How to avoid medical errors, how to respond and relate to them: a review of the scientific monograph «Defects in the provision of medical care»

Currently, the number of judicial proceedings on real and alleged offenses and disputes in area of provision of medical care has been exponentially increased. Some of such proceedings become publicly disclosed, but many more of them remain unnoted in mass media and civilian society as a whole. Increasing number of medical doctors has been accused of criminal offenses, being more often sentenced to real terms of imprisonment, showing a clear tendency to increase gravity of responsibility applied to medical doctors. This publication represents a peer-reviewed response of paramount importance to the book by A.A. Ponkina and I.V. Ponkin «Defects in the provision of medical care» raising ontological, value and technical issues for negative outcome of medical care – by the fault or in the absence of the fault of the doctor. The book puts the scientific basis beneath changes so much awaited by the Russian public health in relation to medical doctors, their social importance, objective limitlessness of their opportunities and capabilities in curing sick people and saving their lives.

Knowledge levels among elderly people with diabetes mellitus – A preliminary study

Education for diabetes mellitus is not only acceptable, but it is now recognized as an urgent need for modern citizens, and especially for the elderly, as the dimensions of the disease are enormous. Education is a comprehensive process of reassessing the attitude and culture of society towards the acceptance of diversity and the better treatment of sick people.

Mathematical modeling of the epidemic of influenza and acute respiratory viral infections processes (ARVI) in the Yaroslavl region

In the structure of infectious diseases in the Yaroslavl region, more than 90 % are influenza and acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI). Influenza occupies a special place among human infectious diseases. This is due to its ability to epidemic and pandemic spread in a relatively short time. In this regard, scientific research on the analysis and forecasting of probable scenarios for the development of epidemic processes is of particular importance. The work used the data of the forms of the federal state statistical observation No. 2 “Information on infectious and parasitic diseases”. Fourier analysis was used to process time series. The significance of the mathematical model was checked using the Fisher test. The table of critical values of the Fisher criterion was used to assess the statistical significance, the significance level was taken equal to 0.05. Data processing was carried out using MS Excel 2013 software. During the study of the dynamics of the epidemic process, the trend of reducing the incidence of influenza and ARVI in the Yaroslavl region over the past 36 years has been determined. The dynamics of the incidence of influenza and ARVI in the Yaroslavl region over the past 36 years has a tendency to decrease. As a result of calculations, we obtained cyclical components with periods equal to 3 and 5 years. This is due to the accumulation of people who are not immune to these infections. Mathematical calculations have confirmed the values of seasonal fluctuations in 6 and 12 months. The maximum number of sick people is recorded in the winter-spring period (February — March). In accordance with the calculations, a decrease in the incidence of influenza and ARVI in the Yaroslavl region is expected in the period from 2020 to 2022: in 2020 the number of sick people (per 100 thousand population) is predicted to be 20 962.64, in 2021 — 18 138.58.

Medical Schools in National Capital Territory—A Historical and Functional Perspective

Establishment of a medical school is predominantly a political decision. Its basic aim is to further the cause of medical education. Inbuilt within this objective is looking after sick people, bringing improvement in their health, and indirectly improving their understanding of health. Delhi, being the capital city of the country, is governed by the state as well central authorities, thereby enjoying dual benefits. Currently, it has some 10 medical schools/institutes with the objectives of providing quality medical education, research and health to its people. Notably, each one has its own historical legacy and distinctive character, as evident in their respective names, logo, motto and mission statement. This article briefly discusses the historical, socioeconomic, geopolitical, and distinctive characters of each of these institutions.

Asihan (Mantra) sebagai adat budaya masyarakat Lampung Pepadun

This research is motivated by an interest in the asihan or mantra of the Lampung Pepadun cultural community, North Lampung Regency which functions to strengthen mental and self-confidence, expel evil spirits, treat sick people, defeat the forces of nature, and subdue one's heart. The purpose of this study is to describe the function and meaning of asihan or mantra for the culture of the people of Lampung Pepadun, North Lampung Regency. The data in this study were taken from the traditional elders of Lampung Pepadun in North Lampung district. Data were collected by observation, interview, and recording methods.

Regarding Coinfection With Denge Viruses and Agents of Hemocontact Infections in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam

According to the WHO, there is an increase in the number of cases of dengue fever worldwide. In many countries, where dengue fever is an endemic disease, blood-borne infections associated with hepatitis B and C viruses and HIV are widespread. The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is an endemic region for these pathogens. The unique epidemiological situation in the country provides an excellent opportunity to study the interaction between Arboviruses, agents of parenteral viral hepatitis B and C, and HIV infection in the body of sick people.The aim of this review was to analyze the literature data on the detection of cases of simultaneous infection with Dengue viruses of 1–4 types and agents of blood-borne infections in sick people in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Despite the fact that the simultaneous circulation of these pathogens in the patient's body can affect the pathophysiological mechanisms of the disease development, there were very few works devoted to co-infection with Dengue viruses and HIV, hepatitis C or B viruses, including in the regions adjacent to Vietnam. Therefore, research in this direction is promising for both fundamental science and practical medicine.

