This article (a follow on from an article concentrating on Northern Ireland) examines the relationship between percentage bed occupancy (PO), turnover interval (TI) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) rates in the acute beds of specialist English hospital trusts and describes the TI and levels of bed occupancy. The data were collected from publicly available data: MRSA rates of blood-borne infection per 1000 bed days from the Department of Health; average length of stay from Hospital Episode Statistics; and percentage occupancy from the Department of Health Hospital Activity statistics were used. Pearson's Correlation coefficients were used as basis for inferential analysis. The mean TI for all trusts was as 0.94 days, median 0.95 days. Twenty percent of trusts had TIs, on average, of less than 0.58 days (13.9 hours) and 10% had a TI less than 0.32 days (7.6 hours). The mean PO was 84.98% and the median was 84.76%. Seventy percent of the trusts exceeded the recommended 82% bed occupancy. The inference from this study is that there is a relationship between TI and PO and rate of MRSA infection in specialist English hospitals and that PO rates are at a level which may interfere with good infection control procedures.
Prehospital treatment with oxygen, aspirin, sublingual GTN and ECG monitoring remains underused by paramedics, even though only a small number of patients had documented contraindications to their use. The small number of patients who received a prehospital 12-lead ECG is a cause of particular concern and suggests that incomplete patient assessment may contribute to undertreatment. Further provision of training and equipment is necessary to enable paramedics to more accurately assess and treat patients with acute coronary syndromes.
Nurses are increasingly being asked to extend or expand their traditional roles, often for reasons other than their own professional development. This study, across three specialties in one hospital, examines whether or not nurses view such change in a positive light.
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