WorldWideScience

Sample records for personal care product

  1. Safety and efficacy of personal care products containing colloidal oatmeal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Criquet, Maryline; Roure, Romain; Dayan, Liliane; Nollent, Virginie; Bertin, Christiane

    2012-01-01

    Colloidal oatmeal is a natural ingredient used in the formulation of a range of personal care products for relief of skin dryness and itchiness. It is also used as an adjunctive product in atopic dermatitis. The safety of personal care products used on vulnerable skin is of particular importance and the risk of developing further skin irritations and/or allergies should be minimized. In a series of studies, we tested the safety of personal care products containing oatmeal (creams, cleansers, lotions) by assessing their irritant/allergenic potential on repeat insult patch testing, in safety-in-use and ocular studies using subjects with nonsensitive and sensitive skin. We also tested the skin moisturizing and repair properties of an oatmeal-containing skin care product for dry skin. We found that oatmeal-containing personal care products had very low irritant potential as well as a very low allergenic sensitization potential. Low-level reactions were documented in 1.0% of subjects during the induction phase of repeat insult patch testing; one of 2291 subjects developed a persistent but doubtful low-level reaction involving edema during the challenge phase in repeat insult patch testing. No allergies were reported by 80 subjects after patch testing after in-use application. Sustained skin moisturizing was documented in subjects with dry skin that lasted up to 2 weeks after product discontinuation. Our results demonstrate that colloidal oatmeal is a safe and effective ingredient in personal care products. No allergies were reported by consumers of 445,820 products sold during a 3-year period.

  2. Safety and efficacy of personal care products containing colloidal oatmeal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Criquet M

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Maryline Criquet,1 Romain Roure,1 Liliane Dayan,2 Virginie Nollent,1 Christiane Bertin11Johnson & Johnson Santé Beauté France, Issy les Moulineaux, 2Independent consultant dermatologist, Paris, FranceBackground: Colloidal oatmeal is a natural ingredient used in the formulation of a range of personal care products for relief of skin dryness and itchiness. It is also used as an adjunctive product in atopic dermatitis. The safety of personal care products used on vulnerable skin is of particular importance and the risk of developing further skin irritations and/or allergies should be minimized.Methods: In a series of studies, we tested the safety of personal care products containing oatmeal (creams, cleansers, lotions by assessing their irritant/allergenic potential on repeat insult patch testing, in safety-in-use and ocular studies using subjects with nonsensitive and sensitive skin. We also tested the skin moisturizing and repair properties of an oatmeal-containing skin care product for dry skin.Results: We found that oatmeal-containing personal care products had very low irritant potential as well as a very low allergenic sensitization potential. Low-level reactions were documented in 1.0% of subjects during the induction phase of repeat insult patch testing; one of 2291 subjects developed a persistent but doubtful low-level reaction involving edema during the challenge phase in repeat insult patch testing. No allergies were reported by 80 subjects after patch testing after in-use application. Sustained skin moisturizing was documented in subjects with dry skin that lasted up to 2 weeks after product discontinuation.Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that colloidal oatmeal is a safe and effective ingredient in personal care products. No allergies were reported by consumers of 445,820 products sold during a 3-year period.Keywords: Avena sativa, colloids, protective agents, atopic dermatitis, irritant dermatitis, allergenic dermatitis, skin

  3. Consumer Demand on Halal Cosmetics and Personal Care Products in Indonesia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muniaty Aisyah

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This research aims to analyze the influential factors involved in Moslem consumers’ decision to purchase halal cosmetics and personal care products in Indonesia by using the Theory of Planned Behavior. 100 questionnaires were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling, collected from respondents of female consumers who purchased Wardah cosmetics and personal care products in South Jakarta and South Tangerang. The findings show that attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control and purchase intention are positively related to the consumers’ decision to purchase halal cosmetics and personal care products. By addressing the consumers’ traits that can predict halal cosmetics and personal care products necessity, marketers could generate proper marketing strategies to validate consumers’ demand which in turn will stimulate the growth of halal products industry in Indonesia.DOI: 10.15408/aiq.v9i1.1867

  4. The Use of Cosmetics and Personal Care Products During Pregnancy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deniz Aksu Arica

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Objective:Personal care products and cosmetics are substances that have various chemical contents whose reliability is not exactly known. There is not enough study to demonstrate the safety of their use in pregnancy. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the usage frequency of personal care products and cosmetics. Methods:In this cross-sectional study, a pre-prepared questionnaire was filled out by 179 pregnant women. In this questionnaire, the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants and the usage frequency of cosmetics/personal care products were evaluated in 26 different categories. Results:In our study, the most frequently used products in pregnancy were general hygiene products such as toothpaste, shampoo, and soap. Hand cream, wet wipes, shower gel, hair conditioner, and moisturizer use were following these products, respectively. When evaluated according to the education levels, it was found that the usage of hair dye, powder and foundation in primary school graduates were significantly higher than university graduates. The use of sun protection products in fair skin types was found significantly higher than in dark ones. Conclusion:Our study reveals which personal care products and cosmetics are used more often during pregnancy. Our data will provide the exposure studies associated with cosmetic use in pregnancy to be planned more accurately.

  5. Contents of polyethylene microplastic in some selected personal care products in Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Strand, Jakob

    Some personal care products include primary microplastic particles as particulate material, which may not be efficiently removed in WWTPs and therefore they will probably end up in aquatic environments. Microplastics in personal care products were focus in a prime time program DR Kontant...... on national TV - April 30, 2013. For this program Aarhus University contributed with analyses of microplastic particles (>40 μm) in some selected products and in the field. The results for microplastic contents in the nine analysed personal care products are presented here....

  6. Usage pattern of personal care products in California households.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Xiangmei May; Bennett, Deborah H; Ritz, Beate; Cassady, Diana L; Lee, Kiyoung; Hertz-Picciotto, Irva

    2010-11-01

    Given the concern over the potential for health risks associated with certain ingredients (e.g., phthalates) in personal care products, usage patterns of ∼30 types of personal care products (e.g., shampoo, sunscreen, fragrance, etc.) were collected in 604 California households through a telephone interview. Preferences in selecting products, e.g., scented or unscented, aerosol, and brand loyalty, were also investigated. Participants were recruited in three age groups, children (mostly preschoolers), their parents, and adults age 55 or older. Use frequencies of various product types varied by sex, age group, race, education, and climatic region. Product use by parent and child from the same household were correlated. Use frequencies of products in the same class (e.g., skincare) were moderately correlated, which may impact aggregate exposures. Use frequencies observed in this study were generally in the same range as those reported in the EPA Exposure Factor Handbook, but we found differences for some individual products. Our study provides additional data on population-based usage patterns of a large collection of commonly used personal care products pertaining to several age groups and socio-demographic strata. This information will be valuable for exposure and risk assessments. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Safety and efficacy of personal care products containing colloidal oatmeal

    OpenAIRE

    Criquet, Maryline; Roure, Romain; Dayan, Liliane; Nollent, Virginie; Bertin, Christiane

    2012-01-01

    Maryline Criquet,1 Romain Roure,1 Liliane Dayan,2 Virginie Nollent,1 Christiane Bertin11Johnson & Johnson Santé Beauté France, Issy les Moulineaux, 2Independent consultant dermatologist, Paris, FranceBackground: Colloidal oatmeal is a natural ingredient used in the formulation of a range of personal care products for relief of skin dryness and itchiness. It is also used as an adjunctive product in atopic dermatitis. The safety of personal care products used on vu...

  8. Spectrophotometric determination of triclosan in personal care products

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Huihui; Ma, Hongbing; Tao, Guanhong

    2009-09-01

    A spectrophotometric method for the determination of triclosan in personal care products was proposed. It was based on the reaction of sodium nitrite with p-sulfanilic acid in an acidic medium to form diazonium ion, with which triclosan further formed an azo compound in an alkaline medium. The resulting yellow colored product has a maximum absorption at 452 nm. A good linear relationship ( r = 0.9999) was obtained in the range of 0-30 mg L -1 triclosan. A detection limit of 0.079 g L -1 was achieved and the relative standard deviation was 0.24% ( n = 11) at 14 mg L -1 triclosan. The proposed method has been applied to the analyses of triclosan in several personal care products and the results were in good agreement with those obtained by high-performance liquid chromatography.

  9. Personal Care Product Use in Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period: Implications for Exposure Assessment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carly Lang

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Concern regarding the potential for developmental health risks associated with certain chemicals (e.g., phthalates, antibacterials used in personal care products is well documented; however, current exposure data for pregnant women are limited. The objective of this study was to describe the pattern of personal care product use in pregnancy and the post-partum period. Usage patterns of personal care products were collected at six different time points during pregnancy and once in the postpartum period for a cohort of 80 pregnant women in Ottawa, Canada. The pattern of use was then described and groups of personal care product groups commonly used together were identified using hierarchical cluster analysis. The results showed that product use varied by income and country of birth. General hygiene products were the most commonly used products and were consistently used over time while cosmetic product use declined with advancing pregnancy and post-delivery. Hand soaps and baby products were reported as used more frequently after birth. This study is the first to track personal care product use across pregnancy and into the postpartum period, and suggests that pregnant populations may be a unique group of personal care product users. This information will be useful for exposure assessments.

  10. Personal-Care Products Formulated with Natural Antioxidant Extracts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Luisa Soto

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential use of some vegetal raw materials in personal-care products. Four ethanolic extracts (grape pomace, Pinus pinaster wood chips, Acacia dealbata flowers, and Lentinus edodes were prepared and total phenolics, monomeric sugars, and antioxidant capacity were determined on alcoholic extracts. Six of the most important groups of cosmetics products (hand cream, body oil, shampoo, clay mask, body exfoliating cream, and skin cleanser were formulated. Participants evaluated some sensory attributes and overall acceptance by a 10-point scale; the results showed differences among age-intervals, but not between males and females. The results confirmed that all extracts presented characteristics appropriate for their use in cosmetic formulations and their good acceptability by consumers into all cosmetic products. Texture/appearance, spreadability, and skin feeling are important attributes among consumer expectations, but odor and color were the primary drivers and helped differentiate the natural extracts added into all personal-care products.

