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Richard Hancock

Publications and source records attributed to Richard Hancock.

3 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Adverse effects of fluorescein angiography in hypertensive and elderly patients.

PURPOSE: To evaluate adverse effects in patients undergoing fundus fluorescein angiography (FA), and to assess the level of these adverse effects in hypertensive and elderly patients. METHOD: We carried out a retrospective study of 358 patients undergoing FA. They were assessed for adverse effects and their relationship to medical history, pre- and post-FA blood pressure and age. RESULTS: The overall adverse reaction rate (AR) was 11.2%, the majority (80%) of which involved nausea. There were no mortalities and no cases of anaphylaxis or cardiac arrest. Hypertension (systolic or diastolic) did not increase the AR. Interestingly, raised initial systolic blood pressure (BP) > or = 160 showed a statistically significant decreased AR compared with that for BP < 160 (7% versus 15%, respectively; p = 0.04). There was no statistical correlation between AR and age. CONCLUSIONS: FA is a relatively safe procedure, but serious side-effects have been reported in the past and therefore adequate measures need to be in place to cope with such emergencies. In our study, there was no increase in the incidence of adverse effects in patients who were hypertensive or elderly. Therefore, these patients should not be denied an important diagnostic procedure that may improve their quality of life purely because of hypertension or age.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Perspectives of relatives and health care workers on care of terminally ill patients in the UK.

Two parallel questionnaires were used to explore perceptions of healthcare workers (HCWs) and the relatives of terminally ill patients on the quality of care received by the patients. There was general agreement between the two groups of respondents in most of the assessed areas. The relatives, however were more satisfied with the control of pain and psychological symptoms than the HCWs, and the HCWs perceived the control of diarrhea, skin problems, and swallowing problems more positively than did the relatives. There also was some variation between the two groups in their perception of the care received by the relatives during visits at the hospital, with the relatives' group being more positive. Although HCWs reported that time to deal with patients and their families was inadequate, the relatives' group was generally satisfied with the standards in place.

Caregivers↗