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Biomedical subjects

G H Wolkon

Publications and source records attributed to G H Wolkon.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1979

Patients' requests of an outpatient clinic.

Three-hundred-twenty-five consecutive predominantly lower-class new patients at a psychiatric outpatient clinic rated the importance they attached to each of 14 categories of treatment needs or requests. Psychiatric residents subsequently rated the importance of each request for each patient at the conclusion of their initial assessment interview. Requests reflecting needs for intrapsychic therapy, clarification, and control of feelings were considered very important by approximately two thirds of the patients; needs for institutionalized contact, advice, and community triage by one half; and other requests for medication, reality contact, succorance, ventilation, confession, social intervention, administrative requests by a minority (one fourth to one third). Residents significantly underestimated the importance their patients attached to 10 of 14 requests. Factor analyses confirmed several systematic sources of disparity between patient and therapist perception of lower-class patient needs.

Factor Analysis, Statistical↗
PubMed1979

Paraprofessional role in a mental health continuing care program.

The authors report on a unique program in which paraprofessionals provide continuing care services to patients in a large public psychiatric hospital, both before and after discharge. Data from one hundred patients indicate that paraprofessional caseworkers effectively managed 85 percent of the patients' post-discharge problems without needing to directly involve their professional teammates.

Aftercare↗
PubMed1978

Personality changes and compatibility in the psychiatric resident--supervisor relationship.

Seventy-one psychiatric resident-supervisor dyads were studied in terms of Schutz's interpersonal theory of compatibility. Personality changes during the second year of psychiatric residency were also measured by means of Schutz's Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation Scale. Predictions relating compatibility to satisfaction with the dyad and to ratings of competence were not confirmed. Personality changes were found, with residents showing a significant decrease in needs for wanting to be included and for expressing affection. Situational factors are proposed for the personality changes, and personality factors are suggested as influencing the selection of psychiatry as a medical specialization.

California↗
PubMed1978

Videotape recording of dynamic psychotherapy: supervisory tool or hindrance?

The authors questioned residents and supervisors at a large clinic about their attitudes and experiences regarding clinical supervision. Half of the residents then videotaped one of their psychotherapy sessions and presented the tape in their next supervisory session. The procedure had little effect on patients, was anxiety-provoking for the residents, and had some diagnostic benefit for the supervisors. After the taping, the residents' views about taping were less positive than before the taping, but the supervisors' views did not change significantly.

Anxiety↗
PubMed1978

A program for continuing care: implementation and outcome.

The authors used the records of the continuing-care program at a large public hospital in Los Angeles to determine the success of referrals for aftercare. A total of 552 patients discharged during an eight-month period were referred for continuing care; 418 of the patients kept their first appointment. Patients were most likely to keep their first appointment if it was set up for within three days of release from the hospital and if it was confirmed before discharge from the hospital. If an appointment could not be arranged within three days, a phone call to the patient improved the referral completion rate.

Aftercare↗
PubMed1978

Drug use, attitudes, and behaviors of youth in an urban free clinic.

A questionnaire regarding drug use, attitudes, and behaviors was completed by youths attending a free clinic on randomly selected evenings. Compared to a sample of suburban high school youths, the clinic youths were heavier drug users and were more antiestablishment in their attitudes and behaviors. The clinic youth as a whole tended to have antiestablishment attitudes but within the sample drug use was, with specific exceptions, not related to such attitudes. Youths whose first drug was not marijuana tended to be relatively heavy users, as compared to youths who started with marijuana. Data regarding reasons for use are reported. A brief discussion focuses on society's influence on the implications with the phenomena of drug use and free clinics.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Medical student attitudes about quality of care and training of minority persons.

Ninety-five first year medical students agreed that there was differential medical treatment of minority vs majority persons. Implicated reasons for this phenomenon were lack of personal treatment of members of minorities, distrust of medical workers by minority members, and majority perceptions that minority persons are not good patients. Integrated treatment and training facilities, preferential academic treatment, special training for majority students, and philosophy of medical care are discussed in terms of improving medical care for all.

