ABSTRACT
Mortality from stroke remains high in Australia, especially for patients located outside the metropolitan cities. This is because they have limited access to specialized stroke facilities for optimal stroke treatment. Mobile stroke units have the capability to take CT scanners out to the patient however current CT commercial scanner designs are large and heavy. As such, this paper aims to design and develop a lightweight CT scanner for use in a mobile stroke unit (either road-based or air-based ambulance) to bring healthcare solution to patients in the rural and remote areas. We used the engineering design optimization approach to redesign and reduce the weight of the existing CT scanner with without compromised it structural performance. We managed to reduce the weight the CT scanner by three-fold while reducing design costs by allowing numerous simulations to be performed using computer software to achieve our design goals. The results are not only useful to optimize CT scanner structure to retrofit on a mobile stroke unit, but also bring the medical device solution to the market and support scalable solution to the larger community. Such an advance will allow for improved equity in healthcare whereby patients can be treated irrespective of location.
Subject(s)
Stroke , Humans , Stroke/diagnostic imaging , Mobile Health Units , Tomography Scanners, X-Ray Computed , Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods , TechnologyABSTRACT
In Australia, case management is the cornerstone of mental health service delivery for seriously ill clients living in the community. In this study, case management was provided from an acute, inpatient psychiatric unit; a model thought to be unique. Findings from this qualitative study explicated the experience of case management from client and case manager (CM) perspectives. They note the nature, purpose, processes and outcomes of case management within that context. Findings were positive, suggesting clients and CM's develop a therapeutic alliance through which interventions are implemented and which result in clients experiencing personal (re) integration and enhanced well-being. These findings are discussed and they suggest an alternative model of service delivery well regarded by both clients and CM's.
Subject(s)
Case Management , Community Mental Health Services , Patient Admission , Psychiatric Department, Hospital , Psychotic Disorders/nursing , Activities of Daily Living/psychology , Australia , Community Participation , Delivery of Health Care , Female , Humans , Male , Nurse-Patient Relations , Psychotic Disorders/psychologyABSTRACT
The effects of music on the behaviors of 5 to 8 emotionally disturbed adolescents were investigated. Six behavioral categories of aggressive motor, aggressive verbal, disruptive motor, disruptive verbal, nondisruptive/off task, and on task, were monitored in class daily for 40 min. for 12 wk. to assess whether three conditions of "sedative," "stimulating," and "no music" influenced the frequency of these behaviors. Analysis indicated no significant differences in frequencies of any of the six behavior categories among music conditions.
Subject(s)
Affective Symptoms/psychology , Arousal , Music Therapy , Residential Treatment , Social Behavior , Adolescent , Affective Symptoms/therapy , Female , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
The active role of the patient in the rehabilitation hospital requires the efficient use of patient time. Previous work has found that such patients spend a relatively small portion of their day in treatment. In this study 63 stroke patients in three hospitals were observed for two work days each. Fifty observations were made during each day of the patient's location, activity and whom the patient was with. Treatment occupied an average of 31% of the day. Passive behavior took up 42% of patients' time. Discriminant analysis showed that patients in the hospital with a separate stroke unit spent more time in treatment. In spite of quantitative differences, the three hospitals had similar patterns of treatment activity and deployment of staff. Clinical norms for the treatment of stoke across the three hospitals resulted in similar treatment experiences for patients. A system of prospective payment which did not require specific billed treatment hours might allow more flexibility and efficiency in this type of specialty hospital.
Subject(s)
Cerebrovascular Disorders/rehabilitation , Rehabilitation Centers , Aged , Hospitals, Special/standards , Humans , Middle Aged , Occupational Therapy , Physical Therapy Modalities , Rehabilitation Centers/standards , Time FactorsABSTRACT
A young adult female Siamese cat born of a mother-son mating was referred because of dwarfism, facial abnormalities, severe skeletal deformities, multifocal neurologic deficits, and retinal atrophy. Cats of similar appearance had been observed in a previous litter of the same parents. Metachromatic inclusion bodies were demonstrated in circulating leukocytes. The urine contained a high concentration of mucopolysaccharide, as detected by the toluidine blue spot test. The uronic acid content of the cetylpyridinium chloride-precipitable mucopolysaccharide in the urine was 17 times greater than that in the urine from a control cat of the same age and breed.
