Epidemiologic features of hospital pyo-septic infection in a cardiosurgical hospital

The results of the epidemiological analysis of morbidity in purulent septic infection in a cardiosurgical hospital during the period of 1990-1963 is presented. As revealed by this analysis, until 1993 the dominating causative agent of this infection was Pseudomonas aeruginosa O16, and since 1994 Staphylococcus epidermidis prevailed. The morbidity dynamics for several years and during individual years is shown. The main risk factors were established. The reanimation department was found to be the main areas where the contamination of patients occurred.     

Pregnancy-related hospital use

OBJECTIVES:This article describes provincial variations in women's hospital use during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period. DATA SOURCE: The data were extracted from the Person-Oriented Information Data Base, maintained by Health Statistics Division at Statistics Canada. This data base is comprised of hospital admission data submitted by general and allied hospitals to provincial and territorial governments and is considered complete for each jurisdiction. Data were not available for the Yukon Territory. ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES: A group of 57,627 women who gave birth during October and November 1993 was identified from hospital admission records using selected ICD-9 and CCP codes. These records were then linked to other hospital admissions that occurred in the six months before and the four months after childbirth. MAIN RESULTS: Approximately 15% of women who gave birth in October and November 1993 were admitted to hospital at least once during the six months before childbirth. Only 4% were re-admitted during the four months after the birth.     

Future directions: alternative approaches to traditional hospital care-home hospital

The acute hospital may be a difficult environment for many older patients and is an expensive site of care for payers. Home hospital is an emerging model of care that allows an older person with acute medical illness to avoid an inpatient hospital admission by bringing the critical elements of hospital care to the home. Challenges associated with the development and study of home hospitals as well as several specific home hospital models are reviewed. The need for continued study and the potential of home hospital are discussed.     

Early and supported hospital discharge: the hospital and community interface

An agent pathogenic for laboratory albino Swiss mice was isolated from a pool of Haemaphysalis punctata ticks collected from cattle on a farm located in Alcácer do Sal county, southern Portugal. The isolated virus was shown to be distinct from but serologically related to virus members of the Bhanja antigenic group. This new virus in the family Bunyaviridae was named Palma for the farm where ticks have been collected for several studies.     

Future training of hospital doctors

Many changes are occurring in the organization and management of postgraduate medical education and training. Hospital Doctors: Training for the Future (Department of Health, 1993) highlights the need for shorter training programmes and structured curricula. A number of issues still require analysis, particularly the resource implications of expanding the consultant grade.     

Absenteeism of hospital nursing personnel

The author studied absenteeism rates of the nursing personnel in five hospitals, two publics and three privates, all with more than a hundred beds, in the city of Belo Horizonte. In addition she studied the relationship between sickness and injustified absences.     

Predictive equation for acquisition of hepatitis B in hospital workers in a general hospital

A cross-sectional study was performed to obtain risk factors for hepatitis B disease, HBsAg carriers and immunised personnel, among 2470 workers in a general hospital in Madrid, Spain. The data obtained were analyzed with multiple logistic regression to obtain beta coefficients for variables. The results of the analysis show that being a nurse or being regularly exposed to blood are the most important risk factors for hepatitis B acquisition. The length of time working at the same job activity was also a risk factor. The resulting beta coefficients allow the construction for a hepatitis non-immunised, HBsAg carrier and immunised HBV status, which can select subjects for a hepatitis B vaccination program.     

General hospital psychology.

Reviews major developments in the practice of hospital psychology, focusing on 4 current influences on hospital psychologists—the deinstitutionalization of chronic mental patients, the emergence of health psychology and behavioral medicine, the changing nature of hospitals, and the pursuit of increased autonomy by general hospital psychologists. A matrix within which to conceptualize and evaluate hospital-based psychological services is presented. (French abstract) (54 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Emergency day hospital assessments

RT-PCR method was used to detect the expression level of multi-drug resistance gene (MDR1) and multi-drug resistance associated protein (MRP) in patients with malignant blood disease, including 19 cases of acute leukemia and 6 cases of multiple myeloma. The results showed: expression level of MDR1 in patients with known clinical drug resistance elevated obviously and was significantly associated with clinical drug resistance (r = 0.612, P < 0.01), which indicated that expression of MDR1 was the main mechanism of clinical drug resistance. There is no obvious relationship between expression level of MDR1 and MRP (r = 0.035, P > 0.05).