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Biomedical subjects

F Loos

Publications and source records attributed to F Loos.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Evaluation of three brands of tympanic thermometer.

Infrared tympanic thermometers (ITT) have many documented benefits, including speed, ease of use, and noninvasiveness, to support their use in emergency departments (ED) and intensive care units (ICU). However, concerns have been raised about the accuracy of temperatures reported by ITT. This study was conducted to evaluate the accuracy of 3 brands of ITT, compared to rectal and pulmonary artery thermometers, in ED and ICU settings. Results indicated adequate specificity for all 3 ITT in ED (range = 0.9242 to 1.0000) and ICU (range = 0.9737 to 1.0000), but unacceptable sensitivity in ED (range = 0.5455 to 0.8000) and ICU (range = 0.0000). Further analyses indicated highly variable ITT-reported temperatures. In ED, ITT temperatures were, on average, 0.3684 degree C lower, and could be expected to vary by more than 2 degrees C from the actual temperature as reported by rectal thermometer. In ICU, the average reported temperature was similar to the actual pulmonary artery temperature (0.0259 degree C lower), but again could vary by more than 2 degrees C. Recommendations for nursing and education are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

"Specific" scale compared with "generic" scale: a double measurement of the quality of life in a French community sample of obese subjects.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine the aspects of quality of life that are affected by weight in the general population, to develop a specific questionnaire (OSQOL) that can measure with reliability and validity the impact of overweight and obesity on well being, and to compare the results with those obtained using a well known generic tool (the "SF 36" scale). DESIGN: Cross sectional survey with matched control group. SETTING: Community. PATIENTS: A permanent survey base of approximately 10,000 representative ordinary households were screened for weight and height. Five hundred subjects were randomly drawn from the sub-sample of adult people with a body mass index equal or greater than 27. A control sample of 500 subjects matched for sex, age, and employment status was drawn from the non-obese population. MAIN RESULTS: A short specific Quality Of Life scale, the OSQOL, was produced that comprises 11 items belonging to four independent dimensions. Using this scale and the SF36, it was found that: (1) moderately obese subjects (27 < or = BMI < 30) did not significantly differ from the control group except for physical capacity; (2) in the group of obese subjects with a BMI > 30, quality of life seemed to be impaired for five of nine dimensions of the SF36 compared with the control population, all related to physical consequences of obesity. This population essentially perceived itself in terms of poor general health. (3) No significant difference was observed between the samples for the psychological and social dimensions of the SF36. CONCLUSION: The quality of life of patients with severe obesity is impaired, but it mainly affects the physical consequences of the disease. The psychological and social repercussions that could have been expected to affect this population were not demonstrated. The hypothesis of a process of adaptation of the person and their social environment cannot therefore be excluded. Methodologically, comparison of the specific OSQOL with the generic SF3 shows clearly that the two kinds of scales correspond to different objectives and should be considered as complementary.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Converting a presentation to a manuscript.

Presenting and publishing are closely linked. Although many authors are later asked to speak, the reverse is also true. Many presenters are asked to author manuscripts based on their presentations. This author who is experienced in professional presentations and editing gives tips to nurse authors on how to develop a manuscript from a presentation.

Humans↗
PubMed1993

Understanding mediastinitis: nursing's role in prevention and treatment.

Mediastinitis is a clinical problem seen in patients after a mediasternotomy usually following cardiac surgery. Although relatively rare, this complication slows recovery, lengthens hospital stay and increases health care costs. An overview of the problem of sternal wound infection after cardiac surgery is provided. Predisposing, intraoperative and post-operative factors related to this problem will be discussed. Attention to the factors related to the problem may contribute to the prevention of mediastinitis. Clinical recognition of the problem will be described and treatment options, nursing therapeutics and research questions will be addressed.

Causality↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Circular questions: a family interviewing strategy.

Assessment strategies for working with the family of the critically ill typically focus on collecting data from family members in order to determine if the family requires further support or intervention. This article describes using the technique of circular questioning to obtain information from and provide the family with new information. Circular questions are interventions as well as assessment strategies. The authors provide critical care examples of the use of circular questions with families of the critically ill.

Adult↗