  11. Microbiological risk assessment for personal care products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stewart, S E; Parker, M D; Amézquita, A; Pitt, T L

    2016-12-01

    Regulatory decisions regarding microbiological safety of cosmetics and personal care products are primarily hazard-based, where the presence of a potential pathogen determines decision-making. This contrasts with the Food industry where it is a commonplace to use a risk-based approach for ensuring microbiological safety. A risk-based approach allows consideration of the degree of exposure to assess unacceptable health risks. As there can be a number of advantages in using a risk-based approach to safety, this study explores the Codex Alimentarius (Codex) four-step Microbiological Risk Assessment (MRA) framework frequently used in the Food industry and examines how it can be applied to the safety assessment of personal care products. The hazard identification and hazard characterization steps (one and two) of the Codex MRA framework consider the main microorganisms of concern. These are addressed by reviewing the current industry guidelines for objectionable organisms and analysing reports of contaminated products notified by government agencies over a recent 5-year period, together with examples of reported outbreaks. Data related to estimation of exposure (step three) are discussed, and examples of possible calculations and references are included. The fourth step, performed by the risk assessor (risk characterization), is specific to each assessment and brings together the information from the first three steps to assess the risk. Although there are very few documented uses of the MRA approach for personal care products, this study illustrates that it is a practicable and sound approach for producing products that are safe by design. It can be helpful in the context of designing products and processes going to market and with setting of microbiological specifications. Additionally, it can be applied reactively to facilitate decision-making when contaminated products are released on to the marketplace. Currently, the knowledge available may only allow a

  12. Associations among personal care product use patterns and exogenous hormone use in the NIEHS Sister Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, Kyla W; Baird, Donna D; Herring, Amy H; Engel, Lawrence S; Nichols, Hazel B; Sandler, Dale P; Troester, Melissa A

    2017-09-01

    It is hypothesized that certain chemicals in personal care products may alter the risk of adverse health outcomes. The primary aim of this study was to use a data-centered approach to classify complex patterns of exposure to personal care products and to understand how these patterns vary according to use of exogenous hormone exposures, oral contraceptives (OCs) and post-menopausal hormone therapy (HT). The NIEHS Sister Study is a prospective cohort study of 50,884 US women. Limiting the sample to non-Hispanic blacks and whites (N=47,019), latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify groups of individuals with similar patterns of personal care product use based on responses to 48 survey questions. Personal care products were categorized into three product types (beauty, hair, and skincare products) and separate latent classes were constructed for each type. Adjusted prevalence differences (PD) were calculated to estimate the association between exogenous hormone use, as measured by ever/never OC or HT use, and patterns of personal care product use. LCA reduced data dimensionality by grouping of individuals with similar patterns of personal care product use into mutually exclusive latent classes (three latent classes for beauty product use, three for hair, and four for skin care. There were strong differences in personal care usage by race, particularly for haircare products. For both blacks and whites, exogenous hormone exposures were associated with higher levels of product use, especially beauty and skincare products. Relative to individual product use questions, latent class variables capture complex patterns of personal care product usage. These patterns differed by race and were associated with ever OC and HT use. Future studies should consider personal care product exposures with other exogenous exposures when modeling health risks.

  13. Identifying Robust Co-Occurrence Patterns in Personal Care Product Purchases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Personal care products (PCPs) are used for beautification and personal hygiene, and because they are applied to the skin, hair, and mouth, they provide an efficient delivery vehicle for chemicals into our bodies. Although efforts have been made to enumerate the chemicals in indiv...

  14. Microbiological Study on Some Gamma Irradiated Personal Care Products

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahmed, M.A.Sh.A.

    2014-01-01

    Humans have a basic need to change their appearance. The vastness of today‟s cosmetics and toiletries industry clearly indicates this wide spread and basic need for personal care products. Perhaps this need arises because these products allow us to make ourselves unique for rituals or societal reasons. We apparently have a primal need for them for our well-being (Geis, 2006). This industry had achieved stupendous growth within a short span of time and is now a multi-billion dollar industry. It would continue to grow as long as people are ready to spend a fortune to look their best. The result of which is large number of brands and twice the number of hair and skin care products (Naz et al., 2012). The term ''personal care products''refers to a wide variety of items find in the health and beauty departments and the products commonly referred to as ''personal care products''are cosmetics (FDA, 2012 a and b). Makeup can do wonders for women, but it can be dangerous to their health, if not handled properly (Archer, 1998 and Persaud, 2008). Practically all cosmetics are subjected to contamination with microorganisms (Oliviera et al., 2013). Contamination leads to several types of infections that range in severity from mild to serious (Ashour et al., 1987). Microbial load of personal care product is affected by the level of contamination during manufacturing, after manufacturing and during consumer use (Razooki et al., 2010 and Muhammed, 2011). The quality of cosmetic products largely depends on the quality of starting materials. The guidelines of good manufacturing practice for cosmetic products (GMPC) have clearly depicted the necessity of the starting materials to comply with specifications (WHO, 1992). Cosmetic contamination awareness is even worse among the younger age. Many women even share makeup and applicators with friends and their family, increasing their chances of facial infection. Makeup can easily be contaminated by the repetitive use to the skin using

  15. Pharmaceuticals and personal care products in environmental waters

    OpenAIRE

    Pedrouzo Lanuza, Marta

    2010-01-01

    En la presente Tesis Doctoral se han desarrollado diferentes métodos analíticos para la determinación de pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) en aguas medioambientales. El término PPCPs engloba todos los fármacos, drogas de abuso, hormonas y los excipientes activos incluidos en productos de uso personal, así como los metabolitos, conjugados y sub-productos de transformación. Los métodos desarrollados han estado basados en extracción en fase sólida o extracción con barras magnéti...

  16. Natural personal care products-analysis of ingredient lists and legal situation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klaschka, Ursula

    2016-01-01

    Many natural substances are classified as dangerous substances according to the European regulation on classification and labelling. Are they used in natural personal care products today? One hundred ingredient lists were analyzed to find this out. All products with natural substances contained dangerous natural substances or they contained natural substances, for which the information about their classification as dangerous substances is not available. 54 natural substances quoted in the ingredient lists were found to be classified, with 37 substances being classified due to hazardous effects for skin and eyes. However, the most frequently used natural substances are not classified as dangerous. Natural substances are multi-constituent compounds, leading to two main problems in personal care products: the potential interactions of a multitude of substances and the fact that dangerous constituents are not disclosed in the ingredient lists. For example, the fragrance allergens citral, farnesol, limonene, and linalool are frequent components of the natural substances employed. In addition, 82 products listed allergenic fragrance ingredients as single substances in their ingredient lists. Recommendations for sensitive skin in a product's name do not imply that the '26 fragrance allergens' are omitted. Furthermore, 80 products listed 'parfum'/'aroma', and 50 products listed ethanol. The data show that the loopholes for natural substances and for personal care products in the present European chemical legislation (e.g. the exception for classification and labelling of cosmetic products and the exception for information transfer in the supply chain) are not in line with an adequate consumer and environmental protection.

  17. Usage patterns of personal care products: Important factors for exposure assessment

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Biesterbos, J.W.H.; Dudzina, T.; Delmaar, C.J.; Bakker, M.I.; Russel, F.G.M.; Goetz, N. von; Scheepers, P.T.J.; Roeleveld, N.

    2013-01-01

    Complete information regarding the use of personal care products (PCPs) by consumers is limited, but such information is crucial for realistic consumer exposure assessment. To fill this gap, a database was created with person-oriented information regarding usage patterns and circumstances of use for

  18. Screening-Level Safety Assessment of Personal Care Product Constituents Using Publicly Available Data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ernest S. Fung

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Organizations recommend evaluating individual ingredients when assessing the safety of personal care or cosmetic products. The goal of this study was to present a screening-level safety assessment methodology to evaluate the safety of a product by identifying individual ingredients, determining their frequency of use in on-market products, and examining published safe-level-of-use information for each ingredient. As a case study, we evaluated WEN by Chaz Dean (WCD cleansing conditioners since there have been claims of adverse health effects associated with product use. We evaluated 30 ingredients in three on-market WCD cleansing conditioners. We then analyzed the National Library of Medicine’s Household Products Database and the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG Skin Deep Cosmetic Database, two of the largest publicly available databases, for other on-market personal care and cosmetic products that contained these ingredients. Safe-level-of-use information for each ingredient was obtained by reviewing peer-reviewed literature, the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA generally recognized as safe (GRAS database, available Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR publications, and available product safety publications. The results of this analysis showed that more than 20,000 personal care and cosmetic products contained one or more of the evaluated ingredients used in WCD cleaning conditioners. Published safety information was available for 21 of the 30 evaluated ingredients: seven identified ingredients were designated as GRAS by the FDA and 16 ingredients had safe-level-of-use information available from the CIR. This study presents a screening-level safety assessment methodology that can serve as an initial screening tool to evaluate the safety of an ingredient intended for use in personal care and cosmetic products before a product is launched onto the market. This study provides evidence that the evaluated WCD cleansing conditioner ingredients

  19. Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles in Food and Personal Care Products

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weir, Alex; Westerhoff, Paul; Fabricius, Lars

    2012-01-01

    Titanium dioxide is a common additive in many food, personal care, and other consumer products used by people, which after use can enter the sewage system, and subsequently enter the environment as treated effluent discharged to surface waters or biosolids applied to agricultural land, incinerated wastes, or landfill solids. This study quantifies the amount of titanium in common food products, derives estimates of human exposure to dietary (nano-) TiO2, and discusses the impact of the nanoscale fraction of TiO2 entering the environment. The foods with the highest content of TiO2 included candies, sweets and chewing gums. Among personal care products, toothpastes and select sunscreens contained 1% to >10% titanium by weight. While some other crèmes contained titanium, despite being colored white, most shampoos, deodorants, and shaving creams contained the lowest levels of titanium (TiO2 (E171) suggests that approximately 36% of the particles are less than 100 nm in at least one dimension and that it readily disperses in water as fairly stable colloids. However, filtration of water solubilized consumer products and personal care products indicated that less than 5% of the titanium was able to pass through 0.45 or 0.7 μm pores. Two white paints contained 110 μg Ti/mg while three sealants (i.e., prime coat paint) contained less titanium (25 to 40 μg Ti/mg). This research showed that while many white-colored products contained titanium, it was not a prerequisite. Although several of these product classes contained low amounts of titanium, their widespread use and disposal down the drain and eventually to WWTPs deserves attention. A Monte Carlo human exposure analysis to TiO2 through foods identified children as having the highest exposures because TiO2 content of sweets is higher than other food products, and that a typical exposure for a US adult may be on the order of 1 mg Ti per kilogram body weight per day. Thus, because of the millions of tons of titanium based

