Implications for nursing management include implementation of health-promotion programmes, strategies to reduce exposure to second-hand smoke, ensuring access to and education on assistive and safety devices, and education for all staff on protection against drug residue.
Population demographics in the United States are rapidly changing with increased dependence on home healthcare (HHC) by an aging population, patients suffering from chronic diseases, and inability to perform activities of daily living. Despite the occupational injury rates for HHC workers (HHCW) being higher than the national average, an understanding of the occupational safety and health experiences and exposures of HHCW is limited. The purpose of this study was to understand the health and safety risk factors for HHCW. One-on-one interviews were conducted with HHCW to elicit frequency of daily occupational exposures to hazards and risk factors during visits to patients' homes. Approximately 67% of the study population was over 40 years old and mostly obese, potentially increasing risk for injury. HHCW routinely perform physical tasks with increased risk for occupational musculoskeletal injuries. Exposures to drug residue from dispensing oral medications and anticancer medications and exposure to potentially infectious agents and cleaning chemicals used for infection prevention were reported. The majority of HHCW were also exposed to secondhand smoke and occasionally experienced violence. Developing and implementing intervention strategies that address engineering controls, establish employee safety-related policies, provide training and retraining, promote a healthy lifestyle among HHCW, and providing suitable personal protective equipment may help to decrease occupational injury rates.
Given the increased prevalence of chronic disease and health care costs, more individuals are treated in the home, which has augmented the demand for more Home Healthcare Workers (HHCWs) in the field. HHCWs face multiple hazards with injury rates being more than double the national average; however, current studies on HHCWs have provided limited understanding of their occupational safety & health experiences and exposures. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency and risk of exposures through perceptions of HHCWs. The results of this study provide an initial picture of the different risks that HHCWs face daily. These findings show that studies involving HHCWs occupational safety need to be job-specific, and the proposed interventions will also likely need to be tailored by HHCWs type.
Single-phase hydrocarbon-based microemulsions with low volatile organic carbon levels can help deliver solventlike cleaning properties while allowing formulators to meet regulatory requirements. The rheology and petroleum jelly solubilization properties of model microemulsion systems that contained equal volumes of hydrocarbon solvent and water were evaluated as a function of microemulsion structure and composition. Single-phase microemulsions with low surfactant contents and broad formulation flexibility were obtained through the use of efficient anionic surfactants and low electrolyte levels. The microemulsion structure was advanced from solventcontinuous to water-continuous by varying the solvent alkane carbon number or the electrolyte content, whereas the liquid crystal content was controlled via cosurfactant concentration. Both microemulsion structure and viscosity influenced solubilization rates. Low-viscosity, solvent-continuous microemulsions showed solubilization rates comparable to those found with solvent-based systems, while water-continuous microemulsions showed relatively poor solubilization rates. Microemulsions containing dispersed liquid crystals exhibited high viscosity and low solubilization rates. JAOCS 74, 861-867 (1997).Federal and state regulations are limiting the maximum permitted solvent content of industrial and consumer cleaners. Solvents that fall under regulatory pressure include volatile organic compounds (VOC), suspected ozone-depleting substances, and potentially hazardous air pollutants. These regulations have resulted in a strong demand for solvent substitutes and solvent reduction technologies.Microemulsions constitute a class of solvent alternatives that potentially meet both regulatory and performance criteria. They are thermodynamically stable, transparent dispersions of water, organic solvents, and surfactants and are generally characterized as solvent-continuous, water-continuous, or bi-continuous (1). However, high surfactant concentrations are usually required to maintain homogeneity and thermodynamic stability. The high surfactant concentrations contribute to visible postevaporation residue, high formulation viscosity, and high cost. In contrast, microemulsions made with low levels of "efficient" surfactants can give acceptably low residue, low viscosity, and excellent cleaning performance.For example, microemulsions with low surfactant levels, single-phase behavior, low (50%) VOC levels, reduced flammability, no ozone-depleting potential, solvent-like cleaning performance, and low residue upon evaporation have recently been introduced as solvent substitutes for use in cleaning products (2).This study was designed to quantify the effects of microemulsion structure, composition, and physical properties on cleaning performance. The study involved formulating a series of model microemulsions, characterizing their structures and dispersed liquid crystal content, evaluating physical properties, and determining the model oily soil (petroleum jelly)-cleaning performance. The m...
In 2010, there were roughly 219 million cases of malaria reported worldwide resulting in an estimated 660,600 deaths [1]. In contrast, the total number of cases according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States (USA) was only 1691 [2]. Of those, 1688 were cases of imported malaria [2]. This is the highest number of cases reported in U.S. since 1980 [2]. Here, we describe a case of imported malaria and conduct a retrospective case series at four Connecticut (CT) hospitals in order to describe the demographics of imported malaria and to identify potential barriers to timely diagnosis and treatment.
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