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Biomedical subjects

Y S Lim

Publications and source records attributed to Y S Lim.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Sodium salicylate sensitivity in an asthmatic patient with aspirin sensitivity.

Non-acetylated salicylates have been recommended for use as alternatives to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in aspirin and/or tartrazine-sensitive patients. We experienced a case of an aspirin-sensitive asthmatic patient who developed a broncho-obstructive reaction after taking 100 mg of sodium salicylate. The result of this study suggests that sodium salicylate may cross-react with aspirin in aspirin-and tartrazine-sensitive patients.

Aspirin↗
PubMed1991

[Effect of shift interval for the clinical nurse with respect to circadian rhythm].

Circadian rhythm is entrained in the 24-hour time interval by periodic factors in the environment, known as zeitgeber. But most rotating work schedules are outside the range of the entrainment of the pacemaker timing the human circadian sleep-wake cycle. It has been postulated that physiological and emotional disturbances occur in most human functions when the circadian rhythm is disturbed. So application of circadian principles to the design of shift schedules can aid in maintaining the temporal integrity of the circadian system and thereby minimize for the shift worker any detrimental consequences of circadian disruption. This study was a quasi-experimental study to test the effect of shift intervals for the clinical nurse on the circadian rhythm. Twenty nurses newly employed in general units of two hospitals were selected as an experimental group and twelve college nursing students as a control group. Both groups were selected according to an established criteria using a purposive sampling technique. Ten subjects were assigned to a weekly shift group and another ten to a biweekly shift group engaged in a semi-continuous shift schedule (sunday off) with a backward direction; that is, morning-evening-night shift. The control group worked a morning shift for 42 days. Oral temperature rhythm, waking time, sleep-wake cycle, fatigue, and mental performance were measured during the experimental period. The data collection period was from April 30, 1990 to June 10, 1990. MANOVA, paired t-test, ANOVA, and Student Newman Keuls method were used for statistical analysis. The results are summarized as follows. 1. Phase delay in the acrophase of temperature rhythm was shown according to the backward rotating shift. A complete adaptation to work on the night shift was achieved between the sixth and ninth day of the night shift. 2. There was no difference in either waking time or sleep-wake cycle according to the duration of the working day for every shift group. Significant difference was found in the waking time and the sleep-wake cycle for subjects on the morning, evening, and night shift in both of the shift groups (weekly shift group: lambda = 0.121, p less than 0.01, lambda = 0.112, p less than 0.01, biweekly shift group: lambda = 0.116, p less than 0.01, lambda = 0.084, p less than 0.01). 3. There was no difference in fatigue between the first working day and the last working day for the control group and for the biweekly shift group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1991

Serotype distribution and antimicrobial resistance of Shigella isolates in Singapore.

Serogrouping of 506 Shigella strains isolated in Singapore from 1986 to 1990 showed that Shigella flexneri (60.3%) was the most common, followed by S. sonnei (33.6%), S. boydii (3.2%) and S. dysenteriae (3%). Of the 23 Shigella serotypes identified, the predominant ones were S. flexneri types 2a and 1b, S. boydii types 1 and 5, and S. dysenteriae types 1 and 3. More than 80% of the Shigella species were resistant to at least one antimicrobial drug, and the incidence of multiresistance was particularly high in S. flexneri strains. Due to the high incidence of antimicrobial resistance, the susceptibility pattern of Shigella strains should be determined for treatment purposes.

Drug Resistance, Microbial↗
PubMed1991

Typhoid fever in Singapore: a review of 370 cases.

The medical records of 370 patients treated for typhoid fever between 1986 and 1988 at the Communicable Disease Centre, Singapore, were reviewed. The disease was generally mild. There was no mortality. Fever was found in 98.4% of patients on admission and diarrhoea in 21%. Cough was predominantly a symptom of children and occurred in 7.1% of patients aged below 15 years. Other symptoms were uncommon. Hepatomegaly was found in 71% and splenomegaly in 47%. Leucopenia was not a helpful diagnostic marker. Chloramphenicol was the drug of choice. The relapse rate was 5.4% and the convalescent and temporary carrier rates 11.6%. The risk of developing the carrier state was significantly higher among patients who were afebrile on admission compared with those who were febrile (P less than 0.001); it was also higher in patients treated with ampicillin as compared to those treated with chloramphenicol (P less than 0.001, chi 2 = 22.7, odds ratio = 5.25, 95% confidence limits: 2.46 and 11.29). The role of ampicillin as a first line treatment for acute typhoid fever may need further re-evaluation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

[A study on differences of opinion on health care care programs among physicians, nurses, non-medical personnel and patients].