  20. Novel database for exposure to fragrance ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Comiskey, D; Api, A M; Barratt, C; Daly, E J; Ellis, G; McNamara, C; O'Mahony, C; Robison, S H; Safford, B; Smith, B; Tozer, S

    2015-08-01

    Exposure of fragrance ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products to the population can be determined by way of a detailed and robust survey. The frequency and combinations of products used at specific times during the day will allow the estimation of aggregate exposure for an individual consumer, and to the sample population. In the present study, habits and practices of personal care and cosmetic products have been obtained from market research data for 36,446 subjects across European countries and the United States in order to determine the exposure to fragrance ingredients. Each subject logged their product uses, time of day and body application sites in an online diary for seven consecutive days. The survey data did not contain information on the amount of product used per occasion or body measurements, such as weight and skin surface area. Nevertheless, this was found from the literature where the likely amount of product used per occasion or body measurement could be probabilistically chosen from distributions of data based on subject demographics. The daily aggregate applied consumer product exposure was estimated based on each subject's frequency of product use, and Monte Carlo simulations of their likely product amount per use and body measurements. Statistical analyses of the habits and practices and consumer product exposure are presented, which show the robustness of the data and the ability to estimate aggregate consumer product exposure. Consequently, the data and modelling methods presented show potential as a means of performing ingredient safety assessments for personal care and cosmetics products. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Pharmaceuticals and personal care products in waters: occurrence, toxicity, and risk

    OpenAIRE

    Cizmas, Leslie; Sharma, Virender K.; Gray, Cole M.; McDonald, Thomas J.

    2015-01-01

    Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCP) are compounds with special physical and chemical properties that address the care of animal and human health. PPCP have been detected in surface water and wastewater in the ng/L to ��g/L concentration range worldwide. PPCP ecotoxicity has been studied in a variety of organisms, and multiple methods have been used to assess the risk of PPCP in the environment to ecological health. Here we review the occurrence, effects, and risk assessment of P...

  2. Perspectives and strategies of alternative methods used in the risk assessment of personal care products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quantin, P; Thélu, A; Catoire, S; Ficheux, H

    2015-11-01

    Risk assessment for personal care products requires the use of alternative methods since animal testing is now totally banned. Some of these methods are effective and have been validated by the "European Union Reference Laboratory for alternatives to animal testing"; but there is still a need for development and implementation of methods for specific endpoints. In this review, we have focused on dermal risk assessment because it is the prime route of absorption and main target organ for personal care products. Within this field, various areas must be assessed: irritation, sensitisation and toxicokinetic. Personal care product behaviour after use by the consumer and potential effects on the environment are also discussed. The purpose of this review is to show evolution and the prospects of alternative methods for safety dermal assessment. Assessment strategies must be adapted to the different chemical classes of substances studied but also to the way in which they are used. Finally, experimental and theoretical technical parameters that may impact on measured effects have been identified and discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  3. Pharmaceuticals and Personal-Care Products in Plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bartrons, Mireia; Peñuelas, Josep

    2017-03-01

    Pharmaceuticals and personal-care products (PPCPs) derived from agricultural, urban, and industrial areas accumulate in plants at concentrations (ng to μg kg -1 ) that can be toxic to the plants. Importantly, the dietary intake of these PPCP-contaminated plants may also pose a risk to human health, but currently little is known about the fate of PPCPs in plants and their effect on or risk to the ecosystem. In this Opinion article we propose that in-depth research on the use of plants as a monitoring device for assessing the use and environmental presence of PPCPs is warranted. The toxicity of PPCPs to plants and their microbiota needs to be established, as well as any toxic effects on herbivores including humans. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Personal care product use as a predictor of urinary concentrations of certain phthalates, parabens, and phenols in the HERMOSA study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berger, Kimberly P; Kogut, Katherine R; Bradman, Asa; She, Jianwen; Gavin, Qi; Zahedi, Rana; Parra, Kimberly L; Harley, Kim G

    2018-01-09

    Use of personal care products, such as makeup, soaps, and sunscreen, may expose adolescent girls to potential endocrine disruptors, including phthalates, parabens, and other phenols. We evaluated the relationship between recent self-reported personal care product use and concentrations for urinary metabolites of phthalates, parabens, triclosan, and benzophenone-3 (BP-3) in 100 Latina adolescents. Girls who reported using makeup every day vs. rarely/never had higher urinary concentrations of monoethyl phthalate (MEP) (102.2 ng/mL vs. 52.4 ng/mL, P-value: 0.04), methyl paraben (MP) (120.5 ng/mL vs. 13.4 ng/mL, P-value value personal care product use is associated with higher exposure to certain phthalates, parabens, and other phenols in urine. This may be especially relevant in adolescent girls who have high use of personal care products during a period of important reproductive development.

  5. Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in the Environment: What are the Big Questions?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Over the past 10-15 years, a significant amount of work has been done by the scientific, regulatory and business communities into effects and risks of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the environment. It is now timely to review the current knowledge and to...

  6. International scientists’ priorities for research on pharmaceutical and personal care products in the environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are widely discharged into the environment via diverse pathways. The effects of PPCPs in the environment have potentially important human and ecosystem health implications, so credible, salient, and legitimate scientific evidence...

  7. PHARMACEUTICALS AND PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS ...

    Science.gov (United States)

    Modern sanitary practices result in large volumes of human waste, as well as domestic and industrial sewage, being collected and treated at common collection points, wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). In recognition of the growing use of sewage sludges as a fertilizers and as soilamendments, and the scarcity of current data regarding the chemical constituents in sewage sludges, the United States National Research Council (NRC) in 2002 produced a report on sewage sludges. Among the NRC's recommendations was the need for investigating the occurrence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in sewage sludges. PPCPsare a diverse array of non-regulated contaminants that had not been studied in previous sewage sludges surveys but which are likely to be present. The focus of this paper will be to review the current analytical methodologies available for investigating whether pharmaceuticals are present in WWTP-produced sewage sludges, to summarize current regulatory practices regarding sewage sludges, and to report on the presence of pharmaceuticals in sewage sludges. The research focused on in the subtasks is the development and application of state-of the-art technologies to meet the needs of the public, Office of Water, and ORD in the area of Water Quality. Located In the subtasks are the various research projects being performed in support of this Task and more in-depth coverage of each project. Briefly, each project's objective is stated below.Subta

  8. Pharmaceuticals and personal care products alter the holobiome and development of a medically important mosquito

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pennington, Marcus J.; Rivas, Nicholas G.; Prager, Sean M.; Walton, William E.; Trumble, John T.

    2015-01-01

    The increasing demand for fresh water has forced many countries to use reclaimed wastewater for agricultural purposes. This water contains pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) that remain biologically active following passage through wastewater treatment plants. Run-off from farms and contaminated water from treatment facilities exposes aquatic ecosystems to PPCPs. This study examined the effects of PPCPs on a lower trophic organism. Culex quinquefasciatus larvae were reared in water contaminated with environmentally relevant concentrations of common PPCPs. Acetaminophen alone and a mixture of contaminants were found to increase developmental time of larvae. Susceptibility to Bti increased in larvae exposed to antibiotics, acetaminophen, or a mixture of PPCPs. Antibiotics, hormones, and the mixture altered the mosquito bacterial microbiome. Overall, the results indicate that at environmentally relevant concentrations, PPCPs in reclaimed water can have biologically important effects on an ecologically and medically important lower trophic level insect. - Highlights: • Effects of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products on mosquitoes were examined. • Three PPCP treatments increase susceptibility to a common larvicide (Bti). • Acetaminophen and the mixture of PPCPs caused an increase in developmental time. • The holobiome of mosquitoes treated with PPCPs were sequenced. • Three PPCP regimes changed the holobiome of the mosquitoes. - Pharmaceuticals and personal care products, common to reclaimed wastewater, alter the development of mosquitoes. They also alter the whole-body bacterial microbiome

  9. Reduction of nutrients, microbes, and personal care products in domestic wastewater by a benchtop electrocoagulation unit

    Science.gov (United States)

    Symonds, E. M.; Cook, M. M.; McQuaig, S. M.; Ulrich, R. M.; Schenck, R. O.; Lukasik, J. O.; van Vleet, E. S.; Breitbart, M.

    2015-03-01

    To preserve environmental and human health, improved treatment processes are needed to reduce nutrients, microbes, and emerging chemical contaminants from domestic wastewater prior to discharge into the environment. Electrocoagulation (EC) treatment is increasingly used to treat industrial wastewater; however, this technology has not yet been thoroughly assessed for its potential to reduce concentrations of nutrients, a variety of microbial surrogates, and personal care products found in domestic wastewater. This investigation's objective was to determine the efficiency of a benchtop EC unit with aluminum sacrificial electrodes to reduce concentrations of the aforementioned biological and chemical pollutants from raw and tertiary-treated domestic wastewater. EC treatment resulted in significant reductions (p < 0.05, α = 0.05) in phosphate, all microbial surrogates, and several personal care products from raw and tertiary-treated domestic wastewater. When wastewater was augmented with microbial surrogates representing bacterial, viral, and protozoan pathogens to measure the extent of reduction, EC treatment resulted in up to 7-log10 reduction of microbial surrogates. Future pilot and full-scale investigations are needed to optimize EC treatment for the following: reducing nitrogen species, personal care products, and energy consumption; elucidating the mechanisms behind microbial reductions; and performing life cycle analyses to determine the appropriateness of implementation.

