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Biomedical subjects

O Akerele

Publications and source records attributed to O Akerele.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Anaesthetists' attitudes to intraoperative death.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A recent survey in the British Medical Journal reported the attitudes of orthopaedic surgeons towards the intraoperative death of a patient. Several replies to this article were from anaesthetists, who pointed out that other staff might be affected by 'death on the table'. We designed a questionnaire survey to assess the attitudes of anaesthetists, concerning intraoperative death. METHODS: Three hundred anonymized questionnaires were distributed to 12 anaesthetic departments throughout England. RESULTS: Two hundred and fifty-one replies were received (84% response rate); 92% of respondents had experienced an intraoperative death, the majority of deaths being expected (60%) and non-preventable (77%), occurring mainly during emergency surgery (80%), particularly involving vascular surgery (41% of cases); 87% had administered another general anaesthetic in the following 24 h, most without their professional ability being compromised (77%). CONCLUSIONS: This survey shows that anaesthetists are highly likely to experience intraoperative death, the consequences of which can be extremely stressful. Although the majority of anaesthetists (71%) agreed that it was reasonable for medical staff not to take part in operations for 24 h after an intraoperative death, fewer (25%) thought the proposal practicable. Nevertheless, all departments should provide for the discontinuation of further operations, if the circumstances require it. Consideration should be given by all departments of anaesthesia towards the prevention of intraoperative death, and the management of its aftermath, including the provision of support for psychologically traumatized staff.

Anesthesiology↗
PubMed1993

Nature's medicinal bounty: don't throw it away.

Plant-derived drugs have an important place in both traditional and modern medicine. For this reason a special effort to maintain the great diversity of plant species would undoubtedly help to alleviate human suffering in the long term. Proven agroindustrial technologies should be applied to the cultivation and processing of medicinal plants and the manufacture of herbal medicines.

Humans↗
PubMed1991

WHO and the development of acupuncture nomenclature: overcoming a Tower of Babel.

At present, WHO does not have an official policy on acupuncture. The Organization's policies are usually developed after a debate has taken place on a particular health issue. There has not yet been a debate on acupuncture. This paper reviews WHO's efforts to produce a standard acupuncture nomenclature as a first step towards ensuring that a debate on acupuncture takes place in an atmosphere of greater understanding of the contribution that acupuncture can make in the delivery of health care. Activities that the programme for traditional medicine hopes to implement in the coming years are outlined.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed1987

The best of both worlds: bringing traditional medicine up to date.

If there is to be any real improvement in the health of the underserved populations of the world, there will have to be full utilization of all available resources, human and material. This is fundamental to the primary health care approach. Traditional practitioners constitute the most abundant and, in many cases, valuable health resources present in the community. They are important and influential members of their communities who should be associated with any move to develop health services at the local level. There have been varying responses to a number of key WHO resolutions that call on Member States to develop traditional medicine activities as part of their national health services. Some aspects of the work of WHO Collaborating Centres for Traditional Medicine and some current activities of the traditional medicine programme are described. A number of guiding principles which may help the Organization and other international and donor agencies working in this area are also suggested.

Education, Medical↗
PubMed1985

Medicinal plants in therapy.

One of the prerequisites for the success of primary health care is the availability and use of suitable drugs. Plants have always been a common source of medicaments, either in the form of traditional preparations or as pure active principles. It is thus reasonable for decision-makers to identify locally available plants or plant extracts that could usefully be added to the national list of drugs, or that could even replace some pharmaceutical preparations that need to be purchased and imported. This update article presents a list of plant-derived drugs, with the names of the plant sources, and their actions or uses in therapy.

Drug Evaluation, Preclinical↗