scholarly journals Ophthalmic Workplace Modifications for the Post-COVID Era

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hasan Naveed ◽  
Victor Leung ◽  
Mehran Zarei-Ghanavati ◽  
Christopher Leak ◽  
Christopher Liu
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Industrial Hygiene ◽  
Workplace Safety ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Exposure Control ◽  
Control Options

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitates implementation of exposure control measures in all facets of the healthcare sector. Healthcare professionals who work in busy ophthalmology clinics and theaters are amidst the highest at-risk of contracting COVID- 19. The authors review the up-to-date scientific evidence of SARS-CoV-2 transmission to demystify and explain the exposure control options available for ophthalmic workplace and offer insights from an industrial hygiene standpoint. As the we enter the post-COVID world, these measures will be critical to enhance workplace safety, and thus protect patients and staff alike.

scholarly journals Nurses Perceptions of the Utilization of the Violence Assessment Tool (VAT) in Northeastern Ontario

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oghenefego (Fego) Akpomi-Eferakeya ◽  
Judith Horrigan ◽  
Roberta Heale ◽  
Emily Donato
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Workplace Violence ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Workplace Safety ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Interpretive Description ◽  
Lost Time ◽  
Nurses Perceptions

Workplace violence (WPV) is an ongoing problem in health care. Most of the cases of WPV are caused by the patients, patients’ families, and friends. Violence in hospitals among registered nurses has led to 56% of lost time injuries, and in 2018, Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) reported 13% of lost time injuries due to WPV. The Public Services Health and Safety Association (PSHSA) created the Violence Assessment Tool [VAT] to predict the possible risk of violence from patients in acute care settings. Health care workers can use the VAT to assess risk, apply possible control measures and improve their safety. As part of a larger study, the aim of this research is to explore nurses’ perceptions of the utilization of the VAT in assessing the potential risk of violence, and to identify any gaps, challenges, or improvements needed in the VAT. An Interpretive Description research design by Sally Thorne in (2016) will be used. The model that will guide this study is the Haddon Matrix framework of workplace violence prevention. The study will involve three focus groups via zoom virtual meetings with 6 to 8 participants per session, and an expected total of 18-24 participants. Focus group interviews will use semi-structured questions to guide the discussion among nurses working in a Northeastern Ontario hospital. Interpretive description data analysis will be guided by Thorne’s processes of data analysis. This will be the first study to examine nurses’ perceptions of the VAT in Ontario. The findings of this study will help to determine the predictive validity of the VAT and any potential changes that may be needed. The findings of this study could lead to reduced violence and associated costs within the healthcare sector.

Perspective on control options forEchinococcus multiloculariswith particular reference to Japan

Parasitology ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 127 (S1) ◽  
pp. S159-S172 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. ITO ◽  
T. ROMIG ◽  
K. TAKAHASHI
Keyword(s):  
Close Contact ◽  
Integrated Control ◽  
Risk Behaviour ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Domestic Dogs ◽  
Western China ◽  
Preventive Strategies ◽  
Preventive Chemotherapy ◽  
Information Campaigns ◽  
Control Options

Following a brief introduction of recent advances in molecular and immunological technology for detection of persons and animals infected withEchinococcus multilocularisand an overview of the current situation of alveolar echinococcosis (AE) in Japan, perspectives on control options are discussed with reference to different epidemiological situations. AE is considered the most serious parasitic zoonosis in temperate and arctic regions of the northern hemisphere. The number of human cases differs drastically among regions. While high numbers of patients are apparently associated with highE. multilocularisprevalence in domestic dogs, e.g. in parts of Alaska and western China, the number of cases is moderate or low in areas where the parasite is mainly transmitted by wild canid species (e.g. in central Europe or temperate North America). However, the severity of the disease, the absence of curative treatment for most cases, the high cost of long-term chemotherapy and the anxiety caused for the population in highly endemic areas call for the development of preventive strategies even in regions where human AE is rare. Furthermore, in view of (1) drastically increasing numbers and infection rates of foxes involved in transmission ofE. multilocularis, and (2) increasingly close contact between humans and foxes e.g. in Europe and Japan, there is considerable concern that AE incidences may in future increase in these regions. Control options depend on a variety of factors including the species of canid principally responsible for transmission and the socio-economic situation in the region. Where domestic dogs (stray or owned) are the principal hosts forE. multilocularis, control options can include those applicable toE. granulosus, i.e. reduction of the number of stray dogs, registration and regular preventive chemotherapy of owned dogs, and information campaigns for the population promoting low-risk behaviour for man and dogs. WhereE. multilocularisis mainly transmitted by wild canids, the situation is far more difficult with preventive strategies still being in trial stage. Integrated control measures could include prevention information campaigns, restricting access of pet animals (dogs and cats) to rodents, chemotherapy of foxes on local or regional scales, and strategies to minimize contacts between people and foxes.

scholarly journals A COVID-19 Risk Assessment for the US Labor Force

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha Maher ◽  
Alexandra E Hill ◽  
Peter Britton ◽  
Eli P. Fenichel ◽  
Peter Daszak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Health Risk ◽  
Return To Work ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Social Risk ◽  
Social Risk Factors ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Important Variation ◽  
Level Data ◽  
The Us

