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Biomedical subjects

J I Berry

Publications and source records attributed to J I Berry.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1983

Variables affecting creatinine clearance prediction.

Patient data were analyzed retrospectively to evaluate the relationship between several body-weight variables and creatinine production and clearance. Data from 722 creatinine clearance determinations in 627 patients older than 12 years were analyzed. Weight variables were actual body weight (ABW), lean body weight (LBW), ideal body weight (IBW), and lean body mass (LBM). Weight-independent and weight-dependent clearance prediction methods were evaluated. Actual creatinine clearance values were compared with these predictions. Use of LBW and IBW produced equivalent estimates of creatinine clearance that were closer to measured values than those obtained with ABW. The use of LBW or IBW was not appropriate in patients less than 60 inches tall nor in morbidly obese patients. Weight-dependent clearance estimation was superior to weight-independent predictions in morbidly obese patients. A new LBM-based clearance estimation formula was derived; it may be useful for patients less than 60 inches tall. The use of LBM, particularly in patients less than 60 inches tall, should be investigated further.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Pharmaceutical services in hospices.

Hospices were surveyed to identify the types of pharmaceutical services provided. The directors of 75 hospice organizations were sent questionnaires regarding: (1) the type and scope of pharmaceutical services and (2) their conception of the future of the hospice movement. Of the 48 usable responses, 37 reported pharmacist affiliation. Of the 11 organizations that did not have a pharmacist affiliated, 10 reported they anticipated using a pharmacist's services in the future. Most (68%) pharmacists who worked in hospices were consultants. Pharmaceutical services included the development of policies and procedures regarding drug storage and handling, inservice education, drug information, and patient education. Of the organizations without a pharmacist, 91% provided only outpatient care; of hospices with pharmacists, 51% provided outpatient, 14% inpatient, and 36% outpatient and inpatient care. Forty-six percent of the hospice directors considered the pharmacist affiliated with their organization to be a member of the interdisciplinary team; 55% of such pharmacists worked full-time with the hospice. Hospice directors expressed a need for greater pharmacist involvement in inservice education, staff consultation, and research on pain.

Ambulatory Care↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Assessment of pain and patterns of analgesic use in hospice patients.

The purpose of this study is to describe patterns of pain, analgesic use, barriers to pain control, and various aspects of lifestyle affected by pain in hospice patients. Seventy-six charts of deceased patients were randomly selected of patients who had received care from Hospice of Wake County between August 1990 and August 1991. All patient's charts were reviewed from date of entry into hospice until death. Pain assessments were routinely performed at entry into hospice, then at one month intervals, and, thereafter, whenever a change in pain status occurred. The average number of pain assessments performed per patient was 2.7 (range 18). Pain intensity score increased as the number of pain assessments increased. Pain was described as occasional (25.2 percent), frequent (26.6 percent) or constant (24.1 percent). Most common analgesic medications were long-acting morphine sulphate (25.4 percent), acetaminophen and hydroxy/oxycodone combinations (20.1 percent) and NSAIDS (17.1 percent). Approximately 40 percent of all pain assessments reflected use of greater than one analgesic agent and prn and scheduled medications simultaneously. Eighty percent of all pain assessments prompted a recommendation to change the analgesic regimen and 62.5 percent of regimen changes were associated with improvement in pain status. Barriers to pain control and lifestyle alterations due to pain were identified. The positive findings in this report, compared to previous similar investigations, supports the use of the pain assessment document and guidelines for cancer pain management in use at the Hospice of Wake County.

Adult↗