Does touching patients lead to sexual intercourse?

347 male and 310 female licensed PhD psychologists responded to a questionnaire on erotic and nonerotic contact with patients. The 21 Ss who admitted having intercourse with patients advocated and used nonerotic contact with opposite-sex patients more often than other Ss, but they did not differ from other Ss on most demographic variables. On the other hand, the 30 who admitted engaging in nonintercourse erotic contact did not differ from other Ss in their use of nonerotic touching. But these Ss were older and more experienced than the rest of the sample. The differential application of nonerotic hugging, kissing, and touching to opposite-sex patients but not to same-sex patients is viewed as a sex-biased therapy practice at high risk for leading to sexual intercourse with patients. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Physicians' erotic and nonerotic physical involvement with patients

The author surveyed 164 female physicians to determine their attitudes and practices regarding erotic and nonerotic physican contact with patients. Compared with a previous study of male physicians (1), more female physicians believe in and engage in nonerotic touching, but fewer believe in and engage in erotic touching. None of the female physicians reported sexual intercourse with patients as compared with 11% of the male physicians in the previous study.     

Psychologists' attitudes and practices regarding erotic and nonerotic physical contact with patients.

Conducted a nationwide survey to investigate psychotherapists' beliefs and practices regarding physical contact with their patients. 1,000 PhD licensed psychologists, selected from the respondents to the 1974 American Psychological Association Manpower Survey, were mailed questionnaires; the response rate was 70%, and data from 347 male and 310 female Ss was used in the analysis. Results show that 5.5% of the male and .6% of the female Ss reported having had sexual intercourse with patients; an additional 2.6% of the males and .3% of the females reported having had sexual intercourse with these patients within 3 mo after the termination of therapy. Of those Ss who had had intercourse with patients, 80% repeated it. More males than females reported erotic contact with patients (10.9% vs 1.9%), but there were almost no differences on this variable among therapists of 5 therapy orientations. On nonerotic contact there were no sex differences, but there were therapy-orientation differences. The results are compared with previously reported results for physicians, and implications regarding the exploitation of patients are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Call to needle times after acute myocardial infarction in urban and rural areas in northeast Scotland: prospective observational study

OBJECTIVE: To determine call to needle times and consider how best to provide timely thrombolytic treatment for patients with acute myocardial infarction. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: City, suburban, and country practices referring patients to a single district general hospital in northeast Scotland. SUBJECTS: 1046 patients with suspected acute myocardial infarction given thrombolytic treatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Time from patients' calls for medical help until receipt of opiate or thrombolytic treatment, measured against a call to needle time of 90 minutes or less, as proposed by the British Heart Foundation. RESULTS: General practitioners were the first medical contact in 97% (528/544) of calls by country patients and 68% (340/502) of city and suburban patients. When opiate was given by general practitioners, median call to opiate time was about 30 minutes (95% within 90 minutes) in city, suburbs, and country; call to opiate delay was about 60 minutes in city and suburban patients calling "999" for an ambulance. One third of country patients received thrombolytic treatment from their general practitioners with a median call to thrombolysis time of 45 minutes (93% within 90 minutes); this compares with 150 minutes (5% within 90 minutes) when this treatment was deferred until after hospital admission. In the city and suburbs, no thrombolytic treatment was given outside hospital, and only a minority of patients received it within 90 minutes of calling; median call to thrombolysis time was 95 (46% within 90 minutes) minutes. CONCLUSIONS: The first medical contact after acute myocardial infarction is most commonly with a general practitioner. This contact provides the optimum opportunity to give thrombolytic treatment within the British Heart Foundation's guideline.     

Spirituality "importance for care"

The causes of red eye range from trivial to life-threatening, and many general practitioners are uncertain of their ability to diagnose them with the aid of an ophthalmoscope. We tested the hypothesis that, in the assessment of a patient with red eye, a doctor using a slit lamp biomicroscope would not differ in diagnostic accuracy from a doctor using a direct ophthalmoscope. A cross-over study was conducted in 98 patients newly attending an eye casualty department. 71% of diagnoses agreed exactly, and all potentially sight-threatening lesions were either diagnosed correctly or managed appropriately by doctors using an ophthalmoscope. We conclude that the initial diagnosis and management of patients with an acute red eye is not prejudiced by the lack of a slit lamp biomicroscope.     

Affect, sex guilt, gender, and the rewarding-punishing effects of erotic stimuli.

