Unnecessary medical interventions. A questionnaire study among physicians and laymen

The aim of the study was to survey attitudes among medical doctors and lay people to unsolicited medical intervention. The design of the study was an anonymous questionnaire study including three scenarios implying ethical considerations. A total of 445 medical doctors working within different areas received the questionnaire, as did 75 medical students and 600 lay people. The results showed a response rate of 67%, highest among medical doctors and students. The lay people had significantly higher expectations concerning the medical intervention in two out of three scenarios compared to medical doctors and students. The participants were offered the opportunity to comment on the questionnaire. The conclusion of the Danish survey is that there is a significantly different approach to unsolicited medical intervention among lay people compared to medical doctors and students. Medical doctors are less disposed to perform unsolicited intervention compared with the wishes/expectations of the lay people. More open attitudes and information as well as better communication is recommended.     

A study of admissions procedures to a PhD program in psychology.

A study of admissions procedures in the PhD program of the psychology department of the University of Michigan indicated that the department did not discriminate against women during the 1969–1970 academic year. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Selecting a doctoral program in professional psychology: Some comparisons among PhD counseling, PhD clinical, and PsyD clinical psychology programs.

Directors of American Psychological Association-accredited doctoral programs in counseling psychology (95% response) and clinical psychology (99% response) provided data regarding number of applications, credentials of incoming students, rates of acceptance, and the theoretical orientations and research areas of the faculty. The acceptance rates of PhD clinical and PhD counseling psychology programs were comparable (6% vs. 8%), despite the higher number of applications (270 vs. 130) to clinical programs. Compared with clinical students, counseling students were more likely to represent ethnic minorities and have master's degrees, but were otherwise similar in academic credentials. Clinical faculty were more likely to be involved in research with pathological populations and associated with medical settings, whereas counseling faculty were more involved in research concerning career processes, human diversity, and professional issues. These results should alert applicants and their advisors to robust differences across these specializations and should enhance matching between programs and students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Continuing medical education via questionnaire studies. Three pilot projects for anesthesiology, cardiology and neurology

The Danish Medical Association and the scientific societies have initiated three studies to evaluate the use of questionnaires for continuous medical education. One study was a questionnaire in anaesthesiology with 30 questions with answers yes/no/no answer, which was sent to 600 specialists in anaesthesiology. One study was in cardiology with a multiple choice questionnaire, sent to 300 general practitioners and 75 specialists in internal medicine outside cardiology. One study concerned the educational value of State-of-the-Art articles about neurology in Ugeskrift for Laeger (Journal of the Danish Medical Association) sent to 500 doctors outside neurology. All questionnaires were sent anonymously, with one general reminder. For the anaesthesiology study 234 questionnaires were returned (40.5%). In the cardiology study 195 questionnaires were returned (52%). For the study on neurology 278 answered (56%). Only about half of the questionnaires were returned for the three studies, and a lot of effort and resources were put into the studies. An extension from these small pilot studies to a general systematic continuous methodology with updated questionnaires in the postgraduate medical education seems troublesome. An optional self-registration for medical education such as The Canadian "Mocomp concept" might be a more realistic suggestion.     

Medical research and the ethics committee. A questionnaire study among project leaders in the health region 4

All 159 principal investigators whose projects had been assessed by the biomedical research ethics committee in Health Region 4 (Central Norway) during 1986-92 were asked to complete a questionnaire about medical research ethics and the work of the ethics committee. Their answers about scientific fraud and misconduct have been published previously. This paper reports how the 119 respondents (70% of those addressed) regard the role and work of the ethics committees and how they perceived the committee's assessment of their own project. A majority agreed that medical ethics committees are an important part of the scientific community (90%), that scientific quality is an important ethical element of any project (85%), and that researchers put more effort into their study protocol as they knew it would be assessed by an ethics committee (85%). More than 70% agreed that the committee's comments were useful and relevant, but a majority of these agreed only partly. The results are discussed in relation to the characteristics of the investigators.     

Ethical issues in the supervision of student research: A study of critical incidents.

