Under increasing pressure to contain costs, hospitals are challenged to provide high-quality care to an increasingly complex group of children with life-threatening illness (LTI) that often worsen over time. Pediatric palliative care is an essential component of optimal hospital care delivery for these children and their families. This article describes (1) the current landscape of pediatric ho...

BACKGROUND Greece has been severely affected by the 2008 global economic crisis and its health system was, and still is, among the national institutions most shaped by its effects. METHODS In 2014, this qualitative study examined these changes through in-depth interviews with 22 frontline healthcare professionals in five different locations in mainland Greece. These interviews with nurses, do...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES This study aims to describe the view of family members about the quality of care given in a general intensive care unit of a university hospital. METHODS A questionnaire to evaluate the level of satisfaction with the care was elaborated. The study included family members of patients with a length of stay more than 48h who already had visited the patient one time or m...

Construction and renovation projects in health care facilities are a risk for certain patients, particularly those who are immunocompromised. A proactive approach must be taken to limit construction-related nosocomial infections. This requires having a multidisciplinary team, supported by administration, to plan and implement preventive measures throughout the duration of the construction proje...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to describe the incidence and epidemiology of nosocomial infection in newborns who were admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit in a hospital in south Santa Catarina, Brazil. METHODS A prospective cohort study was conducted for 1 year among 239 neonates who remained as in-patients 48 hours after admission. The criteria that were used to diagnose infectio...

BACKGROUND Although uncomplicated acute renal failure (ARF) is associated with significant hospital resource utilization, its health care requirements following hospital discharge are not well understood. The goal of this study was to characterize the post-hospital care requirements incurred by patients with uncomplicated ARF and to determine its important influencing factors. METHODS We obta...

INTRODUCTION Intermediate care is an organisational approach to improve the coordination of health care services between health care levels. In Central Norway an intermediate care hospital was established in a municipality to improve discharge from a general hospital to primary health care. The aim of this study was to investigate how health professionals experienced hospital discharge of elder...