Distinctiveness in Hospital Safety and Security

The purpose of this research was to understand leadership and how these ideas feed into a professional dynamic of employee behavior, organizational leadership, motivation, and workplace culture, and how there is a real human interest as employees excel, grow, mature, and become better individuals. Participants in this study were employees of a regional health organization and employed with the job title of public safety officer, public safety supervisor, or public safety administrator. This research used a mixed methodology approach in an explanatory design. A survey was completed followed by one on one interviews. Conducting research into the safety and security group at a private hospital yielded valuable data that identified: some best practices around employee satisfaction and employee retention; which ultimately improved patient care and guided organizational policy and strategy. Overall, the findings of these research questions provided insight that significantly improved both the working conditions for hospital staff and the care provided to patients. By improving the quality of care, enhancing employee satisfaction and productivity the institution\u27s overall reputation was bolstered throughout the communities served

The Impact of Implementing a Test, Treat and Retain HIV Prevention Strategy in Atlanta among Black Men Who Have Sex with Men with a History of Incarceration: A Mathematical Model

Background Annually, 10 million adults transition through prisons or jails in the United States (US) and the prevalence of HIV among entrants is three times higher than that for the country as a whole. We assessed the potential impact of increasing HIV Testing/Treatment/Retention (HIV-TTR) in the community and within the criminal justice system (CJS) facilities, coupled with sexual risk behavior change, focusing on black men-who-have-sex-with-men, 15–54 years, in Atlanta, USA. Methods We modeled the effect of a HIV-TTR strategy on the estimated cumulative number of new (acquired) infections and mortality, and on the HIV prevalence at the end of ten years. We additionally assessed the effect of increasing condom use in all settings. Results In the Status Quo scenario, at the end of 10 years, the cumulative number of new infections in the community, jail and prison was, respectively, 9246, 77 and 154 cases; HIV prevalence was 10815, 69 and 152 cases, respectively; and the cumulative number of deaths was 2585, 18 and 34 cases, respectively. By increasing HIV-TTR coverage, the cumulative number of new infections could decrease by 15% in the community, 19% in jail, and 8% in prison; HIV prevalence could decrease by 8%, 9% and 7%, respectively; mortality could decrease by 20%, 39% and 18%, respectively. Based on the model results, we have shown that limited use and access to condoms have contributed to the HIV incidence and prevalence in all settings. Conclusions Aggressive implementation of a CJS-focused HIV-TTR strategy has the potential to interrupt HIV transmission and reduce mortality, with benefit to the community at large. To maximize the impact of these interventions, retention in treatment, including during the period after jail and prison release, and increased condom use was vital for decreasing the burden of the HIV epidemic in all settings

Patients and Public Involvement in Patient Safety and Treatment Process in Hospitals Affiliated to Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, 2013

Background: In the recent decades, healthcare providers had a perspective of benevolent paternalism. Nowadays, the patients’ role has changed and they have a significant obligation to participate in their caring decisions. Objectives: The current study aimed to investigate the involvement of patients and public in the patient safety and treatment process in hospitals affiliated to Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran, 2013. Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the hospitals affiliated to Kashan University of Medical Sciences in 2013. Subjects included all of the 18 chief managers, 10% of nurses in each hospital, and 375 patients. Data collection instruments included a questionnaire and a checklist designed according to the research objectives. Data analysis was performed using the SPSS ver. 13. Descriptive statistics, percentage and frequencies, were calculated for all variables and analyzed by Chi-square test. Results: In the treatment process, 81 patients (21.61%), 50 nurses (80.6%) and 15 chief managers (83.3%) had awareness about Patient Bill of Rights. In patient Safety, 19.73% of the patients stated that hospitals received their feedbacks. Management activities were weak in evaluation. All of the six hospitals (100%) had a defined process to perform satisfaction surveys’ quality improvement and patient authentication policy. Conclusions: Patient and public participation in Kashan hospitals are not adhered well. As the patient has an important role in improving the quality of services, more use of mass media especially local newspapers, hospital websites, and training programs are suggested to inform both the patients and public on their rights and roles in improving the healthcare services

