Biomedical subjects

M E Kerr

Publications and source records attributed to M E Kerr.

43 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Auditing research studies.

BACKGROUND: Recognizing the increasing attention being given to reports of misconduct, fraud, and unethical behavior in biomedical research, it appears timely for nurse researchers to engage in an organized method of peer review. OBJECTIVES: To describe an auditing process for funded research grants, the guidelines used to conduct the research audit, and the results to date. METHODS: The audit encompassed National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded projects and their respective research teams, 12 faculty auditors using an audit worksheet developed by the Center for Nursing Research. RESULTS: Overall, auditing of research grants was viewed positively by both investigators and faculty auditors. Minor problems were identified that could be corrected. Only one grant required a second review. CONCLUSIONS: Specific guidelines are proposed for future audits that include level of funding and timing of audits.

Financing, Organized↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Nursing effort and the exchanging human response pattern.

This descriptive, comparative study was done to determine the nursing effort required to treat actual and potential nursing diagnoses from the Exchanging Human Response Pattern in two patient care specialties: acute medical-surgical and postpartum. Patterns of diagnosis identification are described for the two groups, and differences in allocation of nursing resources (nursing effort) are examined. The sample included 200 observations (hospital days) for 50 patients: 33 postpartum patients, and 17 medical-surgical patients. Data were collected daily during the study period by nurses who provided direct care to the selected patients using an investigator-developed version of the Nurse-Patient Summary (NPS) nursing information and patient classification tool (Halloran, 1985). Potential nursing diagnoses received most of the nursing effort in the postpartum area (mean effort = 5.28), whereas actual nursing diagnoses in the Exchanging Human Response Pattern received a higher priority in the medical-surgical area (mean effort = 12.03). Statistically significant differences existed between groups in total nursing effort (t = -4.73, p less than .0001) and in nursing effort required to treat actual (t = -7.42, p less than .0001) and potential diagnoses (t = 3.99, p less than .0001) in the Exchanging Human Response Pattern. This study provides unique information about how nurses allocate their time to patients for the treatment of actual and potential nursing diagnoses, and outlines areas for further development in diagnosis-based patient classification.

Clinical Nursing Research↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Development of definitions for taxonomy II.

In the process of placing diagnoses into Taxonomy I, certain inconsistencies became apparent. Inadequate definition of both diagnoses and human response patterns, lack of defining characteristics, and inconsistency in the levels of abstraction within the taxonomic hierarchy made the task of assigning a diagnosis to a taxonomic pattern difficult. Ambiguity in the definitions of the nine patterns resulted in ambiguity in the basic foundation, which affected the entire structure. The Taxonomy Committee, before evaluating the current structure, had to make the following decisions regarding the current human response patterns: (1) Should the nine human response patterns be retained for further taxonomic work? and (2) If they are retained, what should be the first step in examining Taxonomy I-Revised? This second article in a series of four will familiarize the readers with the process and decisions by which Taxonomy II of the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA) is evolving through the work of the Taxonomy Committee. This article also will identify the specific problems encountered in the development of Taxonomy I and Taxonomy I-Revised, and describe the steps establishing the validity of the process of formation of the nine human response patterns.

Classification↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Axes: focus of taxonomy II.

A number of persistent issues in the nursing diagnosis community have challenged the ability of one nursing diagnosis taxonomy to account for nursing's practice. The North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA) Taxonomy Committee, charged with the preparation of one taxonomy for all, has struggled with some of these issues and has initiated development of axes. The issues, figuratively speaking, become the axes. The axes are intended to describe the dimensions of the human condition. This article, third in a series of four, describes the process and development of the proposed axes.

Age Factors↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Hyperventilation in the head-injured patient: an effective treatment modality?

Mortality and poor functional outcomes remain major problems in patients who experience a severe head injury. Cerebral injury from high intracranial pressure contributes to the head injury. A basic postulate in the care of the head-injured patient is the prevention of secondary cerebral damage through the management and prevention of high intracranial pressure. Hyperventilation, once an established intervention in the treatment and control of intracranial hypertension in patients with severe neurologic injury, has become increasingly controversial. This article reviews (1) the normal physiology of the brain, (2) the pathophysiologic changes that occur during head injury, and (3) the theoretical rationale of hyperventilation and its interaction with nursing care. A case study is presented to highlight how the patient's response to a routine nursing procedure, endotracheal suctioning, may change as a result of hyperventilation.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Menstrual response to running: nursing implications.

Overt (length of menstrual cycle, duration of menses, and amount of menses) and covert (luteal surge indicative of ovulation and length of luteal phase) menstrual cycle characteristics were studied in a sample of 146 women who participated in four levels of running intensity. Menstrual and running data were collected for 4 months or 3 cycles. There was a significant difference among the four groups in duration of menses and in the amount of menses, with nonrunners having significantly more days of menses and larger amounts of menses than the two highest intensity running groups. However, when a history of skipping menstrual periods between menarche and age 18 was controlled, the differences between the groups were not significant. There were no significant differences among the four groups in incidence of luteal surge or length of luteal phase. When runners were compared to nonrunners, runners reported, on average, a shorter luteal phase than nonrunners. This difference remained when controlling for age and history of skipping menstrual periods. There was no significant difference between the four groups on incidence of ovulatory disturbances (anovulation or more than one cycle with a shortened luteal phase). But, when compared to nonrunners, runners were found to have significantly more ovulatory disturbances. The best predictors of the variance in menstrual cycle characteristics were history of skipping periods between menarche and age 18, and running versus nonrunning.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Potential mechanisms of interferon neurotoxicity.

This article examines potential mechanisms underlying the neurologic toxicities associated with interferon therapy in patients with cancer. The following mechanisms for interferon-related toxicities have been proposed: changes in certain neuroendocrine hormone levels; structural similarities and common pathways between interferon and specific neuroendocrine hormones; and the immunoregulatory effects of interferon. Strategies for the assessment and management of interferon-related neurologic toxicities are discussed. A reduction in dose or discontinuation of interferon may be recommended if interferon neurotoxicity develops. Additional interventions may include reorientation strategies, provision of uninterrupted periods of rest, and safety precautions. Directions for future research are recommended.

Antineoplastic Agents↗