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Biomedical subjects

P Callaghan

Publications and source records attributed to P Callaghan.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Evidence-based care of Chinese men having transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP).

AIM OF STUDY: To measure the effect of specific preoperative information on postoperative anxiety, satisfaction with information, and demand for analgesia, of Chinese males having transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). DESIGN: A controlled experimental design. The researchers allocated all patients (n = 30) undergoing TURP in a general hospital in Hong Kong, during a 3-month period, to one of two groups. The experimental group (n = 15) received a specific information pamphlet and a general preoperative counselling video. The control group (n = 15) received a video alone. PROCEDURE AND MEASURES: Following ethical approval, a researcher took baseline measures of state and trait anxiety using the Chinese State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (C -STAI). Five days after surgery the researcher administered the C-STAI (A-State), a patients' satisfaction questionnaire, and, recorded requests for analgesia during the first 5 postoperative days. RESULTS: Experimental subjects reported significantly lower anxiety levels post-operatively and a significantly higher level of satisfaction with the preoperative information, than controls. Postoperative demand for analgesia did not significantly differ between groups. CONCLUSIONS: The findings support the importance of providing patients with specific, written preoperative information about their surgery and its effects to minimize their postoperative anxiety levels, and improve their satisfaction with the care provided.

Anxiety↗
PubMed1998

Social support and locus of control as correlates of UK nurses' health-related behaviours.

BACKGROUND: Despite the number of studies describing nurses' health-related behaviours, few have investigated psychosocial factors that influence these behaviours. AIM: To investigate the relationship of social support and locus of control to nurses' health-related behaviours. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey was used. SUBJECTS: 114 nurses' attending tertiary level education courses in London and Essex. MEASURES: The Health and Behaviour Survey, The Six Item Social Support Questionnaire and the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale. RESULTS: Social support did not significantly relate to any health-related behaviour except eating fruit. Subjects high on internal locus of control also significantly reported eating less red meat, eating three meals per day on a regular basis and eating fewer between meal snacks. CONCLUSIONS: Locus of control is more strongly associated with United Kingdom nurses' health-related behaviours than social support. Given the empirical links between nurses' health-related behaviours and their tendency to counsel clients about health issues, attempts to improve nurses' internal locus of control may ultimately improve their health promotion role.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Hong Kong nurses' health-related behaviours: implications for nurses' role in health promotion.

The health-related behaviors of a random sample (n = 92) of Hong Kong nurses were assessed by a questionnaire written either in English or in English and Chinese. Hong Kong nurses reported negligible smoking or alcohol use, low levels of breast self-examination, cervical screening behaviour and regular exercising, seat belt use and driving within the speed limit. The sample reported high levels of making efforts to avoid foods high in cholesterol, eating foods high in fibre and eating fruit daily. Dental hygiene was reported to be high. Just over half the sample reported sleeping 7-8 hours each night and eating breakfast daily. Most nurses reported maintaining their body weight at a healthy level and eating snacks between meals. The English language version of the questionnaire produced a slightly better response rate than the bilingual questionnaire. The results are discussed with reference to previous studies of females' health-related behaviours in Hong Kong and elsewhere. The implications for Hong Kong nurses' role in health promotion is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Attitudes towards mental illness: testing the contact hypothesis among Chinese student nurses in Hong Kong.

This study investigated whether previous contact with mental illness affected the attitudes to mental illness (AMI) of general student nurses in Hong Kong-the contact hypothesis. We employed a quasi-experimental design. We compared the attitudes to mental illness of students who had previous contact with mental illness through having taken a psychiatric secondment with those who had not taken a psychiatric secondment. Also, we compared the AMI of: students who had taken other courses related to mental illness with those who had not; those who had a family history of mental illness with those who had not; and those who lived with a mentally ill relative with those who did not. We found that previous contact with mental illness had no significant effect on the attitudes to mental illness of the students. In other words our findings do not support the contact hypothesis. Our sample expressed positive general attitudes to mental illness when presented with general issues about mental illness. However, their attitudes were less positive when presented with specific issues about mental illness that might impinge upon their daily lives. We discuss the implications of these findings for mental health nursing practice, education and research.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

A preliminary survey of nurses' health-related behaviours.

The substance-use, positive health practices, diet and eating habits, driving behaviours and preventive health care practices of 113 nurses living in the southeast of England were assessed by means of a postal questionnaire. Females were generally more compliant than males with most of the behaviours assessed. Females reported taking greater risks with driving behaviours by an occasional tendency to "drink and drive". Many males reported both a lack of knowledge of how to self-examine their testicles for signs of cancer and little compliance with this behaviour. This sample reported more smoking and alcohol use than previously reported samples of American nurses and U.K. norms. The nurses in this sample were more likely to avoid foods high in cholesterol, add fibre to their diet and be more vigilant in their driving behaviour than American nurses and British non-nurses.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Microstructure of porous media probed by NMR techniques in sub-micrometer length scales.

