Book Review: Digital Cultures, Lived Stories and Virtual Reality by Thomas Maschio, Anthropology and Business Series. London and New York: Routledge

The author of this book, Thomas Maschio, has lived two anthropological lives; an earlier one as an academic anthropologist and a later one as an anthropologist running a company (Maschio Consulting) that specializes in the use of ethnographic research methods to help solve business problems and provide new kinds of information for business decisions. This combined background shows, as this volume is full of insights that translate both to the rough and tumble world of business practices and the more abstract world of academic understandings. This is to say that it offers readers insights into common social practices, such as the use of personal devices (for instance, smart phones) or the production of contemporary journalism, that can be utilized by both business practitioners and university-based researchers to think more about the ever-increasing role that digital technology is playing in our lives. As such, I could see this volume being used as a standard textbook in different kinds of social science or business courses, as well as being of interest to those who are simply curious about the intersection between business and anthropology or who want to gain a greater understanding of contemporary digital practices

The evidence base for the evaluation and management of dizziness

Dizziness presentations pose many clinical challenges. The objective of this study is to broadly summarize the evidence base that supports clinical decisions in dizziness presentations.MEDLINE (1966 to September 2007), Web of Science and The Cochrane Library were searched for articles with clinical relevance on topics concerning dizziness. Additional sources were also searched for clinical practice guidelines. The following information was abstracted from each article: year of publication, journal type, type of article and the topics of the article.Of nearly 3000 articles identified, 1244 articles met the inclusion criteria. The most common article type was a case report or case series, followed by expert opinion or review articles, studies of medical tests and clinical trials. Meta-analyses and systematic reviews were found on benign paroxysmal positional vertigo and Meniere's disease, but only a few other topics. No clinical practice guidelines were found that focus specifically on dizziness.The evidence base for the evaluation and management of dizziness seems to be weak. Future work to establish or summarize evidence in clinically meaningful ways could contribute to efforts to optimize patient care and health care utilization for one of the most common presenting symptoms.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78604/1/j.1365-2753.2009.01133.x.pd

Nursing considerations to complement the Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines

Objectives: To provide a series of recommendations based on the best available evidence to guide clinicians providing nursing care to patients with severe sepsis. Design: Modified Delphi method involving international experts and key individuals in subgroup work and electronic-based discussion among the entire group to achieve consensus. Methods: We used the Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines as a framework to inform the structure and content of these guidelines. We used the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system to rate the quality of evidence from high (A) to very low (D) and to determine the strength of recommendations, with grade 1 indicating clear benefit in the septic population and grade 2 indicating less confidence in the benefits in the septic population. In areas without complete agreement between all authors, a process of electronic discussion of all evidence was undertaken until consensus was reached. This process was conducted independently of any funding. Results: Sixty-three recommendations relating to the nursing care of severe sepsis patients are made. Prevention recommendations relate to education, accountability, surveillance of nosocomial infections, hand hygiene, and prevention of respiratory, central line-related, surgical site, and urinary tract infections, whereas infection management recommendations related to both control of the infection source and transmission-based precautions. Recommendations related to initial resuscitation include improved recognition of the deteriorating patient, diagnosis of severe sepsis, seeking further assistance, and initiating early resuscitation measures. Important elements of hemodynamic support relate to improving both tissue oxygenation and macrocirculation. Recommendations related to supportive nursing care incorporate aspects of nutrition, mouth and eye care, and pressure ulcer prevention and management. Pediatric recommendations relate to the use of antibiotics, steroids, vasopressors and inotropes, fluid resuscitation, sedation and analgesia, and the role of therapeutic end points. Conclusion: Consensus was reached regarding many aspects of nursing care of the severe sepsis patient. Despite this, there is an urgent need for further evidence to better inform this area of critical care

Models for Masculinity in Colonial and Postcolonial Papua New Guinea

This paper discusses the kinds of models that became available in the colonial context for indigenous men to be men in what eventually became the country of Papua New Guinea. One of the legacies of colonialism and the missionization of masculinity is the development of a new hierarchy of masculine values. These newer norms are in marked contrast to older forms of male effectiveness, and they have helped to define social distinctions within contemporary Papua New Guinea. At the same time, the reality of human behavior spills over the confines of both older and newer cultural norms, and the results can be confusing for individual males. However, individual confusion does not affect the overall saliency of these historically engendered forms of masculinity, nor the importance they may have for the justification of emerging social and economic inequalities within the country