APA Visiting Psychologist Program: 1976-1977.

The Visiting Psychologist Program, under the sponsorship of the National Institute of Mental Health, has completed its 10th year of operation. The program continues to function as a mechanism for the dissemination of up-to-date knowledge generated in recent research findings and to provide for the demonstration of innovations in psychological procedures to mental health professionals in service settings by psychologists who are significantly involved in research, training, and the delivery of services. The total number of agencies visited by the program since its inception numbers about 450. During the past year, 28 agencies were visited, of which 17 were newly selected agencies, while 11 were return visits to agencies visited the previous year. Agencies that received initial visits are listed with their Visiting Psychologists in Table 1. Agencies and Visiting Psychologists involved in return visits are listed in Table 2. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

APA visiting psychologist program: 1973-1974.

The NIMH-sponsored Visiting Psychologist Program has completed its seventh year of operation. This program is designed to facilitate the dissemination of current knowledge generated in recent research findings and to provide for the demonstration of innovations in psychological research to mental health professionals. The program attempts to reach practitioners in service settings by offering consultation, lectures, and demonstrations by psychologists who are themselves significantly involved in research, training, and delivery of services. During the 1973-1974 program year, 49 agencies were visited, of which 38 were newly selected agencies and 11 were return visits to agencies visited the previous year. Forty-eight psychologists participated as visitors in the program. Agencies that received initial visits are listed, with their Visiting Psychologists, in Table 1. Agencies and Visiting Psychologists involved in return visits are listed in Table 2. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

APA Visiting Psychologist Program: 1975-1976. Educational Affairs Office.

The Visiting Psychologist Program, under the sponsorship of the National Institute of Mental Health, has completed its ninth year of operation. The program continues to function as a mechanism for the dissemination of up-to-date knowledge generated in recent research findings and to provide for the demonstration of innovations in psychological procedures to mental health professionals in service settings by psychologists who are significantly involved in research, training, and the delivery of services. The total number of agencies visited by the program since its inception numbers about 400. During the past year, 42 agencies were visited, of which 32 were newly selected agencies, while 10 were return visits to agencies visited the previous year. Agencies that received initial visits are listed with their Visiting Psychologists in Table 1. Agencies and Visiting Psychologists involved in return visits are listed in Table 2. The Advisory Committee would like to thank all of those who contributed to the success of the program. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

APA Visiting Psychologist Program: 1977-1978.

The Visiting Psychologist Program, under the sponsorship of the National Institute of Mental Health, has completed its 11th year of operation. The program continues to function as a mechanism for the dissemination of up-to-date knowledge generated in recent research findings and to provide for the demonstration of innovations in psychological procedures to mental health professionals in service settings by psychologists who are significantly involved in research, training, and the delivery of services. The total number of agencies visited by the program since its inception numbers about 465. During the past year, 16 agencies were visited, of which 9 were newly selected agencies, while 7 were return visits to agencies visited the previous year. Agencies that received initial visits are listed with their Visiting Psychologists in Table 1. Agencies and Visiting Psychologists involved in return visits are listed in Table 2. The Advisory Committee would like to thank all of those who contributed to the success of the program. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

APA Visiting Psychologist Program: 1971-1972.

The Visiting Psychologist Program has completed its fifth year of operation under the sponsorship of the National Institute of Mental Health. The program is designed to facilitate the dissemination of up-to-date knowledge generated in recent research findings and to provide for the demonstration of innovations in psychological procedures to mental health professionals in service settings by psychologists who are significantly involved in research, training, and delivery of services. The program continues to be well received by agencies and visitors who have participated in it. During the past year, 43 agencies were visited, of which 33 were newly selected agencies, while 10 were return visits to agencies visited the previous year. Forty-four Visiting Psychologists participated in the program. Agencies which received initial visits are listed, with their Visiting Psychologists, in Table 1. Agencies and Visiting Psychologists involved in return visits are listed in Table 2. The Advisory Committee would like to thank all of those who contributed to the success of the program. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

APA visiting psychologist program: 1978-1979.

