Evaluation of the new ward housekeeper role in UK NHS Trusts

In the year 2000, the UK government promoted the concept that hospital services be shaped around the needs of the patient to make their stay in hospital as comfortable as possible and advocated the introduction of a ward housekeeper role in at least 50 per cent of hospitals by 2004. This is a ward-based non-clinical role centred on cleaning, food service and maintenance to ensure that the basics of care are right for the patient. In 2002 the Facilities Management Graduate Centre at Sheffield Hallam University completed a series of six case studies looking at the role within different NHS Trusts. These were developed through interviews and observations with the facilities manager, ward housekeepers and nursing staff and also by collecting documentary evidence such as job descriptions, financial details and training information. Common themes were identified, relating to experiences of developing and implementing the ward housekeeper role. This paper suggests models of best practice relating to role, recruitment, induction, training, integration and management.</p

The Impact of Information Security Technologies Upon Society

This paper's aims are concerned with the effects of information security technologies upon society in general and civil society organisations in particular. Information security mechanisms have the potential to act as enablers or disablers for the work of civil society groups. Recent increased emphasis on national security issues by state actors, particularly 'anti-terrorism' initiatives, have resulted in legislative instruments that impinge upon the civil liberties of many citizens and have the potential to restrict the free flow of information vital for civil society actors. The nascent area of cyberactivism, or hactivism, is at risk of being labelled cyberterrorism, with the accompanying change of perception from a legitimate form of electronic civil disobedience to an abhorrent crime. Biometric technology can be an invasive intrusion into citizens' privacy. Internet censorship and surveillance is widespread and increasing. These implementations of information security technology are becoming more widely deployed with profound implications for the type of societies that will result

The effect of relative plasma plume delay on the properties of complex oxide films grown by multi-laser multi-target combinatorial pulsed laser deposition

We report the effects of relative time delay of plasma plumes on thin garnet crystal films fabricated by dual-beam, combinatorial pulsed laser deposition. Relative plume delay was found to affect both the lattice constant and elemental composition of mixed Gd3Ga5O12 (GGG) and Gd3Sc2Ga5O12 (GSGG) films. Further analysis of the plasmas was undertaken using a Langmuir probe, which revealed that for relative plume delays shorter than ~200 µs, the second plume travels through a partial vacuum created by the first plume, leading to higher energy ion bombardment of the growing film. The resulting in-plane stresses are consistent with the transition to a higher value of lattice constant normal to the film plane that was observed around this delay value. At delays shorter than ~10 µs, plume propagation was found to overlap, leading to scattering of lighter ions from the plume and a change in stoichiometry of the resultant films

Clinical and perceived quality of care for maternal, neonatal and antenatal care in Kenya and Namibia: the service provision assessment.

BackgroundThe majority of women in sub-Saharan Africa now deliver in a facility, however, little is known about the quality of services for maternal and newborn basic and emergency care, nor how this is associated with patient's perception of their experiences.MethodsUsing data from the Service Provision Assessment (SPA) survey from Kenya 2010 and Namibia 2009, we explore whether facilities have the necessary signal functions for providing emergency and basic maternal (EmOC) and newborn care (EmNC), and antenatal care (ANC) using descriptives and multivariate regression. We explore differences by type of facility (hospital, center or other) and by private and public facilities. Finally, we see if patient satisfaction (taken from exit surveys at antenatal care) is associated with the quality of services (specific services provided).ResultsWe find that most facilities do not have all of the signal functions, with 46 and 27 % in Kenya and 18 and 5 % in Namibia of facilities have high/basic scores in routine and emergency obstetric care, respectively. We found that hospitals preform better than centers in general and few differences emerged between public and private facilities. Patient perceptions were not consistently associated with services provided; however, patients had fewer complaints in private compared to public facilities in Kenya (-0.46 fewer complaints in private) and smaller facilities compared to larger in Namibia (-0.26 fewer complaints in smaller facilities). Service quality itself (measured in scores), however, was only significantly better in Kenya for EmOC and EmNC.ConclusionsThis analysis sheds light on the inadequate levels of care for saving maternal and newborn lives in most facilities in two countries of Africa. It also highlights the disconnect between patients' perceptions and clinical quality of services. More effort is needed to ensure that high quality supply of services is present to meet growing demand as an increasing number of women deliver in facilities

Decision-making for delivery location and quality of care among slum-dwellers: a qualitative study in Uttar Pradesh, India.

