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L Potter

Publications and source records attributed to L Potter.

43 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Economic evaluation of pharmacist involvement in disease management in a community pharmacy setting.

This study evaluated the economic impact of patient-focused pharmacist intervention in the community retail setting in patients with hypertension, diabetes, asthma, and/or hypercholesterolemia. Specially trained pharmacists intervened by providing targeted patient education, performing systematic patient monitoring, offering feedback and behavior modification, and communicating regularly with patients' physicians to enable early intervention for drug-related problems. We evaluated prescription drug costs and total medical costs by comparing claims data from 188 patients enrolled in the program at three intervention pharmacies with data from 401 control patients at five nonparticipating pharmacies from the same retail chain. For all disease states, the average cost per prescription was significantly higher in the group receiving intervention than in the control group. Differences in total monthly prescription costs were significant only for patients with asthma, with higher monthly costs in the group receiving intervention. Substantial savings were demonstrated across all cost analyses for total monthly medical costs. Savings ranged from a conservative estimate of $143.95 per patient per month to $293.39 per patient per month when accounting for the possible influence of age, comorbid conditions, and disease severity. Our data indicate that pharmacist intervention in this community pharmacy-based disease management model substantially reduced monthly health care costs in patients with hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, and asthma.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Identification of Candida albicans with a commercially prepared germ-tube solution.

A commercially prepared lyophilized substrate [Germ Tube Solution (GTS); Remel] was evaluated for its ability to support germ-tube formation as a method for identifying Candida albicans. A total of 127 distinct yeast isolates, including 57 C. albicans, tested for germ-tube formation in GTS and two other commonly used substrates (horse serum and pooled human sera). At two and four hours, 96.5% and 100%, respectively, of the C. albicans isolates produced germ tubes in GTS. Two strains other than C. albicans also produced strains included on C. stellatoideae (a known germ-tube producer) and one C. tropicalis (an organism known to produce structures resembling germ tubes). GTS produces results similar to those attained in horse serum or pooled human sera and is a suitable alternative for identifying C. albicans.

Candida albicans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Maternal mortality in Giza, Egypt: magnitude, causes, and prevention.

This article presents results from a population-based study of the magnitude and causes of maternal mortality in the Giza governorate of Egypt in 1985-86. Deaths to women in the reproductive ages were identified through the death registration system. Family members of the deceased were interviewed using the "verbal autopsy" approach. Immediate and underlying causes of death were then assessed by a medical panel. This methodology allows for the classification of multiple causes of death and is appropriate when registration of adult deaths is nearly complete, but reporting on cause of death on death certificates is poor. Of all reproductive-age deaths, 19 percent were maternal deaths. The maternal mortality ratio for Giza is estimated to be, at minimum, 126 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. The maternal mortality rate is estimated to be, at minimum, 22 maternal deaths per 100,000 women aged 15-49, over 100 times the rate in Sweden. An average of 2.3 causes per maternal death were reported; the most common causes were postpartum hemorrhage (31 percent of cases) and hypertensive diseases of pregnancy, such as toxemia and eclampsia (28 percent of cases). Women experiencing hemorrhage, hypertensive diseases of pregnancy, or other serious complications must have easy access to hospital and maternity centers equipped for handling these conditions. Since most deliveries occur at home, many with the help of traditional birth attendants, TBAs will need training in early diagnosis, treatment, and/or effective referral of problem pregnancies.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Measuring compliance among oral contraceptive users.

Irregular use of the pill compromises the effectiveness of this highly reliable method. The consistency of pill-taking has traditionally been estimated through women's own reports of their patterns of pill use. In this study, self-reported data on pill-taking were compared with data from an electronic device measuring compliance among 103 women attending university health services and publicly funded family planning clinics. In three months of pill use, the electronic and self-reported data agreed on the number of days when pills were missed only 45% of the time; the level of agreement dropped from 55% in the first month to 38% in the third month. In each month, the proportion of women reporting no missed pills was much higher than the proportion recorded electronically (53-59% compared with 19-33%), and the proportion missing at least three pills according to the electronic data was triple that derived from the women's reports (30-51% vs. 10-14%). In addition, the electronic data recorded substantially more episodes in which women missed pills on two or more consecutive days (88 vs. 30).

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Oral contraceptive use and protective behavior after missed pills.

A three-month prospective study of 103 women initiating oral contraceptive use examined how consistently the women took their pills and whether those who missed pills employed other means to avoid pregnancy. The results showed that 52% took each active pill or never missed more than one pill at a time after the first week of the initial cycle, according to electronic devices that recorded the date and time each pill was removed from the blister pack. Another 21% were protected by behaviors that reduce the risk of pregnancy when two or more consecutive pills have been missed: avoiding coitus for the next seven days (18%) or using backup contraception during that period (3%). The remaining 27% were at increased risk of pregnancy. Predictors of increased risk were receiving low partner support for effective pill use, being unmarried and not considering it especially important to avoid pregnancy. Increased risk was most likely during the first seven days and during the third cycle of pill use.

Contraception Behavior↗