Anaesthetists’ knowledge of South African Law pertaining to informed consent in an academic centre

Background: Anaesthetists require knowledge of informed consent laws to mitigate the risk of litigation. The knowledge of South African anaesthetists regarding informed consent law is unknown.Methods: Participants from an academic anaesthetic department anonymously completed a researcher-developed questionnaire scored out of 23. Factors affecting questionnaire performance were recorded: years after graduation from medical school (YGMS); professional designation (PD); years of anaesthetic experience (YAE); and attendance at formal postgraduate training on informed consent (APGT).Results: Data from 167 participants were included. The mean (SD) score achieved was 60.08% (12.61%). Questions assessing the Mental Health Care Act and the Children’s Act achieved the highest 88.92% (22.23%) and lowest 51.82% (17.84%) mean scores respectively. Knowledge of the Choice of Termination of Pregnancy Act was poorer with increasing YGMS (p = 0.0013). Knowledge of the Children’s Act correlated positively with PD (p = 0.0004), YAE (p = 0.0180) and APGT (p = 0.0080). Improved knowledge of the National Health Act correlated with higher PD (p = 0.0120). Knowledge of the Mental Health Care Act and of the Sterilisation Act worsened with increasing YGMS (p = 0.0276 and p = 0.0108 respectively). Mean questionnaire score improved with APGT (p = 0.0161) and higher PD (p = 0.0163).Conclusion: Anaesthetists have suboptimal knowledge of informed consent laws. Anaesthetists should attend such training and postgraduate education institutions should run these courses regularly. Comparative studies should be conducted in other anaesthetic academic departments countrywide and include surgical staff.Keywords: anaesthetist, informed consent, knowledge, la

Comparative Analysis of Strength and Physical Properties of Concrete Made from Three Different Coarse Aggregate (Granite, Gravel and Palm Kernel)

The study is aimed at examining the comparative analysis of the strength and physical properties of concrete made from three different coarse aggregates. The research present the result and findings of an experimental research of the strength and physical properties of concrete made from different aggregates such as sharp sand, granite, gravel, palm kernel shell. In this research, sieve analysis and compressive test were carried out using a 150mm×150mm×150mm mould and a mix ratio of 1:2:4 by weight of concrete and water cement ratio of 0.5 was adopted, 36 cubes were produced and all the samples were cured in fresh water. The concrete cubes were tested for compressive strength at 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. The result obtained from the compressive strength shows that the different coarse aggregate used, possess different compressive strength value. The mean strength in N/mm2 of concrete cubes cast with palm kernel at 7, 14,21and 28days gave 3.64N/mm2, 3.82N/mm2 4.00N/mm2and 4.22N/mm2respectively while concrete made of gravel gave strength of 12.53 N/mm2, 12.98 N/mm2, 13.33 N/mm2, 16.67 N/mm2, For concrete made of granite, the strength are 14.53 N/mm2, 15.56 N/mm2, 18.67 N/mm2 and 20.44 N/mm2respectively. This concludes from the above listed result that, the compressive strength of concrete made from granite gave higher compressive strength value of 20.44 N/mm2, at 28days as compared to the compressive strength of concrete made of gravel and palm kernel shell which gave a compressive strength value of 16.67 N/mm2 and 4.0N/mm2respectively.Specifications of the intended works pre-determines materials which are suitable for construction, it is therefore evident to ascertain the strength of these material before execution of intended project. Keywords: Composite Material, Aggregate, Compressive Strength, Curing

The Biological Effect of a Class of Alternating Magnetic Field on Life Field Using Distilled Water as Test Materials

This study investigated the biological effect of a class of alternating magnetic field on life field using distilled water as test materials. Extremely low frequency magnetic field (ELF - MF) was carried out using a 50Hz AC power as the source, and a self made copper wire solenoid (magnetic chamber) inside which the sample was placed. A variable transformer was used to vary the current in the magnetic chamber to achieve different field intensities. The results indicate that magnetic field affects the rate of solubility of salts in water as well as an alteration in its pH. This study supports initial reports that extremely low frequency magnetic field alters the physiochemical properties of water. Keywords: magnetic field, life field, distilled water, biological effec

AN AUTOMATED ENERGY BILL METERING SYSTEM BASED ON GSM TECHNOLOGY

The measurement of the energy consumed by residential and commercial buildings by utility provider is important in billing, control, and monitoring of the usage of energy. Traditional metering techniques used for the measurement of energy are not convenient and is prone to different forms of irregularities. These irregularities include meter failure, meter tampering, inaccuracies in billing due to human error, energy theft, and loss of revenue due to corruption, etc. This research study proposed the design and construction of a microcontroller-based electric energy metering system using the Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) network. This system provides a solution to the irregularities posed by the traditional metering technique by allowing the utility provider have access to remote monitoring capabilities, full control over consumer load, and remote power disconnection in the case of energy theft. Proteus simulation software was used to model the system hardware and the software was obtained by using embedded C programming and visual basic. It was observed that the system could remotely take accurate energy readings, provided full control over consumer loads and execute remote disconnection in case of energy theft. The system provides high performance and high accuracy in power monitoring and power management.   &nbsp

Infectious Mononucleosis: A Case Report With Unusual Features and Abnormal Laboratory Findings

Despite the widespread Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infections, we continue to see new reports with strange and unusual manifestations of the infection, which raises the question of how well we understand this pathogen. The age of contracting the infection is increasing in developed countries, which is changing the clinical presentation of those who get infected during their adolescence or early adulthood. In these stages, liver involvement is more prominent, and other physical symptoms are less apparent. Therefore, an update on infectious mononucleosis (IM) variable manifestation is required to make healthcare providers aware of this shift. This case stands as an example of the new shift as a patient scheduled for elective surgery suddenly presented with subclinical hepatitis caused by primary EBV infection. Our patient presented with few physical symptoms but had a classical picture of EBV-induced hepatitis on blood analysis. The diagnosis was missed by many physicians due to the varied presentations of IM. This case corresponds to the new evidence that suggests that hepatic involvement is one of the most prominent manifestation in the adult population with primary EBV infection

The Economics Of Bidding In Project Management

This article develops strategic decision tables to be used by management in bidding based on optimal duration costs. In addition, a process is proposed to find the optimal economic duration of the project using crashing techniques, the simplex method of linear programming, and game theory.  Standardized software packages for Decision Support Systems (DSS) are used in facilitating the calculations

Thalassaemia (part 2)

No abstract