scholarly journals An Assessment of Pre-deployment Training for Army Nurses and Medics

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mithun R Suresh ◽  
Krystal K Valdez-Delgado ◽  
Amanda M Staudt ◽  
Jennifer D Trevino ◽  
Elizabeth A Mann-Salinas ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Introduction Although military nurses and medics have important roles in caring for combat casualties, no standardized pre-deployment training curriculum exists for those in the Army. A large-scale, survey-based evaluation of pre-deployment training would help to understand its current state and identify areas for improvement. The purpose of this study was to survey Army nurses and medics to describe their pre-deployment training. Materials and Methods Using the Intelink.gov platform, a web-based survey was sent by e-mail to Army nurses and medics from the active and reserve components who deployed since 2001. The survey consisted of questions asking about pre-deployment training from their most recent deployment experience. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the results, and free text comments were also captured. Results There were 682 respondents: 246 (36.1%) nurses and 436 (63.9%) medics. Most of the nurses (n = 132, 53.7%) and medics (n = 298, 68.3%) reported that they were evaluated for clinical competency before deployment. Common courses and topics included Tactical Combat Casualty Care, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, cultural awareness, and trauma care. When asked about the quality of their pre-deployment training, most nurses (n = 186; 75.6%) and medics (n = 359; 82.3%) indicated that their training was adequate or better. Nearly all nurses and medics reported being moderately confident or better (nurses n = 225; 91.5% and medics n = 399; 91.5%) and moderately prepared or better (nurses n = 223; 90.7% and medics n = 404; 92.7%) in their ability to provide combat casualty care. When asked if they participated in a team-based evaluation of clinical competence, many nurses (n = 121, 49.2%) and medics (n = 180, 41.3%) reported not attending a team training program. Conclusions Most nurse and medic respondents were evaluated for clinical competency before deployment, and they attended a variety of courses that covered many topics. Importantly, most nurses and medics were satisfied with the quality of their training, and they felt confident and prepared to provide care. Although these are encouraging findings, they must be interpreted within the context of self-report, survey-based assessments, and the low response rate. Although these limitations and weaknesses of our study limit the generalizability of our results, this study attempts to address a critical knowledge gap regarding pre-deployment training of military nurses and medics. Our results may be used as a basis for conducting additional studies to gather more information on the state of pre-deployment training for nurses and medics. These studies will hopefully have a higher response rate and better quantify how many individuals received any form of pre-deployment training. Additionally, our recommendations regarding pre-deployment training that we derived from the study results may be helpful to military leadership.

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. e000773
Author(s):  
Rachel Strauss ◽  
Isabella Menchetti ◽  
Laure Perrier ◽  
Erik Blondal ◽  
Henry Peng ◽  
...  

ObjectivesThe Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) guidelines detail resuscitation practices in prehospital and austere environments. We sought to review the content and quality of the current TCCC and civilian prehospital literature and characterize knowledge gaps to offer recommendations for future research.MethodsMEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched for studies assessing intervention techniques and devices used in civilian and military prehospital settings that could be applied to TCCC guidelines. Screening and data extraction were performed according to PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. Quality appraisal was conducted using appropriate tools.ResultsNinety-two percent (n=57) of studies were observational. Most randomized trials had low risk of bias, whereas observational studies had higher risk of bias. Interventions of massive hemorrhage control (n=17) were wound dressings and tourniquets, suggesting effective hemodynamic control. Airway management interventions (n=7) had high success rates with improved outcomes. Interventions of respiratory management (n=12) reported low success with needle decompression. Studies assessing circulation (n=18) had higher quality of evidence and suggested improved outcomes with component hemostatic therapy. Hypothermia prevention interventions (n=2) were generally effective. Other studies identified assessed the use of extended focused assessment with sonography in trauma (n=3) and mixed interventions (n=2).ConclusionsThe evidence was largely non-randomized with heterogeneous populations, interventions, and outcomes, precluding robust conclusions in most subjects addressed in the review. Knowledge gaps identified included the use of blood products and concentrate of clotting factors in the prehospital setting.Level of evidenceSystematic review, level III.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-120
Author(s):  
Nursari Abdul Syukur ◽  
Susi Purwanti

