“Looking out for each other”: a qualitative study on the role of social network interactions in asthma management among adult Latino patients presenting to an emergency department
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The objective of this study was to identify the types of interactions between asthma patients and their social networks such as close family and friends that influence the management of asthma.Keywords:
Social network (sociolinguistics)
Asthma management
Patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) were advised to comply with a complex behavioral regimen of diet and exercise. The relationship between social support satisfaction and social support network size was evaluated using the Social Support Questionnaire for 32 men and 44 women with a confirmed diagnosis of NIDDM. Control of diabetes, as measured by the glycosylated hemoglobin assay, was significantly correlated with social support satisfaction for women but negatively correlated with social support satisfaction for men. Social support network size differentially predicted success in a program for men and women. For women, network size was significantly correlated with failure to attend sessions and with failure to complete a diary. For these women, network size was not significantly correlated with weight loss, which was the goal of the program. For men, network size was correlated with increases in weight, cholesterol, and triglycerides over an 18-month period. We conclude that social support network size and satisfaction have different functions for men and women faced with a serious chronic illness. Network size adversely affects success in a program, whereas social support satisfaction has some benefits for women. The direction of the influence of social network may be determined by the similarity or dissimilarity of network norms to the desired behavior.
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Moral hazard
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Forty-two Swiss-German cancer patients rated their social network and support system on the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire. Sixty-nine percent were married. 61.9% were female, and the mean age was 58 years. The sampled listed an average of 9.3 people in their social support network. The subjects reported knowing the great majority of those network members listed for more than 5 years. While having a relatively small network, the duration of the relationships suggests network stability. The family and spouses were perceived as providing a mean of 70% of the total functional support. The results obtained from the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire are compared and interpreted using data from patient interviews. Comparisons of some of the findings from this study with those from studies of two other cultural groups (Taiwanese and Egyptian) and from a normative sample of employed adults (U.S.A.) are included. The Swiss-German cancer patients who had described their social networks as containing more people, and who felt more affirmed by others, tended to view their illness experience more favorably. Patients with small social networks and low perceived support need more attention and support from nurses. The importance of inclusion of significant others into nursing care can be inferred from the findings.
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Most researchers have examined the effects of stress and social support on pregnancy outcomes without identifying the relationship between social support and social network factors. While the type and amount of support have been shown to be related to pregnancy outcomes, the sources of that support and the influence of network structure on a person's supportive resources have not been defined. Network factors, in fact, may predict perceived support or may explain more of the variance in pregnancy outcomes than social support does alone. The objectives of this study were to describe the social networks of primigravida women and their husbands; to determine if there are any differences in social networks based on gender, education, or income; and to examine the relationships among network characteristics, demographic characteristics, and perceived availability of support from network members. The 54 couples who composed the sample for this study were recruited through local physicians who provided the names of all clients who were primigravidas, living with the father of the child, and residing within 25 miles of Ann Arbor, Michigan. During the third trimester of pregnancy, couples were interviewed in their homes, and each parent completed a Social Network Inventory (SNI). The SNI obtained information about the size of the network, role relationships, frequency of contact, percent of uniplex relationships, and degree of overlap with spouse's social network. In addition, parents were provided with definitions of each of House's (1981) four types of social support and asked to indicate which forms of support they received from each network member. Both individual variables (age and educational level) and network structure variables (size, percent kin, percent females, frequency, and density) were significantly associated with the amount of perceived social support. For each type of support, the independent variables associated with support were different for men and women.
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Social network and social support are phenomena suggested to be of importance to successful recovery from myocardial infarction. However, very few studies have been carried out, especially among the elderly, focusing on their social network and its ability to provide adequate support after myocardial infarction. The aim of this study was to examine elderly persons' social network and need for social support three months after their first myocardial infarction. The sample consisted of 128 persons between 65 and 94 years of age who answered a questionnaire. The results showed that the subjects, even the oldest ones, had an available social network and that they were satisfied with the support it provided. There was an increased need for social support after the myocardial infarction, especially for emotional support and appraisal, but also for instrumental aid and information. Despite these positive results indicating that elderly persons with myocardial infarction have a social network, whose members provide them with support, there may be a need for support also from persons outside this network. Assessment of social network characteristics and the need for social support as well as the provision of adequate information about additional support networks are important tasks for all health professionals.
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Although social network was considered as interchangeable with social support from the social integration perspective, social network and social support are two distinct constructs from the psychological and supportive communication perspectives. Social networks create a relational environment and serve as generating mechanisms for the emergence of social support, including perceptions about the availability of support when it is needed, perceptions about how much support has been received, and the types and quality of supportive messages communicated with others. Research studies have provided evidence about the associations between structural network properties and support outcomes, and indicated which patterns of social relationships and which positions in a social network facilitate or hinder the formation of perceived social support and communication of supportive messages. Recent works have also extended the testing of theoretical frameworks that argue social support as a process through which social network structures influence physical and mental health outcomes among people. Future research should further integrate the supportive communication perspective into the examination of social network and support health outcomes.
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Social Network Analysis
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Objectives:To describe the rate of complaints from the parents of the children in outpatient department and emergency department,complaint categories,departments involved,outcomes of complaints.Methods:Retro- spective study was conducted to analyze the complaints made by parents of the children in outpatient department and emergency department in Shanghai Children's Medical Center from Jan.2005 to Nov.2007.The main indexes were complaints rate,department involved,complaints and outcomes.Results:The average rate of complaints was 0.133/1000 patients.Complaints relating to treatment,communication,patient' s right and access to healthcare accounted for 37.4%,29.8%,11.6% and 9.9% respectively.Apologies or explanations and educating the health- care staff resolved 73% of complaints.Conclusion:To take complaint data as quality improvement activities is rec- ommended.Interventions to decrease the number of complaints will be educating the healthcare staffs in the areas of communication,establishing reasonable procedure in outpatient department and emergency department.
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Polyembolokoilamania in the Emergency Department Polyembolokoilamania is a rare but serious medical condition that involves the presence of multiple foreign bodies in the patient's body [1]. This condition can be challenging to diagnose and manage in the emergency department. In this chapter, we will discuss the presentation, diagnosis, and management of polyembolokoilamania in the emergency department.
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