  10. Occurrence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in fish: results of a national pilot study in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramirez, Alejandro J; Brain, Richard A; Usenko, Sascha; Mottaleb, Mohammad A; O'Donnell, John G; Stahl, Leanne L; Wathen, John B; Snyder, Blaine D; Pitt, Jennifer L; Perez-Hurtado, Pilar; Dobbins, Laura L; Brooks, Bryan W; Chambliss, C Kevin

    2009-12-01

    Pharmaceuticals and personal care products are being increasingly reported in a variety of biological matrices, including fish tissue; however, screening studies have presently not encompassed broad geographical areas. A national pilot study was initiated in the United States to assess the accumulation of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in fish sampled from five effluent-dominated rivers that receive direct discharge from wastewater treatment facilities in Chicago, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; Orlando, Florida; Phoenix, Arizona; and West Chester, Pennsylvania, USA. Fish were also collected from the Gila River, New Mexico, USA, as a reference condition expected to be minimally impacted by anthropogenic influence. High performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis of pharmaceuticals revealed the presence of norfluoxetine, sertraline, diphenhydramine, diltiazem, and carbamazepine at nanogram-per-gram concentrations in fillet composites from effluent-dominated sampling locations; the additional presence of fluoxetine and gemfibrozil was confirmed in liver tissue. Sertraline was detected at concentrations as high as 19 and 545 ng/g in fillet and liver tissue, respectively. Gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis of personal care products in fillet composites revealed the presence of galaxolide and tonalide at maximum concentrations of 2,100 and 290 ng/g, respectively, and trace levels of triclosan. In general, more pharmaceuticals were detected at higher concentrations and with greater frequency in liver than in fillet tissues. Higher lipid content in liver tissue could not account for this discrepancy as no significant positive correlations were found between accumulated pharmaceutical concentrations and lipid content for either tissue type from any sampling site. In contrast, accumulation of the personal care products galaxolide and tonalide was significantly related to lipid content. Results suggest that the detection of

  11. Risk of Children’s Dermal Exposure to Galaxolide through Personal Care Products

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patrícia Correia

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Galaxolide is the most used fragrance since the early 1990s, and it has been largely detected in environmental and biological matrices. This polycyclic musk is present in almost all of our daily products, so the risk of human exposure is substantial, as it had been proved by its detection in human tissues and fluids. Due to the lack of information about the concentrations found in consumer products, monitoring data is needed for exposure assessment purposes. Dermal contact, mostly by personal care products, seems to be the major route of human exposure to galaxolide, and, due to the immaturity of young children’s skin, exposure consequences can be worse in this population. The main objective of this study was to evaluate galaxolide levels in personal care products used by children of Oporto (Portugal, aged 0–5 years, and relate it with consumer habits. Consumer patterns were obtained through 250 questionnaires to caregivers of Oporto children. The 79 most used products were extracted by a dispersive solid phase extraction methodology known as QuEChERS and galaxolide was determined by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC with fluorescence detection. The concentrations ranged between 0.001 ± 0.001 mg·kg−1, on a baby wipe, and 300.480 ± 8.819 mg·kg−1, on glycerin soap, which may correspond to an estimated daily dermal exposure of 277.10 ± 0.02 µg·day−1 on the population of Oporto children. This value is in the range of the results observed for adults, although no information of toxicological risk for children is available.

  12. Concentrations and assessment of exposure to siloxanes and synthetic musks in personal care products from China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu Yan; Yuan Tao; Wang Wenhua; Kannan, Kurunthachalam

    2011-01-01

    We investigated the concentrations and profiles of 15 siloxanes (four cyclic siloxanes, D 4 -D 7 ; 11 linear siloxanes, L 4 -L 14 ), four synthetic musks (two polycyclic musks, HHCB and AHTN; two nitro musks, MX and MK), and HHCB-lactone, in 158 personal care products marketed in China. Siloxanes were detected in 88% of the samples analyzed, at concentrations as high as 52.6 mg g -1 ; Linear siloxanes were the predominant compounds. Among synthetic musks, more than 80% of the samples contained at least one of these compounds, and their total concentrations were as high as 1.02 mg g -1 . HHCB was the predominant musk in all of the samples analyzed, on average, accounting for 52% of the total musk concentrations. Based on the median concentrations of siloxanes and musks and the average daily usage amounts of consumer products, dermal exposure rates in adults were calculated to be 3.69 and 3.38 mg d -1 for siloxanes and musks, respectively. - Highlights: → Siloxanes and synthetic musks are determined in personal care products. → Highest siloxane concentration was 52.6 mg g -1 . → Highest musk concentration was 1.02 mg g -1 . → Daily dermal exposure rates of siloxanes and musks were in mg levels. → Dermal exposure is a major pathway of human exposure to siloxanes and musks. - Dermal application of several personal care products is a major source of human exposure to cyclic and linear siloxanes.

  13. Concentrations and assessment of exposure to siloxanes and synthetic musks in personal care products from China

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lu Yan [School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health and Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, State University of New York at Albany, Empire State Plaza, PO Box 509, Albany, NY 12201-0509 (United States); Yuan Tao; Wang Wenhua [School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); Kannan, Kurunthachalam, E-mail: kkannan@wadsworth.org [Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health and Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, State University of New York at Albany, Empire State Plaza, PO Box 509, Albany, NY 12201-0509 (United States); International Joint Research Center for Persistent Toxic Substances, State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090 (China)

    2011-12-15

    We investigated the concentrations and profiles of 15 siloxanes (four cyclic siloxanes, D{sub 4}-D{sub 7}; 11 linear siloxanes, L{sub 4}-L{sub 14}), four synthetic musks (two polycyclic musks, HHCB and AHTN; two nitro musks, MX and MK), and HHCB-lactone, in 158 personal care products marketed in China. Siloxanes were detected in 88% of the samples analyzed, at concentrations as high as 52.6 mg g{sup -1}; Linear siloxanes were the predominant compounds. Among synthetic musks, more than 80% of the samples contained at least one of these compounds, and their total concentrations were as high as 1.02 mg g{sup -1}. HHCB was the predominant musk in all of the samples analyzed, on average, accounting for 52% of the total musk concentrations. Based on the median concentrations of siloxanes and musks and the average daily usage amounts of consumer products, dermal exposure rates in adults were calculated to be 3.69 and 3.38 mg d{sup -1} for siloxanes and musks, respectively. - Highlights: > Siloxanes and synthetic musks are determined in personal care products. > Highest siloxane concentration was 52.6 mg g{sup -1}. > Highest musk concentration was 1.02 mg g{sup -1}. > Daily dermal exposure rates of siloxanes and musks were in mg levels. > Dermal exposure is a major pathway of human exposure to siloxanes and musks. - Dermal application of several personal care products is a major source of human exposure to cyclic and linear siloxanes.

  14. Bacillus cereus in personal care products: risk to consumers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pitt, T L; McClure, J; Parker, M D; Amézquita, A; McClure, P J

    2015-04-01

    Bacillus cereus is ubiquitous in nature and thus occurs naturally in a wide range of raw materials and foodstuffs. B. cereus spores are resistant to desiccation and heat and able to survive dry storage and cooking. Vegetative cells produce several toxins which on ingestion in sufficient numbers can cause vomiting and/or diarrhoea depending on the toxins produced. Gastrointestinal disease is commonly associated with reheated or inadequately cooked foods. In addition to being a rare cause of several acute infections (e.g. pneumonia and septicaemia), B. cereus can also cause localized infection of post-surgical or trauma wounds and is a rare but significant pathogen of the eye where it may result in severe endophthalmitis often leading to loss of vision. Key risk factors in such cases are trauma to the eye and retained contaminated intraocular foreign bodies. In addition, rare cases of B. cereus-associated keratitis (inflammation of the cornea) have been linked to contact lens use. Bacillus cereus is therefore a microbial contaminant that could adversely affect product safety of cosmetic and facial toiletries and pose a threat to the user if other key risk factors are also present. The infective dose in the human eye is unknown, but as few as 100 cfu has been reported to initiate infection in a susceptible animal model. However, we are not aware of any reports in the literature of B. cereus infections in any body site linked with use of personal care products. Low levels of B. cereus spores may on occasion be present in near-eye cosmetics, and these products have been used by consumers for many years. In addition, exposure to B. cereus is more likely to occur through other routes (e.g. dustborne contamination) due to its ubiquity and resistance properties of spores. The organism has been recovered from the eyes of healthy individuals. Therefore, although there may be a perceived hazard, the risk of severe eye infections as a consequence of exposure through

  15. Influence of non-economic factors in the use of personal care products: the case of male Peruvian consumer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Otto Regalado Pezúa

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Over the past decade, the supply of male personal care products and services has increased considerably on a global scale. In the case of the Peruvian market, this phenomenon is still incipient despite a favorable economic outlook that has boosted the consumption in different categories. This research identifies factors that influence the consumption decision of this kind of products for the male segment. To do this, the authors used the Theory of Planned Behavior of Ajzen. The results show that male consumers´ perception of his environment (subjective norm restrains the intention of consumption of personal care products, even though the male consumer has a positive attitude toward using of these products. These factors would reflect the existence of deeply rooted taboos in Peruvian culture, based on a traditional view of man.

  16. Stochastic modeling of near-field exposure to parabens in personal care products

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Csiszar, Susan A.; Ernstoff, Alexi; Fantke, Peter

    2017-01-01

    Exposure assessment is a key step in determining risks to chemicals in consumer goods, including personal care products (PCPs). Exposure models can be used to estimate exposures to chemicals in the absence of biomonitoring data and as tools in chemical risk prioritization and screening. We apply...... a PCP exposure model based on the product intake fraction (PiF), which is defined as the fraction of chemical in a product that is taken in by the exposed population, to estimate chemical intake based on physicochemical properties and PCP usage characteristics. The PiF can be used to estimate route...... and pathway-specific exposures during both the use and disposal stages of a product. As a case study, we stochastically quantified population level exposures to parabens in PCPs, and compared estimates with biomarker values. We estimated exposure based on the usage of PCPs in the female US population, taking...

