Ulf Göran Ahlfors

Clinical multicentre study of citalopram compared double-blindly with mianserin in depressed patients in Finland

Ahlfors UG, Elovaara S, Harma P, Suoniemi I, Heikkila L, Nummi K, Vartiainen A, Var-tiainen H, Tarnminen T, Elgen K, Sundman K. Clinical multicentre study of citalopram compared double-blindly with mianserin in depressed patients in Finland.The aim of the trial was to study the antidepressant effect and side effects of citalopram and mianserin in a double-blind, multicentre study in six psychiatric hospitals in Finland. Patients of both sexes, aged 18 to 70 years, were included. The depression was classified as endogenous or non-endogenous by means of the Newcastle Depression Scale (1). Thirty-seven patients were allocated to treatment with citalopram and 34 to treatment with mianserin. Six patients (5+1) did not fulfil the inclusion criteria and nine patients (4+5) dropped out of the study. Citalopram. 40-60 mg daily, and mianserin, 60-90 mg daily, were given once a day in the evening for 4 weeks. The patients were assessed before treatment and after 1, 2, and 4 weeks. The Clinical Global Impression Scal...

Assessment of patient satisfaction with psychiatric care. Development and clinical evaluation of a brief consumer satisfaction rating scale (UKU-ConSat)

Quality management and quality control of health services has become increasingly important. Central to the concept of quality of care is the patients (the health care consumers) own view of the care provided and the treatment outcome. UKU (Udvalg for Kliniske Undersøgelser; that is, Committee for Clinical Trials), a working group within the Scandinavian Society for Psychopharmacology (SSP), has designed a brief consumer satisfaction rating scale, the UKU-ConSat. Based on an extensive literature review, a number of principles related to content, assessment, interview techniques, documentation and standardisation steered the design of the rating scale. UKU-ConSat consists of six items related to the structure and process of treatment care, and two items related to outcome and well-being. A manual accompanies the rating scale with guidelines for how to solicit information from the patient and how to rate each item. A first field trial of the rating scale in 135 inpatients at multiple clinical sites in Finland and Sweden showed that it could be applied to several relevant patient categories (psychotic, affective, neurotic, organic and alcohol and substance abuse disorders). According to both patients and staff the rating scale promises to become useful both for research and for improvement of routine psychiatric services.

Effekten av piracetam vid akuta alkoholintoxikationer En dubbel-blind klinisk värdering av ett psykofarmakon av ny typ (UCB 6215, Nootropil®, Nootropyl®)

Vidstaende artikel med negativ behand-lingseffekt av Piracetam ar fogattad av med. dr. Ulf Goran Ahlfors (bilden t. v.) som ar bitradande overlakare vid Hesperia sjukhus i Helsingfors dar med. lic. Esko Hussi (nedtill t. v.) och med. kand. Tom Kyander (nedtill t. h.) sommaren 1972 vikarierade som assistentlakare.

Val och dosering av psykofarmaka: En undersökning av läkemedelskonsumtion och -preferenser i öppen och sluten psykiatrisk vård i Helsingfors

Docent Ulf Goran Ahlfors ar overlakere vid Hesperia sjukhus i Helsingfors dar specialsjukskoterskan Pirjo Harma arbetar som bitrandande avdelningsskoterska och forskningssekreterare.Praktisk erfarenhet talar for att preparatval och dosering av psykofarmaka i manga fall beror lika mycket pa vardande lakares personliga preferenser som p4aR patienternas symtomatik och dess svarighetsgrad. Denna artikel stravar att utan alltfor kritisk sinnelag klarlagga medicineringsforhallandena i oppen vard och sjukhusv4aRrd inom ett mentalvardsdistrikt i Finland. Undersokningsresultaten framlades aven vid Skandinavisk Selskab for Psykofarmakologis mote i Kopenhamn i mars 1983.