scholarly journals Efficacy of hand washing beeswax food wrap in household use

Author(s):  
Celine Hsin ◽  
BCIT School of Health Sciences, Environmental Health ◽  
Dale Chen

  Background: Over the years, many reusable products have been invented to replace single-use disposable items to reduce waste. One of such products is the reusable beeswax food wrap, which aims to replace plastic film wraps to store food. According to manufacturer instructions, the beeswax wrap can only be washed with cold water and detergent. This presents the question whether the beeswax wrap can be effectively cleaned, as continuous reuse may present cross contamination issues. This study examines if manufacturer instructions is effective in cleaning the beeswax wrap. Methods: ATP analysis was used to determine the level of cleanliness on the beeswax wrap between the pre-intervention and post-intervention treatments. Pre-intervention samples are the new beeswax wraps. Post- intervention samples are wraps that have been contaminated with avocado, washed, and dried. ATP counts (RLU) were measured with Hygiena SystemSURE Plus ATP monitoring system. Paired T-Test was done on NCSS to analyze the results. Results: The mean of the pre-intervention group was measured at 8 RLU, which is considered clean under the Hygiena standard. The mean for the post-intervention group was measured at 67 RLU, which is considered a fail on cleanliness under the Hygiena standard. This shows that the manufacturer instructions on washing the beeswax wrap does not effectively clean the beeswax wrap. Statistical analysis show p-value is 0.000, therefore one can conclude there is a statistically significance difference in the mean ATP count between pre-intervention and post-intervention beeswax wrap samples. Conclusion: Results show that some food residue remained on the wrap after washing. This means manufacturer instructions cannot effectively clean beeswax wrap. Therefore, it is recommended that manufactures should put a label on their packaging to let their customers know that the wrap can’t be thoroughly cleaned, and certain foods should be avoided for its use. During its use, the wraps should be labeled for the specific category of food it is used for. BCCDC can also use this result to add into the reusable container guideline.  

Blood ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 132 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 1232-1232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Rezazadeh ◽  
Gemlyn George ◽  
Nicole Pearl ◽  
Cole McCoy ◽  
Felicia Zook ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction The dramatic improvement in outcomes of pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has led to the incorporation of asparaginase into adult treatment protocols. However, increased thrombosis rates have been subsequently observed. In an effort to reduce venous thromboembolism (VTE) rates in this high-risk population and minimize the morbidity and cost associated with each event, Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin implemented a practice of three-times weekly antithrombin (AT) activity monitoring with prophylactic AT supplementation (plasma derived antithrombin) for activity less than 50%. The type of AT used for supplementation was Thrombate III (human form) and dosing was weight-based (approximately 3000 units for patients < 70 kg, 4000 units for patients 70-100 kg, and 5000 units for patients > 100 kg) with a target AT activity level of 120%. Similarly, levels of fibrinogen were monitored three times weekly with cryoprecipitate supplementation provided for fibrinogen levels less than 100 if AT was also low. We retrospectively reviewed patient outcomes to determine impact of AT level monitoring with threshold-guided prophylactic AT infusions on VTE rates in patients undergoing asparaginase-based chemotherapy. Methods We conducted a single-center, retrospective, observational cohort study of ALL patients treated with asparaginase between 2009 and 2018. Patients were identified using our institution's hematological malignancy registry. The electronic medical record was reviewed for demographics, VTE events, AT activities, use of AT supplementation, and cryoprecipitate transfusion. Primary outcome was VTE events during treatment with asparaginase. We excluded catheter-related thrombosis from the outcomes. Secondary outcomes included: the number of patients receiving supplemental AT, the mean AT activity level (%) at the time of supplementation, number of asparaginase doses administered per patient, median number of days from asparaginase to VTE, median number of days from asparaginase administration to AT supplementation and the percentage of patients who received cryoprecipitate. The Fisher's exact test was used to compare categorical variables and Student's t-test compared continuous variables. Results A total of 65 patients were included: 20 patients were treated prior to protocol implementation (pre-intervention group), and 45 patients after implementation (post-intervention group). The median age of patients in the pre-intervention and post-intervention group was 35 and 38, respectively. The VTE rates were 50% (10 patients) in the pre-intervention group, and 25% (9 patients) in the post-intervention group (p = 0.02). The median number of days from asparaginase to VTE event was 15 in the pre-intervention group and 16 in the post intervention group. In the post-intervention group, 30 (46%) patients received AT and the mean AT activity level in supplemented patients was 46.7% (ranging from 32% to 64%). The median number of days from asparaginase administration to supplementation with AT concentrate was 8 days. A total of 28 patients (43%) received cryoprecipitate and the average fibrinogen level when patients were supplemented was 86.42 mg/dL. Fibrinogen levels were not monitored in the pre-intervention group. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that monitoring and replacing AT and fibrinogen in patients with ALL receiving asparaginase based regimens reduces the risk of VTE. Disclosures Atallah: Pfizer: Consultancy; Abbvie: Consultancy; Jazz: Consultancy; BMS: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S60-S60
Author(s):  
Noor F Zaidan ◽  
Rachel S Britt ◽  
David Reynoso ◽  
R Scott Ferren