It is shown that field-cycling NMR relaxation spectroscopy in combination with pulsed-gradient spin-echo diffusion studies especially in the supercon fringe field version are suitable techniques for the investigation of length scales of porous media in the range 10 A to 10 microns. Data for water adsorbed in fine particle agglomerates, porous glass and ceramics are reported. An orientational structure factor is introduced permitting the characterization of hydrated surfaces on the basis of reorientations mediated by translational displacements of the adsorbed molecules. Known lengths such as the mean pore or particle size have been reproduced in this way. In length scales beyond these structural elements, the geometry of the internal surfaces can be discussed in terms of wavenumber-space fractals.

Diffusion↗
PubMed1994

The contribution of quality of life to developing therapeutic nursing in special hospitals.

Many changes have been made to the management of special hospitals (state hospitals which house patients for an indeterminate stay who are mentally ill, who may have committed a serious offence, and who are considered to be a danger to society and/or to themselves). A key objective of the authority which currently manages these hospitals is to ensure a good quality of life (QoL) for patients and staff. This paper argues first that in order to meet their obligation to treat detained patients, mental health nurses in special hospitals must aim to improve the QoL of those in their care. This viewpoint is echoed by Coid (1993), who considers that society has a moral responsibility, which should be expressed formally in legislation to ensure that detained patients have a high QoL. The paper then addresses the issues involved in attaining an adequate QoL for detained patients, examines the methodological problems in QoL research and its indications for nurses working in this field, and outlines appropriate indicators for examining QoL for patients living in special hospitals. The intention is to initiate debate and outline an approach for mental health nurses towards development of a QoL measure for use in special hospitals. This is considered a necessary first stage if an adequate QoL is to be attained for detained patients.

Hospitals, Psychiatric↗
PubMed1993

Social support and health: a review.

This paper addresses the importance of social support to health, drawing upon relevant literature from medical, psychological and social research. Conceptual and methodological problems are addressed and two major theories ('buffer' and 'attachment') are evaluated for their relevance in explaining the nature, purpose and function of social support. Finally, possible directions for future research in this field are outlined.

Health↗
PubMed1993

Ureteral obstruction due to primary localized amyloidosis.

Localized amyloidosis of the ureter is a rare condition. There are only 27 cases reported. Because of the difficulty in differentiating between localized amyloidosis or other benign conditions and a malignant tumor many cases have led to nephroureterectomy. We report a case of a middle aged woman who had an almost complete obstruction of the right ureter caused by amyloidosis. Biopsies were taken via a ureteroscope prior to exploration of the ureter enabling the patient to be treated with local excision and ureteroneocystostomy instead of nephroureterectomy.

Amyloidosis↗
PubMed1976

Bleeding from self-administration of phenindione: a detailed case study.

A young woman presented with a 2 year history of a severe bleeding disorder and marked deficiencies in all four vitamin-K-dependent factors. Metabolic studies with tracer doses of tritium-labelled vitamin K1 suggested that the patient might be taking an oral anticoagulant; and subsequently her plasma was found to contain a substance identical to phenindione in its spectrophotometric and chromatographic properties. The half-disappearance times of factors II, IX, X were measured after the administration of a concentrate of these factors and were found to conform with published figures. The concentrate controlled the patient's excessive bruising and prolonged skin and gingival bleeding. It would therefore seem that factor VII may not be essential in reversal of the bleeding disorder induced by anticoagulant overdose.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Chest symptoms in farming communities with special reference to farmer's lung.

Surveys were carried out on random samples of the farming population in Devon and Wales in order to estimate the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and of positive precipitin reactions to thermophilic fungi. Bronchitis, as defined, was common among the Welsh hill farmers, and the proportion of positive serological tests was higher in both the areas surveyed in Wales as compared with Devon. All three surveys confirmed a previous finding that the proportion of positive precipitin tests was higher among non-smokers than smokers. Although the numbers were small there was some indication that measurement of peak expiratory flow showed different relationships with age in non-smokers according to the presence or absence of positive precipitin tests. The difficulty of determining prevalence rates for farmer's lung is discussed, but the results suggest a rate not dissimilar to those found in two areas of Scotland which were more than 20 times higher than any figure previously reported in Britain.

Adolescent↗