Peter McCullagh Libros

This book recounts some experiences of young Australians with catastrophic brain injuries, their families and the medical system which they encountered. Whilst most of the events described occurred two to three decades ago they raise questions relevant to contemporary medical practice. The patients whose stories are told were deemed to be 'unsuitable for rehabilitation' and their early placement in nursing homes was recommended. In 2013, it is time to acknowledge that the adage of 'one size fits all' has no place in rehabilitation in response to severe brain injury. Domiciliary rehabilitation, when practicable, may be optimal with the alternative of slow stream rehabilitation designed to facilitate re-entry into the community. Patients' families were impelled to undertake heroic carers' commitments as a reaction to nihilistic medical prognoses. It is time for the Australian health care system to acknowledge those commitments, and the budgetary burden which they lift from the system by providing family members with support to retrieve career opportunities, most notably in education and employment, which have been foregone in caring. Medical attendants repeatedly issued negative prognoses which were often confounded by the patient's long term progress. Hopefully, those undertaking the acute care of young people with severe brain injury will strive to acquire an open mind and recognise that a prognosis based on a snapshot observation of the patient, without any longer term contact provides a flawed basis for a prognosis. The story of these patients and of Dr Ted Freeman has wider implications

The concept of Persistent Vegetative State (PVS) has evolved from a clinical term to a significant medical condition with profound ethical and legal ramifications. Initially used to discuss a specific group of coma patients, PVS now influences perceptions and management practices for a broader range of disabilities. This shift raises critical questions about the implications for patient care and the ethical considerations surrounding disability, challenging the boundaries of medical understanding and societal attitudes toward those with varying levels of awareness.

Targeting quantitative researchers in biology, medicine, ecology, and genetics, the book provides a comprehensive guide for graduate students in statistics and related fields. It features ten detailed examples that illustrate a principled approach to real-world statistical challenges, emphasizing the importance of accommodating correlations in space and time. Key concepts such as observational units, randomization, and treatment assignment are defined early on, while later chapters delve into technical aspects like covariance functions and likelihood ratios, ensuring a thorough understanding of model formulation.