  17. The Effects of Consumer Knowledge and Values on Attitudes and Purchase Intentions : A Quantitative Study of Organic Personal Care Products Among German Female Consumers

    OpenAIRE

    Saleem, Bilal; Recker, Alena

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of different types of consumer knowledge and values on their attitude towards buying organic personal care products and their purchase intentions of organic personal care products. The aim was to make a theoretical contribution to the research area of consumer behaviour in the context of organic products. As no research had been conducted on how different types of consumers’ knowledge affect their attitudes towards buying organic products an...

  18. Estimating chemical emissions from home and personal care products in China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hodges, J.E.N.; Holmes, C.M.; Vamshi, R.; Mao, D.; Price, O.R.

    2012-01-01

    China's economy has grown significantly and concomitantly so has the demand for home and personal care (HPC) products. The detection of chemicals used in HPC products is increasing in profile as China strives to improve its environmental management. China is developing robust exposure models for use in regulatory risk-based assessments of chemicals, including those chemicals used in HPC products. Accurate estimates of chemical emissions play an important role within this. A methodology is presented to derive spatially refined emissions from demographic and economic indicators with large variations in emissions calculated, showing product usage being higher in East and South China. The less affordable a product, the greater the influence per capita Gross Domestic Product has on the product distribution. Lastly, more spatially resolved input data highlights greater variation of product use. Linking product sales data with population density increased the observed variability in absolute usage distribution of HPC products at the county > province > regional > country scale. - Highlights: ► We combined sales data with spatial datasets on demographic and economic indicators. ► Large variation in chemical emissions exists across China. ► More spatially resolved input data results in greater variation of product use. ► Results could be used to parameterise future exposure models in China. - A methodology to derive accurate estimates of chemical emissions for China using demographic and economic indicators.

  19. Nanomaterials for the Abatement of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products from Wastewater

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francesca Stefania Freyria

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available In this short-review, the most common types of both pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCP, a class of “emerging pollutants” are considered, as well as some of the most frequent methods for their removal that envisage the use of nanomaterials. The nanomaterials used in conservative methods (namely, reverse osmosis, nanofiltration and adsorption are basically nanoporous solids. Non-conservative methods, which include photocatalysis and Fenton reaction, are currently considered more promising than conservative ones, as the former allow the (at least partial degradation of the original molecules into more biodegradable by-products, which can be further abated by subsequent biological treatments, whereas the former are not efficient for the removal of small quantities of pollutants and have to be regenerated.

  20. SOCIAL ASPECTS OF THE NECESSITIES FOR THE DAILY CARE AND PRODUCTIVE ACTIVITY OF THE MODERATE AND SEVERED MENTALLY RETARDED PERSONS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sunchica DIMITRIJOSKA

    1998-12-01

    Full Text Available The necessities for the daily care and productive activity of the moderate and severed mentally retarded persons are determinate by many cultural, traditional and social environments. In this context the part-time institutional treatment is very important for this persons.

  1. Toxicity and Treatment of Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products Using Exotic Plants - A Laboratory Scale Experiment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ramírez Vargas, Carlos Andrés; Paredes, Diego; Cubillos, Janneth

    Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) detected in the environment belong to a large and diverse group of organic substances (analgesics, antibiotics, anticonvulsants, soaps, lotions, toothpaste, etc.). PPCPs reach aquatic ecosystems through point and diffuse discharges (unused....../expired products, excretion of people and animals, application of fertilizers, direct delivery of veterinary products etc. Santos et al., 2010). Conventional technologies for water treatment (potable and sewage) fail to remove efficiently these compounds (Dordio et al., 2010), hence it is desirable to implement...

  2. Balancing personalized medicine and personalized care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cornetta, Kenneth; Brown, Candy Gunther

    2013-03-01

    The current description of personalized medicine by the National Institutes of Health is "the science of individualized prevention and therapy." Although physicians are beginning to see the promise of genetic medicine coming to fruition, the rapid pace of sequencing technology, informatics, and computer science predict a revolution in the ability to care for patients in the near future. The enthusiasm expressed by researchers is well founded, but the expectations voiced by the public do not center on advancing technology. Rather, patients are asking for personalized care: a holistic approach that considers physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. This perspective considers psychological, religious, and ethical challenges that may arise as the precision of preventive medicine improves. Psychological studies already highlight the barriers to single gene testing and suggest significant barriers to the predictive testing envisioned by personalized medicine. Certain religious groups will likely mount opposition if they believe personalized medicine encourages embryo selection. If the technology prompts cost-containment discussions, those concerned about the sanctity of life may raise ethical objections. Consequently, the availability of new scientific developments does not guarantee advances in treatment because patients may prove unwilling to receive and act on personalized genetic information. This perspective highlights current efforts to incorporate personalized medicine and personalized care into the medical curriculum, genetic counseling, and other aspects of clinical practice. Because these efforts are generally independent, the authors offer recommendations for physicians and educators so that personalized medicine can be implemented in a manner that meets patient expectations for personalized care.

  3. Adverse events reported to the Food and Drug Administration from 2004 to 2016 for cosmetics and personal care products marketed to newborns and infants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cornell, Erika; Kwa, Michael; Paller, Amy S; Xu, Shuai

    2018-03-01

    Despite their ubiquitous use and several recent health controversies involving cosmetics and personal care products for children, the Food and Drug Administration has little oversight of these products and relies on consumer-submitted adverse event reports. We assessed the recently released Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition's Adverse Event Reporting System database for adverse event reports submitted to the Food and Drug Administration for baby personal care products and to determine whether useful insights can be derived. We extracted the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition's Adverse Event Reporting System data file from 2004 to 2016 and examined the subset classified according to the Food and Drug Administration-designated product class as a baby product. Events were manually categorized into product type and symptom type to assess for trends. Only 166 total adverse events were reported to the Food and Drug Administration for baby products from 2004 to 2016. The majority of reports indicated rash or other skin reaction; 46% of reported events led to a health care visit. Pediatric dermatologists should consider submitting cosmetics and personal care product adverse event reports and encouraging consumers to do so likewise in situations in which a product adversely affects a child's health. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. Removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in aquatic plant-based systems: A review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Dongqing; Gersberg, Richard M.; Ng, Wun Jern; Tan, Soon Keat

    2014-01-01

    Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the aquatic environment are regarded as emerging contaminants and have attracted increasing concern. The use of aquatic plant-based systems such as constructed wetlands (CWs) for treatment of conventional pollutants has been well documented. However, available research studies on aquatic plant-based systems for PPCP removal are still limited. The removal of PPCPs in CWs often involves a diverse and complex set of physical, chemical and biological processes, which can be affected by the design and operational parameters selected for treatment. This review summarizes the PPCP removal performance in different aquatic plant-based systems. We also review the recent progress made towards a better understanding of the various mechanisms and pathways of PPCP attenuation during such phytoremediation. Additionally, the effect of key CW design characteristics and their interaction with the physico-chemical parameters that may influence the removal of PPCPs in functioning aquatic plant-based systems is discussed. -- Highlights: • Investigation of the removal performance of PPCPs in CW systems. • Investigation of the mechanisms and pathways contributing to PPCP removal in CWs. • Investigation of the effect of CW design parameters on PPCP removal. • Investigation of the correlation between physico-chemical parameters and PPCP removal. -- This review gives an overview of the present state of research on the removal of pharmaceutical and personal care products by means of constructed wetlands

  5. The impact of personality on person-centred care: a study of care staff in Swedish nursing homes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elfstrand Corlin, Tinna; Kajonius, Petri J; Kazemi, Ali

    2017-06-01

    In this study, we explore how personal and situational factors relate to the provision of person-centred care (PCC) in nursing homes. Specifically, we focus on the relationship between the care staff's personality traits and provision of PCC and to what extent perceptions of the working environment influences this relationship. The ultimate goal of elderly care is to meet the older person's needs and individual preferences (PCC). Interpersonal aspects of care and the quality of relationship between the care staff and the older person are therefore central in PCC. A cross-sectional Swedish sample of elderly care staff (N = 322) completed an electronic survey including measures of personality (Mini-IPIP) and person-centred care (Individualized Care Inventory, ICI). A principal component analysis was conducted on the ICI-data to separate the user orientation (process quality) of PCC from the preconditions (structure quality) of PCC. Among the five factors of personality, neuroticism was the strongest predictor of ICI user orientation. ICI preconditions significantly mediated this relationship, indicating the importance of a supportive working environment. In addition, stress was introduced as a potential explanation and was shown to mediate the impact of neuroticism on ICI preconditions. Personality traits have a significant impact on user orientation, and the perception of a supportive and stress free working environment is an important prerequisite for achieving high-quality person-centred elderly care. Understanding how personality is linked to the way care staff interacts with the older person adds a new perspective on provision of person-centred elderly care. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  6. Development and validation of RP-HPLC-UV/ Vis method for determination of phenolic compounds in several personal care products

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohammed Akkbik; Zaini Asim; Fasihuddin Ahmad

    2011-01-01

    A HPLC method with ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry detection has been optimized and validated for the simultaneous determination of phenolic compounds, such as butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) as antioxidants, and octyl methyl cinnamate (OMC) as UVB-filter in several personal care products. The dynamic range was between 1 to 250 mg/ L with relative standard deviation less than 0.25 %, (n=4). Limit of detection for BHA, BHT and OMC were 0.196, 0.170 and 0.478 mg/ L, respectively. While limit of quantification for BHA, BHT and OMC were 0.593, 0.515 and 1.448 mg/ L, respectively. The recovery for BHA, BHT and OMC ranged from 92.1-105.9 %, 83.2-108.9 % and 87.3-103.7 %, respectively. The concentration ranges of BHA, BHT and OMC in 12 commercial personal care samples were 0.13-4.85, 0.16-2.30 and 0.12-65.5 mg/ g, respectively. The concentrations of phenolic compounds in these personal care samples were below than maximum allowable concentration in personal care formulation for example 0.0004 - 10 mg/ g, 0.002 - 5 mg/ g and up to 100 mg/ g for BHA, BHT and OMC, respectively. (author)

  7. The ecological disruptive and bioaccumulative potentials of PPCPs (pharmaceuticals and personal care products) in freshwater streams

    OpenAIRE

    ERINN KATE RICHMOND

    2017-01-01

    Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) are now detected in waterways around the world, and are most commonly discharged into waterways via wastewater treatment plants. The effects of PPCPs on aquatic plants and animals including fish and insects within these environments are largely unknown. This research examines the ecological impacts of PPCPs on vital processes like photosynthesis, and assesses the potential exposure risks to aquatic animals, including platypus and fish, living...

