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Biomedical subjects

T J Drinka

Publications and source records attributed to T J Drinka.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Health care teams as metaphors: a preliminary study.

This pilot study attempted to uncover similarities and differences in perceptions of health care teams by the professionals who work in them and are affected by them. This study used a convenience sample of 125 health professionals from 14 disciplines to explore the types of general metaphors and sports metaphors that they apply to health care teams. Data were analyzed by gender, type of metaphor, and stated reasons for choosing a particular metaphor. Fifteen themes emerged from the analysis. In response to a question about the metaphors that they apply to teams, health professionals identified more nonsports than sports metaphors. There was no difference between males and females in the application of sports metaphors as general metaphors for teams. Also, respondents reported using different metaphors in current practice than those they had used at the end of their formal professional training. This study demonstrates that many health professionals apply unidimensional metaphors to a dynamic and complex process. The findings suggest that trainers can help team members expose and develop their metaphors to more fully encompass the complexities of the health care team.

Female↗
PubMed1994

Case studies from purgatory: maladaptive behavior within geriatrics health care teams.

The practice of geriatrics frequently involves the services of an interdisciplinary team. Behavior of team members exists on a functional continuum, from adaptive to maladaptive. Health professionals readily identify maladaptive behaviors in patients, but may ignore or avoid such behavior in colleagues. Ignoring these behaviors precludes influencing the affected team member to seek help, and can cause members to leave the team. Team members with maladaptive behavior, and persons colluding with this behavior, can negatively influence care. Using case vignettes, this article categorizes common maladaptive behavior patterns within teams and suggests intervention strategies from an individual, team, and organizational perspective.

Cooperative Behavior↗
PubMed1991

Development and testing of the Assessment of Living Skills and Resources (ALSAR) in elderly community-dwelling veterans.

The Assessment of Living Skills and Resources (ALSAR), an innovative instrumental activities of daily living tool, systematically evaluates the accomplishment of 11 tasks by separately rating patient skill and resource levels for each task and combining these levels to determine risk. The ALSAR was administered to 75 elderly veterans in a home care program. It predicted change to more supportive living arrangements and a more structured living environment, nursing home placement, hospitalization, and death during the 6-month study period. The ALSAR has proven useful for interdisciplinary problem solving and treatment planning.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1987

Correlates of depression and burden for informal caregivers of patients in a geriatrics referral clinic.

Caregiver burden has been associated with patient dementia. In this study we tested the hypothesis that caregiver burden and depression are related to patient cognitive impairment. We analyzed records of 127 elderly male patients from a Veterans hospital geriatrics referral clinic. The patients and their informal caregivers had been referred to the clinic because the complexity and multiplicity of their problems were beyond the treatment capability of other clinics. There was a high prevalence of dementia (73%) and depression (69%) in these patients according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-III) criteria. Quantitative measures of patient dementia and dependency in activities of daily living were not statistically associated with measures of caregiver depression or burden. In contrast, measures of patient depression were significantly correlated with measures of caregiver depression and burden. We hypothesize that caregivers of chronically ill, elderly men cope better with physical and cognitive incapacity than with affective symptoms. Because caregiver support is the most important factor in maintaining a disabled elder in the community, we suggest evaluating patients and caregivers for depression as part of standard practice in geriatric clinical settings.

Adult↗