Biomedical subjects

Robert L Anders

Publications and source records attributed to Robert L Anders.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Assessment of acutely mentally ill patient outcomes in an ethnically diverse population.

Hawaii's multi-ethnic population provides a special opportunity within the United States to examine relationships between ethnicity, mental illness, and psychiatric-mental health outcomes. Understanding such relationships is essential to facilitate the development of culturally sensitive intervention strategies. The aim of this study was to investigate if differences in patient outcomes exist between Caucasians, Asians and Pacific Islanders hospitalized for an acute psychiatric illness in Hawaii. A descriptive approach was used to examine the functional and mental health outcomes and perceptions of care of 138 subjects. The specific tools employed included the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Short Form 36 Health Survey Version 2 (SF-36v2), Perceptions of Care (POC), and the Psychiatric Records Abstract Instrument (PRAI). In terms of results, the BPRS scores showed an expected improvement at the time of discharge when compared to the admission assessment.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Development of indicators to assess the quality of nursing care in Thailand.

In Thailand, quality of nursing care has been defined. The next step is to determine how to measure quality. Given the limited resources to provide health care and the demands to justify the use of registered nurses, there is an urgent need to demonstrate how professional nursing care makes a difference to outcomes of care. The purpose of this study was to further refine nursing indicators of quality by developing operational definitions, validating them and then determining their applicability in a variety of clinical settings. The process included three phases. The first phase used focus groups to identify and define indicators of quality nursing care and the second phase included testing these indicators in four settings to determine if data could be collected. Manuals were developed that defined the quality indicators and the scoring system to be used in the assessment. In the third phase, the findings were presented to a group of experts and minor changes were made to the indicators. Then, the indicators were categorized into three groups: structure, process, and outcome. The validated outcomes and manual for their assessment and monitoring were sent to all hospitals in Thailand. The study relied upon the findings from the four different hospitals. If the indicators were implemented in a wider variety of settings, other differences might have emerged. There is also a possibility that 'best practice' might not be reflective of the scientific basis of nursing practice. The findings generally support the initial work carried out in the USA. There is a need to continue to study how these indicators can improve patient outcomes.

Clinical Nursing Research↗

PubMed2004

Assessment of patient satisfaction of mentally ill patients hospitalized in Thailand.

Psychiatric patients' satisfaction with their hospital care has not been reported in the Western literature. The concept of asking psychiatric patients about their perceptions of care is relatively new. The purpose of the present investigation was to assess the satisfaction of the care received by a group of acutely mentally ill hospitalized Thai patients. This post-test design examined a random sample of 182 persons hospitalized between 1 March 2000 and 31 July 2000. Using a validated Perception of Care instrument, research assistants assessed patient satisfaction. Patients rated the care as average with none of the items achieving a very good or excellent score. The lowest scoring items were receiving information about their rights, consistency of information provided, and the ease of obtaining information. Women tended to be more satisfied with care as were patients over the age of 55 years (P = 0.02). Patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia were more satisfied with the care than other patients (P = 0.05). It is unknown if satisfaction levels are similar in other institutions in Thailand. None of the areas received excellent or very good ratings. The findings of this study were shared with the staff at the study site. There appears to be a need to develop performance improvement activities designed to address the areas identified as needing improvement. Replication of this study in other Thailand sites would provide an opportunity for agencies to benchmark their findings. By consenting to be a part of this study the staff and patients have taken a positive step forward to improve patient satisfaction with care.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Assessment of inpatient treatment of mentally ill patients in Thailand: implications for practice.

Given the demand for services, psychiatric facilities in Thailand, strive to provide quality care despite limited resources. Patient quality of care initiatives are limited. The purpose of this investigation is to assess the quality of inpatient treatment among a group of acutely mentally ill hospitalized Thai patients. This study presents important data on the standards of care provided to mentally ill patients at one inpatient facility in Thailand. This study is one of the first to look at the inpatient care for Thais with a diagnosis of an acute mental illness. Areas for improvement identfied in this research include master treatment planning and documentation of care, patient teaching, and management of aggressive behavior. This study provides an insight into the patient profile and major nursing problems facing Thai nurses. The article also highlights areas of concern such as the high use of ECT and mechanical restraint. How pervasive these deficiencies are in other settings is not known. The findings in this study were shared with the professional staff. It is hope that the nursing staff armed with the results of this study will develop performance improvement activities to improve the quality of care.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Supporting faculty proposal development and publication.

The Hispanic Health Disparities Research Center, a collaborative venture between the University of Texas at El Paso and the University of Texas at Houston Health Sciences Center, supports the research capabilities of junior faculty through a variety of programs. Novice researchers often need practical help in conducting literature reviews, extracting data, evaluating the evidence, and formulating a research question of significant importance to be funded yet narrow enough to fit within the scope of the proposal. The authors discuss a successful proposal development program that includes mentoring by more senior faculty and structured sessions with a medical writer and editor.

Data Collection↗