Improving Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Uptake Among Health Care Workers

Yearly influenza (flu) immunization rates for hospital healthcare workers (HCW) continue to be lower than those suggested by the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization. Vaccination is considered a valuable step in the process to protect patients against influenza infection. The goal of Healthy People 2020, and most hospital administrators, is that 90% of HCWs are being immunized. The objectives for this systematic literature review were to identify best practice recommendations for improving the vaccine rate among HCWs. The Cochrane methodology framed this systematic review, and Fineout-Overholt\u27s and Melnyk\u27s levels of evidence were used to evaluate the reliability of information and effectiveness of their interventions. Twenty articles that met the inclusion criteria (HCWs with direct patient contact, published between 2009-2016, and written in English) were reviewed. Eight articles met Melnyk\u27s criteria for evidence Levels 5 to 7, 8 articles met the criteria for Levels 3 to 4, 2 articles were Level 2, and 2 articles were systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials (Level 1). The major influences for accepting the flu vaccine was for self-protection; the leading deterrent for receiving the flu vaccine was unbelief and questions about effectiveness. Best practice strategies to increase vaccination rates among HCWs include understanding cultural beliefs, practices, and diversities. Involvement of leadership will direct changes through future policy development. The impact of a progressive flu vaccine campaign can effectively promote social change when health care workers\u27 concerns are addressed and vaccination rates improve. Together, quality of care for patients may also improve

The Effects of the Write Source 2000 Program on Adolescent Students with Learning Disabilities in the Area of Writing

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the Write Source 2000 Program on adolescent students with learning disabilities in the area of writing. A single-subject was used in this A-B design. In the study the subject was exposed to various writing techniques found in the Write Source 2000 Program. A pre-writing sample was taken before treatment began. This writing sample was assessed with a Rubric Writing Assessment. Mid-way through treatment another writing sample was taken and assessed with the Rubric Writing Assessment. The student was also at this time placed into a regular education classroom where the Write Source 2000 Program was being used in addition to the one-on-one instruction that was being received. A final writing sample was taken at the end of the treatment and assessed with the Rubric Writing Assessment. The results of the subject\u27s writing samples were analyzed and indicate an increase in writing skills in all components in the Rubric Writing Assessment

SECOND INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON RANAVIRUSES:: A NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

Ranaviruses are large double stranded DNA viruses of poikilothermic vertebrates including amphibians, reptiles and fish. In North America, ranaviral disease and ranavirus-related die-off events have been documented in all three classes. Ranaviruses are found worldwide, appear to be emerging in some regions, and are increasingly recognized as a threat to many species

Assessing the possibilities and challenges of patient involvement in sexual, reproductive and HIV/AIDS services

© CSIRO 2016. Background: Patient and public involvement (PPI) is a key feature of healthcare services in the UK. Sexual and reproductive health and HIV (SRHH) services face unique PPI challenges, as the anonymity and confidentiality required by service users can be a barrier to attracting patient input. PPI could improve sexual health services, through increased trust in services and the ability to tackle sexual health inequalities. However, specific practical guidance on how to address PPI in sexual health and the evidence to support it is sparse. Methods: This research aims to begin building an evidence base for PPI in sexual health services through: 1) an audit of PPI in SRHH in the Bristol region; and 2) a parallel survey of potential users of sexual health services about their experiences of PPI. For the audit, 18 SRHH organisations from all those in the region invited complete a short online survey, representing a range of different service providers. For the survey, participants, through a convenience sample via the University of the West of England and social media, were invited to complete an anonymous online survey of their experiences of PPI in SSRHs; 96 people responded. Results: Reliance on customer satisfaction approaches and patients not being asked for feedback or what PP is for are reported. Services cite under-resourcing and a lack of time as barriers. Conclusions: Improving the use of patient's voice in SRHH could be supported through clarity of purpose (measured against outcomes), better communication with patients, and the need for flexible methods. Journal compilatio

