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Biomedical subjects

J Randle

Publications and source records attributed to J Randle.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

Hand hygiene compliance in healthcare workers.

The 'clean-your-hands' campaign has now been introduced into hospitals in England but it was initially piloted in six acute trusts. The campaign was multi-modal and aimed to improve hand hygiene compliance. This review reports the findings from one of the trusts involved in the pilot. The campaign consisted of a toolkit that included placing alcohol hand rub beside patients, along with posters and supporting marketing materials. A guide to implementation and a strategy aimed at increasing patient information and empowerment was also initiated. In order to assess the success of the campaign, audits of hand hygiene in healthcare workers were conducted over a six-month period. Additionally, data were obtained from staff surveys, patient surveys, usage levels of alcohol hand rub and interviews with the on-site lead. The local campaign indicated that a multi-modal campaign induced a marked increase in hand hygiene compliance (from 32% to 63%), with 74% of staff reporting increased compliance throughout the campaign. Usage of alcohol hand rub increased by 184%. The majority of patients indicated that the public should be actively involved in helping healthcare staff to improve their hand hygiene.

Cross Infection↗

Paediatric nurses' attitudes to massage and aromatherapy massage.

Complementary therapies have continued to increase in popularity in healthcare and it is widely accepted that they can be incorporated into the nursing role. However, this acceptance does not necessarily mean that the introduction of therapies into the nursing arena has been without confusion and without professional and legal implications. Consequently, this small-scale, qualitative study aimed to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of paediatric nurses of two therapies, namely massage and aromatherapy massage. There is a dearth of literature exploring nurses' perceptions to the incorporation of these therapies, especially in the arena of paediatric nursing where massage and aromatherapy massage are common practice. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with qualified nurses and revealed the themes of 'benefit', 'family centred care', 'nursing care' and 'being held back'. It was found that at some stage during their professional career each nurse had performed massage and/or aromatherapy massage. All nurses were able to recall certain benefits of the therapies for the children that they had observed and many discussed the importance of involving the family as a way of including them in to the care of their child. However, for the nurses in this study, it was evident that the incorporation of complementary therapies into the nursing role was determined by the context in which they practised. Due to the dominance of the medical model, nurses faced pressures and conflicts in the realities of their nursing work, which meant they were often unable to carry out these therapies.

Anecdotes as Topic↗

Thalamic stimulation for primary writing tremor.

We report a patient with primary writing tremor whose tremor was treated with thalamic stimulation. He had undergone trials of multiple oral medications with no benefit for his tremor. An electrode lead was implanted in the thalamic nucleus ventralis intermedius with nearly complete control of his tremor and no postoperative complications. We conclude that nucleus ventralis intermedius thalamic stimulation is safe and effective for primary writing tremor.

Electric Stimulation Therapy↗

The effect of a 3-year pre-registration training course on students' self-esteem.

Self-esteem is an acquired set of beliefs about the 'self' and is the largest determinant of behaviour. This study was carried out to identify changes in the self-esteem of students in order to assess the major influencing factors during their transition to becoming a nurse and to explore the interpretations and constructions which students ascribed to their experiences during this transition. Data were collected by the use of unstructured interviews. Analysis of data was qualitative, using a grounded theory method. Students' self-esteem became fragmented during the transition to becoming a nurse. The findings indicate a need to implement strategies to increase nurses' self-esteem.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

Ipsilateral thalamic stimulation after thalamotomy for essential tremor. A case report.

We report a patient with severe essential tremor who was treated with thalamic stimulation ipsilateral to a prior thalamotomy. Thalamotomy performed 30 years prior to stimulator implantation provided tremor reduction for one year before the tremor recurred. An electrode lead was implanted in the thalmaic nucleus ventralis intermedius (Vim) with nearly complete control of his tremor with sustained benefit over an 18-month follow-up period. Vim thalamic stimulation is an effective treatment option for recurrent tremor in patients who have undergone ipsilateral thalamotomy.

Aged↗

An in vivo study of the effect of excimer laser irradiation on degenerate rabbit articular cartilage.

Eighteen adult rabbits with mechanically induced degenerative arthritis of one knee were divided into two groups. The first group underwent arthrotomy and lavage of the arthritic joint. The second group underwent arthrotomy and irradiation of the degenerate articular surface with the Excimer (xenon chloride ultraviolet, 308-nm) laser (Arthrex Arthrolase MAX-10, Germany) in a saline environment. Rabbits from each group were killed at intervals up to 12 weeks for histological and metabolic studies of their articular cartilage. In the control group there was no improvement in the macroscopic or microscopic appearance of the articular surface. In the laser-irradiated group initially there was macroscopic and microscopic smoothing of the fibrillated surface. By 6 weeks the surface had begun to show the reappearance of fibrillation. There was no evidence that there was any increase or decrease in mitotic or metabolic activity in the laser-irradiated group as compared with the controls.

Animals↗

Force perception before and after maximal voluntary contraction.

Capacity to match a low level of elbow flexion force maintained in the control arm was measured in the experimental arm in 16 subjects before and after maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). Prior to a 1-min. MVC, the mean force exerted by the experimental arm was 3.4 +/- 1.0 kg when attempting to match the tension of a 2.3-kg weight in the control arm. After the MVC, the mean force exerted in the experimental arm was 4.4 +/- 2.6 kg. The change in perception of force after a prolonged MVC as demonstrated in this study may be due to postcontraction potentiation of contraction, which has been demonstrated by others after a brief MVC.

Adult↗

Making a profit.

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Economics, Hospital↗

Can nocturnal emergency surgery be reduced?

A prospective study of emergency operations was performed over three months in a district general hospital. Before starting surgery surgeons completed a questionnaire recording clinical details together with time of admission and were asked to state whether in their opinion the case could be safely deferred until the next morning assuming operating time was available. Of 251 operations performed, forms were completed for 244. According to the surgeons, 62 could have been safely deferred, and subsequent independent analysis indicated a further 24 could also have been safely postponed, giving a total of 86 cases (35%). Of the remainder, 71 were started between 2300 and 0900, and of these 51 (71%) were major operations requiring an experienced surgeon. The results suggest that, although the volume of nocturnal major surgery could not be reduced, the introduction of a daily emergency theatre session for cases seen during the day and those which could be deferred from the previous night would appreciably reduce the overall workload of nocturnal surgery at present done by the resident junior staff. This study will have important implications if, as has been suggested, the number of junior medical staff on call at night for emergencies is reduced.

Emergencies↗

Perifused adenohypophyseal cells: release of ACTH and kinetics of the response to secretagogues.

The release of ACTH-like immunoactivity (ACTH-LI) from perifused dispersed adenohypophyseal cells was examined under basal conditions and in response to various secretagogues. Frequent sampling of effluent perfusion medium and a variable stimulation format allowed us to discern differences in the effects of the secretagogues. The dye, dextran blue, was used to define the kinetics of flow intrinsic to the perifusion system, allowing a detailed analysis of the responses to secretagogues. Each agent had a time course of action which could be related to its supposed site and mode of action in these cells. A crude hypothalamic extract, a partially purified corticotrophin releasing factor preparation, 8-bromoadenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8Br-cAMP), and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine all caused dose-related, repeatable increases of the release of ACTH-LI. A 10-fold elevation in the concentration of K+ in the perifusion medium (10K) caused a transient increase in the release of ACTH-LI which was reduced when repeated. These results suggest that 10K stimulates the release of ACTH-LI only from a "readily-releasable pool." The other agents appear to affect the release process more profoundly, for example, by stimulating intracellular transport of the ACTH-LI.

1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine↗