Abstract Background Pharmacist-driven protocols for utilization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) nares screenings have shown to decrease duration of empiric gram-positive therapy and rates of acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with respiratory infections. This study evaluated the impact of a pharmacist-driven MRSA nares screening protocol on duration of vancomycin or linezolid therapy (DT) in respiratory infections. Methods Patients aged 18 years and older with a medication order of vancomycin or linezolid for respiratory indication(s) were included. The MRSA nares screening protocol went into effect in October 2019. The protocol allowed pharmacists to order an MRSA nares polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for included patients, while the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) made therapeutic recommendations for de-escalation of empiric gram-positive coverage based on negative MRSA nares screenings, if clinically appropriate. Data for the pre-intervention group was collected retrospectively for the months of October 2018 to March 2019. The post-intervention group data was collected prospectively for the months of October 2019 to March 2020. Results Ninety-seven patients were evaluated within both the pre-intervention group (n = 50) and post-intervention group (n = 57). Outcomes for DT (38.2 hours vs. 30.9 hours, P = 0.601) and AKI (20% vs. 14%, P = 0.4105) were not different before and after protocol implementation. A subgroup analysis revealed a significant reduction in DT within the pre- and post-MRSA PCR groups (38.2 hours vs. 24.8 hours, P = 0.0065) when pharmacist recommendations for de-escalation were accepted. Conclusion A pharmacist-driven MRSA nares screening protocol did not affect the duration of gram-positive therapy for respiratory indications. However, there was a reduction in DT when pharmacist-driven recommendations were accepted. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S69-S70
Author(s):  
Katie A McCrink ◽  
Kailynn DeRonde ◽  
Adriana Jimenez ◽  
Gemma Rosello ◽  
Yoichiro Natori ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Timely effective therapy in multi-drug resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas (PsA) infections has a direct impact on patient survival. We aimed to determine the impact of diagnostic and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) on time-to-appropriate therapy (TAP) and clinical outcomes of patients with MDR PsA infections utilizing novel beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitors (BL/BLIs). Methods Retrospective cohort study of adult patients with MDR PsA infections at a 1,500-bed University-affiliated public hospital in Miami, Florida who received ≥72 hours of ceftazidime-avibactam (C/A) or ceftolozane-tazobactam (C/T). During the pre-intervention period (12/2017-12/2018), additional susceptibilities for C/A and C/T were performed upon providers’ request. In the post intervention period (01/2019 – 12/2019), we implemented automatic reflex algorithms (Figure 1) for faster identification and susceptibilities for MDR PsA, including carbapenemase producers. Results were communicated in real-time to the AMS team. Figure 1. Reflex Testing Algorithm for MDR Pseudomonas Isolates from Any Source Results Seventy-six patients were included; median age was 56 years (IQR 37.5–67.0), 40 (52.6%) were in an intensive care unit at time of culture collection; median APACHE II score was 20 (IQR 15.0 – 26.0). Three isolates were carbapenemase producers (VIM = 2; KPC = 1). The most common infections were pneumonia (56.6%) and bacteremia (18.4%). We found a significant decrease in median TAP (120.1 [IQR 82.5–164.6] vs 75.9 [IQR 51.3–101.7] hours, p = 0.003). Median time from culture collection to final susceptibility results was shorter in the post-intervention group (122.2 vs 90.5 hours; p &lt; 0.001). Median length-of-stay after culture collection was numerically lower in the post-intervention group (26.0 [11.6–59.4] vs 19.7 [12.9–37.8] days; p = 0.33). Controlling for ICU admission, our intervention was not associated with decreased 30-day inpatient mortality (OR = 1.62, 95% CI 0.45–5.79). Conclusion Our study identified an improvement in TAP in MDR PsA infections with implementation of diagnostic and AMS initiatives. In an adequately powered study, our intervention could potentially impact patient survival through timely initiation of effective therapy with novel BL/BLIs. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 116
Author(s):  
Budi Darmawan ◽  
Diyah Fatmasari ◽  
Rr. Sri Endang Pujiast