Is the Magnesium Content in Food Supplements Consistent with the Manufacturers’ Declarations?

Food supplements (FS) are gaining more and more popularity because they are a quick way to compensate for deficiencies in the diet. Due to their affordable price and easy-to-take form, they are eaten by all age groups and by healthy and sick people. There are many categories of this type of preparations on the market, and FS with magnesium (Mg) are some of the most commonly used. Therefore, the aim of the study was to determine the Mg content in FS and to compare the estimated value with that declared by the manufacturer. The study included 116 FS containing Mg. In order to determine the Mg content, the atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) method was used. The tested FS were divided in terms of the declared content, pharmaceutical form, chemical form of Mg, composition complexity, and price. It was shown that in the case of 58.7% of the samples, the Mg content was different than the permissible tolerance limits set by the Polish chief sanitary inspectorate, which range from −20% to +45%. It has been estimated that as a result of the differences in the content, the patient may take up to 304% more Mg per day or 98% less than it is stated in the declaration. The above results indicate that the quality and safety of FS should be more closely monitored.

(In)Visible Disease: Motions and Emotions Engendered by Papers and Diagnostics of People Accessing Healthcare in Burkina Faso

Within the last decade, challenges of diagnosis have emerged on the global health agenda, accompanied by an expansion in the use of point-of-care and rapid detection devices in low-resource contexts where laboratory facilities are scarce. Few studies have explored how these changes are shaping people’s diagnostic journeys and their modes of accessing such technologies. In this paper I show how sick people and their families in a peri-urban area in Burkina Faso attempt to access diagnostic technologies and make themselves visible to the healthcare system through papers. In this context, I show how referral papers and diagnostic papers take on significance for people as they attempt to access care and diagnostic technologies and ‘carry’ knowledge between different levels of the healthcare system. The use of papers is often an uncertain undertaking, as they remain unintelligible to the sick and the layperson. I highlight how the form of the papers makes a crucial difference to the ways that sick people are able to use them. Papers and diagnostic technologies present both opportunities and challenges, and simultaneously engender hope, uncertainty, disappointment, and despair for the sick seeking a cure. Uncertainties, especially financial ones, arise with the possibility of new referrals and diagnostic tests, and along the way many give up or are immobilised when faced with diagnostic ambiguity.

ASSESSMENT OF THE RISK OF DECUBITUS ULCERS USING BRADEN SCALE

Purpose: Within the behavioral guidelines of hospitalized patients who need compensatory nursing care, an assessment of the risk of decubitus ulcers is recommended to be done at regular intervals, in schedule, and after each altered state. The goal of this research is to apply the BRADEN SCALE for assessment of the risk of decubitus ulcers occurring during a hygienic toilet in sick people who need compensatory nursing care. Material/Methods: An assessment of the risk of decubitus ulcers via using the Braden scale is applied in 120 hospitalized patients during a hygienic toilet. Treatment of decubitus ulcers I and II degree is being performed when the state of the skin and wounds that have already occurred are being established. For processing, analysis and graphic presentation of the results and data, the statistic program SPSS 20.0 is being used. Results: It's reported that 50, 83% of the respondents have got quite a risk of decubitus wounds occurring, 26,67% are at great risk, and 14,17% are at moderate risk. Only 8, 33% of all patients tested are at light risk. Conclusions: In all patients tested, a various degree of decubitus wounds occurrence, is reported. This defines the importance of the nurses' hygienic care and activities for the prevention of decubitus ulcers to occur. If the prevention measures of patients who have gotten in a risk group are not observed, every decubitus wound leads to a continuous stay in the hospital and also additional treatment and tests, which automatically prolong and raise the cost of hospital treatment.

Illness: Narratives, Imagery, and Politics

The article uses the review of a seminar, an exhibition, and a graduate conference, which took place at Tallinn University in the 2020–2021 academic year, as an occasion to reflect on the different ways in which illness has been represented in literature, the arts, and film across the history of Western culture. The specific focus of the article is on the theoretical contribution of the humanities to a more complex and adequate understanding of the phenomenon of illness. The study of illness narratives reveals different patterns and strategies of constructing the illness experience into a coherent and meaningful story, but also the resistance that the disruptive impact of illness on our everyday lives poses to narrativisation. The complex historical imagery which endows the biological fact of being sick with additional cultural and social meaning has also to be critically investigated in the humanities and social sciences. Metaphors about illness and the use of illness as a socio-political metaphor have often had a nefarious impact on sick people as well as entire social groups and communities. This is why the article also considers illness in its relations with politics and power and describes various attempts to empower sick people in their relations with medical institutions and their social environment. The article ends with a review of the “Illness: Narratives, Imagery, Politics” graduate conference (27–28 January 2021), which is a good illustration of the many literary and artistic works and of the plurality of methods that can be used in the study of the illness phenomenon from a humanities perspective.