Professional psychologists (N?=?57), most of whom were experienced researchers, described incidents (N?=?144) in the supervision of student research that they believed presented ethical problems. Raters identified those incidents that did seem to present ethical problems and sorted them into categories. Although many of the incidents pertained to some aspect of fairness in authorship assignment, 8 additional categories of ethical problems were identified: incompetent supervision, inadequate supervision, supervision abandonment, intrusion of supervisor values, abusive supervision, exploitive supervision, dual relationships, and encouragement to fraud. Each of these ethical problems is discussed, along with several possible remedies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multiple relations in supervision: Guidance for administrators, supervisors, and students.

As fiduciaries, supervisors are to act on behalf of their supervisees; there are at least 10 provisions in the American Psychological Association Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (2002) that provide guidance for those in this role. Unfortunately, there are many questions the APA Ethics Code does not answer with regard to multiple relations in supervision. The authors address a variety of problems that can arise in this professional context and offer guidance for administrators, practitioners, and students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Stirling County Study: A research program on relations between sociocultural factors and mental illness.

"Stirling County, located in one of the Canadian Atlantic Provinces, has a population of about 20,000." The Stirling County project "is a research program for the investigation of relations between sociocultural environment and mental illness. The research effort is interdisciplinary and combines extensive with intensive study of both the sociocultural environmental and mental disorder. The subjects of the research are persons who are not undergoing treatment as well as those who are; mental health and mental illness are investigated in the societal as well as in the individual settings in which they develop." The theoretical framework, the primary and subsidiary research operations, and the plan of analysis are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A behavioral pain-management program: Expanding the psychologist's role in a medical setting.

Describes the development of a psychologist-operated pain management program carried out within the context of a pain control clinic in a general medical hospital. The techniques used by the program are presented along with some preliminary outcome data. Additionally, the normal clinical and research skills of most professional psychologists, which are of use in the pain clinic setting, are discussed, as are some of the unique training needs of psychologists working in such a setting. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nutrition education in the medical school: factors critical to the development of a successful program

The phagocytosis by mononuclear phagocytes, neutrophils and eosinophils of mast cell granules which are released in the course of anaphylactic reactions was studied in the rat. Degranulation of rat peritoneal mast cells was induced either in vivo or in vitro after passive sensitization with homologous reaginic antiovalbumin serum by challenge with the antigen. The approximate extent of degranulation was assessed by determining histamine release. The anaphylactic reaction was stopped by fixation with glutaraldehyde and the cells were examined by electron microscopy. Phagocytosis was quantified in randomly selected thin section at the magnification of 1,800. Rapid and extensive phagocytosis of mast cell granules was observed both in vivo and in vitro. About one third of the mononuclear phagocytes and between 30 and 53% of the neutrophils present were engaged in phagocytosis and usually contained several mast cell granules. Phagocytosis by eosinophils was less prominent, both with respect to the proportion of phagocytosing cell (10-23%) and to the number of mast cell granules per cell profile. Examination of large numbers of cells indicates that the uptake process is highly efficient since both condensed and already disaggregated granule bodies were seen to adhere to the phagocytes and were taken up rapidly and without the need for opsonization. In the neutrophils, extensive fusion of azurophil granules (as evidenced by peroxidase cytochemistry) with phagosomes containing mast cell granules was observed. Occasionally, mast cell granules were seen within disrupted vacuoles, which could result from the swelling of the granule matrix following engulfment. The result of this study indicate that mononuclear and polymorphonuclear phagocytes have the capacity to scavenge important amounts of mast cell granule products released by anaphylaxis.     

A cross-national study on the relations among prosocial moral reasoning, gender role orientations, and prosocial behaviors.

This research examined the correlates of prosocial moral reasoning (PMR) in 2 studies. Study 1 investigated age, gender, and culture group differences in PMR in Brazilian children and adolescents (n?=?265) and U.S. adolescents (n?=?67). Relations between PMR and both prosocial behaviors and gender role orientations in Brazilian adolescents (n?=?136) were explored in Study 2. Self-reflective, internalized reasoning was positively related, and hedonistic reasoning was negatively related, to peer ratings of prosocial behaviors. Femininity was associated with more self-reflective, internalized concerns and with less concerns regarding gaining others' approval. In general, age and gender differences in PMR were similar for both Brazilian and U.S. adolescents. However, U.S. adolescents scored higher on internalized moral reasoning than Brazilian adolescents. Discussion focused on the correlates of PMR in Brazilian and U.S. children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parallel processes in counseling and supervision: A case study.

