PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

W E Osmun

Publications and source records attributed to W E Osmun.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Patients' attitudes to comforting touch in family practice.

OBJECTIVE: To examine patients' attitudes to comforting touch in family practice. DESIGN: A survey was designed with statements and responses to proposed scenarios. SETTING: Twenty family practices throughout Ontario. PARTICIPANTS: Family practice patients; of 400 surveys distributed, 376 were completed (94% response rate). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patients responded to scenarios on a five-point Likert scale, ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Results were analyzed using SPSS for DOS. RESULTS: Most patients in this population believed that touch can be comforting (66.3%) and healing (57.9%). Women were more accepting of comforting touch than men in all scenarios. Acceptance of comforting touch declined for both sexes as touch became proximal and more intimate. Men and women were more accepting of comforting touch from female doctors. Acceptance of all comforting touch declined markedly if a physician was unfamiliar to a patient, regardless of the physician's sex. CONCLUSION: Most patients surveyed believed touch is comforting and healing and viewed distal touches (on the hand and shoulder) as comforting.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

The impact of hissy fits in primary care.

BACKGROUND: Hissy fits are experienced by physicians and patients alike, yet their full impact has never been studied before. METHODS: Specially trained researchers observed hissy fits at a clinic over 12 months. They interviewed perpetrators, victims and witnesses and recorded their comments because they had to. RESULTS: Hissy fits were common at the clinic and sometimes escalated to riots. Seasonal variations were endured. INTERPRETATION: Nobody likes this behaviour. Efforts should be made to counsel hissy fitters in channeling their angst in other, more positive ways.

Ambulatory Care↗
PubMed1997

Dilemma of rural obstetrics. One community's solution.

PROBLEM BEING ADDRESSED: Increasing workload and concerns about physician exhaustion necessitated reorganizing the delivery of obstetric services on Manitoulin Island in Ontario. OBJECTIVE OF PROGRAM: To organize obstetrics in a remote rural community to provide safe, accessible care, improve working conditions for local physicians, and involve the local hospital and health care workers in the solution. MAIN COMPONENTS OF PROGRAM: A prenatal clinic for all obstetric care on the island was established. It was based at the local hospital and organized by a nurse-midwife. Local physicians rotated through the clinic and provided obstetric coverage on their on-call days. CONCLUSIONS: The clinic has helped improve working conditions for local physicians and maintain high-quality obstetric care in this remote area. Local women's initial resistance to the clinic seems to be disappearing with time. Ongoing chart audits reveal intervention rates similar to those found in other Canadian studies of rural obstetric care.

Family Practice↗