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Biomedical subjects

M J Garrett

Publications and source records attributed to M J Garrett.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Impact of child health centre organization on parental satisfaction.

The aim of this study is to describe differences in parental satisfaction with child health services under different organizational arrangements. The study had a cross-sectional design and was based on 3 largely identical surveys, involving 60 questions, performed in 1970, 1988 and 1993. The original questionnaire was developed by one of the authors in 1970. The present study analyses responses to 5 demographic questions and 12 questions regarding the content of child health services, evaluating parental satisfaction with these services. The study population in 1970 consisted of 443 parents (93% of those invited to participate) with children 6-18 months old, 1008 (82%) in 1988 and 1071 (80%) in 1993. Parents expressed more satisfaction with child health services in 1970 and 1993 compared to 1988. This pattern is not attributable to macro-level societal changes, but corresponds to changes in the organization of child health care services over the study period. The results highlight the vital question of how child health care should be organized in order to satisfy parents. The quality of child health care and parental satisfaction depend in part on the style of organization, including how much nurses with 'first-line' contacts focus on paediatric services.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Child health service's response to early feeding and behaviour problems: changes in parental perceptions 1970-93.

OBJECTIVE: This health systems study was done to measure changes over time concerning parents' perceptions of feeding and behavioural problems in children 6-18 mo of age, parents' willingness to use child health services and their evaluation of the advice received. METHOD: The study had a repetitive cross-sectional design. Three largely identical surveys were performed in 1970, 1988 and 1993. Questionnaires were sent to a random sample of all parents of children 6-18 mo living in Uppsala, Sweden. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of different perceived feeding and/or behavioural problems was stable or declined between 1970 and 1988, but increased in 1993. For most problems, inclination to seek help and perceived benefit of advice decreased between 1970 and 1988, but increased again in 1993. The parents sought more help and perceived the advice they received as more beneficial when the service was in the hands of paediatric nurses (1970) or of district nurses focusing on the care of infants and preschool children (1993) than when the district nurses also had responsibilities for adults and the elderly (1988). No correlation was seen with societal and sociodemographic trends. Although the cross-sectional (hence non-experimental) design of the study makes it impossible to prove causality, the findings suggest that parents' willingness to use the child health service and their evaluation of that service may depend in part on organization, including the degree to which nurses with "first-line" contacts are focused on paediatric services.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

An introduction to national futures studies for policymakers in the health sector.

Health futures studies have been carried out in only a few countries, but as interest grows in both national long-term perspective studies and health futures, this pattern is likely to change. Policymakers who decide to launch a national study within the health sector should begin by learning about the alternative purposes for which such a study can be done, the different designs and methodologies it can employ, and the various funding and sponsorship arrangements under which it can be carried out. Newcomers to the futures field often make false assumptions about these four aspects and underestimate the range within each. If those responsible for a study become fully aware of the diverse approaches that are possible and make well-considered choices among them, they are more likely to produce a study that has a clearly defined purpose, combines appropriate components in a design which serves the purpose, employs methodologies suited to the components, and is funded and sponsored under an arrangement which supports the study's integrity and implementation.

Creativity↗
PubMed1990

Marital functioning after cardiac surgery.

Using Barnhill's components of family health functioning, we examined the relationships of spouse anxiety, coping methods, couple responsibility for compliance, and reported compliance with marital couple functioning. Five psychosocial scales were returned by mail by 136 Mended Heart members and spouses from five geographic regions. By multiple regression analysis, confrontive coping strategies and spouse trait anxiety were the two factors predictive of couple marital functioning. When marital functioning scores were examined separately, spouses' confrontive behaviors and patient reported compliance for diet, stress, and smoking prescriptions were predictive of both spouse and patient marital functioning. In addition, spouse marital functioning was predicted by state anxiety and patient compliance, and patient marital functioning by compliance and shared responsibility for compliance. Further studies should evaluate spouse inclusion in rehabilitation programs during hospitalization and convalescence and examine interactional strategies that facilitate confrontive behaviors and patient compliance to promote couple marital functioning after the cardiac event.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1989

Personal adjustments and regimen compliance 1 year after myocardial infarction.

The relationship of attitudes and perceived beliefs of others to regimen compliance and personal psychologic and social adjustments of patients with myocardial infarction was investigated 1 year after the infarction. Eighty-one patients (39 in the experimental group, 42 in the control group) who participated in a prior study on the effect of a nursing intervention on regimen compliance, completed scales that assessed attitudes toward regimen prescriptions (diet, medications, activity, smoking, and stress response), perceived beliefs of others concerning compliance, personal adjustments, and regimen compliance. At 1 year, no differences were found between experimental and control groups for regimen compliance or personal adjustments. There was a significant decrease in mean scores for all variables from the time the patient was in the hospital to 30 days afterward, but no change at 1 year from the 30- or 60-day visit. At 1 year, attitudes were predictive of compliance for all regimen prescriptions. Perceived beliefs of others were predictive of diet, activity, and medication prescriptions.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1986

Life situations, health beliefs, and medical regimen adherence of patients with myocardial infarction.

One hundred twelve patients with MI were followed over a 6- to 9-month period to investigate their intentions and adherence behavior to a prescribed medical regimen in four life situations. The subjects with MI had strong intentions in the hospital to follow their prescription in all four situations, with the strongest for the home situation and the weakest for work. However, the actual adherence behaviors were less than the original intentions. The findings indicate the need for a review of the content of rehabilitation programs and consideration of the stage of recovery at which instructions are presented to patients rehabilitating from a MI. The intentions and adherence behaviors of subjects with MI were closely related to their perceptions of significant others' expectations. For the health team, this emphasizes the need to include significant others in patient rehabilitation.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Half body radiation in plasma cell myeloma.

Sequential hemi-body irradiation can achieve useful responses in the treatment of myeloma. It is less toxic than many widely used drugs and its use in multimodality treatment schedules deserves further attention. The ideal fractionation has also to be determined.

Bone Marrow↗
PubMed1981

A study of the efficacy of noxytiolin instillation as adjunctive to radiotherapy in carcinoma of the bladder: a clinical trial.

A prospective study was conducted to establish efficacy or otherwise of Noxytiolin (N-hydroxymethyl-N-methylthiorea) instilled concurrently with radical radiotherapy in bladder carcinoma, a previous pilot study having indicated an improved survival rate. A total of 242 patients participated in the trial. The four-year survival figures were compared and it is concluded that there was no significant difference between the controls and those patients treated with Noxytiolin.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Complications in the management of the malignant lymphomas (Report no 15).

This report reviews the common complications associated with the investigation and treatment of the lymphomas and enumerates the complications recorded so far in the 1410 patients with Hodgkin's disease registered in the British National Lymphoma Investigation. Long-term follow-up of these patients will allow a better understanding of the overall risks of splenectomy. The incidence of leukaemia and other lymphomas in the group of patients studied in the BNLI is extremely low. Two patients developed non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, one having had radiotherapy alone and the other MOPP alone. Two patients developed acute myeloid leukaemia, one after mantle radiotherapy followed by chemotherapy and one after MOPP alone. A fifth patient treated with MOPP alone developed a rapidly fatal acute lymphatic leukaemia three years later. This low incidence of second malignancies may be related to the relatively non-aggressive treatment schedules utilised by the BNLI.

Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions↗