Many mothers who give birth to Sectio Caesarea (SC) do not Initiate Early Breastfeeding (IMD), which fails exclusive breastfeeding. This study aimed to determine the effect of IMD management in postpartum SC mothers on nutritional status, speed of milk production, and quality of breast milk protein. Method: quantitative research with quasi approach experiment. The research design used was a pre-post-test control non-equivalent control group. A sampling of this study used the Consecutive method sampling with a sample of 20 mothers who gave birth by cesarean section (SC). Hypothesis testing uses the independent t-test and the Mann-Whitney test. The study results showed an influence on the management of IMD in postpartum SC mothers on the speed of ASI production (p-value=0.004) and nutritional status (p-value=0.028). There was no effect of IMD management on postpartum SC mothers on the quality of breast milk protein (p-value = 0.543). This study recommends that the hospital implement an IMD promotion program before the abdominal wall is closed as a form of intervention to increase milk production and maternal nutritional status


Author(s):  
Gennadiy Valentinovich Alexeev ◽  
Elena Igorevna Verboloz

The article focuses on the process of intensive mixing of liquid phase in the tin during high-temperature sterilization, i.e. sterilization when temperature of the heat carrier reaches 150-160°C. It has been stated that for intensification of the thermal process during sterilization of tinned fish with liquid filling it is preferable to turn a tin from bottom to top. This operation helps to increase the driving power of the process and to shorten warming time. Besides, high-temperature sterilization carried out according to experimental modes, where the number of tin turnovers is calculated, greatly shortens processing time and improves quality of the product. In this case there is no superheating, all tins are evenly heated. The study results will contribute to equipment modernization and to preserving valuable food qualities.


2016 ◽  
Vol 55 (05) ◽  
pp. 188-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Floor Overbeek ◽  
John de Klerk ◽  
Pieternel Pasker-de Jong ◽  
Alexandra van den Berk ◽  
Rob ter Heine ◽  
...  

Summary Aim: Rhenium-188-HEDP (188Re-HEDP) is an effective radiopharmaceutical for the palliative treatment of osteoblastic bone metastases. However, only limited data on its routine use are available and its effect on quality of life (QoL) has not been studied. Therefore, we evaluated the clinical benefit of 188Re-HEDP in routine clinical care. Patients and methods: Prostate or breast cancer patients with painful bone metastases receiving 188Re-HEDP as a routine clinical procedure were eligible for evaluation. Clinical benefit was assessed in terms of efficacy and toxicity. Pain palliation and QoL were monitored using the visual analogue scale (VAS), corrected for opioid intake, and the EORTC QLQ-C30 Global health status/QoL-scale. Thrombocyte and leukocyte nadirs were used to assess haematological toxicity. Results: 45 and 47 patients were evaluable for pain palliation and QoL, respectively. After a single injection of 188Re-HEDP, the overall pain response rate was 69% and mean VAS-scores decreased relevantly and significantly (p < 0.05). Repeated treatment resulted in similar pain response. The overall QoL response rate was 68% and mean Global health status/QoL-scores increased relevantly and significantly. Haematological side effects were mild and transient. Conclusion: The clinically relevant response on pain and quality of life and the limited adverse events prove clinical benefit of treatment with 188Re-HEDP and support its use in routine clinical care. Its effectiveness appears comparable to that of external beam radiotherapy.