BackgroundIn 2013, the Government of India launched the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) in order to better address the health needs of urban populations, including the nearly 100 million living in slums. Maternal and neonatal health indicators remain poor in India. The objective of this study is to highlight the experiences of women, their husbands, and mothers-in-law related to maternal health services and delivery experiences.MethodsIn total, we conducted 80 in-depth interviews, including 40 with recent mothers, 20 with their husbands, and 20 with their mothers-in-law. Purposeful sampling was conducted in order to obtain differences across delivery experiences (facility vs. home), followed by their family members.ResultsMajor factors that influence decision-making about where to seek care included household dynamics and joint-decision-making with families, financial barriers, and perceived quality of care. Women perceived that private facilities were higher quality compared to public facilities, but also more expensive. Disrespectful care, bribes in the facility, and payment challenges were common in this population.ConclusionsA number of programmatic and policy recommendations are highlighted from this study. Future endeavors should include a greater focus on health education and public programs, including educating women on how to access programs, who is eligible, and how to obtain public funds. Families need to be educated on their rights and expectations in facilities. Future programs should consider the role of husbands and mothers-in-law in reproductive decision-making and support during deliveries. Triangulating information from multiple sources is important for future research efforts

The responses of temperate and sub-arctic bryophytes to changing environmental conditions

Climate change presents a serious threat to many global ecosystems. Warming is predicted to be greatest at high latitudes, where increased temperatures are expected to lead to a longer growing season and an increased incidence of potentially damaging winter freeze-thaw events. The impact of these environmental changes on the native flora is not yet fully understood. The bryophytes are an ancient group of non-vascular plants which often form a large proportion of the plant community in the arctic and boreal regions. The response of these organisms to climate change has often been overlooked, despite the significant role they play in carbon uptake and storage in many ecosystems. The study used infra-red gas analysis to measure the change in net photosynthesis and respiration rates in several bryophyte species in response to changing microclimate. Experiments were conducted under controlled laboratory conditions using samples of the common moss species Polytrichum juniperinum, Hylocomium splendens and Aulacomnium palustre, collected from the North Pennines, UK. Additional measurements of gas exchange rates in the species Hylocomium splendens, Aulacomnium turgidum and Tomentypnum nitens were taken at a site near Inuvik, NWT in the Canadian arctic. The results of the study support the existing evidence that many bryophyte species are adapted to photosynthesis at low temperatures (<10°C), and are therefore unlikely to benefit from an increase in summer temperatures in terms of carbon uptake and growth. The study also found evidence that cycles of freezing and thawing during the winter and early spring cause a significant reduction in carbon uptake in both P. juniperinum and H. splendens compared to a single period of sub-zero temperatures. This damage was reduced in P. juniperinum when the plants were air-dry at the time of freezing. The data arising from this study are important to improve existing models of carbon exchange in bryophyte-dominated ecosystems

The Isaqueena - 1916, March

Contributors include: Marie Padgett, Frances Marshall, Agnes Jenkins, Gladys Campbell, Olive Busbee, Isabella Poteat, Seabrona Parks, Mary Holliday, Caroline Easley, Leora Perry, Nada Green, Sallie May Wise, Marion Babcock, Priscilla Poteat, Helen Davis, Seabrona Parks, Mary Frances Kiblerhttps://scholarexchange.furman.edu/isaqueena/1053/thumbnail.jp

The Isaqueena - 1916, February

Contributors include: Mary Kilgo, Grace Coleman, Olive Busbee, Eliza Woodside, Mary M. Rice, Ruth Brown, Ruth Cannon, Irene Blizzard, Helen Morgan, Jose McManaway, T. Caroline S. Easley, Priscilla Poteat, Helen Davis, Seabrona Parks, Mary Frances Kiblerhttps://scholarexchange.furman.edu/isaqueena/1052/thumbnail.jp