Background: Wet cupping, furthermore mentioned cupping, decreases blood pressures through the level of negative air pressures added by hydrostatics filtration pressure to reinforce the power of fluids filtration in capillaries. However, an appropriate negative air pressure to decrease blood pressure remains an uncertainty.Purpose: This study aimed to analyze negative air pressure differences on cupping in decreasing blood pressures in hypertensive patients.Methods: This is a quasi-experimental design conducted in three Community Health Centers in Langsa City, Aceh, Indonesia. The samples were 36 hypertensive males with age from 45 to 55, who were randomly stratified into two groups with cupping pressures 400 mbar (n=18) as the control group; and 540 mbar (n=18) as the intervention group. The cupping session was performed to each group on T1 (alkahil) point and in the middle line of both shoulders blade points. The systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressures (DBP) were measured by validated automatic sphygmomanometer. The follow-up periods were one week and two weeks. The data were then analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA.Results: Cupping pressure of 400 mbar decreased the mean of SBP and DPB with a p-value of 0.450 and 0.026, respectively after two weeks of intervention. Meanwhile, cupping pressure of 540 mbar decreased the mean of SBP and DBP with a p-value of 0.006 and 0.057, respectively. Tests of within-subjects resulted in the p-value of 0.250 (SBP) and 0.176 (DBP) after two weeks of intervention. There were no significant differences in SBP and DBP between the intervention group and the control group.Conclusion: The cupping pressure between 400 mbar and 540 mbar could reduce blood pressure; however, the cupping pressure of 540 mbar yielded greater effect in decreasing blood pressure than the 400 mbar. Negative air vacuum pressure loads on cupping to decrease blood pressure should be considered between 400 to 540 mbar, and further studies are needed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-129
Author(s):  
Siti Khoiroh

Background : Hypertension is a condition of high blood pressure in the arteries that lasted continuously for the long term. Hypertension can be overcome in two ways: pharmacology and non-pharmacology. Pharmacology treatment usually use medicine while one of the ways for non-pharmacology treatment is to consumes apple juice.Research Objective : The aim of this research is to know the effect of apple juice on blood pressure decrease in elderly people with hypertension at Muara Kaman Community Health Center.Methods : The design of this research used quasi experimental design (quasi experiment) with pretest posttest control group design. The sample of the research was hypertensive respondents at Muara Kaman Community Health Center as many as 30 respondents were divided into 2 groups, 15 intervention groups and 15 control groups. The sampling technique used purposive sampling. The research instruments were stethoscope and sphygmomanometer, data analysis using t test dependent and t test independent.Results : There were a significant influence between pretest and posttest of apple juice in the intervention group (P value = 0,000; P <0.005). The mean difference in systolic blood pressure in the intervention group and the control group also had significant differences (P value = 0.002; P <0.05), where as the mean difference in diastolic blood pressure in the intervention group and the control group also had significant differences (P value = 0,039; P <0,05).The Conclusions : The results of this research showed that consumes apple juice gives an effect on the blood pressure of hypertensive patients by consumes regularly.The Suggestions : Nurses and the public can use apple juice as one of the ways to handling to hypertension sufferers besides antihypertensive drugs.