Were concerned with the reciprocal, interlocking processes of supervision and counseling. To examine the theoretical model of parallel process, we applied social psychological theories of self-presentation and interpersonal influence in an in-depth case study (1 client, 1 counselor trainee and 1 supervisor) of the naturally developing therapeutic and supervisory relationships. Multiple indexes of the process and outcome (of both treatments) provided self-reported and verbal communication data. Results point to the similar aspects of the two relationships, the possible indicators of parallel process, and an identification of the behavioral features of the supervisor's style. Conclusions provide guidance for more extensive research along these lines. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Knowledge of good clinical practice among Danish physicians. A questionnaire study among hospital-employed physicians in the Copenhagen area

Differences in cord serum low density lipoprotein (LDL) composition between male and female neonates with normal or high (> or = 100 mg/dl or > or = 2.59 mmol/l) serum cholesterol levels were studied in 548 full-term newborn infants of the Toledo Study (Spain), where the absence of known perinatal factors that would alter lipid levels in cord blood was confirmed. The percentage of females with a high serum total cholesterol (TC) level was higher (p < 0.02) than that of males. ANOVA two-way analysis shows significant interaction of gender and cholesterol level upon LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol/Apoprotein (Apo) B ratio. However, Apo B was higher in those neonates, both male and female, with high cholesterol levels. The LDL fraction carried about 55% of TC in females with high TC levels (HF), whereas it transported just 40% in males with high TC levels (HM). LDL appeared more enriched in cholesterol than in Apo B in HF than in HM (p < 0.01). An increased level of small LDL particles should be associated with the higher triglyceride level found amongst HM. Results in LDL composition suggest that metabolic gender-related differences in infants with normal or high TC are presented at birth.     

Gender differences in the relations between depressive symptoms and drinking behavior among problem drinkers: A three-wave study.

Prior research has suggested that the relation between depression and drinking behavior is stronger for women than for men. In a 3-wave study spanning 3 years, we examined the nature of reciprocal relations between depressive symptoms and drinking behavior among women (n?=?207) and men (n?=?207) seeking detoxification or referral services for their drinking problems. Latent variable structural equation modeling analyses revealed that more baseline depression was associated with less alcohol consumption 1 year later among women and men. However, later on, more depression predicted heavier alcohol consumption, but only among women. Among women and men, heavier alcohol consumption predicted more subsequent depression, although the timing of this effect differed by gender. Reciprocal effects between depression and drinking problems were found only among men. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Man-into-space: A tool and program for research in the social sciences.

The announcement of plans to launch the first earth satellites provides the opportunity to begin an unparalleled series of studies concerning processes as they occur in our culture and in less complex cultures; the opportunity to undertake a systematic series of studies in depth and over time, tracing out the evolution of differential impacts of a radical invention on many aspects of the human complex. Such studies could make significant contributions to our understanding of the dynamics of acculturation. Areas of study might involve; "Knowledge and understanding of technical concepts associated with MIS" (man into space), "The broad values and beliefs people have concerning MIS" and "The present and future perceptions that people have of the role of MIS in their own lives." The subject of MIS forms an ideal tool for studying the processes of social change, acculturation, and perceptual reorganization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The study of intoxicant use and misuse in psychological and medical education: A basic curriculum.

Discusses factors responsible for the previous neglect of substance abuse by health care professions and describes changes that have made it possible to include this field in clinical education and training. Various factors contributed to the neglect of substance abuse, including the social, psychological, and political distance between clinicians and those with intoxicant problems; the disruptive impact of early psychoanalytic thinking; and clinicians' lack of faith in the efficacy of treatment. As a more treatment-oriented group developed intoxicant problems, treatment facilities and techniques improved, leading to a greater optimism about outcome among clinicians. These and other changes make further education in this field feasible and desirable. A sample curriculum is presented for a full year's course of 26 2-hr seminars on this topic. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Research, program development, and the education of Native Hawaiians: A conversation with Myron Thompson.

Presents an interview with M. Thompson, a trustee of the Kamehameha Schools/Bishop Estate and chair of the committee that conducted the Native Hawaiian Educational Assessment Projects, focusing on the funding, goals, and achievements of both programs. Topics discussed include the importance of sensitivity to cultural background, the employment of psychologists in the Kamehameha schools, needs assessment of Hawaiian children, and the relevance of research in Hawaii for other cultures (e.g., Blacks). (0 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)