40 male and 40 female college students were classified as high or low in sex guilt (HSG and LSG, respectively) using the Mosher Forced-Choice Guilt Inventory. Experimental Ss were shown erotic slides following each "correct" choice in a discrimination task and nonerotic slides following each "incorrect" choice. Controls were shown nonerotic slides following all choices. HSG Ss made fewer choice responses leading to erotica than did LSG Ss, and females made fewer erotica-producing choices than did males. HSG and female Ss were less positive in their affective reactions to the erotica than were LSG and male Ss. Correlational and regression analyses revealed that sex guilt and gender differences in choice behaviors leading to erotica were predicted solely on individual differences in intensity of positive affective responses. Regardless of sex guilt and gender, for those high in positive affect, the erotic stimuli functioned as rewards, but for those low in positive affect, the stimuli functioned as punishers. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Trends in glove use by dentists in England and Wales: 1989-1992

The routine wearing of gloves during the dental treatment of patients forms an integral part of the recommended guidelines of many authorities worldwide. Compliance has been variable but there is evidence to show that this is increasing, as are other cross-infection control measures. A survey of glove use by general dental practitioners in England and Wales was carried out in 1989. This paper reports a follow up study in 1991/2 which aimed to identify any differences that had occurred in the interim. The results indicated that there was increasing compliance with recommended cross-infection control measures, although only one fifth of respondents were found to change gloves between patients. Of those practitioners who did not change gloves between patients, half considered that blood contact was not a reason for changing gloves. Comparisons are made with compliance rates in other countries and recommendations made for further education within the dental profession on the subject of cross-infection control.     

Training mental health practitioners to assist families of persons who have a psychiatric disability.

Reports on the development, implementation, and evaluation of an 18-hr in-service training program designed to improve the knowledge and change the attitudes practitioners have about families in which there is a member with mental illness. 47 practitioners (aged 26+ yrs) from a community mental health center served as Ss. Comparisons between practitioners who received training (n?=?29) and those who did not suggest that this model is an effective method of training practitioners. Trained practitioners reported more positive attitudes about providing services and information to families and more contact concerning educational and supportive topics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex guilt and males' preference for reading erotic magazines.

Measured the time 27 males spent reading erotic or nonerotic magazines while ostensibly waiting to partake in an experiment. Ss then completed a forced choice Sex Guilt scale (D. Mosher), read for another 5 min., and completed a mood adjective checklist, and a double-entendre word association test (G. Galbraith). High erotic readers had significantly lower sex guilt scores than low erotic readers (p     

Treatment of distal femoral fractures in the elderly. Results with the retrograde intramedullary supracondylar nail

The incidence of neural tube defects including myelomeningocele, which is one of the most common causes of infant and childhood disability, can be substantially reduced by folic acid supplementation to the diet of women before and during the early stages of pregnancy. All females of childbearing age should be taking folic acid supplements of 0.4 mg/day (400 micrograms/day) and consuming a diet rich in folate. Because many pregnancies are unplanned, supplementation should not await plans for pregnancy. Because pediatric nurse practitioners are in frequent contact with both adolescent patients and patients whose mothers are of childbearing age, and because pediatric nurse practitioners have an interest in preventing neural tube defects in future pediatric patients, they are in a good position to provide the necessary anticipatory guidance regarding the critical need for adequate folic acid intake by females of childbearing age. This article discusses and includes guidelines for providing this anticipatory guidance.     

Effect of need for approval and situational variables on the viewing of erotic material.

Conducted a study in which erotic and nonerotic magazines were made available in a waiting room to 19 high- and 19 low-need-for-approval Ss. Results support the hypothesis that low-need-for-approval individuals are more influenced by available situational cues than their counterparts. The data do not support the hypothesis that high-need-for-approval individuals display low levels of sexual responsivity across situations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predictions of hospital mortality rates: a comparison of data sources

BACKGROUND: Complementary medicine is increasingly popular with patients and with GPs, although it still remains mainly in the private sector. Few data are available from the private sector about patient-consulting patterns and outcome. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to describe detailed consulting patterns, help-seeking behaviour and outcome of care for patients attending a group of private complementary practitioners in a single general practice surgery. METHOD: Prospective data on consulting patterns were collected from all 147 new patients attending complementary practitioners over a 12-month period. For the first 30 weeks of this period, additional information on help-seeking behaviour and outcome, as measured by the SF-36 health survey and Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile (MYMOP), was collected by questionnaires from 46 out of the 68 new patients. The same information was collected from a systematic one-in-seven sample of GP patients. RESULTS: Patients seen by complementary practitioners did not vary significantly in sex and age from GP patients, except in the low numbers of children. Almost half the patients had been symptomatic for over a year and musculoskeletal disorders accounted for 66% of problems; but there was much variation between the therapies. The average number of visits per patient was three for osteopathy and homeopathy but eight for acupuncture and reflexology. The change in MYMOP scores after four weeks showed a statistically significant improvement in both complementary and GP patients, which was to similar degrees except that the mean change in well-being was significantly greater for complementary patients. CONCLUSION: Prospective data collection in single settings adds valuable information to a little-researched area. This study illustrates how individual each complementary therapy is in its patient characteristics, problem category and length of treatment. The particular improvement in well-being with complementary therapy requires confirmation in other studies.     

MR imaging findings after transplant surgery for Parkinson disease

There is a strong correlation between gingival inflammation and clinical and sub-clinical ascorbic acid deficiency. This has created a demand for a handy diagnostic test to detect the ascorbic acid deficiency. The aim of this work was to find out the efficacy of one such test, i.e. the modified Lingual Ascorbic Acid Test (LAAT). To find out the significance of ths LAAT, it was compared with plasma ascorbic acid levels and then confirmed statistically. Our findings suggest that with this simple, reliable and inexpensive method, the dental practitioners can conveniently assess the ascorbic acid status of their patients.     

