J B Moen | PubMed Health

PubMed1979

Survival following renal transplantation in Saskatchewan, 1970--74: follow-up study using medical insurance records.

The patient history file of a medical care insurance plan can be used for statistical purposes in many ways. This is illustrated by the use of the records of the Saskatchewan Medical Care Insurance Commission to study the survival of patients receiving kidney transplants in the period 1970--74. During this period 48 males and 23 females received at least one renal transplant; these patients represented 34% of all males and 28% of all females undergoing regular renal dialysis. These period prevalence estimates are consistent with calculations based on incidence and point prevalence reported elsewhere. Life-table calculations showed the 4-year survival rate following first kidney transplantation in Saskatchewan to be 45% for all patients, 55% for those less than 45 years of age and 26% for those 45 years of age or older.

Actuarial Analysis↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Community-directed cancer screening program.

The Atlanta Project, one of six American Cancer Society demonstration projects, is a community-designed and -directed breast and cervical cancer screening program focused on empowering African-American women to accept responsibility for their health maintenance. This article reports the project's goals, objectives, intervention strategies, roles of key project personnel, and outcomes. A total of 3852 women older than 40 years received breast clinical examinations, were taught breast self-examination, and had a screening mammogram; 2689 women obtained a pelvic examination and were screened for cervical cancer with a Papanicolaou smear. Of those women screened, 12 breast and 1 cervical cancers were identified and treated. Important lessons learned and successes achieved from this project were: (1) there is a need for joint planning with community representatives and their involvement in all aspects of the program's implementation and evaluation; (2) in addition to the commitment of the major participants, the community must "buy in" to the proposed health intervention; (3) the focus of the intervention should be on positive health messages; (4) cancer education materials should be culturally and literacy-appropriate; (5) the project's activities were planned to be sustained after the project period; (6) women can be empowered to accept responsibility for and control over their health.

Adult↗