AbstractThe consequences of COVID-19 infection varies substantially based on individual social risk factors and predisposing health conditions. Understanding this variability may be critical for targeting COVID-19 control measures, resources and policies, including efforts to return people back to the workplace. We compiled individual level data from the National Health Information Survey and Quarterly Census of Earnings and Wages to estimate the number of at-risk workers for each US county and industry, accounting for both social and health risks. Nearly 80% of all workers have at least one health risk and 11% are over 60 with an additional health risk. We document important variation in the at-risk population across states, counties, and industries that could provide a strategic underpinning to a staged return to work.One Sentence SummaryThere is important variability in the proportion of the US workforce at risk for COVID-19 complications across regions, counties, and industries that should be considered when targeting control and relief policies, and a staged return to work.

scholarly journals Human Resource Practices in Public Healthcare Sector: A Perceptual Study among Healthcare Professionals

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 52
Author(s):  
Sumathi G N
Keyword(s):  
Performance Management ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Family Welfare ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
Human Resource Practices ◽  
Public Healthcare Sector ◽  
Primary Health Centres ◽  
And Performance

<span lang="EN-US">The study is aimed to identify various human resource practices in the public healthcare sector and to measure the level of human resource practices. The study adopts the perceptual view of healthcare professionals such as medical officers and staff nurses working in Primary Health Centres of Tamilnadu. A survey using a questionnaire is used to collect data from healthcare professionals. The results indicated that human resource practices such as job autonomy and job security are perceived to be useful and necessary, while training and performance management system are found to provide necessary inputs for carrying job duties and practices such as career growth opportunities and compensation need the attention of the officials of Health and Family Welfare department of Tamilnadu Government for enhancing the utility of these practices</span><span>.</span>

scholarly journals Compliance of Healthcare Professionals with Safety Measures for Control of Hepatitis Viruses in Hemodialysis Centers: An Experience from Southeast Iran

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sodaif Darvish Moghaddam ◽  
Mohammad Javad Zahedi ◽  
Mahdieh Dalili ◽  
Mostafa Shokoohi
Keyword(s):  
Infection Control ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Compliance Rate ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Hepatitis Viruses ◽  
Safety Measures ◽  
Infection Control Measures ◽  
Periodic Monitoring ◽  
Single Use

Introduction. Noncompliance with the recommended infection control measures by the healthcare professionals (HCPs) plays a major role in transmission of hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) viruses in hemodialysis (HD) wards. This study aimed to determine the compliance rate of the HCP with safety measures in the HD wards in southeast Iran. Patients and Methods. A total of 208 patients were enrolled. Adherence of HCPs with standard infection control measures was assessed. Results. Sixty-one HCPs with a mean age of 32.4 ± 11.2 years old were responsible for healthcare services. Compliance with the following items was weak: not sharing medications trolley (29.8%), disinfecting the shared instruments (46.2%), using single use materials for many patients (52.4%), carrying used materials in disposable containers (51.9%), not returning of unused materials to the clean room (55.3%), and adherence to hand washing (58.7%). Periodic monitoring for HBV and HCV was performed on 100% and 69.7% of the patients, respectively. Less than 2/3 of HCPs participated in the retraining courses. Conclusion. Compliance of HCPs with safety measures for viral hepatitis prevention was partly inadequate in HD wards. Emphasis on retraining of HCPs and official supervision would be effective steps in the reduction of viral dissemination.

The National Shipbuilding Research Program Welding Fume Study

2001 ◽  
Vol 17 (01) ◽  
pp. 35-39
Author(s):  
Daniel O. Chute ◽  
Bradley W. Christ
Keyword(s):  
Field Evaluation ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Welding Fume ◽  
Control Methods ◽  
Exposure Control ◽  
Exposure Limits ◽  
Shipbuilding Industry ◽  
Worker Exposure ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

This paper presents the results of a study evaluating the impact of anticipated reductions in OSHA worker exposure limits for airborne contaminants, nickel (Ni), manganese (Mn), and hexavalent chromium (Cr6) on the shipbuilding industry. As part of the study field evaluation, air monitoring and data analysis were conducted to measure the effectiveness of a series of exposure control methods including fume extractor guns, ixed fume extraction systems, portable fume extraction systems, low fume welding wires, downdraft/backdraft tables, and fume iltration devices. Six shipyards participated in this study. The study concluded that the cost of compliance increases greatly with lower exposure limits. It was recommended that the shipbuilding industry continue to develop and evaluate feasible control measures in anticipation of revised standards.

Caught in the Crossfire

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda C. Fentiman
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Federal Government ◽  
Affordable Care Act ◽  
Maternity Leave ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Childhood Illness ◽  
The Affordable Care Act ◽  
American Children

This chapter examines the current breastfeeding debate, demonstrating how weak medical and scientific evidence can be easily distorted. The evidence that American children are at risk of serious childhood illness as a result of a lack of breastfeeding is, at best, extremely weak; nevertheless, many physicians and the federal government have endorsed breastfeeding as the sole way to nourish infants. This is troubling, given the myriad reasons why many women are unable to breastfeed easily—if at all. Structural obstacles prevent many women who would choose to breastfeed from doing so, particularly the lack of maternity leave and financial and other support for breastfeeding. The Affordable Care Act has improved the situation but not enough.

