ABSTRACT
The objectives of the study were to assess whether an inservice education program for nurses in long-term care facilities was effective in increasing the nurses' knowledge of drugs and whether the increased knowledge affected nurses' behavior regarding drug therapy monitoring. The four-phase study was conducted in two study homes and two control homes and consisted of pre-tests, inservice, post-tests, and a three-month evaluation period. There results indicate that nurses in the study homes demonstrated a statistically significant increase in drug knowledge, and this was reflected in an objective change in behavior to more appropriate monitoring of drug therapy. It may be concluded that intensive inservice education programs are an effective method for inducing behavioral changes in nurses working in long-term care settings. These changes can improve the nurses' ability to monitor and promote safe and efficacious drug therapy in long-term care facilities.
Subject(s)
Education, Nursing, Continuing , Inservice Training , Pharmaceutical Services , Skilled Nursing Facilities , Consultants , Drug Therapy , Evaluation Studies as Topic , NursingSubject(s)
Vitamins/adverse effects , Warfarin/pharmacology , Drug Interactions , Drug Resistance , Humans , MaleSubject(s)
Doxycycline/adverse effects , Warfarin/adverse effects , Adult , Drug Synergism , Female , Humans , Menorrhagia/chemically induced , Prothrombin TimeABSTRACT
Immunoprecipitation methods were used to analyze sera and cerebrospinal fluids from patients with multiple sclerosis for measles virus-specific antibodies. The sera contained antibodies against all virus antigens except the matrix polypeptide. Of the nine cerebrospinal fluids investigated, two contained undetectable levels of measles-specific antibodies, four contained antibodies against the nucleocapsid and another internal antigen, and three contained antibodies against the surface antigens as well as the internal antigens.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Viral/analysis , Measles virus/immunology , Multiple Sclerosis/immunology , Antibodies, Viral/cerebrospinal fluid , Antigens, Viral , Capsid/immunology , Humans , Immunologic Techniques , Multiple Sclerosis/cerebrospinal fluid , Viral Proteins/immunologyABSTRACT
Sera from patients exposed to measles virus were investigated for the presence of antibodies against each of the viral antigens. All sera with measurable neutralizing titers contained antibodies against the two surface proteins (the glycoprotein and fusion protein), the nucleocapsid protein, and one of the internal proteins (P2). However, only sera from individuals with clinical symptoms of measles infection (natural measles and atypical measles) contained antibodies against the measles virus matrix protein. Levels of matrix-specific antibodies were highest in patients with atypical measles infection.
