Anthony Shakeshaft, Julia Fawcett, Richard P. Mattick, Robyn Richmond, Alex Wodak, Mark F. Harris and Christopher M. Doran
The purpose of this research is to explore the feasibility of using patient‐driven, hand‐held computers in primary care settings, in order to address the apparent failure to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to explore the feasibility of using patient‐driven, hand‐held computers in primary care settings, in order to address the apparent failure to implement prevention initiatives into the routine delivery of health care services.
Design/methodology/approach
During an eight‐day period, patients of an English primary care practice who were at least 16 years of age were asked to complete a health‐related survey using a hand‐held computer. They received tailored, on‐screen feedback.
Findings
A total of 143 patients (approximately 55 per cent of all patients) began using a hand‐held computer, of whom 115 (80 per cent) answered all questions. Of these, 24 per cent reported being smokers, 7 per cent and 19 per cent were at‐risk of alcohol harm in the long and short term respectively and 14 per cent rated their overall health as poor or very poor. Most patients rated their level of satisfaction with the hand‐helds as excellent (36 per cent), very good (29 per cent) or good (24 per cent), while 89 per cent agreed to their primary care physician seeing a summary of their feedback.
Originality/value
This is the first study to evaluate the feasibility of using hand‐held computers to conduct patient screening and feedback in primary care settings.
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Henryk Grossman was the first person to systematically explore Marx’s explanation of capitalist crises in terms of the tendency for the rate of profit to fall and to place it in…
Abstract
Henryk Grossman was the first person to systematically explore Marx’s explanation of capitalist crises in terms of the tendency for the rate of profit to fall and to place it in the context of the distinction between use and exchange value. His “The Law of Accumulation and Breakdown of the Capitalist System” remains an important reference point in the Marxist literature on economic crises. That literature has been plagued by distortions of Grossman’s position which derive from early hostile reviews of his book. These accused Grossman of a mechanical approach to the end of capitalism and of neglecting factors which boost profit rates. Grossman, in fact, contributed a complementary economic element to the recovery of Marxism undertaken by Lenin (particularly in the area of Marxist politics) and Lukács (in philosophy). In both published and unpublished work, Grossman also dealt with and even anticipated criticisms of his methodology and treatment of countertendencies to the tendency for the rate of profit to fall. Far from being mechanical, his economic analysis can still assist the struggle for working class self-emancipation.
Tom Schultheiss and Linda Mark
The following classified, annotated list of titles is intended to provide reference librarians with a current checklist of new reference books, and is designed to supplement the…
Abstract
The following classified, annotated list of titles is intended to provide reference librarians with a current checklist of new reference books, and is designed to supplement the RSR review column, “Recent Reference Books,” by Frances Neel Cheney. “Reference Books in Print” includes all additional books received prior to the inclusion deadline established for this issue. Appearance in this column does not preclude a later review in RSR. Publishers are urged to send a copy of all new reference books directly to RSR as soon as published, for immediate listing in “Reference Books in Print.” Reference books with imprints older than two years will not be included (with the exception of current reprints or older books newly acquired for distribution by another publisher). The column shall also occasionally include library science or other library related publications of other than a reference character.
James Shearer, Alex D. Wodak and Kate A. Dolan
The study evaluated the introduction of naltrexone in an Australian prison system for imprisoned male heroin users. Treatment outcomes were analysed for two sub‐samples taken from…
Abstract
The study evaluated the introduction of naltrexone in an Australian prison system for imprisoned male heroin users. Treatment outcomes were analysed for two sub‐samples taken from an unsuccessful randomised controlled trial. The first sample comprised 68 participants who were randomly allocated to naltrexone treatment. The second sample comprised 47 participants who commenced opioid pharmacotherapy during the study period. Thirteen per cent of subjects started naltrexone, with only 7% retained in treatment at six months. Six‐month retention was significantly lower in naltrexone compared to methadone (p = 0.0007). Poor patient acceptability and retention did not support oral naltrexone maintenance in this treatment group.
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Dario J. Villa and Sara C. Schwarz
Political correctness, also known as “PC,” has generated much discussion on both the Right and the Left. The greatest debate comes from college campuses. Political correctness…
Abstract
Political correctness, also known as “PC,” has generated much discussion on both the Right and the Left. The greatest debate comes from college campuses. Political correctness derives from the principle that ethnic diversity, i.e., multiculturalism, can and should be preserved and protected. Ironically, the term originated in the Marxist era, when it was used to enforce conformity in the advancement of a particular Marxist view. The term became obsolete until it was revived in the 1980s (D'Souza, 1991).
The purpose of this paper is to discuss some of the implications of policies, practices and new “non‐equilibrium” management approaches in mobile grassland management.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss some of the implications of policies, practices and new “non‐equilibrium” management approaches in mobile grassland management.
Design/methodology/approach
The author takes an actor‐oriented perspective on the narrative of land‐use practices, notional sustainable stocking rates and the problematic of state policy interventions in local context. The paper is based on two years in the field on a bilateral aid‐funded grassland management project at Xing'an League, Inner Mongolia and follow‐up among selected informants.
Findings
The constitution of grasslands “degradation” is in fact contested by resource users. Most grassland scientists, Party and Government officials in China have tended to associate ethnic “minority” mobile pastoralists with destructive cultural practices that, they argue, have led to ecological decline on the steppes. This argument is integral to the “degradation narrative” that underpins the discourse on grassland science. The conventional bio‐ecology emphasis on species dominance (growth‐form), in fact says little about the extent of anthropogenic impacts on above‐ground biomass and whether these factors have been the cause of degradation. The paper suggests that greater consideration is given to specific changes in human activity, climatic and plant productivity over time and space, based on endogenous, flexible seasonal estimates.
Research limitations/implications
Although presenting challenges to conventional grassland science based on endogenous experiences and herder practices, it may have specific geopolitical limits to more general scaling‐up in different contexts.
Practical implications
The paper discusses new modalities of non‐equilibrium grassland management, inverting normative top‐down approaches to controlling environmental degradation, livestock distribution and stocking rates.
Social implications
The paper suggests rethinking the use of customary practices, vernacular knowledge and the social organisation of herders in the design of sustainable grassland management.
Originality/value
The paper may be valuable to practitioners, rural development planners, funders and researchers interested in the use of integrated, cross‐disciplinary, new ecological knowledge in grassland management.
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Every detail in the above structure contributes to the complete activity of the vitamin and especially the details in the structure of the ring.