Health in pregnancy and post-birth:contribution to improved child outcomes

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to describe the major factors affecting health during pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period and outline the evidence for interventions to improve outcomes in women and their children.Design/methodology/approach– Selective review of the literature. A number of electronic bibliographic databases were searched, including the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, PubMed and PsycINFO, for relevant studies published since 1990. Papers were restricted to those published in English which presented data from studies conducted in high-income countries, with priority given to systematic reviews, randomised controlled trials and other quantitative studies which present a higher level of evidence.Findings– Many factors may affect maternal and infant health during and after pregnancy. Potentially modifiable factors with an evidence base to support intervention include improving diet, and the avoidance of smoking, alcohol and illicit drugs. Good clinical management of underlying illness is also important, along with attempts to engage women in improving health prior to conception and postnatally rather than once pregnancy is established.Research limitations/implications– The evidence base for interventions on some potentially modifiable risk factors is incomplete. There is good evidence of benefit from some health behaviours such as smoking cessation and uptake of breastfeeding and accumulating evidence of the benefit of some models of maternity care.Practical implications– Good maternal health during and after pregnancy plays a key role in giving the child a better start in life. Improved health behaviours are vital but often these are heavily dependent on social context and hence working to tackle social inequality and provide maternity care tailored to individual need is likely to be just as important as trying to directly alter behaviour.Originality/value– Pregnancy and the postnatal period present an opportunity to improve maternal health and have a positive effect on future child health. Greater investment is required in this antenatal period of life.</jats:sec

Disease monitoring and biosecurity

Understanding and detecting diseases of amphibians has become vitally important in conservation and ecological studies in the twenty-fi rst century. Disease is defi ned as the deviance from normal conditions in an organism. The etiologies (causes) of disease include infectious, toxic, traumatic, metabolic, and neoplastic agents. Thus, monitoring disease in nature can be complex. For amphibians, infectious, parasitic, and toxic etiologies have gained the most notoriety. Amphibian diseases have been linked to declining amphibian populations, are a constant threat to endangered species, and are frequently a hazard in captive breeding programs, translocations, and repatriations. For example, a group of viruses belonging to the genus Ranavirus and the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis are amphibian pathogens that are globally distributed and responsible for catastrophic population die-offs, with B. dendrobatidis causing known species extinctions (Daszak et al. 1999; Lips et al. 2006; Skerratt et al. 2007). Some infectious diseases of amphibians share similar pathological changes; thus, their detection, recognition, and correct diagnosis can be a challenge even by trained veterinary pathologists or experienced herpetologists. This chapter will introduce readers to the most common amphibian diseases with an emphasis on those that are potentially or frequently lethal, and the techniques involved in disease monitoring. It will also outline methods of biosecurity to reduce the transmission of disease agents by humans. We start by covering infectious, parasitic, and toxic diseases. Next, surveillance methods are discussed, including methods for sample collection and techniques used in disease diagnosis. Finally, biosecurity issues for preventing disease transmission will be covered, and we provide protocols for disinfecting fi eld equipment and footwear

Physical Therapy Interventions and Outcomes in a Patient with Transfemoral Amputation Following Sound Side Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Case Report

Background: Following transfemoral amputation (TFA), contralateral limb overuse leads to osteoarthritis (OA). Explanations include gait abnormalities, increased knee load, and hopping activities without prosthesis. Unilateral TFA patients may require total knee arthroplasty (TKA) to improve function. Purpose: Determine benefits of standard physical therapy (PT) and augmented by high intensity, whole-body strengthening program. Case Description and Methods: Patient with TFA, limited community ambulator and left knee OA, underwent TKA to restore function. PT examinations, interventions, and outcomes at 1-week pre-TKA to 1-year post-TKA; outcomes measures were Single Leg Stance Test (SLST), Four Square Step Test (FSST), Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), and Six Minute Walk Test (6MWT). Finding: Patient achieved functional independence, gait, lower extremity strength and active range of motion (AROM) goals. Outcomes and Conclusion: Outcomes in TUG and FSST equaled age and sex matched non-amputees. Standard TKA PT protocols contributed to patient success, while high intensity, whole-body strengthening program contributed to patient achievements

Household Food Insecurity and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Federal Housing Assistance

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides housing rental assistance to more than 4.5 million low-income households. Using health survey data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) linked to Federal housing administrative data, household food insecurity was assessed among adults receiving housing assistance at the time of their NHIS interview during 2011 and 2012 (n=2,089). Food-insecure households had difficulty at times providing adequate food for all their members due to limited resources. Among NHIS adult respondents receiving HUD assistance, 37.2 percent reported household food insecurity (including low and very low food security), while 19.1 percent experienced very low food security, the more severe range of food insecurity characterized by disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake. Analyses revealed that adults in the Housing Choice Voucher program were significantly more likely to report household food insecurity than adults in other HUD programs (Public Housing and Multifamily Housing), net of other characteristics. Although housing assistance programs are designed to free financial resources associated with housing cost burden, household food insecurity is still prominent among low-income, HUD-assisted adults