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In this pilot study, the NOC instruments Knowledge of Medication, Caregiver Home Care Readiness, and Health Promoting Behavior were evaluated for use in measuring outcomes of a nurse care manager program with chronically ill veterans. The convenience sample included 10 chronically ill veterans who were diagnosed with at least three of the high priority diagnoses targeted for care management: congestive heart failure, ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease hypertension, and diabetes. The typical patient was a 68-year-old married Caucasian male. The Caregiver Home Care Readiness and Health Promotion Behavior instruments demonstrated strong correlations for inter-rater reliability and overall reliability using Cronbach's alpha. The correlation coefficient for inter-rater reliability was below the acceptable .80 for Knowledge of Medications. This instrument had been modified considerably from the original NOC instrument because many of the indicators were in the scope of responsibility of pharmacists rather than nurse care managers in the Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC). All of the instruments showed acceptable inter-item reliability of .71 to .87. Use of chart audits to collect data regarding health promotion behavior and knowledge of medications was compared to the procedures of data collection with modified NOC instruments. The results from this pilot study demonstrated that NOC instruments provided more reliable data than the chart audits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two cases are presented of closed rapture of the extensor pollicis longus due to rotational trauma to the forearm. Case 1 was successfully managed by indicis proprius transfer and the operative findings are described. The rarity of this injury is stressed by a review of the sparse relevant literature. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Seating arrangements for cerebral palsy children with total body involvement are often unsatisfactory and can pose considerable problems for the multi-disciplinary team. Hip joints at risk of dislocation must be kept in an abducted position in order to minimize pain. A new wheelchair with a barrel-shaped cylindrical seat has been developed which improves the femoral head location and alleviates pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]