Healthcare workers (HCWs) wear uniforms, such as scrubs and lab coats, for several reasons: (1) to identify themselves as hospital personnel to their patients and employers; (2) to display professionalism; and (3) to provide barrier protection for street clothes from unexpected exposures during the work shift. A growing body of evidence suggests that HCWs' apparel is often contaminated with micro-organisms or pathogens that can cause infections or illnesses. While the majority of scrubs and lab coats are still made of the same traditional textiles used to make street clothes, new evidence suggests that current innovative textiles function as an engineering control, minimizing the acquisition, retention and transmission of infectious pathogens by reducing the levels of bioburden and microbial sustainability. This paper summarizes recent literature on the role of apparel worn in healthcare settings in the acquisition and transmission of healthcare-associated pathogens. It proposes solutions or technological interventions that can reduce the risk of transmission of micro-organisms that are associated with the healthcare environment. Healthcare apparel is the emerging frontier in epidemiologically important environmental surfaces.
The number of people presenting to EDs with mental health problems is increasing. To enhance and promote the delivery of safe and efficient healthcare to this group, there is a need to identify evidence‐based, best‐practice models of care. This scoping review aims to identify and evaluate current research on interventions commenced or delivered in the ED for people presenting with a mental health problem. A systematic search of eight databases using search terms including emergency department, mental health, psyc* and interventions, with additional reference chaining, was undertaken. For included studies, level of evidence was assessed using the NHMRC research guidelines and existing knowledge was synthesised to map key concepts and identify current research gaps. A total of 277 papers met the inclusion criteria. These were grouped thematically into seven domains based on primary intervention type: pharmacological (n = 43), psychological/behavioural (n = 25), triage/assessment/screening (n = 28), educational/informational (n = 12), case management (n = 28), referral/follow up (n = 36) and mixed interventions (n = 105). There was large heterogeneity observed as to the level of evidence within each intervention group. The interventions varied widely from pharmacological to behavioural. Interventions were focused on either staff, patient or institutional process domains. Few interventions focused on multiple domains (n = 64) and/or included the patient's family (n = 1). The effectiveness of interventions varied. There is considerable, yet disconnected, evidence around ED interventions to support people with mental health problems. A lack of integrated, multifaceted, person‐centred interventions is an important barrier to providing effective care for this vulnerable population who present to the ED.
Introduction: For rural and remote clinicians, quality education is often difficult to access because of geographic isolation, travel, time, expense constraints and lack of an onsite educator. The aims of this integrative review were to examine what telehealth education is available to rural practitioners, evaluate the existence and characteristics of telehealth education for rural staff, evaluate r Rural and Remote Health rrh.org.au
Effective assessment tools are an essential element of early identification of problems, enabling early intervention in the first two or so years of life. This article reports on the development and evaluation of a Universal Assessment Tool for Early Help in Early Years. The project aim was to develop, pilot and evaluate a new universal assessment tool named "My Family Profile" for use within Northamptonshire, United Kingdom, from pregnancy until a child reaches 2/2.5 years of age. A flowchart demonstrates the stages of the process including how each step contributed toward the tool and end report (Neill et al., 2015). The project used an intervention design enabling collaborative inter-agency working and ensured parents were engaged throughout the process. The methods used in developing the tool incorporated collaborative working, content analysis, format requirements, questioning styles and information sharing. The tool was evaluated using focus groups and individual interviews with parents, an online evaluation questionnaire and audit of completed assessment forms with practitioners. The resulting report (Neill et al., 2015) contained "My Family Profile" highlighted five key recommendations: (1) It is developed in a digital format with secure "cloud" storage, accessible from all IT platforms in use by child health/care professionals; (2) it is implemented with a comprehensive training program for professionals; (3) it is formally evaluated following implementation; (4) it is extended up to school entry and through school years; and (5) it is developed for use within other locations in the United Kingdom.
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