  8. Organic UV filters in personal care products in Switzerland: a survey of occurrence and concentrations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manová, Eva; von Goetz, Natalie; Hauri, Urs; Bogdal, Christian; Hungerbühler, Konrad

    2013-07-01

    Organic ultraviolet (UV) filters are a group of compounds designed to absorb UV radiation and hence protect our skin against UV-induced damage. Apart from traditional sunscreens, they can be found in many other categories of personal care products (PCPs). These include skin care, facial makeup and lip care products, which are often used simultaneously, and on a regular basis. The frequency of occurrence as well as concentrations of organic UV filters contained in PCPs change over time. Furthermore, in Switzerland the exact UV filter concentrations are confidential. To date, only limited data are available for the levels of organic UV filters in PCPs, and these data refer mainly to sunscreens. In this paper, we provide an up-to-date frequency of occurrence and concentrations of organic UV filters in PCPs, including for the first time PCPs used in everyday life. A total of 116 PCPs was selected on the basis of a product-use questionnaire and distributed among seven PCP categories: lip care products, lipsticks, face creams, liquid makeup foundations, aftershaves, hand creams, and sunscreens. Concentrations of 22 organic UV filters were measured in the selected PCPs. The most frequently occurring UV filters were butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane (BMBM) detected in 82 products (71%), ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate (EHMC) in 59 products (51%) and octocrylene (OCT) in 50 products (43%). BMBM, EHMC and OCT concentrations averaged 2.6%, 4.0%, and 6.0%, respectively. Overall, UV filter concentrations in PCPs applied regularly throughout the year can be as high as those in sunscreens that are primarily used for sun protection and hence applied only on selected days. PCPs that are used on a regular basis, and often simultaneously, thus represent an important and, as yet, unquantified source of UV filter exposure. This study provides essential information for aggregate exposure assessments that combine data on concentrations of individual UV filters widely used in a variety of PCP

  9. Trends in Exposure to Chemicals in Personal Care and Consumer Products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calafat, Antonia M; Valentin-Blasini, Liza; Ye, Xiaoyun

    2015-12-01

    Synthetic organic chemicals can be used in personal care and consumer products. Data on potential human health effects of these chemicals are limited-sometimes even contradictory-but because several of these chemicals are toxic in experimental animals, alternative compounds are entering consumer markets. Nevertheless, limited information exists on consequent exposure trends to both the original chemicals and their replacements. Biomonitoring (measuring concentrations of chemicals or their metabolites in people) provides invaluable information for exposure assessment. We use phthalates and bisphenol A-known industrial chemicals-and organophosphate insecticides as case studies to show exposure trends to these chemicals and their replacements (e.g., other phthalates, non-phthalate plasticizers, various bisphenols, pyrethroid insecticides) among the US general population. We compare US trends to national trends from Canada and Germany. Exposure to the original compounds is still prevalent among these general populations, but exposures to alternative chemicals may be increasing.

  10. Personal Care Product Use in Men and Urinary Concentrations of Select Phthalate Metabolites and Parabens

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nassan, Feiby L; Coull, Brent A; Gaskins, Audrey J

    2017-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Personal care products (PCPs) are exposure sources to phthalates and parabens; however, their contribution to men's exposure is understudied. OBJECTIVES: We examined the association between PCP use and urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites and parabens in men. METHODS...... in urinary concentrations associated with PCP use using linear mixed and Tobit mixed regressions. We also estimated weights for each PCP in a weighted binary score regression and modeled the resulting composite weighted PCP use. RESULTS: Four hundred men contributed 1,037 urine samples (mean of 3/man...

  11. Characterisation and comparison of the uptake of ionizable and polar pesticides, pharmaceuticals and personal care products by POCIS and Chemcatchers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kaserzon, S.L.; Hawker, D.W.; Kennedy, K.; Bartkow, M.; Carter, S.; Booij, K.; Mueller, J.F.

    2014-01-01

    Growing concern about the environmental impact of ionizable and polar organic chemicals such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals and personal care products has lead to the inclusion of some in legislative and regulatory frameworks. It is expected that future monitoring requirements for these chemicals in

  12. Post-consumer use efficacies of preservatives in personal care and topical drug products: relationship to preservative category.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ravita, Timothy D; Tanner, Ralph S; Ahearn, Donald G; Arms, Erin L; Crockett, Patrick W

    2009-01-01

    Ninety-six used personal care and topical OTC drug items collected from consumers in the USA were examined for the presence of microbial contaminants. Of the eye and face product type containing global preservative chemistries (i.e., acceptable for use in Japan without major restrictions), 55% yielded numbers of microorganisms in excess of 500 CFU/g (P preservative chemistries, 79% yielded numbers of microorganisms in excess of 500 CFU/g (P preservative chemistries accounted for 88% (n = 14) of the products that had microbial contents above 10(4) CFU/g (P preserved with global preservative chemistries did not maintain as adequate preservation as products with non-global preservatives.

  13. Scented traces--Dermal exposure of synthetic musk fragrances in personal care products and environmental input assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Homem, Vera; Silva, Eduardo; Alves, Arminda; Santos, Lúcia

    2015-11-01

    Synthetic musks are organic compounds used as fragrance and fixative additives in several personal care products. Until now, little is known about their occurrence and distribution in these household commodities. However, this information is essential to perform a human dermal exposure assessment. Therefore, this study gives an overview on the levels of 12 synthetic musks in 140 personal care products from 7 different categories (body and hair wash, toilet soaps, shaving products, dentifrice products, deodorants/antiperspirants, moisturizers and perfumes). They were analysed by QuEChERS extraction followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Detection limits were found between 0.01ngg(-1) (galaxolide) and 5.00ngg(-1) (musk xylene). Higher average concentrations of total synthetic musks were detected in perfumes (5245.05μgg(-1)) and shampoos (487.67μgg(-1)) for adults. Galaxolide, exaltolide and cashmeran were the most detected compounds. Combining these results with the daily usage amounts, an average daily dermal exposure of 75.69μgkgbw(-1)day(-1) for adults and 15.54μgkgbw(-1)day(-1) for babies/children was achieved. The main contributors for adult and babies/children dermal exposure were perfumes and lotions, respectively. About 40% of the adult daily dermal exposure is related to exaltolide, 30% galaxolide, and 15% tonalide, while for babies/children 96% occurs due to exaltolide. An estimate of the amount of musks discharged "down-the-drain" into the wastewater treatment systems through the use of toiletries was also performed. An average emission per capita of 6.7mgday(-1) was determined and galaxolide and exaltolide were the predominant musks in the effluents. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Person-centred care in nursing documentation.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Broderick, Margaret C

    2012-12-07

    BACKGROUND: Documentation is an essential part of nursing. It provides evidence that care has been carried out and contains important information to enhance the quality and continuity of care. Person-centred care (PCC) is an approach to care that is underpinned by mutual respect and the development of a therapeutic relationship between the patient and nurse. It is a core principle in standards for residential care settings for older people and is beneficial for both patients and staff (International Practice Development in Nursing and Healthcare, Chichester, Blackwell, 2008 and The Implementation of a Model of Person-Centred Practice in Older Person Settings, Dublin, Health Service Executive, 2010a). However, the literature suggests a lack of person-centredness within nursing documentation (International Journal of Older People Nursing 2, 2007, 263 and The Implementation of a Model of Person-Centred Practice in Older Person Settings, Dublin, Health Service Executive, 2010a). AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To explore nursing documentation in long-term care, to determine whether it reflected a person-centred approach to care and to describe aspects of PCC as they appeared in nursing records. METHOD: A qualitative descriptive study using the PCN framework (Person-centred Nursing; Theory and Practice, Oxford, Wiley-Blackwell, 2010) as the context through which nursing assessments and care plans were explored. RESULTS: Findings indicated that many nursing records were incomplete, and information regarding psychosocial aspects of care was infrequent. There was evidence that nurses engaged with residents and worked with their beliefs and values. However, nursing documentation was not completed in consultation with the patient, and there was little to suggest that patients were involved in decisions relating to their care. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The structure of nursing documentation can be a major obstacle to the recording of PCC and appropriate care planning. Documentation

  15. Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs in the freshwater aquatic environment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anekwe Jennifer Ebele

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs are a unique group of emerging environmental contaminants, due to their inherent ability to induce physiological effects in human at low doses. An increasing number of studies has confirmed the presence of various PPCPs in different environmental compartments, which raises concerns about the potential adverse effects to humans and wildlife. Therefore, this article reviews the current state-of-knowledge on PPCPs in the freshwater aquatic environment. The environmental risk posed by these contaminants is evaluated in light of the persistence, bioaccumulation and toxicity criteria. Available literature on the sources, transport and degradation of PPCPs in the aquatic environment are evaluated, followed by a comprehensive review of the reported concentrations of different PPCP groups in the freshwater aquatic environment (water, sediment and biota of the five continents. Finally, future perspectives for research on PPCPs in the freshwater aquatic environment are discussed in light of the identified research gaps in current knowledge.

  16. A review of wastewater handling in the Arctic with special reference to Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) and microbial pollution

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gunnarsdottir, Ragnhildur; Jenssen, Petter Deinboll; Jensen, Pernille Erland

    2013-01-01

    Treatment of wastewater is often inadequate or completely lacking in Arctic regions. Wastewater contains different kinds of substances that can be harmful for the environment and human health, including residues of pharmaceuticals and personal care products. Bioaccumulation and biomagnifications ...

