Biomedical subjects

J McFarlane

Publications and source records attributed to J McFarlane.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1992

Assessing for abuse during pregnancy. Severity and frequency of injuries and associated entry into prenatal care.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the occurrence, frequency, and severity of physical abuse during pregnancy and associated initiation of prenatal care. DESIGN: Stratified, prospective cohort analysis. SETTING: Public prenatal clinics in Houston, Tex, and Baltimore, Md. PARTICIPANTS: Total population-based sample of 691 black, Hispanic, and white pregnant women. All of the women were urban residents and most of the Hispanic women were Mexican American. All participants were invited into the study at the first prenatal visit and were followed up until delivery. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Identification of abuse status. RESULTS: A three-question Abuse Assessment Screen detected a 17% (1/6) prevalence of physical or sexual abuse during pregnancy, which is more than double all previous published reports. When evaluated against nationally tested research instruments, the three-question screen that was asked at the first prenatal visit was sensitive and specific to abuse status. Abuse was recurrent, with 60% of abused women reporting two or more episodes of assault. Location of abuse focused on the head. Frequency and severity of abuse and potential danger of homicide was appreciably worse for white women. Abused women were twice as likely as nonabused women to begin prenatal care during the third trimester. CONCLUSIONS: A simple clinical assessment screen completed by the health care provider in a private setting and with the male partner absent is as effective as research instruments in identifying abused women. Straightforward, routine clinical assessment is recommended as essential in preventing potential trauma, interrupting existing abuse, and protecting health.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

Feminist theory and nursing: an empowerment model for research.

This article describes the use of the feminist process to empower nurses in conducting research. The criteria for feminist research, defined by Duffy, are applied to a research study that identifies the effects of physical abuse during pregnancy on maternal-infant outcomes. The authors describe the process of empowerment of the investigators through the use of a consortium model of research, the staff nurses who are conducting the interviews, and the research participants (pregnant women). The integration of feminist principles and nursing research is a process that merges similar beliefs and ideologies.

Female↗

PubMed1991

Assessing for abuse: self-report versus nurse interview.

Estimates are that 1.8 million women are physically abused each year by their husbands. To prevent abuse and promote physical safety, routine assessment is essential. Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas added four self-reported abuse assessment questions to their standard intake form completed by all initial and annual-visit clients. After one month of self-report by 477 women, the prevalence of physical abuse was 7.3%. To compare self-report to nurse interview assessment, the same four questions were asked of 300 women coming to the same clinic for initial or annual visits. The reported prevalence of abuse after a nurse interview was 29.3%.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

De Madres a Madres: a community partnership for health.

To increase the number of Hispanic women who begin early prenatal care, a community partnership for health was initiated among the general public, businesses, 14 volunteer mothers, and one community health nurse. Volunteer mothers living in the targeted community were taught how to identify Hispanic women at risk for not starting early prenatal care, and how to provide social support and community resource information within a culturally acceptable milieu. At the end of the first year of the partnership, over 2000 women at risk for not starting early prenatal care had been contacted by the volunteer mothers.

Community Health Nursing↗

PubMed1991

Preventing abuse during pregnancy: a national educational model for health providers.

The National Preceptorship Program was funded by the March of Dimes and established at Texas Woman's University in Houston to prepare health care providers to assess pregnant women for abuse and to initiate primary intervention strategies. Essential content was identified and a diversity of learner-focused teaching methods and learning strategies were required for the 21-hour program. Combining didactic and experiential strategies proved to be effective. Thirty-nine health care providers from across the country participated in the program. Process evaluation of the classroom and field learning experiences were particularly positive. A 1-year follow-up product evaluation revealed that participants had presented 120 seminars on preventing battering, had instituted assessment for battering in their agencies, and were planning future seminars.

Education, Continuing↗

PubMed1991

Establishing a screening program for abused women.

Estimates are that 1.8 million women are physically abused each year by their husband. Abused women are seen daily in emergency rooms, prenatal clinics, primary care centers, and inpatient units. To prevent abuse and the adverse health and economic consequences, routine assessment is essential. The authors offer a step-by-step plan to establish a successful abuse screening program.

Crisis Intervention↗

PubMed1979

Genetic screening of the newborn in Australia. Results for 1978.

Since screening of newborn infants for phenylketonuria (PKU) by Guthrie bacterial inhibition assay was established in the 1960s. 2 334 679 infants have been tested in Australia, and 208 cases of PKU detected (an incidence of 1/11 224). In 1978, 21 infants with PKU were detected. Screening for hypothyroidism was carried out in three States, and 29 cases of congenital hypothyroidism were detected in 1978 (an incidence of 1/5894).

Australia↗

PubMed1979