AIMS To develop an antibiotic foot formulary for the empirical treatment of diabetes-related foot infections presenting to our service. Subsequently, to asses costs associated with the introduction of our protocol, in particular to assess the effect on admissions avoidance and any cost savings achieved. METHODS We reviewed several existing antibiotic protocols. We analysed data on costs relat...

BACKGROUND Accidental exposure to blood-borne pathogens (BBPs) is a risk for health care workers (HCWs). AIM To study the pattern of occupational exposure to blood and body fluids (BBFs) at a tertiary care hospital. METHODS This study reports a 17-year experience (1985-2001) of ongoing surveillance of HCW exposure to BBFs at a 420-bed academic tertiary care hospital. RESULTS A total of 1,...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate a new organizational model in an intensive care unit, with the implementation of early warning systems and a support unit. DESIGN A retrospective, comparative cohort study was carried out. SETTING The study was carried out in the Department of Intensive Care Medicine (DICM) of a tertiary hospital (2009-2011), with the comparison of three time periods (P1, P2 and P3) t...

OBJECTIVE This study examined the validity and reliability of the Brief Child and Family Phone Interview (BCFPI) in a sample of high-risk, high-need children and youth admitted to a tertiary residential psychiatric facility. This is the first validation study of the BCFPI with children and youth functioning at the extreme clinical range. METHOD Participants consisted of children and youth in ...

AIMS To develop and implement an evidence based guideline for the treatment of acute asthma using a metered dose inhaler and spacer combination. METHODS Defined strategies were used for the development and implementation of a guideline, assessed by a prospective, descriptive, study using notes review, and patient, nursing, and medical staff telephone contact. The setting was a tertiary referr...

OBJECTIVE To describe the characteristics and barriers in the handover process in a medical intensive care unit. DESIGN A cross-sectional descriptive study using a checklist to observe nurses and doctors during handover of patients in and out of the intensive care unit. SETTING The study was conducted at a 1000-bed tertiary hospital in Singapore. The unit admits all patients under universit...

IMPORTANCE As of 2015, almost half of US states allow medical marijuana, and 4 states allow recreational marijuana. To our knowledge, the effect of recreational marijuana on the pediatric population has not been evaluated. OBJECTIVE To compare the incidence of pediatric marijuana exposures evaluated at a children's hospital and regional poison center (RPC) in Colorado before and after recreat...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study is to compare air transportation of critically ill pediatric patients with a mixed air-ground transportation system by evaluating timeliness, safety, and cost. The setting was a tertiary care "hub" center with three outlying-referral "spoke" facilities. STUDY DESIGN Our study included 96 children transported between June and December 1997, with 45% constit...

BACKGROUND The financing of antiretroviral therapy (ART) is generally determined by the cost incurred in the previous year, the number of patients on treatment, and the evidence-based recommendations, but not the clinical characteristics of the population. OBJECTIVE To establish a score relating the cost of ART and patient clinical complexity in order to understand the costing differences bet...