  17. Personal Care Products Are Only One of Many Exposure Routes of Natural Toxic Substances to Humans and the Environment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas D. Bucheli

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The special issue “A Critical View on Natural Substances in Personal Care Products” is dedicated to addressing the multidisciplinary special challenges of natural ingredients in personal care products (PCP and addresses also environmental exposure. In this perspective article, we argue that environmental exposure is probably not so much dominated by PCP use, but in many cases by direct emission from natural or anthropogenically managed vegetation, including agriculture. In support of this hypothesis, we provide examples of environmental fate and behaviour studies for compound classes that are either listed in the International Nomenclature of Cosmetics Ingredients (INCI or have been discussed in a wider context of PCP applications and have been classified as potentially harmful to humans and the environment. Specifically, these include estrogenic isoflavones, the carcinogenic ptaquiloside and pyrrolizidine alkaloids, saponins, terpenes and terpenoids, such as artemisinin, and mycotoxins. Research gaps and challenges in the domains of human and environmental exposure assessment of natural products common to our currently rather separated research communities are highlighted.

  18. Comparing the environmental footprints of home-care and personal-hygiene products: the relevance of different life-cycle phases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koehler, Annette; Wildbolz, Caroline

    2009-11-15

    An in-depth life-cycle assessment of nine home-care and personal-hygiene products was conducted to determine the ecological relevance of different life-cycle phases and compare the environmental profiles of products serving equal applications. Using detailed data from industry and consumer-behavior studies a broad range of environmental impacts were analyzed to identify the main drivers in each life-cycle stage and potentials for improving the environmental footprints. Although chemical production significantly adds to environmental burdens, substantial impacts are caused in the consumer-use phase. As such, this research provides recommendations for product development, supply chain management, product policies, and consumer use. To reduce environmental burdens products should, for instance, be produced in concentrated form, while consumers should apply correct product dosages and low water temperatures during product application.

  19. Cancer Survivorship Care: Person Centered Care in a Multidisciplinary Shared Care Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jacqueline Loonen

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Survivors of childhood and adult-onset cancer are at lifelong risk for the development of late effects of treatment that can lead to serious morbidity and premature mortality. Regular long-term follow-up aiming for prevention, early detection and intervention of late effects can preserve or improve health. The heterogeneous and often serious character of late effects emphasizes the need for specialized cancer survivorship care clinics. Multidisciplinary cancer survivorship care requires a coordinated and well integrated health care environment for risk based screening and intervention. In addition survivors engagement and adherence to the recommendations are also important elements. We developed an innovative model for integrated care for cancer survivors, the “Personalized Cancer Survivorship Care Model”, that is being used in our clinic. This model comprises 1. Personalized follow-up care according to the principles of Person Centered Care, aiming to empower survivors and to support self management, and 2. Organization according to a multidisciplinary and risk based approach. The concept of person centered care is based on three components: initiating, integrating and safeguarding the partnership with the patient. This model has been developed as a universal model of care that will work for all cancer survivors in different health care systems. It could be used for studies to improve self efficacy and the cost-effectiveness of cancer survivorship care.

  20. Microbial decontamination of cosmetic raw materials and personal care products by irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Katusin-Razem, B.; Mihaljevic, B.; Razem, D.

    2005-01-01

    Typical levels of sporadically occurring (dynamic) microbial contamination of cosmetic raw materials: pigments, abrasives and liposomes, as well as of final products for personal care, i.e. toothpaste, crayons, shampoos, cleansers and creams, were evaluated. In most cases, contamination was dominated by a single population of microorganisms, either Gram-negative bacteria or molds. The feasibility of microbial decontamination by irradiation was studied by determining the resistance to gamma radiation of contaminating microflora in situ. It was expressed as a dose required for the first 90% reduction, D first 9 0% red. The values in the range 1-2 kGy for molds and 0.1-0.6 kGy for Gram-negative bacteria were obtained. This relatively high susceptibility to irradiation allowed inactivation factors close to 6 to be achieved with doses generally not exceeding 3 kGy, and yielding endpoint contamination less than 10 g -1 . (author)

  1. Microbial decontamination of cosmetic raw materials and personal care products by irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Katusin-Razem, Branka; Mihaljevic, Branka; Razem, D.

    2003-01-01

    Typical levels of sporadically occurring (dynamic) microbial contamination of cosmetic raw materials: pigments, abrasives and liposomes, as well as of final products for personal care: toothpaste, crayons, shampoos, cleansers and creams, were evaluated. In most cases the contamination was dominated by a single population of microorganisms, either Gram-negative bacteria or molds. The feasibility of microbial decontamination by irradiation was studied by determining the resistance to gamma radiation of contaminating microflora in situ. It was expressed as a dose required for the first 90% reduction, D first 9 0% r ed . The values in the range 1-2 kGy for molds and 0.1-0.6 kGy for Gram-negative bacteria were obtained. This relatively high susceptibility to irradiation allowed inactivation factors close to 6 to be achieved with doses generally not exceeding 3 kGy, and yielding endpoint contamination less than 10/g

  2. The importance of person-centred care and co-creation of care for the well-being and job satisfaction of professionals working with people with intellectual disabilities

    OpenAIRE

    Meer, Leontine; Nieboer, Anna; Finkenflügel, Harry; Cramm, Jane

    2018-01-01

    textabstractBackground: Person-centred care and co-creation of care (productive interactions between clients and professionals) are expected to lead to better outcomes for clients. Professionals play a prominent role in the care of people with intellectual disabilities at residential care facilities. Thus, person-centred care and co-creation of care may be argued to lead to better outcomes for professionals as well. This study aimed to identify relationships of person-centred care and co-crea...

  3. Discharge inventory of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in Beijing, China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhixia Zhang

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs are emerging environmental contaminants, whose potential risk for the ecological environment has caused wide attention in recent years. In China, quite a large amount of PPCPs were annually emitted into the environment. Their existence in different matrix has been reported frequently, including river water, sediment and soil. However, the contribution from different sources was seldom reported and still unclear in China. Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP was usually considered to be the main source to the urban river, but livestock and aquaculture farms were also reported as significant pollution sources of PPCPs due to poor environmental management in China. This study summarized environmental discharges of different PPCPs from various sources and obtained the discharge data through different environment media in Beijing, the statistical source of PPCPs was analyzed in detail. The sources comprised WWTPs, excess sludge, hospital wastewater, municipal untreated wastewater, aquaculture wastewater and landfill leachate. This article helps understand the general situation and the potential risk of PPCPs in Beijing.

  4. Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs): a review on environmental contamination in China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jin-Lin; Wong, Ming-Hung

    2013-09-01

    Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) which contain diverse organic groups, such as antibiotics, hormones, antimicrobial agents, synthetic musks, etc., have raised significant concerns in recently years for their persistent input and potential threat to ecological environment and human health. China is a large country with high production and consumption of PPCPs for its economic development and population growth in recent years. This may result in PPCP contamination in different environmental media of China. This review summarizes the current contamination status of different environment media, including sewage, surface water, sludge, sediments, soil, and wild animals, in China by PPCPs. The human body burden and adverse effects derived from PPCPs are also evaluated. Based on this review, it has been concluded that more contamination information of aquatic environment and wildlife as well as human body burden of PPCPs in different areas of China is urgent. Studies about their environmental behavior and control technologies need to be conducted, and acute and chronic toxicities of different PPCP groups should be investigated for assessing their potential ecological and health risks. © 2013.

  5. Storytelling in person-centred care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chu, Elizabeth

    2006-01-01

    Storytelling is a powerful tool that can be used successfully to pass on knowledge, wisdom and expertise from educators to students. A story is more easily remembered and new concepts in nursing taught in story form are understood more readily. By the same token, the story of a resident's history allows caregivers to really understand who that person is and was, and in turn provide the care that will suit the unique needs of that resident. The person-centered care concept revolves around this uniqueness of person and the process of storytelling serves the understanding of the resident, the crafting of the care package itself, and communicating that knowledge to other caregivers.

  6. Stir bar sorptive extraction with EG-Silicone coating for bisphenols determination in personal care products by GC-MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cacho, Juan Ignacio; Campillo, Natalia; Viñas, Pilar; Hernández-Córdoba, Manuel

    2013-05-05

    An easy to perform analytical method for the determination of three bisphenol compounds (BPs) in commonly used personal care products (PCPs) is presented. Ethylene glycol-silicone (EG-Silicone) coated stir bars, which have recently become commercially available, are evaluated in this study for the simultaneous determination of bisphenol A (BPA), bisphenol F (BPF) and bisphenol Z (BPZ) by stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) in combination with thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS). This new sorptive extraction phase allows the analysis of these compounds without any previous derivatization procedure. Different parameters affecting both SBSE extraction and thermal desorption were carefully optimized, using experimental designs based on the Taguchi orthogonal arrays. The procedure was applied to analyzing easily bought PCPs, providing detection limits of about 8 ng g(-1), with precisions lower than 11% in terms of relative standard deviation. Recovery studies performed at two different concentration levels provided satisfactory values for all the compounds. The analyzed personal care samples contained BPA at concentration levels ranging from 30.9 to 88.3 ng g(-1). Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Cosmet'eau -Changes in the personal care product consumption practices: from whistle-blowers to impacts on aquatic environments

    OpenAIRE

    Bressy , Adèle; Carré , Catherine; Caupos , Émilie; de Gouvello , Bernard; Deroubaix , José-Frédéric; Deutsch , Jean-Claude; Mailler , Romain; Marconi , Anthony; Neveu , Pascale; Paulic , Laurent; Pichon , Sébastien; Rocher , Vincent; Severin , Irina; SOYER , Mathilde; Moilleron , Régis

    2016-01-01

    International audience; The Cosmet'eau project (2015-2018) investigates the " changes in the personal care product (PCP) consumption practices: from whistle-blowers to impacts on aquatic environments. " In this project, the example of PCPs will be used to understand how public health concerns related to micropollutants can be addressed by public authorities – including local authorities –, industries and consumers. The project aims to characterize the possible changes in PCP consumption pract...

