Biomedical subjects

J Wofford

Publications and source records attributed to J Wofford.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1995

Teleform scannable data entry: an efficient method to update a community-based medical record? Community care coordination network Database Group.

Community-based multi-disciplinary care of chronically ill individuals frequently requires the efforts of several agencies and organizations. The Community Care Coordination Network (CCCN) is an effort to establish a community-based clinical database and electronic communication system to facilitate the exchange of pertinent patient data among primary care, community-based and hospital-based providers. In developing a primary care based electronic record, a method is needed to update records from the field or remote sites and agencies and yet maintain data quality. Scannable data entry with fixed fields, optical character recognition and verification was compared to traditional keyboard data entry to determine the relative efficiency of each method in updating the CCCN database.

Chronic Disease↗

PubMed1993

Historical cohort evaluation of ribavirin efficacy in respiratory syncytial virus infection.

Evaluation of ribavirin therapy for respiratory syncytial virus infection of the lower respiratory tract is problematic because of multiple risk factors and variable severity of illness in respiratory syncytial virus-infected patients. To address these difficulties we used multivariate analysis and performed a historical concurrent cohort study in two children's hospitals one of which had used ribavirin since licensing and one that had not utilized ribavirin therapy. The medical records of 158 patients who satisfied the American Academy of Pediatrics inclusion criteria for receiving ribavirin were analyzed for three seasons (1988 to 1991). No significant benefit of ribavirin therapy could be appreciated for the whole group in length of stay (median, 5.0 vs. 6.5 days), days on oxygen therapy (median, 5 vs. 3), progression to ventilator status (3.8 vs. 3.9%) or mortality (1.9% vs. 1.9%) for ribavirin treatment vs. supportive care. Multivariate analysis failed to uncover a beneficial effect of ribavirin when all risk factors were considered. No significant differences were noted when ventilated and nonventilated patients were examined separately. Our data raise questions about the efficacy of ribavirin when used in common practice and suggest that further prospective study, with appropriate analysis, is needed to justify the continued widespread use of this drug.

Cohort Studies↗

PubMed1989

Wheelchair obstacle course performance in right cerebral vascular accident victims.

The initial experiment of this paper investigated the role of hemispatial neglect in wheelchair-related accidents of right-hemisphere stroke victims. Twelve subjects with and 12 subjects without neglect of left space drove their wheelchairs through an obstacle course. Two types of obstacle course errors were evaluated: direct hits and sideswipes. The neglecting group made significantly more direct hits but there were no significant differences between groups in sideswipe errors. In Experiment 2, the nonneglecting group's data were compared with a left-hemisphere stroke group without neglect and three motor control groups to investigate if their errors resulted from motor deficits. The right-hemisphere stroke group made significantly more left-sided errors and errors in contralateral space than any other group. In Experiment 3, 13 subjects with neglect were taught to scan to the left which resulted in significant decreases in direct hits but not in sideswipes on the obstacle course. These results suggest that obstacle course performance is sensitive to more than hemispatial neglect.

Accident Proneness↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Clinic-based interventions to promote breast and cervical cancer screening.

BACKGROUND: Breast and cervical cancer continue to claim the lives of women. Early detection modalities for these cancers are available; however, utilization rates are far from optimal. Studies have documented the motivating effect that physician recommendations have on compliance with preventive health behaviors. The goal of this study was to develop and implement strategies to improve the use of cervical and breast cancer screening among African-American women age 40 and older who resided in low-income housing communities. METHODS: Baseline surveys among clinic providers and a random sample of women in the target population indicated areas to be included in intervention material. Community health center-based strategies included educational interventions for providers and patients, follow-up interventions for abnormal screening tests, and the implementation of a computer tracking system. Pap smear and mammogram utilization rates at the health center were tracked throughout the project period to assess the effect of the clinic-based interventions. RESULTS: Both Pap smear and mammography rates increased over time. Fifteen cases of breast cancer and 1 case of invasive cervical cancer have been detected. Compliance rates for follow-up for cervical dysplasia have increased from 50 to 90%. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that clinic-based interventions can improve the use of breast and cervical cancer screening and follow-up among low-income women.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Is this the right time to come out? Case study.

In this fictional case study, Adam Lawson is a promising young associate at Kirkham McDowell Securities, a St. Louis underwriting and financial advisory firm. Recently, Adam helped to bring in an extremely lucrative deal, and soon he and a few other associates will be honored for their efforts at the firm's silver anniversary dinner. George Campbell, vice president in mergers and acquisitions, is caught unprepared when Adam tells him that, after serious reflection, he has decided to bring his partner, Robert Collins, to the banquet. George is one of Adam's biggest supporters at the firm, and he personally has no problem with Adam being gay. But it is one thing for Adam to come out of the closet at the office. It is quite another to do so at a public company-client event. After all, Kirkham McDowell's client roster includes some very conservative companies--one of the country's largest defense contractors, for example. George is concerned with how Adam's openness about his sexual orientation will play with their clients and, as a result, how senior management will react. Adam has not come to George for permission to bring Robert to the dinner. But clearly Adam wants some sort of response. George has never faced sexual diversity issues in the workplace before, and there is no company policy to guide him. Just how negative an effect could Robert have on Adam's career with the firm and the firm's relationship with its clients? Isn't it possible that even the firm's most conservative clients will simply decide that Adam's choice of guest is a personal matter--not a business one?(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Career Mobility↗