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Biomedical subjects

R A Hussian

Publications and source records attributed to R A Hussian.

4 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1987

Use of two-dimensional grid patterns to limit hazardous ambulation in demented patients.

Ambulation into potentially dangerous areas or away from necessary monitoring can be a problem for demented patients and their care providers. Current methods of controlling hazardous ambulation usually involve restraint, medication, locked doors, or physical intervention. Capitalizing on the observation that many demented individuals perceive two-dimensional patterns as barriers, we laid out masking tape in different grid patterns in an attempt to prevent ambulation through exit doors. The baseline condition (no tape) yielded a 98% exit-door contact for 8 demented male patients, but the addition of horizontal grids reduced exit-door contact to 42%. Often, complete prevention occurred at the first experimental trial. Advantages and cautions inherent in this approach to managing wandering by demented patients are discussed.

Aged↗
PubMed1983

The effect of coping statements on progress through a desensitization hierarchy.

The effect of "coping statements" on the rapidity of progress through desensitization hierarchies was examined in several cases of clinically significant anxiety-based disorders. Using a series of single-case experimental designs (relying heavily on an alternating treatments element), it was shown that (a) coping statements decrease the reported anxiety shown in desensitization, (b) these statements seem to produce greater behavioral gains outside the treatment sessions per unit of treatment time, (c) the coping statements gradually begin to generalize across stimuli and (d) their effects go beyond those due merely to distraction, competing behaviors, or general expectations. The present methodology may comprise an alternative method, more compatible with ongoing clinical work, for the investigation of cognitive treatments.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1980

Stereotyped behaviour in elderly patients with chronic organic mental disorder.

The presence of a variety of stereotyped behaviors was verified by observing four residents of a long-term care facility for one-hour each and recording repetitive picking, rubbing, manipulating other parts of the body, vocalizations, manipulation of objects, and sanding. It was found that at least one form of stereotyped behavior was recorded 87% of the total observation time. The overall inter-rater reliability across patients was 91%. Twenty-six patients from another long-term care facility were than randomly chosen, 13 of whom had diagnoses of cortical atrophy, and were observed for an average of 30 seconds each. A trained observer, blind to the diagnoses and to the number of such cases included in the sample, observed stereotyped behavior in and only in the 13 patients with confirmed diagnoses of cerebral dysfunction. A possible mechanism and potential clinical relevance are discussed based upon these observations.

Aged↗