Author(s):  
Chun-Chu Chen ◽  
Sui-Wen (Sharon) Zou ◽  
James F. Petrick

This research intends to examine whether frequent travelers are more satisfied with their life as well as why these individuals travel more frequently than others. Derived from a sample of 500 Taiwanese respondents, the study results show that respondents attaching personal importance to tourism are more likely to gather travel-relevant information, resulting in more frequent travels. It is also found that frequent travelers are more satisfied with their life. These findings suggest that travel and tourism can be an important life domain affecting how people evaluate their overall quality of life.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Trine HØrmann Thomsen ◽  
Susanna M. Wallerstedt ◽  
Kristian Winge ◽  
Filip Bergquist

People with Parkinson’s disease (PwP) have been suggested to be more vulnerable to negative psychological and psycho-social effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our aim was to assess the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in PwP. A Danish/Swedish cohort of 67 PwP was analysed. Health-related quality of life (HRQL), depression, anxiety, apathy, sleep and motor symptom-scores were included in the analysis. Additionally, the Danish participants provided free-text descriptions of life during the pandemic. Overall, the participants reported significantly better HRQL during the COVID-19 period compared with before. Reduced social pressure may be part of the explanation. Despite worsened anxiety, night sleep improved.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaping Wang ◽  
Bin Liu ◽  
Xiuqiong Fu ◽  
Tiejun Tong ◽  
Zhiling Yu

Abstract Background The traditional Chinese medicine formula Si-Jun-Zi-Tang (SJZT) has a long history of application in the treatment of functional dyspepsia (non-ulcer dyspepsia, FD)-like symptoms. SJZT-based therapies have been claimed to be beneficial in managing FD. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of SJZT-based therapies in treating FD by meta-analysis. Methods Systematic searches for RCTs were conducted in seven databases (up to February 2019) without language restrictions. Data were analyzed using Cochrane RevMan software version 5.3.0 and Stata software version 13.1, and reported as relative risk (RR) or odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The primary outcome was response rate and the secondary outcomes were gastric emptying, quality of life, adverse effects and relapse rate. The quality of evidence was evaluated according to criteria from the Cochrane risk of bias. Results A total of 341 potentially relevant publications were identified, and 12 RCTs were eligible for inclusion. For the response rate, there was a statically significant benefit in favor of SJZT-based therapies (RR = 1.23; 95% CI 1.17 to 1.30). However, the benefit was limited to modified SJZT (MSJZT). The relapse rate of FD patients received SJZT-based therapies was lower than that of patients who received conventional medicines (OR = 0.23; 95% CI 0.10 to 0.51). No SJZT-based therapies-related adverse effect was reported. Conclusion SJZT-based prescriptions may be effective in treating FD and no serious side-effects were identified, but the effect on response rate appeared to be limited to MSJZT. The results should be interpreted with caution as all the included studies were considered at a high risk of bias. Standardized, large-scale and strictly designed RCTs are needed to further validate the benefits of SJZT-based therapies for FD management. Trial registration Systematic review registration: [PROSPERO registration: CRD42019139136].


Entropy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 468
Author(s):  
Pentti Nieminen ◽  
Sergio E. Uribe

Proper peer review and quality of published articles are often regarded as signs of reliable scientific journals. The aim of this study was to compare whether the quality of statistical reporting and data presentation differs among articles published in ‘predatory dental journals’ and in other dental journals. We evaluated 50 articles published in ‘predatory open access (OA) journals’ and 100 clinical trials published in legitimate dental journals between 2019 and 2020. The quality of statistical reporting and data presentation of each paper was assessed on a scale from 0 (poor) to 10 (high). The mean (SD) quality score of the statistical reporting and data presentation was 2.5 (1.4) for the predatory OA journals, 4.8 (1.8) for the legitimate OA journals, and 5.6 (1.8) for the more visible dental journals. The mean values differed significantly (p < 0.001). The quality of statistical reporting of clinical studies published in predatory journals was found to be lower than in open access and highly cited journals. This difference in quality is a wake-up call to consume study results critically. Poor statistical reporting indicates wider general lower quality in publications where the authors and journals are less likely to be critiqued by peer review.


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