Occupational health through primary health care clinics in Singapore

The training of primary health care workers in occupational health is important for the provision of occupational health care to the workforce. In Singapore, over 400 Designated Factory Doctors, mostly general practitioners, have been trained. Occupational health is also incorporated in the training of family medicine trainees. Referral centres for cases of suspected work-related diseases are also available. Two specialist occupational health clinics function within Government polyclinics serving the large working population in Singapore. One such clinic operates every Wednesday morning at the Jurong Polyclinic. In the last four years, 485 patients with work-related complaints were seen. There were 268 cases (55%) of occupational skin disease, 74 patients (15%) with respiratory complaints, 38 patients (8%) with acute toxic exposures and 36 patients (7%) with musculoskeletal complaints. Three hundred and forty-nine of the referrals (72%) came from the Jurong Polyclinic doctors, with small numbers from other polyclinics and neighbouring private practitioners. The experience gained in conducting this clinic demonstrated that significant numbers of diseases seen at the polyclinic are work-related in varying degrees. Hence, there is a need for the further development of occupational health care delivery within the primary health care system. This can be achieved by improving occupational health training for all primary health care workers, providing an occupational health resource person at primary health care centres, and raising the awareness of such referral facilities in occupational medicine.     

Psychological science around the world.

Discusses the numbers and training of psychologists and psychological researchers worldwide, based largely on responses from 38 countries to an International Union of Psychological Science survey. The total number of psychologists in the world appears to be over 500,000, with 62,000–82,000 engaged in research as their primary or secondary work activity. Differences between industrialized and developing nations are described in the deployment of psychologists among fields of research. The differences are examined in terms of traditional academic/research fields and health service provider fields. A trend toward a growth of practice and a decline of academic/research psychology is noted. Concerns are expressed about insufficient numbers of psychological researchers. Major obstacles to such research include insufficient financial support. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

国内外钙质碱性球团生产实践及发展趋势

摘要：钙质碱性球团具有机械强度较高、还原性较好等优点,对降低炼铁焦比、提高产量具有积极的促进作用。随着国内高炉逐渐大型化,高比例球团冶炼的工业应用增加,钙质碱性球团在提高球团应用比例的同时降低了烧结限产引起的碱度不足问题。国内诸多钢铁企业如首钢、太钢及宝钢湛江等基于链篦机 回转窑球团工艺、带式焙烧机球团工艺开展了钙质碱性球团生产探索。总结了国内外钢铁企业钙质碱性球团的性能指标,并结合矿物学原理明确了碱性熔剂对生球性能和焙烧固结强度的影响机制,结合实践给出了生产钙质碱性球团的改进措施。     

Psychology and domestic violence around the world.

Psychologists around the world have made contributions in research, clinical assessment, and intervention and prevention of domestic violence. Although each country has unique factors that determine the services and resources available to battered women, children exposed to domestic violence, and abusive partners, it is the interaction among gender, political structure, religious beliefs, attitudes toward violence in general, and violence toward women, as well as state-sponsored violence, such as civil conflicts and wars, and the migration within and between countries that ultimately determine women's vulnerability and safety. This article reviews the latest psychological research and applications to intervention and prevention programs. An introduction to the various articles that compose this international perspectives section is also included. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Needs and subjective well-being around the world.

Across a sample of 123 countries, we examined the association between the fulfillment of needs and subjective well-being (SWB), including life evaluation, positive feelings, and negative feelings. Need fulfillment was consistently associated with SWB across world regions. Life evaluation was most associated with fulfilling basic needs; positive feelings were most associated with social and respect needs; and negative feelings were most associated with basic, respect, and autonomy needs. Societal need fulfillment predicted SWB, particularly for life evaluation, beyond individuals' fulfillment of their own needs, indicating the desirability of living in a flourishing society. In addition, the associations of SWB with the fulfillment of specific needs were largely independent of whether other needs were fulfilled. These trends persisted when household income was taken into account. The emergent ordering of need fulfillment for psychosocial needs were fairly consistent across country conditions, but the fulfillment of basic and safety needs were contingent on country membership. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Transformations in the world of work and of health care. Preliminary reflexions]

In this work, I make some preliminary reflections about the transformations in the world of work and health. For this purpose, I start this study discussing essential dimensions of the work like the central category to analyse the society based on the Marxist conception. Following, I investigate transformations in the world of work and the specificity of health to the related reflection about care and the organization of health workers.     

