W277 Japanese Maple Scale: An Important New Insect Pest in the Nursery and Landscape

Version 5.

W277 Japanese Maple Scale: An Important New Insect Pest in the Nursery and Landscape

Version 5.

W277 Japanese Maple Scale: An Important New Insect Pest in the Nursery and Landscape

Version 5.

Anesthesia-to-Post Anesthesia Care Unit Handoff Standardization

Abstract The exchange of medical information from one medical professional to another is known as the handoff. Communication errors during the transition period of handoffs can lead to medication errors, delays in care, high stress within the work environment, and increased burnout of the nursing staff. Approximately 1,744 deaths and a total of $1.7 billion in malpractice costs were related to healthcare communication failures from 2012 to 2017. One of the areas of the hospital where effective handoffs are critically important, given the high frequency, is in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). Major organizations such as the Joint Commission, the World Health Organization, and the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists have created goals to standardize PACU handoffs in efforts to address the problem. PACU handoff standardization has also been voiced as a priority for the project organization. The purpose of this evidence-based quality improvement project is to implement a standardized handoff tool at the project organization site. After searching for and critically appraising the literature, the project team will implement the Written Anesthesia Handoff Tool (WHAT). This project’s development, implementation, and evaluation will be guided by a framework called the Evidence-Based Practice Improvement Model. The aim of the project is increasing nurse satisfaction with the utilization of a handoff tool. The goals of the project are to implement a checklist as a handoff tool to evaluate nurse satisfaction before and after the handoff tool is implemented. Keywords: handoff, post-anesthesia care unit, PACU, PACU handoffs, standardization, PACU handoff standardization, standardized handoff, Evidence-Based Practice Improvement Model, Written Anesthesia Handoff Tool, WHAT Tool, handoff tool, handoff checklist, nurse satisfactio

Telehealth use in Australian primary healthcare during COVID-19: a cross-sectional descriptive survey

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate Australian primary healthcare professionals\u27 experiences of the rapid upscaling of telehealth during COVID-19. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Two hundred and seventeen general practitioners, nurses and allied health professionals employed in primary healthcare settings across Australia were recruited via social media and professional organisations. METHODS: An online survey was disseminated between December 2020 and March 2021. The survey comprised items about individual demographics, experiences of delivering telehealth consultations, perceived quality of telehealth consultations and future perceptions of telehealth. RESULTS: Telephone was the most widely used method of providing telehealth, with less than 50% of participants using a combination of telephone and video. Key barriers to telehealth use related to the inability to undertake physical examination or physical intervention. Telehealth was perceived to improve access to healthcare for some vulnerable groups and those living in rural settings, but reduced access for people from non-English-speaking backgrounds. Quality of telehealth care was considered mostly or somewhat the same as care provided face-to-face, with actual or perceived negative outcomes related to missed or delayed diagnosis. Overwhelmingly, participants wanted telehealth to continue with guaranteed ongoing funding. Some 43.7% of participants identified the need to further improve telehealth models of care. CONCLUSION: The rapid shift to telehealth has facilitated ongoing care during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, further work is required to better understand how telehealth can be best harnessed to add value to service delivery in usual care

SP742 Camphor Shot Borer: A New Nursery and Landscape Pest in Tennessee

Tennessee State University/UT Extension joint publicatio

Assessing the Quality of Care for Pneumonia in Integrated Community Case Management: A Cross-Sectional Mixed Methods Study

Background Pneumonia is the leading infectious cause of mortality in children under five worldwide. Community-level interventions, such as integrated community case management, have great potential to reduce the burden of pneumonia, as well as other diseases, especially in remote populations. However, there are still questions as to whether community health workers (CHW) are able to accurately assess symptoms of pneumonia and prescribe appropriate treatment. This research addresses limitations of previous studies using innovative methodology to assess the accuracy of respiratory rate measurement by CHWs and provides new evidence on the quality of care given for children with symptoms of pneumonia. It is one of few that assesses CHW performance in their usual setting, with independent re-examination by experts, following a considerable period of time post-training of CHWs. Methods In this cross-sectional mixed methods study, 1,497 CHW consultations, conducted by 90 CHWs in two districts of Luapula province, Zambia, were directly observed, with measurement of respiratory rate for children with suspected pneumonia recorded by video. Using the video footage, a retrospective reference standard assessment of respiratory rate was conducted by experts. Counts taken by CHWs were compared against the reference standard and appropriateness of the treatment prescribed by CHWs was assessed. To supplement observational findings, three focus group discussions and nine in depth interviews with CHWs were conducted. Results and Conclusion The findings support existing literature that CHWs are capable of measuring respiratory rates and providing appropriate treatment, with 81% and 78% agreement, respectively, between CHWs and experts. Accuracy in diagnosis could be strengthened through further training and the development of improved diagnostic tools appropriate for resource-poor settings