Nursing Staff Optimizing Elder Care

Older adults, 65 years and older, make up more than 50% of the acute care patient population at a Southwest Michigan critical access hospital. This DNP capstone project was implemented for nursing staff members in a small rural hospital to assist with improving knowledge and perceptions of caring for older adults. Realized outcomes from this educational initiative were not meant to create new information but instead to focus on clinical issues and apply best practice for the purpose of determining evidence based solutions. The project’s design implemented to assess outcomes was a quantitative, descriptive, quasi-experimental, non-randomized approach. The plan included a pre and post intervention survey using the Geriatric Institutional Assessment Profile (GIAP) from the Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders (NICHE) Program. Education was provided after the pre intervention survey was completed via classroom presentations, hand-outs, and informational emails. The GIAP survey was repeated post educational intervention. Thirty nursing staff members participated in the pre intervention survey and seventeen completed the post intervention survey. Independent samples t-test on measures related to knowledge and attitudes revealed compelling percent changes representing statistical significance between pre and post GIAP survey responses with a p value of ˂ .05 in all areas measured

Are Australian general practice patients appropriately screened for colorectal cancer? A cross-sectional study.

BackgroundAustralia has one of the highest rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) in the world. Data from the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) suggests that only one third of Australians eligible for CRC screening are up-to-date with CRC screening; however screening occurring outside the program is not captured.AimsThis study examines the self-reported CRC screening practices of general practice patients, and the factors associated with being under-screened for CRC.Methods A cross-sectional study conducted in five general practice clinics in NSW from 2015-2017. Participants were aged 50–75 and at average risk of CRC. Participants reported whether they had a faecal occult blood test (FOBT) in the past two years, including the source of FOBT; and whether they had a colonoscopy in the past five years and the reason for colonoscopy.Results Forty-nine per cent of participants completed a FOBT in the past two years. Of these, 62 per cent sourced their FOBT from the NBCSP and 25 per cent from their general practitioner. Thirty-seven per cent of participants reported colonoscopy in the past five years. Of these, 29 per cent received potentially inappropriate colonoscopy. Thirty-two per cent of the samples were classified as under-screened. Older adults were less likely to be under-screened.ConclusionCRC screening rates were higher than those reported by the NBCSP, however a significant proportion of participants remain under-screened. Over one-quarter of participants reporting colonoscopy in the past five years may have undergone unnecessary colonoscopy. These findings indicate that more needs to be done at a general practice level to facilitate risk-appropriate CRC screening

Recommendations to the Musculoskeletal Health Network, Health Department of Western Australia related to the Spinal Pain Model of Care made on behalf of the Chiropractors Association of Australia (Western Australian Branch)

The 2009 Spinal Model of Care published by the Western Australian Health Department via the Musculoskeletal Health Network would benefit from an update. Best-evidence synthesis and cost-risks-benefits estimations suggest that such guidelines should provide: (1) the early assessment of patients with non-malignant spinal pain (particularly low back) by a musculoskeletal clinician, be it a chiropractor, musculoskeletal physician, osteopath or musculoskeletal physiotherapist with referral within the early stages of the disorder; and (2) the provision of manipulative therapy, where indicated, as a first-line treatment while also providing rehabilitation, health promotion, and contemporary wellness/wellbeing management with the intention of avoiding chronicity. Emerging workforce capacity suggests that early assessment and evidence-based management of non-malignant spinal pain is feasible, leading to better patient outcomes. The authors and the association are hopeful that providing this submission in open access may prove useful for advocates of the chiropractic profession in other jurisdictions

Development Asia

Beneath the gloss of Asia’s newfound prosperity lies an unsettling reality. Rising inequality has denied the benefits of Asia’s economic growth to many millions of its citizens. The problem is worsening as the region’s rich get richer much faster than the poor, who miss out on the income, education, and health care they need to lead fulfilling lives. In this issue’s Special Report, Development Asia examines Asia’s widening inequality from many different perspectives. We look at the role of globalization in producing inequality, and consider the disputed relationship between inequality and economic growth. Asia isn’t the only region suffering from a wealth gap, but unlike others it has failed so far to narrow the divide. Most of its large economies have shown rising income inequality since the 1990s, and rural poverty is outpacing urban poverty across much of the continent. If left unchecked, the consequences of this trend could be dire. Palaniappan Chidambaram, the Government of India Finance Minister, provides unique insights into India’s experience with inequality in a fascinating question-and-answer session. In a forthright opinion piece, former World Bank chief economist Justin Yifu Lin delivers his prescription for tackling inequality in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). We discuss how some countries have managed to sidestep the inequality trap, and reveal how others like Cambodia have made progress in curbing the symptoms of inequality— in this case child mortality. Rounding out our cover package is a central question: What can be done about inequality? While some characterize inequality as a phase on the path to prosperity, an emerging consensus suggests otherwise and highlights the importance of inclusive, jobs-rich growth. In our Features section, we venture into Asia’s sprawling slums for a closeup look at how hope—and economies— can take root amid the squalor. Many slums are now vital hubs in the broader economy of their cities, a positive step but one that complicates plans for slum redevelopment. Closing this issue is Black & White, a new section that provides a space for some of Asia’s leading photographers to display their work on a specific development project or theme. In this issue, Filipino photographer Veejay Villafranca spent time with the garbage-pickers of Manila’s Smokey Mountain waste dump. Veejay’s powerful image, on page 56, and the story of a project trying to improve the lives of the pickers, suggests it was time well spent

