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Biomedical subjects

P W Walker

Publications and source records attributed to P W Walker.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1993

Improvement in fluoxetine-associated sexual dysfunction in patients switched to bupropion.

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to determine the effect of bupropion on the sexual functioning of male and female outpatients who developed anorgasmia or delayed orgasm while receiving fluoxetine treatment for depression. METHOD: Thirty-nine patients who satisfied criteria for participation in the study discontinued fluoxetine treatment and entered a 2-week washout phase followed by an open 8-week bupropion treatment phase. Three parameters of sexual functioning were followed throughout the study: orgasm function, libido, and satisfaction with overall sexual functioning. Depression was also evaluated at each visit. RESULTS: All patients reported orgasm delay and/or failure at the time of fluoxetine discontinuation. Orgasm function, libido, and satisfaction with sexual functioning improved during the 2-week fluoxetine washout period and during the bupropion treatment phase. Ninety-four percent of patients (29/31) had complete or partial resolution of their orgasm dysfunction at the end of bupropion treatment, and 81% of patients (25/31) were "much" or "very much" more satisfied with their overall sexual functioning. Most patients entered the study with decreased libido on fluoxetine. Libido was "much" or "very much" increased for 81% of patients (25/31) at the end of the study. In addition, depression scores on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and Clinical Global Impressions-Severity scale significantly improved during the bupropion treatment phase. Finally, bupropion was well tolerated by most patients. CONCLUSION: Bupropion may be an appropriate antidepressant for patients who develop sexual dysfunction during fluoxetine treatment or for whom sexual dysfunction is a concern.

Ambulatory Care↗
PubMed1989

A profile of minority allied health faculty.

A survey of minority allied health faculty is being conducted by the Equal Representation in Allied Health Committee of the American Society of Allied Health Professions. Initiated in the spring of 1988, survey data collection is ongoing. The questionnaire was designed to gather demographic information as well as information regarding interests in professional and development/leadership workshops. This paper reports results from 106 valid returns. The majority of respondents were black females employed at four-year universities/colleges at the rank of assistant professor. An analysis of data using the chi-square statistic revealed a statistically significant but weak correlational relationship between sex and highest degree completed; academic rank and highest degree completed; academic rank and experience in allied health education; and tenure status and experience in allied health education. Cross tabulations between other variables were inconclusive. The data would suggest that the percentage of minority faculty with tenure appeared to exceed expectations when compared with results of previous studies of allied health faculty. Suggestions by respondents for professional development workshops included a variety of topics: management/administration skills, clinical skills, minority recruitment/retention, curriculum development/instructional design, and career advancement/leadership. Additional activities are needed to expand the existing data base and to promote networking among minority faculty.

Education, Continuing↗
PubMed1981

Community homes as hospital alternatives for youth in crisis.

The youth alternative home network is built on trust and open communication between sponsors, therapist, and home coordinators. The therapist's primary concern is to th client, while the home coordinator, although concerned with the client's treatment, focused mainly on the sponsor's needs and responses. This unique model of integrating youth foster homes into a community mental health center provides clients with a needed noninstitutional evaluation and treatment option. It also may assist youths in acquiring skills needed for emancipation and independent living. Hopefully, other community mental health programs will explore prehospital family alternatives within their own clinical services and communities as an additional avenue of treatment for children and adolescents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Recognizing the mental health needs of developmentally disabled people.

Many developmentally disabled persons and their families are being denied adequate mental health services. This problem exists because of the attitudes of mental health professionals and the structure of major agencies that serve the disabled. The author presents brief case histories that illustrate the types of stress experienced by the developmentally disabled and makes suggestions for therapeutic intervention.

Community Mental Health Services↗
PubMed1978

The nosological status of neurotic depression: a prospective three- to four-year follow-up examination in light of the primary-secondary and unipolar-bipolar dichotomies.

One hundred patients with "mild" depressive states, variously referred to as "situational," "reactive," or "neurotic," were studied. During a three- to four-year prospective follow-up, 4% had developed bipolar I, 14% bipolar II, and 22% unipolar disorders with predominantly favorable social outcome. Most of the remainder were suffering from nonaffective disorders; in this group, intermittent depressive symptomatology followed a protacted course (paralleling the underlying disorder) with generally unfavorable outcome. Irrespective of diagnostic subtype, a "characterological" component occurring in 24% of the total sample appeared to predict unfavorable prognosis, including three suicides. The diagnostic usage of the concept of neurotic depression may no longer be clinically meaningful, since it lacks sufficient phenomenological characterization and refers to a heterogeneous group of disorders. The data suggest the merits of a biaxial approach to the nosology of depressive disorders whereby phenomenologically based affective diagnoses are qualified as to the presence or absence of character disorder.

Adjustment Disorders↗
PubMed1976

Medication maintenance of mentally ill patients by a pharmacist in a community setting.

The use of a community pharmacy as a facility for medication maintenance services usually provided by a mental health center was evaluated. The project pharmacist was affiliated with the community mental health center, the community pharmacy facility was borrowed for purposes of this study. Records and prepackaged medication were transported by the pharmacy-clinic. Medication histories were taken and maintained by the pharmacist. Problems such as medication noncompliance, drug side effects, drug interactions and minor alterations in the patients mental status were handled by the pharmacist. Telephone consultations with a psychiatrist were also available. Twenty-two patients were involved in the study over an eight-month period. The evaluation consisted of a patient acceptance questionnaire and a retrospective chart review analyzing the clinical response of patients. Data suggest that selected stabilized psychiatric patients can be safely maintained in the community pharmacy. A carefully structured program and a pharmacist with special competencies are felt to be prerequisites for this type of service.

Attitude↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Computer skills course integrates AIDS education.

Health professionals play an important role in educating the public about AIDS and HIV patient and community health education. This article describes an innovative approach incorporating AIDS education into a basic skills course covering statistical computing, computerized literature searches and modeling.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A patient care training program for volunteers.

Properly trained and interested volunteers can perform basic nursing skills in a clinical setting. Staff development educators should 1) assess the needs of the area; 2) assess the skills of the volunteers available to them; 3) construct goals and objectives for a thorough orientation program geared to people with nonmedical backgrounds; 4) select appropriate course content and methods of presentation based on the framework provided by the goals and objectives and on the regulations governing the institution in which the volunteer will work; 5) implement the course; and 6) evaluate the adequacy and thoroughness of the program and the competency of the volunteers trained. The potential service that qualified and adequately trained volunteers could offer in patient care areas that are understaffed in nursing personnel is great. Similar programs can be used to supply needed assistance in facilities with limited nursing personnel.

Ambulatory Care↗