardized treatment regimens, supervision of therapy and contact tracing were not being correctly implemented. Compliance was also poor.

Adolescent

Tuberculosis--the patients' perspective.

This, the last of three studies examining aspects of tuberculosis (TB) control in South Africa, ascertained the views of the consumer--the TB patient. Aspects such as the impact of contracting TB on employment opportunities and social life, difficulties in getting treatment, and knowledge of TB were studied in a sample population of urban black working-class TB patients. Patients had difficulties in getting treatment at centralized points, and health education was not effective. Poor socio-economic conditions were also important in the experience of the TB sufferer.

Adolescent

Attitudes to the provision of primary health care at the day hospitals in Cape Town.

Day hospitals in Cape Town are examined against the criteria in the definition of primary health care of the World Health Organization's Declaration of Alma Ata. A survey of patients attending a day hospital was undertaken to ascertain the consumer perspective regarding access to and quality of the service offered. The provider's perspective was obtained from secondary sources and in-depth interviews. It was found that the services are generally acceptable to the users, but that factors such as waiting time and transport create problems for patients. Community participation is also very limited. The separation of preventive and curative services also places limitations on the day hospitals--they provide only curative health care. The most important reason given by patients for using the day hospitals is the low cost.

Adolescent

Effect of adenosine triphosphate and some derivatives on cerebral blood flow and metabolism.

1. Responses of cerebral blood vessels to peri- and intravascular doses of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and some derivatives were studied in cat and baboon. 2. Perivascular application of ATP to cat pial arterioles gave a threshold dilatory effect at a concentration of 10(-11) M. This figure is comparable to the amount of ATP calculated to be released from electrically stimulated brain slices. 3. It is concluded that adenine nucleotides have a major role to play in the local control of cerebral blood flow. 4. Intracarotid injection of ATP showed a calculated threshold effect at 4 x 10(8) M in the cat and 4 x 10(-9) M in the baboon. 5. The threshold response of the vasculature to intracarotid adenosine lay between 4 x 10(-7) M and 4 x 10(-6) M in the baboon. Little effect was produced with AMP, pyrophosphate and inorganic phosphate. 6. Intracarotid ATP increased the oxygen consumption of the baboon brain parenchyma. This effect was attributed in part to an elevation of the cellular cyclic AMP levels. 7. Osmotic disruption of the blood-brain barrier in baboon did not affect the vasodilatory or metabolic effect of intracarotid ATP. 8. It is postulated that circulating purine compounds mediate a form of metabolic communication inthe body. Also, release of purine compounds from active local nerves might influence cerebral blood flow.

Adenosine Triphosphate

Effect of cold exposure on mammary circulation oxygen consumption and milk secretion in the goat.

1. Measurements of milk secretion, mammary oxygen consumption and blood flow, cardiac output and blood pressure have been made in lactating goats exposed to a thermoneutral environment and to two levels of cold stress which were sufficient to raise total body oxygen consumption by an average of 18 and 46% above that in a thermoneutral environment. 2. Mammary blood flow and oxygen consumption were not appreciably affected by the milder cold stress but fell to 63 and 70%, respectively, of their thermoneutral value in the moderately cold environment. Resistance to blood flow through the udder was increased by this level of cold stress and the gland took a smaller fraction of an increased cardiac output. 3. Both levels of cold exposure caused a reduction in milk secretion, to 80 and 40% of its thermoneutral value in the mild and moderate cold respectively. The amount of milk secreted per unit volume of blood flowing through the gland decreased as the severity of the cold stress increased. 4. Voluntary food intake was not affected by the change in environmental temperature but the intake of water was reduced to 55% of the thermoneutral value during mild cold exposure and to 40% of the thermoneutral value during the moderate cold stress. 5. It is concluded that a reduction in blood flow to the mammary gland could be one of several possible mechanisms underlying the depression of milk secretion during cold exposure.

Animals