ABSTRACT
The conventional crushing method for administration of drugs to patients with feeding tubes has been commonly used at the Hyogo College of Medicine College Hospital. Compared with this conventional method, the simple suspension method can reduce drug degradation due to light and moisture absorption as well as avoid drug loss and contamination. We conducted a workshop to introduce this method to pharmacists. We asked the participants to fill a questionnaire-based survey both before and after the workshop to determine the effects of the workshop on the change in the degree of awareness among participants about these methods. The awareness of participants about the simple suspension method was approximately 80% before the workshop. Approximately 60% of participants answered that they had questions about simple suspension method from individuals from other occupations, suggesting a high awareness of this method. After the workshop, approximately 98% of participants answered that they were “satisfied” or “slightly satisfied,” suggesting that they were in favor of introducing the suspension method. The results of text mining indicated a requirement for participants to consider incompatibilities and to educate the nursing department. Participants who actively considered the proposal of simple suspension method had an altered perception toward the introduction and utilization of this method. Therefore, this survey suggested that workshops could alter the perception and behavior of pharmacists about the methods of drug administration via feeding tube.
ABSTRACT
<b>Purpose</b>: Pharmacists should play a positive role in palliative care. The pharmacy curriculum should also contain content promoting an appropriate attitude toward death. Hence, this study aims to gather fundamental information that can be used to understand the various death attitudes held by pharmacy students. <b>Methods</b>: We targeted 159 sixth-year students of the School of Pharmacy, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, in 2011. They studied "Up-to-date-Palliative-Care" (an elective subject). To investigate their overall perception of death, we used the Death Attitude Inventory (DAI), developed by Hirai and others (2000), and investigated their views of death on the basis of seven factors. We also classified students on the basis of type of death they had experienced, that is, the death of a household, relative, friend, or pet. We compared the scores obtained for each factor and conducted a logistic regression analysis. <b>Results and Conclusion</b>: We analyzed the data from 120 students (valid response rate: 75.5%). Students who had experienced the death of friend, had significantly higher scores on "Life Purpose" and "Death Concern" (<i>p</i><0.05). Students who had experienced the death of household etc., statistical positive correlation with "Death Concern" and statistical negative correlation with "Death Anxiety" were recognized.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVES</b>There is a growing need to evaluate the performance status of the activities of daily living (ADL) of the elderly in the rapidly aging Japanese society. The purpose of this study was to verify the usefulness of our new scoring sheet for assessing present ADL status and to clarify whether or not the assessed ADL status can predict the future risk of adverse conditions related to falls.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The validation study was performed using 116 non-handicapped community-dwelling Japanese elderly at least 60 years of age. Of those subjects, 44 were also analyzed for the relationship between baseline ADL status and subsequent risk of adverse conditions related to falls.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The daily living performance score sheet had good internal consistency, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.82 and a sequential hierarchical structure that reflected the difficulty of the activities. The total score was significantly and positively associated with six of eight subscale scores on the Short-Form 36-Item Health Survey (P < 0.01). In the follow-up study, every one-point decrease in total score was significantly associated with a 39% elevated risk of a stumble or fall (P = 0.022) and also borderline significantly associated with higher risks of a fall, anxiety while walking indoors, and anxiety while walking outdoors (P < 0.10).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Our new scoring sheet can reliably and comprehensively assess present ADL status. The assessed ADL could predict the future risk of adverse conditions related to falls.</p>
ABSTRACT
Although influenza is a highly contagious acute respiratory illness of global importance, little is known about the disease in tropical countries. An influenza survey was conducted in three sentinel sites in Yangon, Myanmar from September 2003 to December 2004. Throat or nasal swabs were collected from 616 patients with influenza-like symptoms and tested using rapid diagnostic test kits and virus isolation. Influenza B virus was detected in 6 patients from September to October, 2003. Influenza A viruses were detected in 133 patients from June to September, 2004, and the 51 influenza A viruses isolated from 72 specimens were all A⁄H3N2. Influenza virus infections occurred mainly in the rainy season in Yangon, Myanmar, but continuous ongoing influenza surveillance is needed.
ABSTRACT
Many patients who receive general acupuncture treatment have many complaints concerning their autonomic nervous systems. Applying CMI and CMI type classification (Abe method-a variation of CMI) to 100 new patients who came to our clinic last year, we found vegetative dystonia in half of them. Upon this finding, the following examinations were carried out by means of an function test of autonomic nervous system developed by Kageyama et al.: the coefficient of variation (CV) of R-R interval in ECG obtained through the function test is regarded as an expression of vagal function.<br>(1) Using this test, the participation of the autonomic nervous system in the condition of those patients who visited our clinic was examined.<br>(2) Effects of acupuncture treatment on the autonomic nervous system were examined.<br>(3) Acupuncture stimulation was separately applied to S36 (Zusanli), P4 (Ximen) and Liv3 (Taichong) to examine the influence of the acupuncture point location on the CV obtained through the test.<br>Results:<br>(1) 15 new patients (25%-comparatively high rate) showed low CV (less than 2%) of R-R interval in ECG.<br>(2) In some cases, acupuncture treatment caused an increase in CV.<br>(3) Acupuncture caused pulse infrequens: R-R interval showed a tendency toward prolongation during <i>the in situ needle technique</i> and after <i>withdrawing the needle</i> on each of the three points (S36, P4 and Liv3). CV increased after <i>withdrawing the needle</i> on either S36 or Liv3 and shortly after <i>needle insertion</i> and after <i>withdrawing the needle</i> on P4.<br>These result suggest that many patients who receive acupuncture treatment have additional disorder in parasympathetic nervous system which can be improved through acupuncture.