The government has adopted a policy to introduce Home Health Care Program, and has established a three stage plan to implement it. The three stage plan is: First, to amend Article 54 (Nurses for Different Types of Services) of the Regulations for Implementing the Law of Medical Services; Second, to try out the new system through pilot projects established in public hospitals and clinics; and third, to implement at all hospitals and equivalent medical institutions. In accordance with the plan, the Regulation has been amend and it was promulgated on January 9, 1990, thus establishing a legal ground for implementing the policy. Subsequently, however, the Medical Association raised its objection to the policy, causing a delay in moving into the second stage of the plan. Under these circumstances, a study was conducted by collecting and evaluating the opinions of physicians, nurses, non-medical personnel and patients on the need and expected result from the home health care for the purpose of help facilitating the implementation of the new system. As a result of this study, it was revealed that: 1. Except the physicians, absolute majority of all other three groups--nurses, non-medical personnel and patients--gave positive answers to all 11 items related to the need for establishing a program for Home Health Care. Among the physicians, the opinions on the need for the new services were different depending on their field of specialty, and those who have been treating long term patients were more positive in supporting the new system. 2. The respondents in all four groups held very positive view for the effectiveness and the expected result of the program. The composite total of scores for all of 17 items, however, reveals that the physicians were least positive for the effectiveness of the new system. The people in all four groups held high expectation on the system on the ground that: it will help continued medical care after the discharge from hospitals; that it will alleviate physical and economic burden of patient's family; that it will offer nursing services at home for the patients who are suffering from chronic disease, for those early discharge from hospital, or those who are without family members to look after the patients at home. 3. Opinions were different between patients (who will receive services) and nurses (who will provide services) on the types of services home visiting nurses should offer.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Allied Health Personnel↗
PubMed1990

[A study on the nurse's response for the clinical application of nursing diagnosis].

Although the usefulness and importance of clinical application of nursing diagnosis are well recognized by the academic circle, it is not yet generally practiced. In order to provide data for establishing a policy for clinical nursing diagnosis; a study was made at a seminar, sponsored by the Department of nursing, Severance Hospital, with participation of 190 nurses from 33 hospitals. The objective of the study was to find out: 1) if the nurses agree with the academic community in recognizing the benefits and problems of clinical application of nursing diagnosis; 2) how the nurses evaluate their ability to carry out nursing diagnosis; and 3) if educational programs would help enhance ability of nursing diagnosis among nurses. The summary of findings by the study is as follows: 1. While all nurses responded positively on the question of benefits improving science and quality of nursing, thus elevating credibility and position of nurses, some expressed concern on the practicality of the system in setting up nursing objectiveness, confirming the nursing problems and utilizing patient information. For the 20 questions and the scale of 1-5, the lowest average score was 3.223 and the highest 4.066. 2. The study attempted to find out the opinion of the nurses on the problems that would make difficult to adopt the nursing diagnosis in clinics. The result of the study indicates the nurses believe the major problems are the fact that the subject of nursing diagnosis are not well defined and that the form sheets do not match with the ones that are currently being used. However, comparing it with the result of the previous study on the same question (inadequate manpower and insufficient time allocated for the job were two major problems pointed out then). It can be said that the opinion of the nurses studied this time was much more positive and it suggests that they believe the system can be adopted without increasing manpower and only by giving additional training and by adjusting the format of nursing record sheets. It suggests that the future for adopting a clinical nursing diagnosis is very bright. 3. As the most urgent problem to be solved for adopting clinical nursing diagnosis, 38. 5% responded that it was "education of nurses", and 34.2% responded that it was "staffing adequate number of nurses". 4. For the 10 questions asked for self-evaluation of ability to adopt the system, with the scale of 1-5, average score was lower than 3.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Education, Nursing, Continuing↗
PubMed1990

[A study on the development of standardized nursing care plans for computerized nursing service].

