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Biomedical subjects

G Bergus

Publications and source records attributed to G Bergus.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Effect of a patient's psychiatric history on physicians' estimation of probability of disease.

A questionnaire was mailed to 300 Iowa family physicians to determine the influence of a prior psychiatric history on decision making. The response rate was 77%. Respondents were less likely to believe that a patient had serious illness when presenting with a severe headache or abdominal pain if the patient had a prior history of depression ( P <.05) or prior history of somatic complaints ( P <. 05), compared with a patient with no past history. Respondents were less likely to report that they would order testing for a patient with headache or abdominal pain if the patient had a history of depression ( P <.05, P =.08, respectively) or somatic complaints ( P <.01). Differences in likelihood of ordering tests were not significant after adjusting for differences in estimated probability of disease. We conclude that physicians respond differently to patients with psychiatric illness because of their estimation of pretest probability of disease rather than bias. We conclude that past psychiatric history influences physicians' estimation of disease presence and willingness to order tests.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

The role of diagnostic imaging in women with breast implants.

Women who have undergone augmentation mammoplasty with silicone gel implants may present for routine breast cancer screening or with palpable breast lumps. Conventional mammography supplemented by additional displaced or Eklund view is usually sufficient to detect most abnormalities. Ultrasonographic evaluation may be performed as an ancillary technique to characterize palpable lumps or nonpalpable lesions detected on mammography. In patients suspected of having implant rupture, conventional mammography and displaced views are performed. If clinical findings warrant, magnetic resonance imaging may be performed to detect intracapsular and extracapsular rupture and migration of silicone globules to the axilla, branchial plexus and adjacent structures.

Breast↗
PubMed1995

The use of unofficial "problem patient" files and interinstitutional information transfer in emergency medicine in Iowa.

The study objectives were to determine the use of "problem patient" files in full-time Emergency Departments (EDs) in the state of Iowa and the frequency of telephone calls made between these departments about drug-seeking patients. The design and setting were a mail survey of 42 EDs in the state of Iowa determined to be staffed full-time by an in-house physician. The participants were the directors of the full time EDs in the state of Iowa. There were no interventions. The measurements and main results are as follows: 38 of 42 sites responded for a response rate of 90%. Of these, 58% keep problem patient lists and consult them an average of 2.6 times per week (range, 0.2 to 7.5). Only 5% have a policy limiting access to the information in these files, and only 14% have any controls over the adding of information. Thirty-seven of the 38 sites reported making and receiving calls to and from other institutions about drug-seeking patients. The mean number of calls made is 23 a year, and the mean number received is 20 per year. Problem patient files are common in EDs in Iowa, as are calls between institutions about drug-seeking patients. These practices compromise patient confidentiality but may be potentially justified in some instances. The lack of controls on access to patient information files and lack of scrutiny of information entered is of concern.

Communication↗