An innovational study published in 2016 described how a photo of ‘Watching Eyes’ prominently displayed in the perianesthesia area of a busy hospital could encourage healthcare professionals to use the alcohol handrubs (AHRs) provided. But the experiment was not entirely problem free – some felt that the picture (which showed the eyes of a recognizable leader […]
Tag: hospital
Deterring hospital patients from ‘drinking’ from hand sanitizers – Dr. Weiner’s solution
Aside from causing the occasional fire, alcohol-based hand santizers in hospitals have another problem. They’re a handy ‘non-beverage’ source of (jellified) alcohol for those patients who crave intoxication. There are several published formal investigations on the subject – see, for example : Consumption of alcohol-based hand sanitisers by hospital inpatients The Medical journal of Australia […]
A flash fire caused by a hospital hand sanitizer
It sometimes happens that a solution to a problem ends up creating a new problem. As an example, here’s a case in which the solution was a 70% alcohol-based gel in a wall-mounted dispenser in a hospital. The gel was intended to resolve so-called nosocomial problems associated with poor hand hygiene in hospitals. Unfortunately, a […]
Finger licking bad (in rehabilitation units)
The nosocomial problems associated with healthcare professionals repetitively licking their fingers while reviewing hospital charts was first formally documented by Myron M. LaBan, MD FAAPMR – the lead author of a 2004 brief report for the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (Volume 83, Issue 1, pp. 75-78). The report encouraged healthcare professionals to : […]
Medical Slang in British Hospitals
Medical Slang in British Hospitals is given a detailed examination by Adam T. Fox, Michael Fertleman, Pauline Cahill and Roger D. Palmer in : Ethics & Behavior, Volume 13, Issue 2, 2003. “The usage, derivation, and psychological, ethical, and legal aspects of slang terminology in medicine are discussed. The colloquial vocabulary is further described and […]
A Preliminary Public Health Look at Hospital Fist-Bumps
On the theory that sometimes little things help lessen problems caused by little things, comes this little paper: “Reducing pathogen transmission in a hospital setting. Handshake verses fist bump: a pilot study,” P.A. Ghareeb, T. Bourlai, W. Dutton, W.T. McClellan, Journal of Hospital Infection, epub September 19, 2013. (Thanks to investigator Marek Hlavac for bringing […]
Of Bunnies and Clowns in the Wards
In case you missed this April Fools study: “Randomized Trial of Facilitated Family-Centered Rounds,” Brian K. Alverson, Karen M. Wilson and Samir S. Shah, Hospital Pediatrics, 2013;3;156. The authors, at Brown University, the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, explain, sort of: “Family-centered rounds (FCR) are becoming […]
Best’s Flushing Caution; Sandoe on Dog-Snogging
From Leeds comes news of how to literally keep down infectious material in hospitals: “Potential for aerosolization of Clostridium difficile after flushing toilets: the role of toilet lids in reducing environmental contamination risk,” E.L. Best, J.A. Sandoe and M.H. Wilcox, Journal of Hospital Infections, epub December 1, 2011. The authors, at Leeds General Infirmary and […]
The Clown, The Kids, the Botulinum Toxin
Experiments in Denmark explore what happens when you combine a clown, several children, and injections of botulinum toxin. Details are in the study: “Effect of a clown’s presence at botulinum toxin injections in children: a randomized, prospective study,” Lars Kjaersgaard Hansen, Maria Kibaek, Torben Martinussen [pictured here], Lene Kragh, Mogens Hej, Journal of Pain Research, vol. […]
Swearing – a psychological tool
“Offensive language (spoken by medical staff and by patients and their families) is often heard in the general hospital.” But, despite its apparent prevalence, its manifestations and clinical implications have have largely escaped formal examination – until now. Dr. Daniel J. Zimmerman and Professor Theodore A. Stern have between them co-authored what is believed to […]