25 research outputs found
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Ten golden rules for optimal antibiotic use in hospital settings: the WARNING call to action
Antibiotics are recognized widely for their benefits when used appropriately. However, they are often used inappropriately despite the importance of responsible use within good clinical practice. Effective antibiotic treatment is an essential component of universal healthcare, and it is a global responsibility to ensure appropriate use. Currently, pharmaceutical companies have little incentive to develop new antibiotics due to scientific, regulatory, and financial barriers, further emphasizing the importance of appropriate antibiotic use. To address this issue, the Global Alliance for Infections in Surgery established an international multidisciplinary task force of 295 experts from 115 countries with different backgrounds. The task force developed a position statement called WARNING (Worldwide Antimicrobial Resistance National/International Network Group) aimed at raising awareness of antimicrobial resistance and improving antibiotic prescribing practices worldwide. The statement outlined is 10 axioms, or “golden rules,” for the appropriate use of antibiotics that all healthcare workers should consistently adhere in clinical practice
Hospitals: soft target for terrorism?
In recent years, the world has been rocked repeatedly by terrorist attacks. Arguably, the
most remarkable were: the series of four coordinated suicide plane attacks on September 11,
2001 on buildings in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, USA; and the recent series of
two coordinated attacks in Brussels (Belgium), on March 22, 2016, involving two bombings
at the departure hall of Brussels International Airport and a bombing at Maalbeek
Metro Station located near the European Commission headquarters in the center of
Brussels.
This statement paper deals with different aspects of hospital policy and disaster response
planning that interface with terrorism. Research shows that the availability of necessary
equipment and facilities (eg, personal protective clothing, decontamination rooms, antidotes,
and anti-viral drugs) in hospitals clearly is insufficient. Emergency teams are
insufficiently prepared: adequate and repetitive training remain necessary.
Unfortunately, there are many examples of health care workers and physicians or hospitals
being targeted in both political or religious conflicts and wars. Many health workers
were kidnapped and/or killed by insurgents of various ideology. Attacks on hospitals also
could cause long-term effects: hospital units could be unavailable for a long time and
replacing staff could take several months, further compounding hospital operations. Both
physical and psychological (eg, posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD]) after-effects of a
terrorist attack can be detrimental to health care services. On the other hand, physicians
and other hospital employees have shown to be involved in terrorism. As data show that
some offenders had a previous history with the location of the terror incident, the possibility
of hospitals or other health care services being targeted by insiders is discussed.
The purpose of this report was to consider how past terrorist incidents can inform
current hospital preparedness and disaster response planning.status: publishe