The Visiting Psychologist Program, under the sponsorship of the National Institute of Mental Health, has completed its 12th year of operation. The program continues to function as a mechanism for the dissemination of up-to-date knowledge generated in recent research findings and to provide for the demonstration of innovations in psychological procedures to mental health professionals in service settings by psychologists who are significantly involved in search, training, and the delivery of services. The total number of agencies visited by the program since During the past year, 15 agencies were visited, of which 14 were newly selected agencies and 1 was a return visit to an agency visited the previous year. Agencies that received initial and return visits are listed with their visiting psychologists in Table 1. Agencies and visiting psychologists involved in return visits are indicated with an asterisk. The Advisory Committee would like to thank all of those who contributed to the success of the program. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

APA visiting psychologist program: 1981-1982.

The Visiting Psychologist to Field Settings Program, under the sponsorship of the National Institute of Mental Health, has completed its 15th year of operation. The program continues to function as a mechanism for the dissemination of up-to-date knowledge generated in recent research findings and to provide for the demonstration of innovations in psychological procedures to mental health professionals in service settings by psychologists who are significantly involved in research, training, and the delivery of services. The number of agencies visited by the program since its inception totals over 500. During the past year, 22 agencies were visited. Since several of the agencies reviewed by the Advisory Committee requested similar areas of consultation and were in close geographical proximity to one another, the committee felt it desirable to arrange some combined agency visits in order to include as many agencies as possible in the program. Agencies that received visits are listed with their Visiting Psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

APA Visiting Psychologist Program: 1982-1983.

The Visiting Psychologist to Field Settings Program has completed its 16th and final year of operation under the sponsorship of the National Institute of Mental Health. The program functions as a mechanism for the dissemination of up-to-date knowledge generated in recent research findings and to provide for the demonstration of innovations in psychological procedures to mental health professionals in service settings by psychologists who are significantly involved in research, training, and the delivery of services. The number of agencies visited by the program since its inception totals over 500. During the past year, 17 agencies were visited. Agencies that received visits are listed with their Visiting Psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

APA visiting psychologist program: 1980-1981.

The Visiting Psychologist to Field Settings Program, under the sponsorship of the National Institute of Mental Health, has completed its 14th year of operation. The program continues to function as a mechanism for the dissemination of up-to-date knowledge generated in recent research findings and to provide for the demonstration of innovations in psychological procedures to mental health professionals in service settings by psychologists who are significantly involved in research, training, and the delivery of services. The number of agencies visited by the program since its inception totals over 500. During the past year, 16 agencies were visited. Agencies that received visits are listed with their Visiting Psychologists. The Advisory Committee would like to thank those who contributed to the success of the program. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The APA Visiting Scientist Program: 1967-68.

Notes that the 1967-68 academic year was the eighth year of APA's Visiting Scientist Program. The program is supported by the National Science Foundation. Although the goals of the program and the procedures for carrying it out are much the same as in previous years, some changes were made in the program this year, which are outlined. The institutions and visitors are listed in Table 1. Psychologists who served as visitors are thanked for their services; their effectiveness and the effectiveness of the program through the years is attested to by the vast number of positive comments received from visited institutions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Percutaneous transhepatic portal embolization using newly devised catheters: preliminary report

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to develop a method to identify persons at high risk for acquiring new sexually transmitted infections. METHODS: Computerized medical records from sexually transmitted disease clinics in Dade County, Florida, were used to conduct a retrospective cohort study. For all patients who visited in 1987, risk factors were identified for returning to the clinics within a year with a new sexually transmitted infection. Predictor variables were derived from the index visit and any visits in the year prior to the index visit. Logistic regression was used to develop a model that was applied to all patients who attended in 1989. RESULTS: Of 24,439 patients attending in 1987, 18.5% returned within a year with a new infection. Return rates were highest for 15- to 19-year-old Black males (31.8%). The highest odds ratios for returning were a diagnosis or treatment for an infection in the previous year and a diagnosis or treatment for infection at the index visit. The patients predicted to be at highest risk had a 39% return rate. There were as many new infections among the 2893 patients at highest risk as there were among the 13,326 patients at lowest risk. CONCLUSIONS: We developed a model that identifies persons at very high risk for sexually transmitted infection. These persons should be targeted for intensive intervention to reduce their risk.     

APA Visiting Scientist Program: 1974-1975.

Notes that the American Psychological Association's Visiting Scientist Program has now completed its fifteenth and last year of operation. Support for the program was provided from contributions from the institutions visited. Because the program is not self-supporting and is no longer receiving funds from the American Psychological Foundation or the American Psychological Association, the program terminates this year. The reports of the visits were very favorable, and the Educational Affairs Office would like to express its appreciation to all of those who contributed to the success of this year's program. A list of institutions and visiting psychologists is provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

APA visiting scientist program: 1973-1974.

