Abstracts fra Bibliotek for Læger 4/2012

Originalartikel: »Afføringen må holdes i fineste Orden« Om Skodsborg Sanatoriums historie
Milli Svarre

”The defaecation must be kept tidily in order”. The history of Skodsborg Sea Sanatorium.

Bibl Læger 2012;204:310-351.

Based on oral history and a unique archival material from the Danish Adventist Church, this article offers a comprehensive history of Skodsborg Sea Sanatorium, founded in 1898 by the Danish physician Carl Ottosen (1864-1942). Ottosen was a dedicated follower of the renowned American reform doctor John Harvey Kellogg (1852-1943), and the two colleagues met repeatedly on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Skodsborg Sea Sanatorium offered state-of-the-art treatment that included hydrotherapy, exercise, vegetarian diets, and various electrical methods. For decades it was immensely popular, and several statesmen and artists of the period underwent the famous “Skodsborg cure”. In 1992 the sanatorium was transformed into a modern wellness and spa bath, and it is no longer owned by the Adventist Church.

Kvarlets genstand
Morten A. Skydsgaard

Originalartikel: Risk communication
Jesper Bo Nielsen & Ivar Sønbo Kristiansen

Bibl Læger 2012;204:354-371.

The purpose of risk communication is to allow the patient to evaluate his or her own situation, and make a decision based on personal preferences. Risk communication has two core elements: the probability of an undesirable outcome, and the valuation of this outcome. There is solid evidence that laypeople as well as professionals have difficulties understanding these concepts. The effectiveness of health interventions can be expressed with “vertical” measures (for example absolute risk reduction) or “horizontal” measures (postponement of the undesirable outcome, for example prolongation of life). These measures are conceptually different, although they basically express the same effectiveness. They convey the average effectiveness, but not all patients enjoy this average. It may be of considerable interest to the patient, whether most patients will enjoy this average or whether a smaller proportion will have greater benefit while others will have none. Unfortunately, we cannot judge from empirical data. Good risk communication must be honest, trustworthy, understandable, useful, and accessible. Gradual aging of the populations entails more chronic diseases such as cancer or cardiovascular disease. Such diseases can be prevented or at least postponed if the right intervention is prescribed and followed by the patient. Good risk communication is a means to meet this end.

Et billede fra min hverdag
Anne Tjønneland

Originalartikel: Interventioner og sundhedsforskning

- Nogle kritiske bemærkninger
Helle Ploug Hansen & Tine Tjørnhøj-Thomsen

Interventions and health research – some critical remarks

Bibl Læger 2012;204:374-388.

The purpose of this article is to discuss some challenges in classical intervention research. We reflect upon the concept of intervention, and how it became an interesting concept in health systems and research. This is followed by a discussion of the most used research design in intervention research, the randomized clinical trial (RCT), and some of its possibilities and limitations. Finally, we outline three models for complementing RCT with qualitative research. 

Interview med Aja Høy-Nielsen: “Tuberkulose som folkesygdom – indsats og omkostninger 1900-1962
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