Wisconsin

PURPOSE: Studies have shown a high prevalence of weight loss in older adults is associated with an increased risk of death. We investigated this in a population-based study. METHODS: Persons living in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, participated in a baseline examination between 1988 and 1990 (n=4926). A medical examination and standardized questionnaire were administered. Weight loss was defined as percent loss in body weight from highest lifetime weight to measured weight at baseline.

To meet the challenge of preparing nurses for delivery of health care that is directed toward health promotion and focused on populations at the community level, it is critical that academicians develop new methods to educate their students. In this article, I describe an innovative clinical practice model in which an academic-community partnership was created between a college of nursing and a neighborhood grade school and parish.

BACKGROUND: For Ascension Health's Healthcare That Is Safe strategy, Sacred Heart Hospital (SHH) and Columbia St. Mary's (CSM) served as alpha sites to develop strategies to eliminate perioperative adverse events (POAEs). The alpha sites set an interim goal of a 50% reduction of POAEs, then 100%, or elimination of POAEs by July 2008.

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have linked dementia to the subsequent deterioration of oral health. Few investigators, however, have examined oral disease as a potential risk factor in the development of dementia. The authors conducted a study to investigate a potential association between a history of oral disease and the development of dementia. METHODS: Longitudinal dental records supplemented data collected from 10 annual cognitive assessments of 144 Milwaukee participants in the Nun Study, a longitudinal study of aging and Alzheimer disease, who were 75 to 98 years old.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There are now more than 100,000 Hmong (Southeast Asian) refugees in the United States. This study examined interactions between Hmong patients and their health care providers and identified specific factors that either enable or obstruct health care delivery. METHODS: We used semistructured interview techniques to investigate patients' and providers' experiences, looking for attitudes, ideas, or behaviors that could be modified to improve health care delivery.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There are now more than 100,000 Hmong (Southeast Asian) refugees in the United States. This study examined interactions between Hmong patients and their health care providers and identified specific factors that either enable or obstruct health care delivery. METHODS: We used semistructured interview techniques to investigate patients' and providers' experiences, looking for attitudes, ideas, or behaviors that could be modified to improve health care delivery.

OBJECTIVES: The Leadership Opportunities with Communities, the Underserved, and Special Populations (LOCUS) Program aims to improve medical students' leadership knowledge and skills, to improve self-awareness and motivation for community service, and to provide models for students to integrate community service into their medical careers. DESCRIPTION: The LOCUS program was established as a longitudinal, extracurricular student opportunity at the University of Wisconsin Medical School in the fall of 1998.

A forensic hypnosis interview played a major role in a murder conviction. Several years later, the reliability of the interview was called into question leading to a court hearing on whether the methods used by the hypnosis specialist, hired by the police, conformed to the legal guidelines established by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. This article examines the many errors committed by the hypnosis specialist, and the subsequent legal proceedings which altered the verdict.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the current level of use, referral and desire for service of different complementary and alternative (CAM) therapies among Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center providers. METHODS: A survey was conducted in January of 2001 of all medical and associate staff. RESULTS: The response rate was 79%; 55% reported using 1 or more of 18 therapies for themselves. Over 25% of providers used nutritional supplements, herbal medicines, or hydrotherapy with a patient. Over half of providers had referred a patient for biofeedback or chiropractic care.

Research indicates that two common ways breast cancer patients or women with breast cancer cope with their diagnosis and subsequent treatments are participating in computer support groups and turning to religion. This study is the first we are aware of to examine how prayer and religious expression within computer support groups can contribute to improved psychosocial outcomes for this population. Surveys were administered before group access and then 4 months later.