MASP Methodology as an effective tool for improving organizational processes

The objective of this work is to demonstrate the methodology and analysis of problem solving and its effectiveness for the improvement of the organizational processes proposing that the method can be applied in any sector of the market and not exclusively in the industries. This will be done through the use of search for articles related to the topic addressed in different sectors of the market and a comparative table showing the results after the implementation of the method. The Masp steps will consist of 8 phases that are related to the 4 steps of the PDCA cycle, which are: problem identification, observation, analysis, action plan, action, verification, standardization and conclusion. For the development of the research, the bibliographic source was used with the use of articles and books to understand the topic applied in general and specifically based on recent case study articles to evaluate its effectiveness and flexibility

Optimization of the Production Process of Sealing Bricks in a Ceramic Factory in Urucurituba City in Amazonas – Brazil

In recent years there has been a high growth in Brazil, in the construction industry this event reflects a great economic development in the regions of the country, in the Amazon, the ceramic brick industry has been gradually increasing to meet this demand, especially in the interior of the state. In them there are failures and waste during its manufacturing process that greatly affects the final product. This article aims to employ the quality tools in the production process of a ceramic pottery that is located in the city of Urucurituba - AM, through them to discover the flaws and propose improvements in the production process of sealing bricks so that there is no problems in the final product. Through site visits data were collected through interviews with employees and the plant manager, the visit also allowed the mapping of the process of manufacturing eight-hole bricks, from this verification it was possible to apply the flowchart that allowed describing Throughout the process flow, the Ishikawa Diagram was also applied, which made it possible to detect faults (cracks and cracks) and their root causes. These occur during the brick production process and used the 5W2H, which helped to organize the ideas. and make a proposal to solve the problems, and bring quality to the final produc

Antibiotic therapy in acute pancreatitis: From global overuse to evidence based recommendations

Background & objectives: Unwarranted administration of antibiotics in acute pancreatitis presents a global challenge. The clinical reasoning behind the misuse is poorly understood. Our aim was to investigate current clinical practices and develop recommendations that guide clinicians in prescribing antibiotic treatment in acute pancreatitis. Methods Four methods were used. 1) Systematic data collection was performed to summarize current evidence; 2) a retrospective questionnaire was developed to understand the current global clinical practice; 3) five years of prospectively collected data were analysed to identify the clinical parameters used by medical teams in the decision making process, and finally; 4) the UpToDate Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system was applied to provide evidence based recommendations for healthcare professionals. Results The systematic literature search revealed no consensus on the start of AB therapy in patients with no bacterial culture test. Retrospective data collection on 9728 patients from 22 countries indicated a wide range (31–82%) of antibiotic use frequency in AP. Analysis of 56 variables from 962 patients showed that clinicians initiate antibiotic therapy based on increased WBC and/or elevated CRP, lipase and amylase levels. The above mentioned four laboratory parameters showed no association with infection in the early phase of acute pancreatitis. Instead, procalcitonin levels proved to be a better biomarker of early infection. Patients with suspected infection because of fever had no benefit from antibiotic therapy. Conclusions The authors formulated four consensus statements to urge reduction of unjustified antibiotic treatment in acute pancreatitis and to use procalcitonin rather than WBC or CRP as biomarkers to guide decision-making

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

Delayed colorectal cancer care during covid-19 pandemic (decor-19). Global perspective from an international survey

Background The widespread nature of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been unprecedented. We sought to analyze its global impact with a survey on colorectal cancer (CRC) care during the pandemic. Methods The impact of COVID-19 on preoperative assessment, elective surgery, and postoperative management of CRC patients was explored by a 35-item survey, which was distributed worldwide to members of surgical societies with an interest in CRC care. Respondents were divided into two comparator groups: 1) ‘delay’ group: CRC care affected by the pandemic; 2) ‘no delay’ group: unaltered CRC practice. Results A total of 1,051 respondents from 84 countries completed the survey. No substantial differences in demographics were found between the ‘delay’ (745, 70.9%) and ‘no delay’ (306, 29.1%) groups. Suspension of multidisciplinary team meetings, staff members quarantined or relocated to COVID-19 units, units fully dedicated to COVID-19 care, personal protective equipment not readily available were factors significantly associated to delays in endoscopy, radiology, surgery, histopathology and prolonged chemoradiation therapy-to-surgery intervals. In the ‘delay’ group, 48.9% of respondents reported a change in the initial surgical plan and 26.3% reported a shift from elective to urgent operations. Recovery of CRC care was associated with the status of the outbreak. Practicing in COVID-free units, no change in operative slots and staff members not relocated to COVID-19 units were statistically associated with unaltered CRC care in the ‘no delay’ group, while the geographical distribution was not. Conclusions Global changes in diagnostic and therapeutic CRC practices were evident. Changes were associated with differences in health-care delivery systems, hospital’s preparedness, resources availability, and local COVID-19 prevalence rather than geographical factors. Strategic planning is required to optimize CRC care