Three women were admitted to the surgical wards with acute gastro-intestinal symptoms and despite good clinical (pigmentation, hypotension) and biochemical (hyponatraemia, acidosis) evidence of Addisonian crisis had unnecessary investigations with delay in the diagnosis and appropriate management of this medical emergency. Clinicians should take careful note of the typical electrolyte upset see...

Ten strains of Flavobacterium meningosepticum were isolated from routine clinical material during a period of two years. Of a number of antibiotics tested, clindamycin was the only one to which they were fully sensitive. The organism was found in chlorhexidine gluconate (Hibitane) solutions in use on the wards for the storage of thermometers and for routine disinfection.

We describe a large outbreak involving a Klebsiella pneumoniae strain producing a plasmid-encoded ACC-1 type AmpC beta-lactamase in a hospital caring for patients with motor impairment. The epidemic strain was isolated from 57 patients in six wards between September 1999 and May 2003 and caused clinical infections in 19 patients.

OBJECTIVES The world literature is reporting economic destabilisation of psychiatric wards in general hospitals related to the new rules of financing (managed care). The aim of this paper is to analyse the literature on psychiatric wards in general hospitals, and to know the opinions of psychiatrists employed in these wards in Poland regarding organisational model and the stability of these war...

Junior doctors, nursing staff, and phlebotomists spend a large proportion of their time taking blood samples and siting (venous) cannulae. Approximately 350 blood samples are taken daily across 25 wards at the Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust. There is no standard storage solution for venepuncture or cannulation equipment. On-call junior doctors cover most of the hospital's wards. Time is w...

BACKGROUND The aims of this study were to assess whether deprivation inequality at small area level in England is associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality rates and to assess whether this provides evidence of an association between area-level and individual-level risk. METHODS Mortality rates for all wards in England were calculated using all CHD deaths between 2001 and 2006. Wa...

BACKGROUND Increasing hospital-acquired infections have generated much attention over the last decade. There is evidence that hygienic cleaning has a role in the control of hospital-acquired infections. This study aimed to evaluate the potential impact of one additional cleaner by using microbiological standards based on aerobic colony counts and the presence of Staphylococcus aureus including ...

Abstract Hospital built environment can affect patient clinical outcomes, satisfaction with care and treatment, staff performance wellbeing, carers/visitors’ engagement services. Little is known about which urban planning, architecture interior design characteristics make environments therapeutic or detrimental for users. We hope that the audience attending this presentation will i) get a good ...

AIMS This study aimed to document and compare the nature of clinical pharmacists' interventions made in different practice settings within a children's hospital. METHODS The primary investigator observed and documented all clinical interventions performed by clinical pharmacists for between 35-37 days on each of the five study wards from the three practice settings, namely general medical, ge...