2019 ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Suman Badhal ◽  
U. Singh ◽  
S. L Yadav ◽  
Gita Handa

INTRODUCTION: In Knee osteoarthritis (OA) Shoe modifications, such as lateral-wedge insoles or shock absorbing shoes with insoles, have been recommended for conservative therapy of mild knee OA but with little objective data on Indian patients. OBJECTIVE : this prospective study was done to study the effect of lateral heel sole wedging (insole) in the patients of OA of knee (medial compartment) and its relation to function,pain and stiffness parameters status on VAS and WOMAC scale and to see the requirement of the number of Aceclofenac tablets. METHODS: 60 patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were enrolled and divided into intervention group A (30) and nonintervention Group B (30) with random allocation.Paired t-test,Wilcoxon sign rank test and Man Whitney U test were applied at significant p-value of <0.05%. RESULTS: the reduction of mean difference in pain on VAS and WOMAC scale, improvement in Mean difference in function parameters the mean reduction of pain in standing/ walking,bending and ascending/descending at WOMAC scale was significantly higher in intervention group. Also the mean reduction in the need for aceclofenac was significantly lower in intervention group evident from fourth week onward to fifth and sixth week.Conclusion:The lateral wedging in shoes in medial joint osteoarthritis is beneficial and it can be cost-effective conservative treatment modalities in early osteoarthritis patients, particularly in developing countries as it can reduces the requirement of NSAIDS and improve functional level of patients by reducing pain in various activities.


2020 ◽  
pp. 147-150

Introduction: Thyroidectomy is a common surgery in the neck area, in which the application of platysma muscle suture after thyroidectomy is still being discussed. This study was conducted to compare the application (currently common) or non-application of suture for platysma muscle. Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, 117 patients underwent thyroidectomy, among which 63 cases without suturing platysma (control group) and 54 subjects with suturing platysma (Intervention group ) were examined in terms of postoperative pain based on visual analogue scale score measured 24 h post-operation. The samples were also investigated regarding hematoma and seroma, wound infection, length of hospitalization, scarring (1 year after surgery), duration of surgery, and the number of cases using opioids during the hospitalization. Patients with diabetes, previous neck surgery, coagulopathy, and radiation history were excluded from the study. The gathered data were analyzed statistically in SPSS software (version 18) using the Chi-square test and the Mann–Whitney U test. A p-value of less than (0.05) was considered significant. Results: Based on the findings, the mean age of the patients in the Intervention group was calculated at 51 years, of which 41 and 13 cases were females and males, respectively. In the Intervention group, 34 patients underwent complete thyroidectomy and 20 patients had hemithyroidectomy. The mean age score of subjects in the control group was calculated at 50 years, of which 44 and 19 patients were respectively female and male. No significant difference was revealed considering wound infection, length of hospitalization, created scarring, the amount of opioid use (opioids), and postoperative pain. However, only the length of surgery was different between the groups (P-value<0.05). Conclusions: There was no difference between wound and surgical complications and cosmetic results between both groups; nevertheless, due to the duration of the surgery and other benefits, such as consuming less thread, not suturing the platysma is recommended.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 108
Author(s):  
A. Haris ◽  
Abdul Haris

Safety has become a global issue in various sectors, including the health services sector. The hospital is one of the health service organizations that is guided to continuously improve quality by building safer and safer health services so as to get customer loyalty. Hospital staff is a major component of quality management in one of the indicators in evaluating hospital accreditation. This research uses a quasi-experimental research design pre and posttest with control group. Quasi experiment research is a study that tests an intervention in a group of research subjects and then measures the results of the intervention. Samples in this study are all nurses who are in the room of the General Hospital, Surgery and ICU Bima Hospital, which are 50 people. The results showed the results of different tests using paired t-test p value = 0.000 which can be concluded that there are differences between the intervention group and the control group, seen from the value of the difference in the intervention group is greater than the difference in the control group can be interpreted as education using more booklets affect the increase in nurse knowledge. The conclusion in this study was that there were significant differences in nurses' knowledge after being given education using pre and post intervention booklets between the intervention and control groups (p = 0.000).


