Mental health implications and psychologic factors in workers' compensation cases.

ABSTRACT: Work-related injuries can harm mental health and affect other facets of injured workers' lives. Clinicians must be aware of the problem of emotional distress and treat the whole patient after a workplace injury. More education and information are needed for clinicians, employers, and workers' compensation carriers so that injured workers can be properly screened for mental health issues and supported during treatment. Further research is needed to establish a protocol for early intervention to minimize the negative emotional and mental health effects of workplace injuries.

The effects of information and support on individuals awaiting cadaveric kidney transplantation.

CONTEXT: No empirical studies exist to direct nursing interventions for individuals during the long period of waiting for a transplant. OBJECTIVE: To measure the effect of information and support on hope and uncertainty for individuals awaiting cadaveric kidney transplantation. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled study. SETTING: A university-affiliated hospital in the Midwest from 1997 to 1999. PATIENTS: Fifty participants awaiting cadaveric kidney transplantation. INTERVENTIONS: The control group received no intervention phone calls or mailings, which was the current standard of care. The treatment group received phone calls and mailings once every month for 6 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Hope, measured by the Herth Hope Index, and uncertainty, measured by the Mishel's Uncertainty in Illness Scale for Adults, were evaluated at the beginning of the study and 6 months later. RESULTS: No statistically significant effect of the nursing intervention was found on hope and uncertainty in this sample (F = 0.5322, P = .81). Hope was found to be negatively related to uncertainty both before (r = -0.53, P = .0001) and after (r = -0.59, P = .0001) intervention. No significant change was found between hope before and after intervention, and uncertainty before and after intervention in the treatment group (F = 1.10, P = .40) or the control group. CONCLUSION: The individuals indicated that definite needs were met by the information and support intervention even though the results did not statistically support the effect of the nursing intervention.