Library: Health Sciences

Anaemia and malaria are two related problems of public health significance in malaria-endemic countries, including Ghana, that continue to impact negatively on pregnancy outcomes, despite interventions being put in place to address them. The reasons for the apparent lack of efficacy of routine iron supplementation in reducing the risks of preterm and other adverse pregnancy outcomes are not clearly established in Ghana. It is not also known whether all pregnant women benefit from iron supplementation and whether there are some other factors that limit the effectiveness of prenatal iron supplem...

Creating a life vision for oneself is something that can have a significant and profound impact in one's life. It can influence and direct choices, environments, and occupations. Very little has been written in occupational therapy literature about this important aspect of life. In this paper, a heuristic and organic new paradigm research approach is used to uncover in-depth the implicit and explicit qualities, processes, and themes. The study includes life vision narratives from the researcher and seven participants, as well as a group process and a creative synthesis. Findings indicate that ...

The purpose of this study was to examine the perception of the registered nurses' knowledge in managing the non-diabetic patient with hyperglycemia in the acute care setting. The evidence that has been identified to keep tight glycemic control has demonstrated better outcomes for this population of patients. A non-experimental, quantitative approach was used in this study. Data was obtained based on a descriptive design, using a survey to collect information from an identified population. A convenience sample of 298 registered nurses, who worked as staff nurses at a small community hospital, ...

Intravenous fluid and blood component resuscitation is an integral part of modern medicine practice in a variety of medical fields. However, these therapies are usually led by rigid and very approximate guidelines. The purpose of creating the Homeostatic blood states theory was to develop more accurate guidelines. On the basis of the new theory the following results have been reached: 1. The physiological-mathematical model explaining blood volume homeostasis has been created; 2. Nomograms for infusion therapy measures, blood loss evaluation and calculating red blood cell transfusion amount...

Physicians and patients have received inaccurate medical laboratory test results that have put patients at risk. The purpose of this study is to determine the moral reasoning level of medical laboratory professionals. The theoretical framework that guided this study is grounded by the theories of cognitive development. The study used a population survey and Defining Issues Test, version 2 (DIT-2) questionnaires to collect data. Forty-seven participants from a medical laboratory were surveyed, and hypotheses were tested between moral reasoning scores (dependent variable) and age, gender, level ...

The style of leadership in an interdisciplinary collaboration is an existing gap in collaborative literature. Studying the leaders in an existing interdisciplinary collaboration provided a description of the leadership style of the collaborative leaders of three behavioral health teams in New York City. This qualitative phenomenological study used structured interviews of interdisciplinary disciplines to describe the leadership style of the collaborative leaders within a team environment. The data collection and analysis were conducted using codes to identify dominant themes. The themes presen...

Past studies have been done on the effects specific foods have on the adrenal glands and other hormones. This study is concerned with the combined effect that a well-rounded, healthy, nutrient-dense food program while eliminating the use of selected substances known to alter hormones, such as alcohol, caffeine, soy, hormone-laced meat, common allergy foods, would have on the adrenal glands and specific hormones. The investigator studied six individuals that had never been on hormone replacement therapy and were on a less than optimal diet. One post-menopausal woman, four menstruating women, a...

A study of professional women was initiated to determine if herbal adaptogens have any effect on improving resiliency for coping with stress. An herbal adaptogen is an herb that helps the body adjust to difficult or extreme circumstances (Derrida, 2004). An iridology assessment was completed to define the subjects’ genetic profile for resiliency. It was hypothesized that if the person were genetically resilient, herbal adaptogens would not be effective, as their stress-handling capabilities were naturally strong. Through resiliency questionnaires, a positive improvement in the ability to manag...

Infertility affects more than 3 million married couples in the United States. This study explored the use of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for treating female infertility. Surveys queried allopathic practitioners and TCM practitioners regarding their perceived knowledge and use of TCM. The vast majority of allopathic practitioners referred patients to acupuncturists and believed that acupuncture helped patients. The majority of respondents identified a trend for treating female infertility with TCM and Western medical procedures. The majority of respondents supported the concurrent use of...

The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of women living with AIDS, and to explore the nature and effectiveness of occupational therapy interventions, which they received in their homes. By describing the effectiveness of those interventions in helping women with AIDS engage in those life role activities which are important to them the study intended to contribute to the Occupational Therapy knowledge base, and in so doing to ultimately improve the quality of services occupational therapists may provide to women with AIDS. This qualitative study was conduct...