2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-117
Author(s):  
Ampornpan Theeranut ◽  
Nonglak Methakanjanasak ◽  
Pattama Surit ◽  
Wasana Ruaisungnoen ◽  
Kittisak Sawanyawisuth ◽  
...  

Aim. To evaluate the short-term effects of the empowerment program on glycemic and lipid profiles in an inpatient setting for DM type 2 patients. Materials and methods. This was a quasi-experimental study conducted between October 2013 and June 2015. We enrolled diabetes patients admitted to the hospital, age over 35 years, and HbA1c 7%. During the admission, the intervention group received the empowerment course three times prior to discharge, the control group received standard diabetes and nursing care. All patients body weight, HbA1c, HDL-c, and LDL levels were evaluated at three and six months after discharge. All outcomes were compared between the control and intervention group. Results. A total of 57 diabetes patients participated in the study, with 27 in the intervention group and 30 in the control group. The intervention group had significantly higher HbA1c levels than the control group (10.3% vs 8.0%; p value 0.001). After discharge, the mean HbA1c and LDL-c levels of the intervention group were significantly lower than those of the control group at three and six months, while the mean HDL-c level of the intervention group was significantly higher than that of the control group at six months (1.54 vs 1.29 mmol/L; p value 0.001). The average body mass index of the intervention group was also significantly lower than that of the control group at six months (22.74 vs 25.54 kg/m2; p value = 0.016). Conclusion. The individual empowerment program improved short-term glycemic and lipid outcomes in admitted diabetes mellitus patients.


CJEM ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara McColl ◽  
Mathieu Gatien ◽  
Lisa Calder ◽  
Krishan Yadav ◽  
Ryan Tam ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundIn 2008–2009, the Canadian Institute for Health Information reported over 30,000 cases of sepsis hospitalizations in Canada, an increase of almost 4,000 from 2005. Mortality rates from severe sepsis and septic shock continue to remain greater than 30% in Canada and are significantly higher than other critical conditions treated in the emergency department (ED). Our group formed a multidisciplinary sepsis committee, conducted an ED process of care analysis, and developed a quality improvement protocol. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of this sepsis management bundle on patient mortality.MethodsThis before and after study was conducted in two large Canadian tertiary care EDs and included adult patients with suspected severe infection that met at least two systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria. We studied the implementation of a sepsis bundle including triage flagging, RN medical directive, education campaign, and a modified sepsis protocol. The primary outcomes were 30-day all-cause mortality and sepsis protocol use.ResultsWe included a total of 167 and 185 patients in the pre- and post-intervention analysis, respectively. Compared to the pre-intervention group, mortality was significantly lower in the post-intervention group (30.7% versus 17.3%; absolute difference, 13.4%; 95% CI 9.8–17.0; p=0.006). There was also a higher rate of sepsis protocol use in the post-intervention group (20.3% versus 80.5%, absolute difference 60.2%; 95% CI 55.1–65.3; p<0.001). Additionally, we found shorter time-intervals from triage to MD assessment, fluid resuscitation, and antibiotic administration as well as lower rates of vasopressor requirements and ICU admission.InterpretationThe implementation of our multidisciplinary ED sepsis bundle, including improved early identification and protocolized medical care, was associated with improved time to achieve key therapeutic interventions and a reduction in 30-day mortality. Similar low-cost initiatives could be implemented in other EDs to potentially improve outcomes for this high-risk group of patients.


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