Effectiveness of End of Shift Bedside Report

AbstractNursing shift reports are the primary communication mechanism for outgoing nurses to transfer information about a patient to oncoming nurses. Nurse shift reports and nurse handovers are two of the most critical patient care processes that can support patient safety and reduce medical errors. But many nurses do not recognize the evidence supporting the practice of bedside reporting (BSR). In response to this practice problem, this project involved education on the importance of BSR on a telemetry unit in line with the best available evidence. The goal of the staff education project was to educate the staff on the value of BSR processes in delivering patient care. The project question addressed whether continuing education on the importance of BSR would enhance nurse’s awareness of the evidence to support compliance with BSR. The project was guided by the theory of Malcolm Knowles promoting the fundamentals of evidence-based research and positive patient outcomes in the profession. An educational intervention on BSR was provided to a sample of 15 nurses on a 26-bed telemetry unit. The sample scored an average of 39.0 on the pretest and 47.27 points on the posttest. There was 8.27-point increase, which was statistically significant (p = 001). This project promotes social change by improving nurses’ knowledge of the impact of a bed shift reporting system on patient safety, communication improvement, quality of care, and patient involvement for different types of handoff practices within various care units and organizational settings. An anticipated outcome of this project is the improvement in the quality of care and safety of patients by integrating them into a culture of safety at all levels of health care

Quality Comparison of Flavoured and Non-flavoured Yoghurts from Animal and Vegetable Milk Sources

In this study, the physico-chemical, microbiological and organoleptic properties of flavoured and non-flavoured yoghurt samples made from powdered whole milk (PWM) and soymilk (SYM), were comparatively evaluated using standard methods. The results were significantly (p<0.01) different and showed that PWM yoghurt samples contained higher moisture (77.8 ± 0.025-78.21 ± 0.48%); lactose (1.02 ± 0.01-1.86 ±0.03%); crude fat (3.29 ± 0.10- 3.30 ±0.10%); TTA (total titratable acidity: 0.21 ±0.02- 0.25 ±0.01%) and pH (4.17 ±0.12-4.40±0.02) while SYM yoghurt samples recorded higher total solids (13.05 ± 2.01- 13.11 ±0.64%); ash (0.76 ± 0.02-0.79 ±0.04%); crude protein (3.35 ± 0.09 – 4.76 ±0.12%); crude fibre (0.81 ± 0.02 – 0.88 ± 0.01%) and specific gravity (0.82 ± 0.01-0.84 ±0.00). No lactose was detected in SYM yoghurt. There was significant (p<0.01) difference in the total microbial count of the two samples while some other non-identified growths were observed. Blind organoleptic evaluation results of the flavoured yoghurt samples showed significant (p<0.01) differences in the sensory attributes measured with PWM2 yoghurt being more generally acceptable than SYM2. However, no significant (p<0.01) effect of flavourings on general acceptability of the yoghurt samples was established

A Comparative Study of the Nutritive Factors and sensory acceptance of Juices from Selected Nigerian Fruits

The nutritive factors of the juices of three fruits: orange, pineapple and pawpaw were studied and compared using standard methods. Proximate analysis of the samples indicated that the nutritive factors investigated in the three juice samples were significantly different (p≤0.05). Orange juice contained 2.19% and 3.65% more moisture and 11.43% and 38.57% more crude protein than pineapple and pawpaw juices while pineapple juice had 40.16% and 45.08% more ash as well as 4.74% and 19.59% more energy content than the others. However, 40.0% and 65.71% more crude lipid, 22.39% and 14.79% more carbohydrates and 11.11% and 40.74% more crude fibre were observed in the pawpaw juice than orange and pineapple juices, respectively. The minerals and vitamin C content of the juices revealed that orange juice had 75.47% and 58.49% more Ca2+ and 31.42% and 11.33% more vitamin C than pineapple and pawpaw juices while pineapple juice had 16.67% more Mg2+ than orange and pineapple juices. Similarly, sensory evaluation showed a significant difference (p≤0.05) in taste, aroma and general acceptability of the juice samples whereas no significant difference (p≤0.05) was observed in the colour of the juice samples. Overall, pineapple juice had 4.82% and 21.69% more preference rating than orange and pawpaw juice samples

Component analysis of nutritionally rich chloroplasts: recovery from conventional and unconventional green plant species

