A medical malpractice crisis was proclaimed in the 1970's in this country. Florida's answer to such an event is a state statute enacted in 1975 requiring risk management programs in health care organizations. In 1985, the state further required a certified risk manager to head up each of these programs. Archival research into medical malpractice litigation, health care costs, and the rationale behind such laws shows evidence to support the term crisis. The intent of this paper is to establish that a medical malpractice crisis existed before the enactment of the risk management legislation in 1985. Then, further establish that after the enactment of such legislation, the medical malpractice crisis has not been eliminated. Analysis of medical malpractice information, insurance cost, and a survey of certified risk managers suggests that the certification of individuals to manage a program of incident reporting as a preventive concept is too ill-defined to succeed. Legislation to control physician behavior or to prevent medical accidents is unlikely. The concept of risk management certification and legislation should focus on a set of standards to create a predictable baseline that would utilize occurrence trending, determining future risk probabilities of medical injury that might lead to litigation. The intent is to develop a teamwork approach to identification of physician and practice trends.

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of treatment in right hemisphere damaged subjects. The success or failure of this treatment is directly correlated to their ability to perform appropriate social skills. Two groups, control vs. experimental, were randomly selected, with each group consisting of 20 right hemisphere damaged subjects. It was hypothesized that the 20 subjects in the experimental group would show a significant improvement in naming the expressions and identifying same/different expressions on same/different faces after receiving treatment. Utilizing the exact same exam, both groups were tested before and after treatment within a two-week period. Based on statistical analysis, results indicated no significant difference between the control and experimental groups in response times or correctly naming the expression. Although the pre and post test difference between the two groups was insignificart, both groups showed improvement. The treatment group had a positive effect in identifying same/different expressions on same/different faces over the control group. The results of this study support experimental and clinical literature, which has indicated more difficulty with naming the express ion compared to identifying same/different express ions on same/different faces. These results suggest that right hemisphere damaged subjects will remain impaired ,n emotional perception. Further study to obtain more information regarding right hemisphere damaged subjects in actual social settings 1s recommended .

This thesis reviews the past studies on the effect of alcohol on HDL-C, total cholesterol and apolipoproteins and tests 14 participants for the overnight effect of alcohol on HDL-C and total cholesterol. The relationship between high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) with alcohol and coronary heart disease is one that has gained more attention recently. Over the past 15 years several epidemiological studies have found that alcohol intake is inversely related to heart disease. Other studies have shown that moderate alcohol consumption raises the level of HDL-C, and may have a protective effect against heart disease. Still other studies show that increased use of alcohol increases the total cholesterol level. The results of this thesis showed a significant increase in three of the HDL-C levels and in four of the total cholesterol levels. The results also show a significant decrease in two of the HDL-C levels and three of the total cholesterol levels. Both of these changes occurred after consuming a set amount of alcohol per body weight.

Membership continues to be the key to the success of all association efforts and activities. In an association, the members are the foundation of the association and the reason for its existence. The more members an association has the more financial resources it will have. Membership is also the source from which an association draws its strength. Florida Nurses Association (FNA) is committed to building new sources of revenue by better promoting membership, meetings, publications and other products and services. FNA realizes their goals must extend beyond just keeping members happy. To hold members, recruit new members, and provide a higher level of services, FNA understands they must adopt more aggressive, sophisticated marketing efforts. By developing a profile and grouping individuals into market segments, a degree of homogeneity is attained, making it possible to tailor optimal marketing strategies to each segment. This new marketing orientation has a customer-driven focus, with its objective being to analyze markets, find a niche and develop on that position. Demographic and psychographic data was gathered from responses to the mailed-out questionnaire. Frequencies were evaluated by the Statistical Analysis System. The observations of this research have resulted in a profile of the 'typical' nurse member and additional marketable segments of Florida Nurses Association.

Nursing, respiratory care and physical therapy have personnel shortages which impact the quality and quantity of patient services within Florida hospitals. The 1988 Florida Hospital Association surveys report vacancy rates for nursing (15.8), respiratory care (12.6), and physical therapy (24.1). A descriptive survey was distributed to 256 Florida acute care hospitals with 102 returned (40%). This study identifies recruitment activities and costs. The results are reported for each profession and are reported for effectiveness by way of HRS region of the state, hospital bed capacity and type of ownership. Newspaper advertising was the most frequently reported and was considered the most effective, especially for nursing. Greater variety and recruitment methods was considered in both respiratory care and physical therapy, notably in more populous regions and in larger hospitals. Cost effective measures reveal that management needs improved tracking and internal reporting systems to facilitate planning and decision-making processes.

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The purpose of this study was to measure the mortality rates of diabetics and non-diabetics patients following coronary artery bypass surgery. The research hypotheses for this study were that: 1. Diabetes Mellitus is a contributing risk factor in the development of cardio-vascular disease. 2. The risk factors have a significant effect on the mortality rates following surgery. This retrospective descriptive study included the examination of the medical records of 1814 patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery at one of the three local hospitals in Central Florida, during 1988. Data showed those risk · factors considered (family history, obesity, hypertension, lipids, smoking an renal disease) to be different in each age group and sex. Renal disease was highly significant (98%) in the male population with smoking, obesity, hypertension, family history and lipids following. Renal disease was significant (95%) in the female population followed by obesity, smoking,family history, lipid and hypertension. Family history was the number two risk factor in all four groups while lipids appeared in one of the top three positions in all groups. Data showed that the number of risk factors presented does not directly relate to the mortality rate. The data showed the highest rate to be with two documented risk factors. The crude death rate for diabetics is 3.9% and for non diabetics is 5.0%. As a health care provider, it is important to be familiar with these risk factors. The importance of education, research, along with early diagnosis and treatment can not be over emphasized. The decreased incidence and the ultimate prevention of the cardio-vascular complication is the responsibility of the health care professional and the consumer.