MEDICAL ENGLISH / MEDICINSK ENGELSKA

EN2011, 7.5 ECTS credits Spring 2010, Hgskolan i Halmstad

Assignment No. 6 1 Research Article Summary

Carl Manlio Hjelm Giordano June 7, 20102, Malm

ARTICLE SUMMARY* **
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In an article from 1997 in MD Computing, Dr. Bourie et al of the Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, describe how the implementation of a computer program that they have developed using the MAGIC programming language and graphic user interface has made previously handwritten nursing assessments obsolete in all the hospitals inpatient units and in surgical pre-admission. Prior to this immediate switch, in July 1994, to computerised management of assessments (shortly after evaluating a pilot study involving only two of the units), nurses were required to attend 45-minute instruction sessions on the use of the software. A broad account of the context for implementation of the software is provided, with hospital staffing, care delivery model (primary nursing), computer availability, etc. being detailed in the article. It is further described how the computer program was developed in collaboration between nurses and programmers, adopting the Gordon Health Pattern Model (in use since 1981 at the hospital) as the

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framework for obtaining a holistic data set describing each patient. The article explains in some detail how the program is to be used (screen samples, examples of required keystrokes, etc.), with the assessment being organised into four main sections: Pre-Admission, General Summary, Functional Health Pattern Areas, and Discharge Planning. The stated goals for developing the program were all attained and include increased compliance with obtaining required information about patients (increase from 47% to 76% in 6 months; 94% after 18 months), reducing the time spent on assessment (reduction from 60 minutes to 30 minutes in 6 months; 27 minutes after 18 months), and online availability of patient data to authorised clinicians. Further, a high degree of uniformity in the kind of data obtained by the nurses is at least potentially (bypass to free text allowed at several levels) afforded by the flowchart appearance. [299 words]

Bourie, R. et al (1997) An Automated Nursing Assessment for a Teaching Hospital MD Computing Vol. 14 No.1
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Written as if (1) the article had been published recently, and (2) for a professional audience with appropriate knowledge.
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Comment The article was reprinted in the required textbook3 for this course:
Legl, Elisabeth. Kommunikationstrning fr vrdpersonal. 2nd edition (2002), 7th printing (2009). Lund, Sweden: Studentlitteratur. 105-112.

That reprint was used for the present summary.

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Excerpt (copied and pasted) from the written instructions (there were also complementing video instructions) for this assignment:
This assignment is a more specifically research-orientated task. The task involves you reading a nursing research article and summarising its main contents / findings in concise (kortfattad) English. The article for summary is Bourie, R. et al (1997) An Automated Nursing Assessment for a Teaching Hospital MD Computing Vol. 14 No.1 reprinted in Legl, Unit 10, pp 105-112. Begin by reading the article slowly and carefully. Use the questions listed under Advanced Reading (p 105) to help you grasp the essential points of the study. Summarise the study in 200-300 words (this is a rough guide only).

The due date was extended to June 11, 2010, in an e-mail sent to all course participants.

The formatting of this reference (i.e. to the required textbook for this course) is consistent with that of the example provided on p. 259 of the required textbook for the course Uppsats och uttal, this spring (except for including, here, information also on (i) country, (ii) edition number, (iii) printing number, and (iv) year of first printing of that edition; it is not explained how any of these data should be incorporated with the MLA style, which I have chosen to use):

Bjrn, Lennart & Risnen, Christine. Academic Writing. 3rd edition (2003), 9th printing (2010). Lund, Sweden: Studentlitteratur.

Here, an ampersand (&) was used to separate the names of the authors. How this should be done in the MLA style is not described (either) in that textbook. (The ampersand is used in this rle, however, in the example of the LSA style provided on p. 277 of that same book.)

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