Social and Ethical Concerns of Biomedical Engineering Research and Practice

2011 ◽  
pp. 54-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Snehasish Mishra
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Biomedical Engineering ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Technological Advancement ◽  
Ethical Values ◽  
Medical Sciences ◽  
Engineering Research ◽  
Bioethical Issues

Biomedical engineering is an advanced and relatively new field in the healthcare sector. Owing to the very nature of the various professional challenges faced by healthcare professionals, the moral and ethical values seem to have taken the backburner. The factors contributing to it may include a sound knowledge of the healthcare professional on the legally-permissible ethical values, and the desperate situations requiring precise split-moment decision-making. No technological advancement without a human face is worth it, and hence, during the course of the degree, a biomedical engineering student needs to be exposed to various ethical issues through theory, live cases and demonstrations. Being intrinsically multi- and inter-disciplinary, biomedical engineering lacks precise ethical rules that delineate and delimit professional responsibility, thus blurring the ethical understanding of biomedical engineering. The solution seems to lie in giving due place to human virtues. In the coming days, bioethical issues are expected to be increasingly complicated and dominating the decision-making process owing to the advancements in sciences, and the ever-complicated cases handled by healthcare professionals. A global healthcare and ethics-related online open-access portal may serve as a common platform for all the stakeholders in the interest and ethical growth of biomedical engineering in particular and medical sciences in general.

scholarly journals Comparative Analysis of Intestinal Helminth Infections in Colic and Non-Colic Control Equine Patients

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1916 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidrun Gehlen ◽  
Nadine Wulke ◽  
Antonia Ertelt ◽  
Martin K. Nielsen ◽  
Simone Morelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Helminth Infection ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Study Groups ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Anthelmintic Treatment ◽  
Intestinal Helminth ◽  
Intestinal Helminths ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Significant Difference

All around the world, intestinal helminths constitute one of the most prevalent life-long occurring infections and re-infections affecting all horse age groups. A range of parasite species among strongyles, ascarids, and tapeworms is known to have the potential to cause colic in horses. However, there is a lack of current scientific evidence on the actual relevance of helminth infection levels in the context of colic in horses kept during prevailing epidemiological conditions. Thus, a prospective case-control study on the occurrence of intestinal helminths in a total of 620 mainly adult equine clinic patients was conducted to investigate the association between colic and helminth infection. For each horse, a range of copromicroscopic, serological, and clinical data was obtained, in addition to a questionnaire on relevant anamnestic data, including previous anthelmintic treatment and husbandry. Using a FLOTAC-based copromicroscopic diagnosis, the highest infection rates were seen for strongyles (41.8%), followed by Anoplocephala perfoliata and Parascaris spp. (both 0.8%), with no significant difference between the two study groups. Employing a real-time PCR a 1.1% S. vulgaris DNA prevalence was found. Considerably higher seroprevalences were observed using S. vulgaris and A. perfoliata ELISAs, with 32.3% and 10.7%, respectively. It was noteworthy that no association concerning either serologic status was encountered with colic status. The shedding of strongyle eggs was associated with a 1.8-times increased risk of S. vulgaris seropositivity. Recent anthelmintic treatment was associated with the onset of colic, as animals who had received an anthelmintic during the previous week had a 2.4-times higher risk of signs of colic compared to those who had been treated at least eight weeks prior. Another noteworthy observation was that ponies were significantly less often affected by colic than warmbloods. The high S. vulgaris and considerable A. perfoliata seroprevalences encountered in this investigation should prompt veterinarians, farm managers, and horse owners to maintain consequent and effective worm control measures.

scholarly journals An anaesthetic and intensive care perspective on infection control measures for the prevention of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2

2020 ◽  
Vol 81 (9) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Hazel R O'Mahony ◽  
Daniel S Martin
Keyword(s):  
Infection Control ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Respiratory Viruses ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Appropriate Use ◽  
Airborne Transmission ◽  
Infection Control Measures ◽  
Current Guidance

Guidance regarding appropriate use of personal protective equipment in hospitals is in constant flux as research into SARS-COV-2 transmission continues to develop our understanding of the virus. The risk associated with procedures classed as ‘aerosol generating’ is under constant debate. Current guidance is largely based on pragmatic and cautious logic, as there is little scientific evidence of aerosolization and transmission of respiratory viruses associated with procedures. The physical properties of aerosol particles which may contain viable virus have implications for the safe use of personal protective equipment and infection control protocols. As elective work in the NHS is reinstated, it is important that the implications of the possibility of airborne transmission of the virus in hospitals are more widely understood. This will facilitate appropriate use of personal protective equipment and help direct further research into the true risks of aerosolization during these procedures to allow safe streamlining of services for staff and patients.

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