A study of the literature indicates that chloroplasts synthesise a range of molecules, many of which have nutritional value for humans, but as yet no one has established the nutritional credentials of chloroplasts recovered from plant cells. Chloroplast-rich-fractions (CRFs) were prepared from green plant species and the macro- and micronutrient composition compared with the whole leaf materials (WLMs). The results indicated that, on a dry weight basis, CRF material from a range of green biomass was enriched in lipids and proteins, and in a range of micronutrients compared with the WLM. Vitamins E, pro-vitamin A, and lutein were all greater in CRF preparations. Of the minerals, iron was most notably concentrated in CRF. Spinach CRFs possessed the highest α-tocopherol (62 mg 100 g-1 , dry weight (DW)), β-carotene (336 mg 100 g- 1 DW) and lutein (341 mg 100 g-1 DW) contents, whilst grass CRFs had the highest concentration of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) (69.5 mg g-1). The higher concentrations of α-tocopherol, β-carotene, lutein, ALA and trace minerals (Fe and Mn) in CRFs suggest their potential use as concentrated ingredients in food formulations deficient in these nutrients

Nutraceuticals: opening the debate for a regulatory framework

Currently, nutraceuticals do not have a specific definition distinct from those of other food-derived categories, such as food supplements, herbal products, pre- and probiotics, functional foods, and fortified foods. Many studies have led to an understanding of the potential mechanisms of action of pharmaceutically active components contained in food that may improve health and reduce the risk of pathological conditions while enhancing overall well-being. Nevertheless, there is a lack of clear information and, often, the claimed health benefits may not be properly substantiated by safety and efficacy information or in vitro and in vivo data, which can induce false expectations and miss the target for a product to be effective, as claimed. An officially shared and accepted definition of nutraceuticals is still missing, as nutraceuticals are mostly referred to as pharma-foods, a powerful toolbox to be used beyond the diet but before the drugs to prevent and treat pathological conditions, such as in subjects who may not yet be eligible for conventional pharmaceutical therapy. Hence, it is of utmost importance to have a proper and unequivocal definition of nutraceuticals and shared regulations. It also seems wise to assess the safety, mechanism of action and efficacy of nutraceuticals with clinical data. A growing demand exists for nutraceuticals, which seem to reside in the grey area between pharmaceuticals and food. Nonetheless, given specific legislation from different countries, nutraceuticals are experiencing challenges with safety and health claim substantiation

Physical Properties of African Kidney Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) Relevant to its Processing

Physical properties of food and bio-materials are required to design systems appropriate for their processing. For this purpose, some physical properties of African kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris (L.)), were investigated. Various techniques including the micrometer screw gauge; water displacement; correlation; inclined plane and cone methods, were adopted. Results obtained revealed the sample had a major diameter of 0.982 ± 0.66cm; intermediate diameter of 0.724 ± 0.32cm; minor diameter of 0.716 ± 0.28cm; sphericity of 0.082 ± 0.05cm; roundness of 0.0742 ± 0.07cm; bulk volume of 57.237 ± 0.00cm3; solid volume of 32.0 ± 0.71cm3; bulk density of 0.708 ± 0.00g/cm3; solid density of 1.2659 ± 0.64g/cm3; specific gravity of 1.2659 ± 0.64; porosity of 44.1 ± 1.24%; estimated surface area of 48.750 ± 0.05cm2. Its coefficients of sliding friction on different surfaces were: plastic, 0.13 ± 0.02; plywood, 0.13 ± 0.01; galvanized metal, 0.10 ± 0.01. The sample had a low an angle of repose of 29.43 ± 0.76º from the cone it formed in its natural rest position which indicated that its processing equipments need not be designed to have steep angles in order to have free flow during operations

Tigernut Milk: A Nutritious but Under Utilized Food Ingredient

One of the under-utilized food ingredients in Africa and other developing economies is the Tigernut milk. In this study, the nutritional, physicochemical and sensory properties of tigernut milk were evaluated by comparing them with those of a popular animal milk product in Nigeria, the peak milk, using standard methods. The results showed that all the nutrient factors were significantly (PË‚0.05) different. There was a higher amount of moisture (10.95%) and crude protein (3.65%) in PM than TM. Conversely, there were higher amounts of crude fibre (93.33%) crude fat (61.96%), total ash (16.67%), and carbohydrates (77.59%) in TM than PM. With the exception of pH and total titrable acidity, the other physicochemical properties varied significantly (PË‚0.05). PM contained 11.76% 13.58% more total titrable acidity and total solids respectively than TM while TM had 65.39% more energy value than PM. Both milk samples showed mild acidic pH values of 6.63±0.03 and 6.64±0.13 for PM and TM, respectively. This suggests high susceptibility of both milk samples to microbial spoilage at ambient temperatures, hence, the need to stabilize them. Sensory evaluation showed that PM was 8.40%, 17.81%, 16.76%, and 6.06% more preferred to TM while the aroma of TM was 38.79% adjudged better than that of PM. Ultimately, all the sensory properties were significantly (PË‚0.05) different except colour and general acceptability