Training programme in techniques of self-control and communication skills to improve nurses' relationships with relatives of seriously ill patients: a randomized controlled study.

The interpersonal relationships with relatives of seriously ill patients may cause anxiety on the part of nurses and the need for adequate communication and self-control skills. To assess the efficacy of training nurses in self-control techniques and communication skills when they interact with relatives of seriously ill patients we planned a randomized, controlled trial in two parallel groups: an experimental group, with immediate training, and a control group, with training delayed for 6 months. We recruited 61 nurses from the nursing staff of a university hospital of 500 beds. The intervention consisted of training in relaxation, cognitive restructuring and some communication skills. The outcome variables were communication skills measured under simulated conditions using an observation instrument of our own, administered by observers masked with respect to the study groups, and the levels of state-anxiety measured with the self-assessment questionnaire the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, under imaginary conditions. The two groups initially had similar scores in the scales of communication skills, and state and trait-anxiety. After intervention, compared with the control group, the experimental group showed significant improvements in the skills of listening, emphasizing, interrupting and coping with emotions (P < 0.05). State-anxiety levels did not show any changes. In conclusion, the joint training in self-control and communication improves some communication skills in nurses when they interact with relatives of seriously ill patients under simulated conditions.

The efficacy of cryotherapy following arthroscopic knee surgery.

Cryotherapy has historically been used as a treatment following knee surgery. In the literature, there is little evidence of beneficial effects which support this practice. This study examined the effects of cryotherapy treatments on 45 subjects following minor arthroscopic knee surgery. Subjects were randomized to one of two treatment groups and the assessor remained blind to treatment group allocation. Subjects performed a 1-week home program of either cryotherapy and exercises or exercises alone. One week following surgery, a statistically significant difference was found between the groups for the affective dimension of the McGill pain questionnaire, medication consumption, compliance, and weight-bearing status. No significant differences were found between the groups for other outcome variables. These results indicate that the addition of cryotherapy to a regime of exercises following arthroscopic knee surgery produced benefits of increased compliance, improved weight-bearing status, and lower prescription medication consumption.

Isometric hip abductor strength following total hip replacement and its relationship to functional assessments.

Despite the rehabilitative emphasis on hip abductor strength following total hip replacement (THR), it is unclear how muscular strength is related to function. The purposes of this study were to examine changes in hip abductor strength during the first 6 months following THR and to determine the relationship between hip abductor strength and functional performances. Forty-three patients (mean age 64 +/- 7 years) completed strength assessments before surgery and at 1, 6, 12, and 24 weeks after surgery, and functional assessments before surgery and at 12 and 24 weeks after surgery. Both hip abductor strength and functional performance were significantly improved at each assessment (p < 0.01). The correlation between isometric hip abductor torques and the distance walked in 6 minutes was modestly high (r = 0.48-0.51; p < 0.01). This study provides baseline data for isometric hip abductor strength that can be used comparatively to assess patient progress and to help set clinical goals. Although strength is related to function, isometric measurements of strength should not be relied upon as the sole predictors of function in patients who have undergone THR.

Determination of dissolved organic phosphorus in soil solutions by an improved automated photo-oxidation procedure.

An improved automated photo-oxidation procedure to determine dissolved organic phosphorus in soil solutions is described. Organically combined phosphorus is converted quantitatively to orthophosphate under UV radiation and an excess of dissolved oxygen. The orthophosphate is determined spectrophotometrically using the Murphy and Riley procedure, modified by increasing the concentration of ascorbic acid. Fluoride was added to the system to overcome potential interference when working with soil solution. The limit of detection was 0.64 mug/l. PO(4)(-3) -P and calibration was linear over the range studied (5-1000 mug/l. PO(4)(-3) -P).

Reliability of isometric hip abductor torques during examiner- and belt-resisted tests.

The purposes of this study were to determine the test-retest reliability of isometric hip abductor torques in elderly females, to compare two assessment protocols, and to compare the performances of elderly and young females. Twenty elderly and 20 young women were tested on two occasions. During the examiner-resisted test the examiner provided the resistance, and during the belt-resisted test the subject's contralateral leg provided the resistance while the examiner positioned the dynamometer. A four-way ANOVA indicated no occasion effects (p greater than .05). Within each group, similar torques were produced by both legs (p greater than .05). Test-retest intraclass reliability coefficients were good-to-high, ranging from 0.84 to 0.98 for the eight combinations of group-method-leg. The elderly females produced 61% of the torques produced by young females (p less than .01), and the examiner-resisted method produced 65% of the torques produced using the belt-resisted method (p less than .01). The belt-resisted method required less physical effort on the part of the tester, provided greater stabilization of the pelvis, and was preferred by 95% of the subjects.

Effect of activation force on knee extensor torques.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the magnitude of the activation force, defined as the force that must be applied to the load cell in order to activate the resistance arm of an isokinetic dynamometer, affected knee extensor torques. Twenty-four healthy female subjects performed resisted knee extension through the range of 95 degrees to 5 degrees knee flexion, with a 5-s rest between concentric and eccentric muscle actions. Six exercise sets, composed of the combinations of activation force (20,50, and 100 N) and angular velocity (45 and 135 degrees.s-1), were randomly assigned on each of two occasions, completed within a 10-d period. Although peak torques were not affected by the activation force, average torques, eccentric torques at mid-range (50 degrees knee flexion), and torques during the initial portion of each muscle action (80 degrees knee flexion during concentric muscle actions and 20 degrees flexion during eccentric actions) increased as the activation force increased. The effect of the activation force tended to be more pronounced during eccentric than during concentric muscle actions, and at the faster angular velocity. Comparisons of torques should be based on similar test protocols, including activation force.