A central issue in the development of nursing practice is to describe the phenomenon with which nursing is concerned. To identify the health problems which can be diagnosed and managed by the nurse is the first step to organize and ensure the development of nursing science. Therefore the academic world has been discussing the application of the nursing diagnosis in nursing practice as a means of improving quality of care. The objectives of this study were to develop a standardized nursing care plan for ten selected nursing diagnoses to form a database for computerized nursing service. The research approach used in the study was (1) the selection of the ten nursing diagnoses which occur most frequently on medical-surgical wards, (2) the development of a standardized nursing care plan for the ten selected nursing diagnoses, (3) application of the plan to hospitalized patients and evaluation of the content validity by the nurses, and (4) evaluation of the clinical effects after the use of the standardized nursing care plans. The subjects were 56 nurses and 395 hospitalized patients on two medical and two surgical unit. The results of this study were as follows: 1) The ten selected nursing diagnoses for the development of the standardized nursing care plans were "PAIN, SLEEP DISTURBANCE, ALTERED HEALTH MAINTENANCE, ALTERATION IN NUTRITION, ANXIETY, CONSTIPATION, ALTERED PATTERNS OF URINARY ELIMINATION, DISTURBANCE IN BODY IMAGE, POTENTIAL FOR ACTIVITY INTOLERANCE AND ACTIVITY INTOLERANCE". 2. The developed standardized nursing care plans included the nursing diagnosis, definition, defining characteristics, etiologic or related factors that contribute to the condition, recording pattern, desired outcomes and nursing orders (nursing interventions). 3. The plan was used with hospitalized patients on medical-surgical wards to test for content validity. The patient's satisfaction with the nursing care and nurses' job satisfaction were investigated to evaluate the clinical effects after the use of the standardized nursing care plans. A comparison of patient satisfaction with nursing care before and after the introduction of the standardized nursing care plans showed a statistically significant higher level of satisfaction with the standardized care plans. There was no difference in the level of job satisfaction expressed by the nursing staff before and after the standardized nursing care plans were introduced. However, when opinions about the use of the standardized nursing care plans were examined it was found that there was a positive effect on clarity in defining the nursing problems, determining nursing cost, more feasible goal setting, effective and systematic nursing records and indications for nursing research.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Humans↗
PubMed1989

Evaluation of the GO Slide, a growth transport system for the laboratory diagnosis of gonorrhoea.

A growth transport system, the GO Slide (Roche Diagnostica), for the isolation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae from clinical specimens was evaluated. This system was compared with culture on chocolate agar (CA) and modified Thayer-Martin (MTM) agar, and Gram-stained smear for the diagnosis of gonorrhoea. Of 94 urethral specimens from symptomatic males, 77.7% were positive on MTM, 80.9% were positive on CA and Gram stain, and 81.9% were positive on GO Slide. Of the 77 isolates, 26.0% were penicillinase producers, 12.3% belonged to WI serogroup and 87.7% belonged to WII/III serogroup. The ease of transportation and the easy examination of growth on agar surfaces make the GO Slide an attractive system. It would be particularly useful for general practitioners without culture facilities to transport specimens to the laboratory for the isolation of N. gonorrhoeae.

Culture Media↗
PubMed1986

Relationship of some biochemical characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus to enterotoxin production.

A total of 151 enterotoxigenic and 98 non-enterotoxigenic strains of Staphylococcus aureus were examined for production of coagulase, phosphatase, deoxyribonuclease, haemolytic activity, glucose and mannitol fermentation, typical growth on Baird-Parker medium, pigment production and growth under anaerobic conditions. Enterotoxigenic strains showed a higher tendency to demonstrate haemolytic activity, but none of the other biochemical properties could be correlated with the ability of the staphylococci to produce enterotoxins. It appears that other ancillary tests must be developed to be useful in the differentiation of enterotoxigenic and non-enterotoxigenic staphylococci.

Aerobiosis↗
PubMed1985

Measurement of plasma fructosamine evaluated for monitoring diabetes.

The mean fructosamine concentration in plasma of diabetics (n = 200) differed significantly (p less than 0.001) from those of a hospitalized nondiabetic population (n = 163)--the latter mean being essentially the same for ambulatory subjects (n = 145), expectant mothers (n = 58), and patients with renal failure (n = 31), regardless of sex. In the diabetic group, values for plasma fructosamine correlated with those for glycated hemoglobin (r = 0.767, p less than 0.01) and glycated protein (r = 0.817, p less than 0.01). Values for plasma fructosamine were stable from day to day in patients with controlled blood glucose, but fluctuated in certain patients receiving only parenteral nutrition, even when their concentrations of glucose were normal and stable. We conclude that measurement of plasma fructosamine is suitable for assessing intermediate-term control of blood glucose when the turnover of plasma proteins is normal.

Blood Glucose↗