Presidential address. Changing world of health care competition and the spinal neurosurgeon

A case of early autograft endocarditis occurring three weeks after a Ross operation is described. The origin of the infection appeared to be the proximal suture line of the autograft and the pathology included subvalvular destruction of the autograft, a pseudoaneurysm between the autograft and the left atrium, and a fistula to and a vegetation in the roof of the left atrium. The valve cusps were unaffected and there was only slight autograft insufficiency (grade I-II). The autograft was removed and successfully replaced with a homograft.     

Establishing an integrated care practice in a community health center.

In a progressively complex and fragmented health care system and in response to the need to provide whole-person, quality care to greater numbers of patients than ever before, primary care practices throughout the United States have turned their attention and efforts to integrating behavioral health into their standard service-delivery models. With few resources and little guidance, systems struggle to gather the support required to establish effective integrated programs. Based on first-hand experience, we describe a working integrated primary care model, currently utilized in a large community health center system in Colorado, that encompasses universal screening, consultation, psychotherapy, and psychological testing. With appreciation for the way an organization's unique circumstances inform the best approach for that particular organization, we highlight the clinical-level and system-level variables that we consider necessary for successful practice development and address how our behavioral health program operates despite funding limitations. We conclude that organizations that aim for integrated primary care must mobilize leadership to implement systemic changes while making difficult decisions about program development, financing, staffing, and interagency relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Integrated health care and the advanced practice nurse

As state-designed Medicaid reforms are enacted and commercial insurance carriers begin to manage care, advanced practice nurses (APNs) must be ready to aggressively pursue opportunities for clinical participation. Understanding the contractual obligations of becoming a provider, as well as adopting strategies for successful participation in these emerging integrated networks, will be critical for APNs. Successful contracting requires a carefully defined set of practice activities and a willingness to become a team player in a complex organization.     

Continuity and change in the development of psychology around the world.

A survey conducted in 1998 by the International Union of Psychological Science showed that psychology is continuing to grow and expand around the world. At the same time, psychology faces severe challenges, including these: (a) responding to increased demands for accountability, (b) developing research that will be applicable to such problems as resolving and alleviating ethnic conflicts, (c) gaining an appropriate classification for psychology among the disciplines, and (d) helping to meet the needs of the "knowledge society." Taking stock of psychology's present resources and state of development should be a helpful exercise in planning for further development. Some proposals are suggested and more are welcomed to deal with the challenges to be faced in the international development of psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Features of spondyloarthritis around the world

The pressing need to document treatment efficacy for young children who stutter is discussed. Guidelines for such documentation are suggested and illustrated. Measures for verifying treatment effects in four realms are delineated: (a) conditions of documentation, (b) dependent variables to be measured, (c) establishment of treatment integrity, and (d) verification of the relationship between treatment and outcome. Illustrations of the application of the suggested guidelines are presented for 2 children.     

Reproductive health in diabetic women. A report of two cases demonstrating the importance of preconception care

BACKGROUND: Optimal glycemic control prior to and during early pregnancy is essential in diabetic women. CASES: Two cases of fetal anencephaly occurred in diabetic women who conceived with medical technical assistance but did not receive preconception counseling. Both women had poor glycemic control periconceptually, as evidenced by elevated glycosylated hemoglobin determinations in the early first trimester. Targeted sonographic evaluations in the second trimester revealed both fetuses to be anencephalic. Both women terminated their pregnancies. CONCLUSION: Women with diabetes should be encouraged to seek preconceptual counseling and achieve tight glycemic control prior to attempting pregnancy. Health care providers play a vital role in stressing the importance of preconception care to these patients.     

Personality feedback consultation to families in a managed mental health care practice.

This article presents personality assessment as valuable in expediting favorable outcomes in mental health service delivery. The unique role of the examining psychologist is discussed with respect to assessment paradigms, behavior sampling, and eliciting patient "ownership" of solutions. Solution-oriented therapy is presented as promoting client adaptiveness from a customer-oriented point of view. A consultation-feedback model is described, which integrated these themes. Several case examples are offered to illustrate identified principles. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychology, the university, and the real world around us.

Discusses the place of psychology in the modern university. Sections dealing with psychology and the geopolitics of science, the relationship of pure to applied science, the role of the university as a social institution, and recommendations for change are presented. (26 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The health care revolution: Implications for psychology and hospital practice.

Suggests that the rapid escalation in health care costs and numbers of providers as well as the sharp increase in malpractice awards, increasing control through 3rd-party payers, and tighter regulation from professional monitoring organizations over the past decade have created a revolution in the health care sector of the economy. Psychologists and other health care professionals are experiencing drastic changes in their methods of practice, reimbursement, and referral sources that threaten their professional values, autonomy, and economic security. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)