Black or African American↗
PubMed1977

Which patients respond to a mental health consumer survey.

Characteristics of patients at the Los Angeles County - University of Southern California Medical Center, Adult Psychiatric Outpatient Clinic who responded to a Los Angeles County voluntary "Client Satisfaction Survey" were compared with those who did not. Three significant differences consistently emerged. If an individual was a member of a minority group (black of Spanish surname), had less than a high school education, and was taking antispsychotic medication, his chance of returning a questionnaire to a waiting-room collection box was 79% as compared to the 30% chance of returning if he had none of these three characteristics. Younger patients had "Anglos" more often used the U.S. mail than the collection box to return the questionnaires. It is important that both methods be used to minimize bias. Most of the many patient-characteristics studied did not influence return rate. These findings are discussed in relation to the return method, ethnicity, medication, chronic mental illness, diminished freedom, and consumer voice in voluntary questionnaires.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Continuity of care between the psychiatric hospital and public schools.

Seventy-five professionals from three psychiatric training hospitals were interviewed to ascertain their attitudes and stated practices concerning educational aftercare planning and implementation. Findings revealed that 75% of the professionals did not routinely contact the schools despite their acknowledgment of the school's potential for facilitating rehabilitation. Neither discipline nor hospital were related to attitudes or to reported behavior concerning the hospital's relationship with the school. Suggestions for improving the continuum of care are discussed.

Aftercare↗
PubMed1977

The ombudsman: a serendipitous mental health intervention.

It is proposed that the ombudsman program, originally conceived of as a protection of the political rights of individual citizens, can be profitably viewed as a primary prevention of psychological disorders. The ombudsman attempts to alleviate reality problems prior to the onset of psychological disruption by engaging in active change agentry in public and private bureaucracies. Two hundred randomly selected written complaints were analyzed to ascertain the types of problems brought to this program. The role of the mental health professional and training issues are briefly discussed.

California↗
PubMed1977

A comparison of videotaped and live patient interview examinations and written examination in psychiatry.

The authors scored the examination performance of 28 psychiatrists who were tested after conducting an interview with a real patient and after seeing a videotaped interview with an actor playing the role of either a psychotic or a neurotic patient. The also scored the performance of 15 of the same examinees who completed a written examination. Eighty-five percent of the examinees reported that the videotaped interview examination was a useful learning experience, and 81% said that it was a useful testing experience. The examiners' feelings varied regarding the use of the standardized videotaped format for certification and recertification of psychiatrists.

Certification↗
PubMed1976

Therapists' physiological activation and patient difficulty.

The differential effects of an easy and difficult-to-interview patient on therapist self-reported behavioral arousal and physiological activation were observed. Eighteen experienced white male psychiatrists each interviewed two patient simulators believing they were real patients. Each actress was programed to act the part of a difficult-to-interview patient and an easy-to-interview patient. Each randomly played either part as assigned and the order of patient and role was counterbalanced. Differences in patient roles were validated by the participating therapists and independent raters. Fifteen-minute rest periods with soft music preceded each therapy session such that a complete experimental session consisted of rest 1, therapy 1, rest 2, and therapy 2. Self-reported arousal was assessed during each of the four periods by Thayer's factors from the Nowlis Mood Adjective List. Physiological activation was measured by electromyogram, heart rate, blood pressure (systolic and diastolic), and skin conductance. Therapist self-reported behavioral arousal and measured physiological activation during therapy were significantly greater than during rest. The difficulty of the patient did not appear to affect either behavioral or physiological activation level of the therapists. Several explanations for this are explored.

Arousal↗
PubMed1975

Four therapeutic approaches to the same patient. A study of the Truax variables.

Interviewing behavior of psychiatrists representing the Gestalt, Psychoanalytic, Kleinian and Jungian schools of psychotherapy are rated using the Truax-Carkhuff measures of accurate empathy, nonpossessive warmth and genuineness. Although similarities of behavior were found, there were significant behavioral differences that coincide with the theoretical models.

Adult↗