FORCED MOLT IN FOUR JUVENILE YELLOW-EYED PENGUINS (MEGADYPTES ANTIPODES).

Penguins are dependent on waterproof plumage for survival. The molt in sub-Antarctic penguin species is a seasonal and catastrophic process during which the animals go through periods of fasting and high levels of stress. Their entire plumage is usually replaced in 3 wk. Attempts at consistent hormonal induction of molt in penguins have been unsuccessful. Four Yellow-eyed Penguins ( Megadyptes antipodes ) were referred for treatment at Wildbase, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand, in late April 2014, following loss of waterproofing, feather breakage, increased body weight, pododermatitis, and damage to caudal feathers from hock sitting. Feather plucking of damaged areas to stimulate feather regrowth was attempted with poor results. Waiting 10-12 mo for a natural molt was not tenable. Catastrophic molt was induced by treatment with 10 g/kg of fresh beef thyroid gland orally once a day. The molt was complete in 18-26 d during which the animals regained full plumage and waterproofing after feather regrowth. The forced molt feathers had abnormal pigmentation but were of sufficient quality to allow release of the birds back to the wild.

An explorative analysis of the recruitment of patients to a randomised controlled trial in adolescents with dental anxiety.

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are considered to provide the most reliable evidence on the efficacy of interventions. The aim of this study was to describe the recruitment process of an RCT study set up to evaluate a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) intervention programme for adolescent patients with dental anxiety (DA). The participants were recruited from a consecutive sample of adolescent patients (12-19 yrs old) referred for DA to a specialised pediatric dentistry clinic. Age, gender, and reason for referral were recorded for the possible eligible patients as part of the drop-out analysis of the recruitment process. Participants were then randomized to the intervention (CBT integrated with dental treatment) or control (adapted dental treatment) condition. In the recruitment process, 138 possible eligible patients met inclusion criteria, of these 55 were enrolled, 44 declined participation and 39 patients were excluded.The patients enrolled in the RCT did not differ from the non-participants with regard to age, gender or cause of referral. As a result of difficulties in the recruitment process, the study period was extended. The considerable proportion of non-participants as evident from the recruitment process may pose a threat to the external validity of the clinical trial. From a clinical perspective, the reasons for the lack of motivation to participate in behavioural interventions and the failure to appear warrant further investigation.

Patient safety as perceived by Swedish leaders.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to survey Swedish healthcare leaders' patient safety awareness, the priority they give to safety issues and their views on suitable safety management strategies. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A total 623 leaders of a sample of 1,129 responded to a mail questionnaire (55 percent response rate). Descriptive statistics of the responses are presented as frequency distributions across respondent subgroups. Means were tested for similarity by a repetitive one-way ANOVA procedure. Homogeneous response groups were sought by hierarchical cluster analysis. FINDINGS: Swedish healthcare leaders show relatively high safety awareness and how their organizations prioritize safety management. There is a marked polarization between leaders; half feel that the system works reasonably well, and that adequate funds are available to improve or maintain services. The other half thinks the system needs major change and calls for additional funding. A majority sees system errors as the main cause for adverse events; a substantial minority find human errors to be more important. Two-thirds were willing to make safety performance information on organizations and specialties public, one third was restrictive. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: Survey instruments used to explore leaders' patient safety views have not yet been rigorously tested against psychometric criteria. One hospital type was slightly over-represented and three regions somewhat under-represented in the respondent groups. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This is the first systematic attempt to explore the views of Swedish healthcare leaders on patient safety. It provides input to a national strategy to improve patient safety.