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Biomedical subjects

J C West

Publications and source records attributed to J C West.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Preoperative dobutamine stress echocardiography versus cardiac arteriography for risk assessment prior to renal transplantation.

Because coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in patients with end-stage renal disease, we prospectively studied the prognostic value of dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) compared to coronary angiography (CA) as an evaluative tool. Thirty-three patients at high risk for coronary artery disease were selected from a cohort of 133 renal transplant candidates and underwent both DSE and CA. In this study, the value of DSE was found to exist in its strong negative predictive value (92%). A negative DSE coupled with a negative clinical cardiac evaluation was found to practicably exclude the necessity for CA. DSE can thus serve as a non-invasive, low cost screening test.

Adrenergic beta-Agonists↗
PubMed2000

Recent patterns and predictors of antipsychotic medication regimens used to treat schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders.

Up-to-date data are needed on the types of treatments used by psychiatrists and the reasons for use of particular treatments. Using 1997 American Psychiatric Association (APA) Practice Research Network (PRN) Study data on patients with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, we identified the characteristics of antipsychotic medications (APMs) currently being prescribed and factors associated with the use of particular regimens. In this study population, use of the newer APMs, including risperidone, olanzapine, and clozapine, has increased rapidly and now accounts for over one-half of all APM use. Other intriguing findings include the fact that one-sixth of patients with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders are concurrently treated with two or more APMs. Factors associated with being prescribed one of the newer APMs risperidone or olanzapine include being elderly, having more education, being white, having psychiatric comorbidity, and making fewer recent visits to a psychiatrist. The APA PRN Study data are an important new resource for mental health services researchers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Psychiatric patients and treatments in 1997: findings from the American Psychiatric Practice Research Network.

Despite extensive studies on the epidemiology of mental disorders and advances in the treatment of these conditions, there is a paucity of detailed information concerning the characteristics of psychiatric patients and how treatments are administered in routine psychiatric practice. This 1997 observational study collected detailed information from 417 psychiatrists on the demographic, diagnostic, clinical, and treatment characteristics of a systematic sample of 1228 patients. Six hundred thirty-seven patients (51.9%) were women and the mean patient age was 41.9 years. The most common diagnostic category (53.7%) was mood disorders, followed by schizophrenia/psychotic disorders (14.6%), anxiety disorders (9.3%), and disorders of childhood (7.7%). Six hundred seventy-one patients (54.6%) had at least one comorbid Axis I condition and almost half (49.8%) had a history of psychiatric hospitalization. Patients received a mean of 2.0 psychotherapeutic medications, most commonly antidepressants (62.3%). Findings demonstrate that psychiatrists in routine practice treat a patient population with severe, complex conditions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Sexual harassment: an ominous liability for healthcare professionals.

Sexual harassment can arise in virtually any employment setting. Healthcare facilities must be careful to avoid sexual harassment of their employees both by other employees and by the myriad other persons who may come into contact with their employees in the workplace. Much of what makes sexual harassment an actionable offense are the perceptions of the victim. Employers should take a proactive approach to preventing, detecting and correcting instances of harassment.

Female↗
PubMed1998

Assessing the feasibility of recruiting a randomly selected sample of psychiatrists to participate in a national practice-based research network.

This study tested the feasibility of recruiting and retaining a randomly selected sample of psychiatrists compared to a volunteer sample to participate in the American Psychiatric Association's Practice Research Network (PRN). One hundred-forty psychiatrists were randomly selected and contacted by phone by peer psychiatrists for recruitment into the PRN. As a comparison group, a sample of 146 self-selected volunteer psychiatrists were also included in the study. Recruited and volunteer psychiatrists were asked to participate in three studies to assess study compliance and retention. The representativeness of each sample was evaluated by comparing the psychiatrists' sociodemographic and practice characteristics to existing national data on psychiatrists. Study response rates and long-term retention rates were compared for the two groups. Sixty-one percent of the recruited sample who were eligible to participate in the network were willing to participate. Both the recruited and volunteer samples were broadly representative of the American Psychiatric Association's membership (with some differences in race, ethnicity and board certification). Of the recruited sample, 74.5% (38/51) successfully completed the network's first three pilot studies compared to 72.5% (98/135) of the volunteer sample. No psychiatrists in the recruited sample withdrew from the network compared to 2.1% (3/138) of the volunteer sample. These findings indicate a randomly selected sample of psychiatrists can be recruited and retained to participate in practice-based research. These methods can be used to enhance the generalizability of observational health services research studies, which require the participation of practicing clinicians. More effective methods should be tested to enhance participation rates.

Feasibility Studies↗