Interrupted time-series analysis (ITSA) can be used to identify, quantify, and evaluate the magnitude and direction of an event on the basis of time-series data. This study evaluates the impact of the bioterrorist anthrax attacks ("Amerithrax") on hospital inpatient discharges in the metropolitan statistical area of Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties in the fourth quarter of 2001. Thr...

INTRODUCTION Prior reports suggest that restrictive ICU visitation policies can negatively impact patients and their loved ones. However, visitation practices in US ICUs, and the hospital factors associated with them, are not well described. METHODS A telephone survey was made of ICUs, stratified by US region and hospital type (community, federal, or university), between 2008 and 2009. Hospit...

BACKGROUND Although modern psychiatric services seek alternatives to hospitalisation wherever appropriate, the national trend toward higher bed occupancies on acute psychiatric wards has refocused attention on community-based alternatives and methods of assessing reed for acute care. METHOD We surveyed key decision makers in a community-oriented district service with a low acute psychiatric b...

Cardiovascular deconditioning reduces orthostatic tolerance. To determine whether changes in autonomic function might produce this effect, we developed stimulus-response curves relating limb vascular resistance, muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) with seven subjects before and after 18 days of -6 degrees head-down bed rest. Both lower body ne...

ActiveGuard Mattress Liners have been used to control house dust mites, and they also are commercially available as an integrated pest management tool for use against bed bugs (Cimex lectularius). The aim of our study was to evaluate responses of numerous populations of the bed bug to the permethrin-impregnated fabric, with particular regard to contact toxicity, repellency, and feeding inhibiti...

We examined bed bug prevalence in 2,372 low-income apartments within 43 buildings in four New Jersey cities using a combination of resident interviews, brief visual inspections, and monitoring with Climbup Insect Interceptors. Infestation rates ranged from 3.8 to 29.5% among the buildings, with an overall infestation rate of 12.3%. Within each apartment, the bed area trapped significantly more ...

OBJECTIVE This paper aims to explore the options available for developing community-based care and improving the quality of care in psychiatric hospitals in Ghana. METHOD Semi-structured interviews (SSIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted: with a cross-section of stakeholders including health professionals, researchers, policy makers, politicians, users and carers. The SSIs an...

To the Editor: Bedbugs (Cimex lectularius) are hematophagous insects. Adults are 4–6 mm long, flattened, oval and wingless, and brown to brownish–red (Figure, panel A) (1). They may feed in the wild on birds or bats (2), but they are mainly associated with human dwellings and can be found on furniture and clothing (3). Because bedbugs are nocturnal and feed painlessly only in the dark, while hu...

Methods A database of prevailing drug procurement prices was created from actual purchase orders submitted in 2013 by government procuring entities in the Philippines. The database includes information on the unit cost, volumes of procurement, source/supplier/manufacturer, brand, mode of procurement and location of the hospital for each formulation and strength of all drugs in the National Form...

BACKGROUND Early discharge after myocardial infarction is safe and feasible. Factors that delay discharge need to be identified in order to improve care and reduce bed occupancy. OBJECTIVE To investigate the potential of the restricted weekend service that operates in most hospitals to delay patient discharge. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SUBJECTS AND SETTING 2541 consecutive patients...