The omnipotent platelet. Part II: Further observations

General dental practitioners and community dental officers may need to consider several factors when referring patients to the consultant orthodontic service. In Birmingham, a local professional group incorporating representatives from both primary care and secondary care (consultant) services have drawn up a set of formal referral guidelines. The purpose of the exercise was to encourage the most appropriate use of the consultant service so that its resources could be directed towards those in greatest need. In this paper, the factors which determine the patients requiring referral are discussed; a second article will deal with the actual process of referral.     

Consultant as Confidant.

This article deals with something that is probably a common experience to every seasoned consultant but is rarely discussed in an academic journal. The authors are unaware of any research studies on the topic: the consultant as confidant. They discuss the role of the consultant as confidant through their personal experience and by bringing to bear consulting and other psychological literature. They also discuss why there is a need for consultants as confidants, the experience of being a confidant, violations of the role, and some guidelines for performing the role of confidant. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Two little magic words.

Discusses the importance of perceived program need and agency and consultant contracts to the development of agency-based community mental health programs. For programs that depend significantly on the contributions of an outside consultant, 2 steps must be taken. First, the nature of the perceived program need and the relevance of the consultants' interests and skills to that need must be established. Second, contracts clarifying the agency's and the consultant's specific roles and responsibilities in the prospective program must be developed. Problems in need determination may involve misidentification of need or disagreement among agency staff about needs. A hypothetical program for training volunteers as companions of discharged mental patients is described to illustrate the steps taken in establishing contractual responsibilities. (7 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The use of consultants in the provision of psychological services to the university community.

Attempted to justify the provision of psychological services within the university community by consultation. In this context, 4 main issues are discussed. The recommendations of the Kirk Committee concerning the provision of consulting services to the university community are summarized. 5 views of the consultant task and consultant role models are presented. 2 role models for the university consultant, emphasizing the consultant as a facilitator of social integration and/or the consultant as a facilitator of appropriate action toward distressed individuals are recommended. (French summary) (22 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes of consultant anaesthetists to the Calman proposals: a questionnaire survey

We undertook a postal survey to determine the views of all consultant anaesthetists within the North West (Mersey) Regional Health Authority on the Calman proposals for a consultant-based service; replies were received from 110 (84%). Fifty (45%) indicated that they would not resume emergency residential duties, 32 (29%) indicated that they would withdraw from the emergency duty rota, 12 (11%) said they would withdraw/retire from the NHS and 27 (25%) would change hospital under these circumstances. Most consultants had experience in the major anaesthetic sub-specialties within the preceding 5 years (obstetrics 67%, ITU 81%, major trauma 91%). Consequently the need for retraining amongst consultant anaesthetists prior to resuming residential emergency duties would be low. When questioned about the impact on anaesthetic services, 67 (61%) felt the proposals would be detrimental whilst 23 (21%) felt there would be beneficial effects. Most consultants remain antagonistic toward the Calman proposals, with a reluctance to return to residential duties.     

Future training of hospital doctors

Many changes are occurring in the organization and management of postgraduate medical education and training. Hospital Doctors: Training for the Future (Department of Health, 1993) highlights the need for shorter training programmes and structured curricula. A number of issues still require analysis, particularly the resource implications of expanding the consultant grade.     

Framework for Evaluating the Performance of Engineering Consultants

The evaluation of consultant’s performance is crucial to the success of a consulting assignment especially when today’s construction projects are becoming more sophisticated, large-scale, and risky. However, since individual clients have developed their own consultant’s performance evaluation (CPE) procedures, the sharing of performance information, though desirable, may not be too meaningful as the results of evaluation could be inconsistent. There is a need to examine whether a unified framework can be derived for CPE. The aim of this paper is to improve the transparency and rigorousness of CPE through the establishment of an evaluating framework for gauging the performance of engineering consultants. In this paper, a comprehensive set of evaluation criteria is identified, and the significance of these criteria is discussed through an empirical survey. Then, a multicriteria model for evaluating the performance of engineering consultants is presented. The results indicate that once an acceptable CPE framework is devised, the performance scores can be utilized for various purposes, including monitor and control, incentive and sanction, preselection, technical assessment, and bid evaluation.     

The influence of race and consultant verbal behavior on perceptions of consultant competence and multicultural sensitivity.

Sought to determine the influence of race and consultant verbal behavior on perceptions of consultants' competence and multicultural sensitivity. In this analog study, 154 female preservice teachers viewed a videotape of a problem definition interview in which the race of the consultee (African American or Caucasian), race of the consultant (African American or Caucasian), and verbal behavior of the consultant (race-sensitive or race-blind) were completely crossed. The participating preservice teachers (African American and Caucasian) rated the consultants on measures of competence and multicultural sensitivity. A 2?×?2?×?2?×?2 multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and subsequent univariate follow-up tests revealed a main effect for consultant behavior, favoring race-sensitive vs race-blind verbalizations for both dependent variables. Significant interactions were also found for each dependent variable for participant race?×?consultant behavior and consultant race?×?consultant behavior. Possible explanations for these findings are discussed, and implications for practice and future research directions are identified. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Trial consultants: Perceptions of eligible jurors.

