ABSTRACT
Evidence-based practice has become a by-word in leg ulcer care, but the picture is far from complete. More research is needed. Carrying out the research to ensure quality care in a primary care setting brings practical difficulties and raises issues which must be resolved, as a research team from Birmingham University shows.
Subject(s)
Clinical Nursing Research/organization & administration , Electromagnetic Phenomena/standards , Leg Ulcer/therapy , Primary Health Care/organization & administration , Bandages/standards , Combined Modality Therapy , Evidence-Based Medicine , Humans , Nursing Assessment , Patient Care Team/organization & administration , Pilot Projects , Quality Assurance, Health Care , Treatment Outcome , Wound HealingABSTRACT
Studying RBC sedimentation in hematocrit capillaries filled with a variety of separation media (Sephacryl S-300, Ultrogel AcA22 and others) and spinned down for a short time we found some striking advantages in comparison to standard hemagglutination techniques. The scope of diagnostic procedures may be improved and broadened as far as anemias caused by autoantibodies and infections as well as hemolytic disease of the newborn--especially AB0-erythroblastosis--and pretransfusion testing are concerned.
Subject(s)
Blood Grouping and Crossmatching/methods , Chromatography, Gel/methods , Erythrocytes/immunology , Hematocrit , Isoantibodies/analysis , ABO Blood-Group System/immunology , Centrifugation/methods , Coombs Test/methods , Erythroblastosis, Fetal/blood , Erythroblastosis, Fetal/diagnosis , Humans , Infant, NewbornABSTRACT
The fabrication and operation of a microelectronic conductimetric biosensor is described. The device monitors the change in solution conductance occasioned by the catalytic action of enzymes immobilised over a planar conductance cell comprising serpentined and interdigitated metal conductor tracks. The output of the instrument was linear over a 3 min period on addition of urea to a sample cell overlaid with immobilised urease. The responses to any given urea concentration were reproducible to within approximately +/- 1%. The device responds to urea present in serum samples.
