Mobile technology has the potential to revolutionize how physicians practice medicine. From having access to the latest medical research at the point of care to being able to communicate at a moment's notice with physicians and colleagues around the world, we are practicing medicine in a technological age. During recent years, many physicians have been simultaneously using a pager, cellular telephone, and personal digital assistant (PDA) to keep in communication with the hospital and to access medical information or calendar functions. Many physicians have begun replacing multiple devices with a "smartphone," which functions as a cellular telephone, pager, and PDA. The goal of this article is to provide an overview of the currently available platforms that make up the smartphone devices and the available medical software. Each platform has its unique advantages and disadvantages, and available software will vary by device and is in constant flux.
Consecutive record review over a 63-month period revealed 229 Staphylococcus lugdunensis isolates, or 10.1% of the staphylococcal species that were not Staphylococcus aureus or Staphylococcus epidermidis. A total of 155 S. lugdunensis specimens were isolated from sites over the entire bodies of the 143 patients studied. The most common clinical diagnoses were skin and skin structure infections (55.4%) and blood and vascular catheter infections (17.4%). For 40% of the reviewed specimens, S. lugdunensis was the sole agent isolated, and for 60% of specimens, S. lugdunensis was isolated as part of mixed flora. In only 15.4% of clinically reviewed specimens was S. lugdunensis clearly a culture contaminant or colonizing organism. The pattern of human infection identified in this study emphasizes the predominance of ski'n and soft tissue S. lugdunensis infections over deep serious infections such as endocarditis, peritonitis, infected hip prosthesis, and osteomyelitis and vascular-associated infections. S. lugdunensis should be included along with S. epidermidis, Staphylococcus haemolyticus, and Staphylococcus saprophyticus as a coagulase-negative species of Staphylococcus pathogenic for humans.
BackgroundPeople living with HIV/AIDS have substantially greater need for water, sanitation, and hygiene. Encouraging hygiene education for People Living with HIV/AIDS in home based care services and additional support for the provision of water, sanitation, and hygiene services is recommended.MethodsA cross-sectional study was carried during 2009 to assess water, sanitation status and hygiene practices and associated factors among People Living with HIV/AIDS in home based care services in Gondar city of Ethiopia. A systematic random sampling was used to select study subjects from 900 Home Based Care clients of People Living HIV/AIDS in Gondar city. Data was collected from 296 People Living with HIV/AIDS from two NGO’s in the city. For in-depth interview, four different categories were participated. Logistic regression and thematic framework analysis were performed for quantitative and qualitative part respectively.ResultsTwo hundred ninety four subjects (72.8% (214) females and 27.2% (80) males) were studied. The mean age was 35.8 ± 8.7 years. In the study, 42.9% (126) of the households have unimproved water status, 67% (197) of the households have unimproved sanitation status, and 51.7% (152) of the households have poor hygienic practice. Diarrhoea with water status; educational status and latrine availability with sanitation status; and hand washing device availability and economical reasons for the affordability of soap with hygienic practice were significantly associated. Economical reasons and hygiene education were factors that affect water, sanitation, and hygienic practice. Stigma and discrimination were minimized as a factor in the study area.ConclusionsThere is high burden of water, sanitation and hygiene in people living HIV/AIDS in home based care services. Encouraging hygiene education for people living HIVAIDS in home based care services and additional support for the provision of water, sanitation, and hygiene services is recommended.
The use of telehealth and telemedicine offers powerful tools for delivering clinical care, conducting medical research, and enhancing access to infectious diseases physicians. The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) has prepared a position statement to educate members on the use of telehealth and telemedicine technologies. The development of telehealth and telemedicine programs requires the consideration of several issues such as HIPAA, state and local licensure requirements, credentialing and privileging, scope of care, quality, and responsibility and liability. IDSA supports appropriate use of telehealth and telemedicine to provide timely, cost-effective specialty care to resource-limited populations.
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