Knowledge and Fourth Amendment Privacy

This Article examines the central role that knowledge plays in determining the Fourth Amendment’s scope. What people know about surveillance practices or new technologies often shapes the “reasonable expectations of privacy” that define the Fourth Amendment’s boundaries. From early decisions dealing with automobile searches to recent cases involving advanced information technologies, courts have relied on assessments of knowledge in a wide variety of Fourth Amendment contexts. Yet the analysis of knowledge in Fourth Amendment law is rarely if ever studied on its own. This Article fills that gap. It starts by identifying the characteristics of Fourth Amendment knowledge. It finds, for instance, that courts typically look to societal knowledge rather than individual knowledge, allowing them to establish broad precedents to govern police behavior. The Article then draws on communications scholarship and research on the spread of innovations to identify conceptual problems inherent in assessing societal knowledge. It also uses original empirical evidence to evaluate courts’ claims regarding societal knowledge in a variety of important cases. And it contends that a knowledge-based Fourth Amendment will shrink and weaken over time as public awareness of new technologies and threats to privacy continues to grow. In light of these findings, the Article proposes that the knowledge inquiry in Fourth Amendment law, and the reasonable expectation of privacy test with which it is intertwined, be replaced with a legal regime better able to adjust to technological and social change. The Article offers two alternatives, one based on existing laws and property concepts, and the other based on direct normative balancing of the benefits and harms of new surveillance practices. It analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of these alternatives, with the goal of developing a Fourth Amendment regime that can effectively protect privacy in novel technological and social contexts

Knowledge and Fourth Amendment Privacy

This Article examines the central role that knowledge plays in determining the Fourth Amendment’s scope. What people know about surveillance practices or new technologies often shapes the “reasonable expectations of privacy” that define the Fourth Amendment’s boundaries. From early decisions dealing with automobile searches to recent cases involving advanced information technologies, courts have relied on assessments of knowledge in a wide variety of Fourth Amendment contexts. Yet the analysis of knowledge in Fourth Amendment law is rarely if ever studied on its own. This Article fills that gap. It starts by identifying the characteristics of Fourth Amendment knowledge. It finds, for instance, that courts typically look to societal knowledge rather than individual knowledge, allowing them to establish broad precedents to govern police behavior. The Article then draws on communications scholarship and research on the spread of innovations to identify conceptual problems inherent in assessing societal knowledge. It also uses original empirical evidence to evaluate courts’ claims regarding societal knowledge in a variety of important cases. And it contends that a knowledge-based Fourth Amendment will shrink and weaken over time as public awareness of new technologies and threats to privacy continues to grow. In light of these findings, the Article proposes that the knowledge inquiry in Fourth Amendment law, and the reasonable expectation of privacy test with which it is intertwined, be replaced with a legal regime better able to adjust to technological and social change. The Article offers two alternatives, one based on existing laws and property concepts, and the other based on direct normative balancing of the benefits and harms of new surveillance practices. It analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of these alternatives, with the goal of developing a Fourth Amendment regime that can effectively protect privacy in novel technological and social contexts

Big data analytics in healthcare: a systematic literature review

The current study performs a systematic literature review (SLR) to synthesise prior research on the applicability of big data analytics (BDA) in healthcare. The SLR examines the outcomes of 41 studies, and presents them in a comprehensive framework. The findings from this study suggest that applications of BDA in healthcare can be observed from five perspectives, namely, health awareness among the general public, interactions among stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem, hospital management practices, treatment of specific medical conditions, and technology in healthcare service delivery. This SLR recommends actionable future research agendas for scholars and valuable implications for theory and practice