Objective: This study compared the risk of varicose veins (VV) among physicians, nonphysician health care providers (HCP), and the general population. Subjects and Methods: The Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database was used to identify 28,844 physicians and 26,099 nonphysician HCP and an identical number of age- and sex-matched patients from the general population. Using logistic regression analyses, VV risks between physicians and the general population, nonphysician HCP and the general population, and physicians and nonphysician HCP, and among physician specialists were compared by tracing their medical histories between 2007 and 2011. Results: Physicians and nonphysician HCP had cumulative VV incidences of 0.12% (34/28,844) and 0.13% (33/26,099), respectively, during the 5-year period, compared to that of the general population within the same 5-year period. Physicians and nonphysician HCP did not have a higher VV risk than the general population after adjusting for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) history (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.53-1.40, and AOR 1.43; 95% CI 0.82-2.50, respectively). Physicians did not a have higher VV risk than nonphysician HCP (AOR 0.80; 95% CI 0.43-1.51) after adjusting for age, sex, and DVT history. Surgery had the highest incidence (0.22%) while pediatrics and emergency medicine had the lowest incidence (0%) of VV risk among physician specialists; however, the difference was not significant (all p values >0.05). Conclusion: In this study, VV risk did not differ among physicians, nonphysician HCP, and the general population.
With the fast development of computer software and hardware, technology application is ubiquitous, and many healthcare services have integrated a clinical information system into daily practice. With today's information technology, everyone should possess basic computer competency to meet on-the-job demands and especially to use an information system in healthcare. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore Taiwanese nurses' computer competency, the interface usability, and any change in the nurses' practice pattern as a result of the technology use. The current study adopted a descriptive research design, recruiting 114 nurses in medical and surgical ICUs to survey their technology use. Additionally, a total of 6780 observation values were obtained by a work sampling method to investigate the applicability of the information system. The results indicated that nurses with a higher education can use more computer applications and had better computer competency than other nurses. Additionally, computer competency was related to interface usability, and interface usability in the surgical ICU was rated higher than those in the medical ICU. Finally, the nursing practice patterns observed were related to the technology use. The results could serve as a reference for information technology usage evaluation in nursing.
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