Thirteen sites in each of 60 domestic kitchens were examined for Salmonella and Campylobacter spp. following the preparation of a chicken for cooking and the application of different hygiene regimes. During food preparation bacteria became widely disseminated to hand and food contact surfaces. Where cleaning was carried out with detergent and hot water using a prescribed routine there was no si...

BACKGROUND Many of the healthcare associated infections (HCAIs) are transmitted by healthcare workers' hands, which actively contributes to transferring pathogens from patient to patient and within the healthcare environment. Hand hygiene is the easiest and cheapest method for preventing HCAIs. The article presents the compliance with hygiene procedures in a group of medical students of the Wro...

Introduction / objectives Partnership between service users and researchers is a cornerstone of the current research and development strategy for England’s National Health Service and is considered by funders as essential throughout the entire research process. To promote and facilitate public involvement in the field of HCAI research, the HCAI Research Network (RN) formed a Service User Resear...

BACKGROUND 'Organisational governance'--the systems, processes, behaviours and cultures by which an organisation leads and controls its functions to achieve its objectives--is seen as an important influence on patient safety. The features of 'good' governance remain to be established, partly because the relationship between governance and safety requires more investigation. AIMS To describe e...

NHS Blood and Transplant; Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London; University College Hospitals NHS Trust; Serious Hazards of Transfusion, NHS Blood and Transplant, Manchester/TTF member; Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow; NHS Blood and Transplant, Manchester; St. Mary’s Hospital, Manchester/University of Manchester; Royal Brompton Hospital, London; Mater Research Institute, Unive...

The Keeler Pulsair non-contact tonometer was compared with the Goldmann applanation tonometer in a series of 48 eyes after operation. A correlation coefficient of 0.92 (p less than 0.001) was found between the two instruments, with the Pulsair having a statistically significant tendency to overread the Goldmann slightly in this situation. The Pulsair was, however, shown to be effective in the i...

BACKGROUND Medical care is obviously an important public service to ensure the health of a nation; however, medical resources are not always used appropriately. 'Convenience-store consultations' and inappropriate ambulance transportation represent instances of such improper use by contemporary Japanese citizens in recent years. This article illustrates two examples of misuse and discusses poten...

BACKGROUND To improve hypertension care for ethnic minority patients of African descent in the Netherlands, we developed a provider intervention to facilitate the delivery of culturally appropriate hypertension education. This pilot study evaluates how the intervention affected the attitudes and perceived competence of hypertension care providers with regard to culturally appropriate care. ME...

When I first came across William James' dictum that " … this sense of sameness is the very keel and backbone of our thinking," I thought he had foreseen the importance of cross-correlation in the brain, and told myself to find out how he had reached this conclusion. When I finally did this a year or two ago, I slowly came to realize that I had completely misunderstood him; from the full quote i...

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to describe the structure of governmental surveillance systems for Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) in the Brazilian Southeastern and Southern States. METHOD A cross-sectional, descriptive and exploratory study, with data collection by means of two-phases: characterization of the healthcare structure and of the HAI surveillance system. RESULTS The governmenta...