The American Psychological Association's Visiting Scientist Program has now completed its fourteenth year. Support for the program was provided by a grant from the American Psychological Foundation, contributions from the institutions visited, and budgeted funds from the American Psychological Association. As in the past, the Visiting Scientist Program provided colleges and small universities with visits from eminent psychologists who offered their services as either scientific lecturers or educational consultants. Over 1,000 such visits have been made to educational institutions across the United States, 70 of which were made during 1973-1974. Throughout its existence the program has maintained the following objectives: (a) to stimulate interest in the scientific aspects of psychology at the collegiate level; (b) to present some of the new developments in psychological research and application; (c) to provide psychology departments with expert consultation regarding curricula, laboratories, staffing, programs, and procedures; (d) to acquaint students with the opportunities for advanced study and scientific and professional careers in psychology, including the teaching of psychology. For the last several years a special effort has been made to include psychologists and institutions which would serve as representatives of minority groups. The reports of the visits were very favorable and the Educational Affairs Office would like to express its appreciation to all of those who contributed to the success of this year's program. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Determinants of home health visit length: results of a multisite prospective study

OBJECTIVES: The authors (1) compare visit length across four categories of skilled nursing home health visits which reflect recent changes in home health casemix-AIDS-related, hospice/terminal (HT), intravenous (IV) therapy, and maternal and child health (MCH)-with general adult medical/surgical (MS) visits and (2) identify factors influencing visit length. METHODS: The study sites were 12 nonproprietary Massachusetts home health agencies (HHAs). Staff nurses collected data concurrently on a sample of visits they provided between December 1, 1992 and November 30, 1993. The visits were stratified by agency, time of year, and visit category. The authors used analysis of variance to test for significant differences across visit categories in Home Length of Visit (the number of minutes between when the nurse entered and left the home) (HLOV). The authors used multivariate regression analysis to develop models identifying determinants of HLOV and adjusted R2 to measure the explanatory power of partial models. RESULTS: In univariate analysis, the categories differed significantly from each other in length (P < 0.0001). HT visits were the longest (median visit length = 60, 80, and 59 minutes for HT Only visits, visits in both the HT and AIDS categories (HT/AIDS), and HT/IV visits, respectively). MS visits were the shortest (median = 30 minutes). The remaining categories were intermediate in length (medians = 37 to 50 minutes). Almost half the variability in HLOV was explained by the full multivariate regression model, which includes all independent variables (adjusted R2 = .4486; P < 0.0001). Visit characteristics alone in a partial model explained 18% of the variability in HLOV. Three other variable sub-groups-agency, client characteristics, and nursing workload-each explained about 15% of the variability in HLOV. Nursing activities performed during the visit explained 11%; several of these related to teaching, education, or assessment. CONCLUSIONS: Accurate reimbursement reflecting casemix differences is important to protect the teaching, education, and assessment functions of nurses; measure nurse productivity and allocate caseloads; maintain access to services for clients with greater needs; and avoid creating economic disincentives to the agencies that serve them. Payers formulating prospective payment systems can adjust per visit reimbursement rates to reflect differences in visit length by category and incorporate functional limitations, clinical instability, and case coordination as classification variables. Developers of home health casemix systems can use factor analysis to improve the robustness of multivariate models and include nursing workload in predicting visit length. Home health agencies measuring productivity and caseload across complex client populations can classify visits into three groups-MS; HT; and AIDS, IV, and MCH-or use the regression results to develop more refined predictors of visit length and nursing caseload.     

Questionnares: Use or Abuse?

The author opines that if the percentage of return on mail questionnaire studies using psychologists as subjects is declining, he should not be surprised. He states that although his position is not unique, he receives perhaps 10 requests per year. Out of wishes to advance science and help colleagues he usually complies with such requests for information, but finds that it has been rare, in his experience, to receive an acknowledgment for my efforts, and rarer still, to receive any feedback or report of findings of a study. He feels that such a practice on the part of researchers shows a decided lack of professional courtesy and will perhaps ultimately lead to scientific inquiries being ignored or dealt with perfunctorily and dismissed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

APA Visiting Psychologist Program: 1974-1975.