Disposable contact lens use as a risk factor for microbial keratitis

AIMS: A case-control study was performed to evaluate soft contact lens (SCL) wear modality as a risk factor for microbial keratitis. METHODS: Contact lens wearers presenting as new patients to Moorfields Eye Hospital accident and emergency department during a 12 month period completed a self administered questionnaire detailing demographic data and contact lens use habits. Cases were patients with a clinical diagnosis of SCL related microbial keratitis. Controls were SCL users attending with disorders unrelated to contact lens wear. Odds ratios (estimates of relative risks) and 95% confidence limits (CL) were calculated through multivariable logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: There were 89 cases and 566 controls. A substantially increased risk with 1-4 weekly disposable SCL compared with non-disposable SCL was identified among both daily wear (DW) (odds ratio = 3.51, 95% CL 1.60-7.66, p = 0.002) and extended wear (odds ratio 4.76, 95% CL 1.52-14.87, p = 0.007) users after adjustment for demographic, lens use and hygiene variables. Other significant factors among DW users were "occasional" overnight use, use of chlorine based (as opposed to other chemical) systems in combination with poor storage case hygiene, and irregular disinfection. CONCLUSION: Properties of some disposable SCL may be partly responsible for these excess risks. It is also possible, however, that this finding is largely a reflection of widespread complacency among patients and practitioners with respect to disposable SCL fitting and use.     

Immunogestosis: a new etiologic concept of "essential" EPH gestosis, with special consideration of the primigravid patient; preliminary report of a clinical study

Evidence for immunologic processes taking part in the pathogenesis of what until now has been called the "essential" form of EPH gestosis is cited. The name of immunogestosis (IG) is introduced. The data of this preliminary study suggest that regular "inoculation" of the female genital tract with allogeneic spermatozoal histocompatibility antigens reduces the incidence of IG. Information about preconceptional sexual habits and contraceptive measures was obtained from 83 selected primigravid patients. Twenty-eight women had mild to moderate IG (Group B);55 did not (Group A). Women in Group B had had less contact with spermatozoa of partners than did women in Group A. Oral contraceptive consumption was less in Group B than in Group A. Women in Group B were younger than women in Group A. All these differences were statistically significant. A new immunoetiologic hypothesis referring to IG, as well as the theoretic and clinical implications arising from it, are discussed. This hypothesis is based on the assumption that spermatozoal histocompatibility antigens can either induce immunologic tolerance or be responsible for the phenomenon of immunologic enhancement in the maternal immunosystem. As the fetus inherits paternal histocompatibility antigens, it is concluded that pre-existing tolerance (or enhancement) exerts an IG-preventive function in a subsequent pregnancy.     

Preventing upper extremity cumulative trauma disorders. An approach to employee wellness

The association between laryngeal contact granuloma and demographic/psychological variables was examined by using a psychosomatic approach to health research. A stepwise procedure of logistic regression analyses was utilized to get a final multivariate model of variables associated with the clinical finding of a laryngeal contact granuloma. The subjects consisted of 47 patients with contact granulomas and 110 patients with voice disorders due to other causes. Our analysis of 22 variables uncovered the following statistically significant factors for developing a contact granuloma: male gender (P = 0.0001), low achievement orientation (P = 0.0007), fear of physical lesions (P = 0.0038), impulsiveness (P = 0.0016), age > 60 years (P = 0.0012), low extraversion (P = 0.004), high achievement orientation (P = 0.0079), fear of appearing in public (P = 0.0216) and strain (P = 0.03). These results show that a variety of variables are important for predicting the development of a laryngeal contact granuloma. The usefulness of this set of risk variables for predicting a contact granuloma remains to be proved in a prospective study. It is possible that not only the nature but the number of risk factors are the prime determinants of outcome.     

The common infectious diseases in Australia. A report from the australian general practitioner morbidity and prescribing survey

A study of the common infectious diseases occurring in Australia during 1969 to 1973 showing the total patient-doctor contact for these diseases, the contact rate per episode and the estimated annual new cases seen is presented. In addition, the frequency by age-group and comments made on annual variations, sex differences (where applicable) and the treatment ordered by a large panel of general practitioners are shown.     

Pediatric contact lenses: case reports

BACKGROUND: Contact lenses may be a useful, even essential, treatment modality for children with a variety of optometric needs. Many clinicians who are experienced and capable contact lens practitioners but do not specialize in the care of children may refrain from considering contact lenses as a treatment option because of a host of perceived problems. Most of these concerns can be readily overcome with patience, planning, and education. CASE REPORTS: Five cases are presented to illustrate specific clinical problems and the clinical application of contact lenses in the pediatric population. CONCLUSION: The case reports illustrate the clinical application of contact lens fitting in children with a variety of clinical needs. The use of contact lenses in children is an ongoing process, requiring great flexibility and creativity on the part of the optometrist. Educating the child and the family is an integral part of the treatment. The use of contact lenses in children is both an opportunity and a challenge that may result in great satisfaction for the child, the family, and the optometrist.