How do eligible jurors perceive trial consultants? A survey was administered to 1251 participants from 50 states. Results indicated that individuals who thought the legal system was fair, those who earned higher incomes, and Anglo Americans rated trial consultants most favorable. Survey respondents estimated that 43% of court cases use trial consultants, and 18% of participants indicated that if they knew one side was using a trial consultant, they would be biased against the side that hired the consultant. Trial consultants need to consider the potential impact their presence makes during the course of legal proceedings and make the necessary adjustments to improve their services. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mental health consultation in the pediatric intensive care unit.

The need for psychosocial intervention to be integrated with medical care on intensive care units is high, but too often mental health professionals are ill-equipped by traditional training programs for such work. Medical crisis counseling provides a conceptual framework useful in developing the skills needed to effectively intervene in such settings. The pediatric intensive care unit ( PICU ) is arguably one of the most emotionally demanding and high-stress areas where mental health clinicians may be asked to consult. This article describes medical crisis consultation in the PICU setting, suggests survival strategies for the mental health consultant to the PICU, and provides illustrative case examples. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Face-to-face verbal interaction in school-based consultation: A review of the literature.

Reviews the school-based consultation research pertaining to face-to-face verbal interactions between a consultant and a consultee. Drawing from the counseling and psychotherapy literature, 2 types of research methodologies for studying face-to-face interaction are presented. The 1st type, termed content coding, categorizes the content of both consultant and consultee verbalizations and allows for an examination of the relationship between categories of consultee verbalizations as a function of various categories of consultant verbalizations. The 2nd methodology, relational coding, is more reflective of the relationship between participants and categorizes verbalizations relative to the content and intent of the message of the previous speaker. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A neuropsychologist's primer on memory for educators.

For school-aged survivors of brain injury, the neuropsychologist often serves as a consultant to educators who need to understand the extent and implications of memory deficits. A neuropsychological conceptualization of human information processing and memory is based on experimental cognitive psychology. To assist the neuropsychologist in communicating with educators, this article presents an overview of memory function and dysfunction, illustrated primarily by educational examples. Practical suggestions are offered for optimizing the educational reentry of persons with memory dysfunction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

File review consultation in the adjudication of mental health and chronic pain disability claims.

The role of the psychological file review consultant in assisting disability insurance carriers to adjudicate chronic pain and mental health claims is discussed. The authors advocate an empirical basis for the practice and outline the relevant professional issues and procedural steps to be taken in this consulting role. They examine the role of the consultant in evaluating the quality of assessment, whether empirically evaluated treatments have been applied, and what factors can be used in estimating return to work dates. Specific problems that a file review consultant might encounter and suggested solutions are described as are potential biases and ethical dilemmas that may occur when psychologists take on this emerging consulting role. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Image of industrial psychology among personnel administrators.

Results of a survey of 319 personnel administrators showed 11% of all companies and 20% of the largest ones employ a psychologist full time, and 25% employ 1 or more as a consultant. 50% felt it would be desirable to have a psychologist in the company and 75% felt it would increase productivity and satisfacton. Ratings of perceived past contributions, future usefulness, and need for further research in 12 areas of specialization are presented. Comparisons are made with previous surveys over a 20-yr period. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Variables affecting group mental health consultation for teachers.

Examined the contribution of consultant style and group environment to consultee attitude toward the consultant and toward group mental health consultation. Ss were 150 student teachers who participated in 10-wk consultation groups. Consultees completed a consultant-style questionnaire, a 90-item group environment scale, and 2 semantic differentials. Data analysis indicated that identifiable process variables do contribute significantly to consultee attitude toward the consultant and toward group mental health consultation. Specifically, 94% of the variance in attitude toward consultation and 60% of the variance in attitude toward consultant are explained by clusters of items representing consultant style and by group environment subscales. (6 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

West Midlands regional training scheme for orthodontics in dental practice

The need for continuing education in orthodontics is recognised by many practitioners and the demand for post-graduate courses is high. The limitations of such courses, particularly the short technique type, are recognised and within the West Midlands the value of a longer term clinical attachment has been emphasised. The West Midlands has a well established orthodontic consultant service with fifteen NHS and one honorary consultant; the specialist practitioner service is small by national standards. All of the orthodontic consultants have long supported the clinical assistant post as a valuable vehicle for practitioners' continuing education. Building on the example given by the consultants in the four Thames Regions, a structured, centralised academic programme has been developed to enhance the clinical training given during these two year posts.     

The psychologist as front-line mental health consultant in a general hospital.

Describes the experiences and diverse functions of a psychologist who acts as an independent mental health consultant in a general hospital. Particular attention is paid to problems that arise when psyche and soma interface, because these problems require knowledge of biology as well as of psychology. The appropriateness of this role for the psychologist and its acceptability to referring physicians are examined. The particular strengths of the psychologist as a behavioral scientist and the need for continuing education in differential diagnosis when psychological and physiological factors interact are also explored. Professional boundaries and role relations between psychology and related professions are reviewed. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Exploring the relationship between ethics committees and the wound care clinician

Ethics Committees have gained increasing popularity since the mid-1970s. This is likely due to the recognized need to more openly discuss the legal and ethical issues of clinicians and their patients. Wound care clinicians play an important role in the interdisciplinary care of the patient. The typical framework of a hospital-based Ethics Committee is described, Ethics Committees as a resource to the wound care clinician is presented, and the role of the wound care clinician as a consultant to the Ethics Committee, from an interdisciplinary perspective, is illustrated.