Notes that the Visiting Psychologist Program has completed its eighth year of operation under the sponsorship of the National Institute of Mental Health. The program is designed to facilitate the dissemination of up-to-date knowledge generated in recent research findings and to provide for the demonstration of innovations in psychological procedures to mental health professionals in service settings by psychologists who are significantly involved in research, training, and delivery of services. Agencies that received initial visits are listed, with their Visiting Psychologists as well. Agencies and Visiting Psychologists involved in return visits are also listed. The Advisory Committee would like to thank all of those who contributed to the success of the program. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of rotation on spatial attention

OBJECTIVE: To clarify whether out-of-hours health centre visits and referrals to hospital are equally distributed in the three different duty models being used for health care in southwestern Finland. DESIGN: A medical audit of 2926 health centre visits and 223 referrals to hospitals by general practitioners (GPs) on duty. The duty models were formed on the basis of a possibility to utilize a local health centre during nights and weekends. Two-month follow-up period. SETTING: Primary health care. Population 46438. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Out-of-hours visits to health centres and referrals to hospital, and the effect of age and duty model on referrals and visits. RESULTS: Patients over 64 years of age received most of the referrals although they visited the health care centre less frequently than the 0-14 year-olds (p < 0.001). The people who had an opportunity to utilize their local health centres visited more during out-of-hours than those who did not have this opportunity (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The health centre visits were not equally distributed in the three examined duty models. The over 64 year-olds in particular had the least visits and the most referrals.     

The APA Visiting Psychologist Program: 1967-68.

Briefly discusses the beginning in 1967-1968 of the American Psychological Association's Visiting Psychologist Program, which is supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health. The goals of this program are to provide information on recent developments in the field to psychologists in service settings, to provide opportunities for psychologists with significant training and research responsibilities to visit and learn about service settings, to facilitate the dissemination of up-to-date knowledge of recent research findings, and to provide for the demonstration of innovations in psychological procedures and techniques. The reports from both the agencies and visitors indicate that the program has been well successful. The agencies and visitors are listed in Table 1. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of community based management in failure to thrive: randomised controlled trial

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a health visitor led intervention for failure to thrive in children under 2 years old. DESIGN: Controlled trial, randomised by primary care practice. SETTING: Newcastle upon Tyne health district. INTERVENTION: Structured health visitor management, with dietetic, paediatric, and social work input as required. SUBJECTS: 229 children (120 in intervention practices and 109 in control practices) were identified as failing to thrive by population screening during the first 2 years of life. Follow up was by home visit of a research nurse and review of the childrens' records at age 3 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Follow up weight and height and number of routinely collected weights. RESULTS: 95 of the 97 families offered intervention completed at least the initial assessment. At follow up, 187 (82%) records were reviewed, and these suggested that 15 (16%) controls were lost to follow up immediately after the screening weight was taken compared with only one child in the intervention group. In the 134 (58%) families who consented to home visits, children in the intervention group were significantly heavier and taller and were reported to have better appetites than childen in the control group, although both groups were equally satisfied by the services they had received. When the children were last weighed, 91 (76%) in the intervention group had recovered from their failure to thrive compared with 60 (55%) in the control group (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: In failure to thrive, health visitor intervention, with limited specialist support, can significantly improve growth compared with conventional management.     

Compliance with primary prevention in private practice: creating a tobacco-free environment

A sample of private orthodontic practices (n = 40) from a controlled trial for clinician-initiated tobacco-use prevention was used to test the effectiveness of preventive medicine representative (PMR) visits in creating and maintaining an anti-tobacco office environment. Clinical staff of 20 offices, randomly assigned to the experimental group, were trained by a PMR on the use of anti-tobacco materials (no-smoking signs, posters, and print materials). Twenty control-group offices did not receive any training or special treatment. Subsequently, experimental-group offices were visited by a PMR once every three months and were telephoned six weeks after each visit over a 12-month period. During visits and phone calls, PMRs prompted offices to order anti-tobacco materials. Visits served to introduce offices to new materials and to encourage their continued use. Data from direct observations and self-report measures showed significant differences between experimental and control offices for display of anti-tobacco materials at 1.5 months and 12 months (P < .001). Results suggest that PMR visits may serve as an effective method of introducing and maintaining preventive medicine procedures in clinical environments.