The ethical arguments which underpin the call for interdisciplinary collaboration are analysed. In particular, the concept of 'teamwork' is considered as well as the organisational, professional, personal and cultural obstacles that constitute the barriers to the effective development of interdisciplinary relationships.
Little is known about why patients with cancer do or do not donate their biopsied/cancerous tissue to research. A review of the literature on motivations to participate in clinical research and to donate tissues/organs for therapeutic use may provide some insights relevant to tumour banking research. While more research is necessary, a better understanding of the factors that motivate patients to give or refuse consent to tumour banking may ultimately improve consent practices, public trust and donation rates.
1Following a single oral dose of amylobarbitone sodium it has been shown that a group of young subjects convert a higher proportion of the dose to 3'-hydroxyamylobarbitone than a group of elderly subjects. 2 Twenty-four hours after the administration of the drug, the mean plasma level of amylobarbitone in the elderly group is significantly higher than in the group of young subjects. 3 It is concluded that the rate of hydroxylation of amylobarbitone sodium decreases with age.
“Culture” can be understood as the way in which people make sense of the world by deploying shared meanings, attitudes, assumptions and values.
Doctors will frequently encounter patients whose lives are guided by ethical systems and values that are different from their own.
Individuals may differ in their beliefs about decision‐making, regardless of their cultural background.
Doctors should be willing to examine and test their own moral systems and cultural assumptions and be open to alternative traditions and beliefs.
Engaging with other cultures does not imply that all cultural norms should be accepted uncritically, as there may not always be room for compromise.
Failure to engage with issues of culture can erode the trust on which the doctor–patient relationship depends.
Tensions can only be resolved through rigorous attention to a person's story.
CorrespondenceMEDIBusH 1007to the pump-head, for only in this way can air embolism be prevented. It is not enough to use one clamp only, between the oxygenator and the leak, for air may still enter the tube through the defect due to a Venturi effect as the roller passes over it, and then pass into the patient's arterial system.-We are, etc.,
The ankle jerk has been recorded electrically in 150 hospital inpatients over the age of 60. The lateral position was found to be most convenient for elderly people. Reinforcement did not increase the chances of obtaining a positive result. In females, the incidence of absent ankle jerks was found to rise steadily with advancing age, particularly after 70. In men, the peak decade was 70–79 years. The overall incidence of absent ankle jerks was 42% in women and 36% in men. Over the age of 80, 50% or more of women and 41 % of men had no ankle jerks. Diabetes mellitus was the only diagnostic group in which all patients lacked an ankle jerk.
The results of screening 1140 acutely-ill elderly patients with the Amersham Amerlex FT4 assay are presented. Nonthyroidal illness was the commonest cause of abnormal results and we stress the importance of performing confirmatory tests in this group of patients.
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