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Biomedical subjects

S J Rolnick

Publications and source records attributed to S J Rolnick.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Nicotine replacement therapy in a group model HMO.

OBJECTIVE: To examine patient response to a smoking cessation program that combined a nicotine replacement system (patch) with telephone support. DESIGN: Randomized trial. SETTING: A large Midwestern HMO. PARTICIPANTS. Five hundred and nine smokers who attended orientation sessions where an overview of the study and the use of the nicotine patch was presented. INTERVENTION: All subjects received a prescription for a nicotine replacement patch (Prostep, Lederle Laboratories, Wayne, NJ). Participants were randomly assigned to one of three intervention groups. Group I participants (n = 166) received no additional support. Group II participants (n = 167) were registered with a 24-hour telephone hotline. Group III participants (n = 167) were registered with the 24-hour telephone hotline and received four follow-up telephone calls from health educators. OUTCOME MEASURE: The primary outcome measure was smoking cessation. Subject satisfaction with study components was also evaluated. RESULTS: Overall, there was no significant difference by group in smoking cessation rates: 20% of patients in all three groups were smoke-free after 12 months. Few patients (1%) used the telephone hotline. The telephone follow-up did not have an impact on cessation rates, and most patients (92%) reported that the orientation session was useful. CONCLUSIONS: The study experience has helped the HMO evaluate various study components and has had an impact on currently used telephone intervention strategies and educational materials.

Administration, Cutaneous↗

Alcohol and other drugs of abuse in pregnancy.

This paper presents an overview of the Mother-Baby Chemical Health Program (MBCHP), which was designed to decrease preterm births among pregnant women who use and abuse drugs. Three hundred and fifty-two patients enrolled in the program between January 1990 and December 1992 were followed. More than 90% of the women involved in the MBCHP did not use substances during their pregnancies. Approximately 93% of the participants delivered at 37 or more weeks gestation, and over 91% of the infants weighed 2500 grams or more.

Adolescent↗

Use of urokinase in pregnancy. Two success stories.

Use of urokinase in treatment of deep venous thrombosis in pregnancy has been limited because of concerns about teratogenic effects and potential hemorrhage before and after delivery. However, reports to date have been encouraging and our experience is supportive. In the cases described here, urokinase thrombolytic therapy was effectively used to treat deep venous thrombosis in two pregnant patients without any apparent complications.

Adult↗

Prevalence of excess lead absorption and associated risk factors in children enrolled in a midwestern health maintenance organization.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of lead intoxication in children in a defined low-risk population at the new levels recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. DESIGN: During an 11-month period, whole blood lead tests were performed on 4678 children at routine well-child visits at 9 months and 2 years of age. For the last 8 months of the study, parents were asked to complete a prescreening risk factor questionnaire at these visits. The questionnaire and blood lead results were then matched. Data were collected from October 1, 1991 through August 31, 1992. SETTING: The study subjects were all enrolled in Group Health, Inc, a large health maintenance organization. Its 17 staff model clinics serve urban and suburban populations in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. More than 95% of the population had coverage based on employment, not Medicaid. RESULTS: Results indicated that 2.5% (n = 119) of the children had BPb levels > or = 10 micrograms/dL. Urban clinics had rates of elevated BPb levels three to eight times those of suburban clinics (P < .00001), but the number of elevated BPb levels at the suburban clinics was greater than expected. BPb levels were significantly higher in summer and fall (P < .00001). The prescreening questionnaire addressed five areas potentially associated with risk according to the literature: housing, siblings with lead poisoning, parental hobbies or work involving lead, proximity to highways, and use of cultural medicines. Positive correlations were found between elevated BPb levels and residences built before 1950 (P < .00001). For children living in housing built before 1950, positive correlations were found between elevated blood lead levels and peeling paint (P < .01) or remodeling (P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: Children who are at low socioeconomic risk but who live in housing built before 1950 are at increased risk for lead poisoning. The risk is greater if the house has peeling paint and especially if there is recent or ongoing renovation. Recommendations based on these results and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines are made for screening programs in similar populations, and for the need to increase community awareness concerning this issue.

Child, Preschool↗

A comparison of response rate, data quality, and cost in the collection of data on sexual history and personal behaviors. Mail survey approaches and in-person interview.

The authors examined differences in rate of response, data quality, and cost between mail approaches and in-person interview in the collection of data on sexual history and personal behaviors. A sample of women from a midwestern United States university (n = 342) was identified from health service medical records as having been seen for a sexually transmitted disease (cases) or a contraceptive visit (controls) during the latter half of 1985. The women were randomly assigned to one of three data collection strategies. A total of 268 subjects (78%) participated. Results indicated no differences in validity by method of data collection or by case-control status but there were significant differences in completeness, cost, and response rates. In-person interviews resulted in more complete data than mail approaches, although all instruments had low proportions of missing data (0.001-0.006). Response rate differences were not found when data collection methodologies were compared (75-82%) but were found in case-control analyses. Cases were consistently less likely to participate and significantly less likely to respond by mail (p less than 0.05). The cost of the in-person interview was approximately four times that of the mail survey for the data collection. Implications of the case-control response rate difference suggest that mail methodologies, although low in cost, may introduce sampling bias in studies of sexually transmitted diseases.

Adolescent↗