BACKGROUND Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at risk of acquiring human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) and other infections via exposure to infectious patients' blood and body fluids. The main objective of this study was to estimate the risk of HIV transmission and examine the practices for preventing occupational exposures among HCWs at Tumbi and Dodoma Hospitals in Tanzania. METHODS This study w...

AIMS To review the process and outcome of education and training visits to paediatric departments by the RCPCH. METHODS Retrospective audit of visits reports (1997-2001) against the RCPCH criteria for general professional training. Hospital and/or community child health departments who were responsible for training paediatric senior house officers were visited to assess whether RCPCH criteria...

Introduction: Patient transitions between primary and hospital care include referral, discharge, and simultaneous care by the outpatient clinic and the general practitioner (GP). Research on referrals and discharge shows that safety incidents in these transitions are common. We developed the multifaceted Transitional Incident Prevention Programme (TIPP), which aims to improve transitional patie...

This paper investigates the link between performance measures and decision-making processes in the Norwegian hospital sector. The research findings are expected to add knowledge to the implementation of performance measurements and management systems in this context. The implementation of performance-based management systems acts as an element of reform that is similar to the New Public Managem...

BACKGROUND By assessing patient safety culture, healthcare providers can identify areas for improvement in patient safety culture. To achieve this, these assessment outcomes have to be relevant and presented clearly. The aim of our study was to explore healthcare professionals' views on the feedback of a patient safety culture assessment. METHODS Twenty four hospitals participated in a patien...

Computer simulation of an information system prior to its implementation can predict time and workflow changes in a hospital department, while offering a common ground of communication across various levels in the organization. Often, the simulation can predict unexpected effects of changes to the work environment and allow experimentation with alternative scenarios at minimal cost to the depar...

OBJECTIVE To assess the management of swallowed coins in children and identify aspects that could be improved. DESIGN Study of records of three hospital departments for 1986-90. SETTING Accident and emergency, radiology, and operating theatre departments in a children's hospital. SUBJECTS 50 children reported to have ingested coins. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Radiological investigations perf...

OBJECTIVE Oral anticoagulation (OAC) is state-of-the-art therapy for atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common arrhythmia worldwide. However, little is known about the perception of patients with AF and how it correlates with risk scores used by their physicians. Therefore, we correlated patients' estimates of their own stroke and bleeding risk with the objectively predicted individual risk usi...

Undernutrition is associated with worse clinical outcomes and so screening is recommended. Given the paucity of information on nutritional status and on the clinical impact of undernutrition in Pulmonology patients who have been hospitalized, it is of the utmost importance that it is studied. Through a longitudinal study conducted of 323 patients consecutively admitted to a Pulmonology hospital...