  8. Personalized health care: from theory to practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snyderman, Ralph

    2012-08-01

    The practice of medicine stands at the threshold of a transformation from its current focus on the treatment of disease events to an emphasis on enhancing health, preventing disease and personalizing care to meet each individual's specific health needs. Personalized health care is a new and strategic approach that is driven by personalized health planning empowered by personalized medicine tools, which are facilitated by advances in science and technology. These tools improve the capability to predict health risks, to determine and quantify the dynamics of disease development, and to target therapeutic approaches to the needs of the individual. Personalized health care can be implemented today using currently available technologies and know-how and thereby provide a market for the rational introduction of new personalized medicine tools. The need for early adoption of personalized health care stems from the necessity to reduce the egregious and wasteful burden of preventable chronic diseases, which is not effectively addressed by our current approach to care. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  9. [Effect of Environmental Factors on the Ecotoxicity of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sugihara, Kazumi

    2018-01-01

     In recent years, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) have emerged as significant pollutants of aquatic environments and have been detected at levels in the range of ng/L to μg/L. The source of PPCPs is humans and livestock that have been administered pharmaceuticals and subsequently excreted them via urine and feces. Unlike agricultural chemicals, the environmental dynamics of PPCPs is not examined and they would undergo structural transformation by environmental factors, e.g., sunlight, microorganisms and treatments in sewage treatment plants (STPs). Processing at STPs can remove various PPCPs; however, they are not removed completely and some persist in the effluents. In this study, we examined the degradation of 9 pharmaceuticals (acetaminophen, amiodarone, dapsone, dexamethasone, indomethacin, raloxifene, phenytoin, naproxen, and sulindac) by sunlight or UV, and investigated the ecotoxicological variation of degradation products. Sunlight (UVA and UVB) degraded most pharmaceuticals, except acetaminophen and phenytoin. Similar results were obtained with UVB and UVA. All the pharmaceuticals were photodegraded by UVC, which is used for sterilization in STPs. Ecotoxicity assay using the luminescent bacteria test (ISO11348) indicated that UVC irradiation increased the toxicity of acetaminophen and phenytoin significantly. The photodegraded product of acetaminophen was identified as 1-(2-amino-5-hydroxyphenyl)ethanone and that of phenytoin as benzophenone, and the authentic compounds showed high toxicity. Photodegraded products of PPCPs are a concern in ecotoxicology.

  10. Heavy metal content of selected personal care products (PCPs available in Ibadan, Nigeria and their toxic effects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sunday Samuel Omenka

    Full Text Available There is a growing concern on heavy metals in consumer products due to their potential human health risks and environmental effects. In this study, the levels of zinc, cadmium, lead and nickel were assessed in 3 different classes of personal care products commonly used in Ibadan, Nigeria. Samples were analysed for heavy metals using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS after acid digestion. Estimated daily intake (EDI of the metals and Health Risk Index (HRI were calculated to assess the human health risks associated with the use of these PCPs. The concentrations (mg/kg of zinc ranged from 3.75 to 19.3, 1.88 to 112,000 and 19.8 to 217 respectively in creams, powders and eyeliners. Cadmium ranged from ND—0.50, ND—36.3 and ND—0.50 mg/kg while lead ranged from ND—6.25, ND—468 and 3.73–27.5 mg/kg and nickel ranged from ND—6.25, 0.13–107 and 2.75–22.7 mg/kg respectively. There were high concentrations of Cd, Pb and Ni in some of the samples when compared with the available permissible limits in cosmetics (Cd: 0.3 ppm, Pb: 10 ppm and Ni: 0.6 ppm while there is no permissible limit for Zn in cosmetics currently available. Prolonged use of PCPs may pose human health and environmental risks due to toxic metal loading through dermal contact and accumulation over a period of time. Hence, the need for necessary government agencies to regulate and enforce toxic metals in consumer products including cosmetics produced and imported into Nigeria to safeguard public health and the environment, which is the final sink. Keywords: Heavy metals, Personal care products, Health effects, Dermal contact, Exposure

  11. Safety assessment of personal care products/cosmetics and their ingredients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nohynek, Gerhard J.; Antignac, Eric; Re, Thomas; Toutain, Herve

    2010-01-01

    We attempt to review the safety assessment of personal care products (PCP) and ingredients that are representative and pose complex safety issues. PCP are generally applied to human skin and mainly produce local exposure, although skin penetration or use in the oral cavity, on the face, lips, eyes and mucosa may also produce human systemic exposure. In the EU, US and Japan, the safety of PCP is regulated under cosmetic and/or drug regulations. Oxidative hair dyes contain arylamines, the most chemically reactive ingredients of PCP. Although arylamines have an allergic potential, taking into account the high number of consumers exposed, the incidence and prevalence of hair dye allergy appears to be low and stable. A recent (2001) epidemiology study suggested an association of oxidative hair dye use and increased bladder cancer risk in consumers, although this was not confirmed by subsequent or previous epidemiologic investigations. The results of genetic toxicity, carcinogenicity and reproductive toxicity studies suggest that modern hair dyes and their ingredients pose no genotoxic, carcinogenic or reproductive risk. Recent reports suggest that arylamines contained in oxidative hair dyes are N-acetylated in human or mammalian skin resulting in systemic exposure to traces of detoxified, i.e. non-genotoxic, metabolites, whereas human hepatocytes were unable to transform hair dye arylamines to potentially carcinogenic metabolites. An expert panel of the International Agency on Research of Cancer (IARC) concluded that there is no evidence for a causal association of hair dye exposure with an elevated cancer risk in consumers. Ultraviolet filters have important benefits by protecting the consumer against adverse effects of UV radiation; these substances undergo a stringent safety evaluation under current international regulations prior to their marketing. Concerns were also raised about the safety of solid nanoparticles in PCP, mainly TiO 2 and ZnO in sunscreens. However

  12. Safety assessment of personal care products/cosmetics and their ingredients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nohynek, Gerhard J; Antignac, Eric; Re, Thomas; Toutain, Herve

    2010-03-01

    We attempt to review the safety assessment of personal care products (PCP) and ingredients that are representative and pose complex safety issues. PCP are generally applied to human skin and mainly produce local exposure, although skin penetration or use in the oral cavity, on the face, lips, eyes and mucosa may also produce human systemic exposure. In the EU, US and Japan, the safety of PCP is regulated under cosmetic and/or drug regulations. Oxidative hair dyes contain arylamines, the most chemically reactive ingredients of PCP. Although arylamines have an allergic potential, taking into account the high number of consumers exposed, the incidence and prevalence of hair dye allergy appears to be low and stable. A recent (2001) epidemiology study suggested an association of oxidative hair dye use and increased bladder cancer risk in consumers, although this was not confirmed by subsequent or previous epidemiologic investigations. The results of genetic toxicity, carcinogenicity and reproductive toxicity studies suggest that modern hair dyes and their ingredients pose no genotoxic, carcinogenic or reproductive risk. Recent reports suggest that arylamines contained in oxidative hair dyes are N-acetylated in human or mammalian skin resulting in systemic exposure to traces of detoxified, i.e. non-genotoxic, metabolites, whereas human hepatocytes were unable to transform hair dye arylamines to potentially carcinogenic metabolites. An expert panel of the International Agency on Research of Cancer (IARC) concluded that there is no evidence for a causal association of hair dye exposure with an elevated cancer risk in consumers. Ultraviolet filters have important benefits by protecting the consumer against adverse effects of UV radiation; these substances undergo a stringent safety evaluation under current international regulations prior to their marketing. Concerns were also raised about the safety of solid nanoparticles in PCP, mainly TiO(2) and ZnO in sunscreens. However

  13. Prioritising chemicals used in personal care products in China for environmental risk assessment: Application of the RAIDAR model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gouin, Todd; Egmond, Roger van; Price, Oliver R.; Hodges, Juliet E.N.

    2012-01-01

    China represents a significant market for the sale of personal care products (PCPs). Given the continuous emission of hundreds of chemicals used in PCPs to waste water and the aquatic environment after regular use, methods for prioritising the environmental risk assessment for China are needed. In an effort to assess the prioritisation of chemicals used in PCPs in China, we have identified the chemical ingredients used in 2500 PCPs released to the Chinese market in 2009, and estimated the annual emission of these chemicals. The physical-chemical property data for these substances have been estimated and used as model inputs in the RAIDAR model. In general, the RAIDAR model provides an overall assessment of the multimedia fate of chemicals, and provides a holistic approach for prioritising chemical ingredients. The prioritisation exercise conducted in this study is shown to be strongly influenced by loss processes, such as the removal efficiencies of WWT plants and biotransformation. - Highlights: ► Chemicals used in PCPs in China are prioritised using the RAIDAR model. ► Chemicals used in PCPs are estimated to have Risk assessment factors <<1. ► Loss processes strongly influence how chemicals are prioritised. - The application of the Risk IDentification And Ranking (RAIDAR) model is shown to be a potentially effective tool for prioritising chemicals used in personal care products in China.

  14. Personality factors of critical care nurses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levine, C D; Wilson, S F; Guido, G W

    1988-07-01

    Two hundred members of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses responded to a mail-out survey done to determine the psychologic profile of critical care nurses in terms of self-esteem, gender identity, and selected personality characteristics. The instruments used were Cattell's 16 PR, the Personal Attributes Questionnaire (PAQ), and the Texas Social Behavior Inventory (TSBI). Their personality factors tended to be aggressive, assertive, competitive, persevering, moralistic, resourceful, and mechanical. The nurses who enjoyed the field most were of the androgynous or masculine type and had high levels of self-esteem. On the basis of these findings, the nurse recruiter or faculty member doing career counseling could assess the personality characteristics, gender identity, and self-esteem levels of interested nurses. The goal would be to identify nurses who would both enjoy the field and remain active in critical care nursing after orientation. The goal could also be to help nurses dissatisfied with critical care nursing to seek means of improving their self-esteem.

  15. Application of the expanded Creme RIFM consumer exposure model to fragrance ingredients in cosmetic, personal care and air care products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Safford, B; Api, A M; Barratt, C; Comiskey, D; Ellis, G; McNamara, C; O'Mahony, C; Robison, S; Rose, J; Smith, B; Tozer, S

    2017-06-01

    As part of a joint project between the Research Institute for Fragrance Materials (RIFM) and Creme Global, a Monte Carlo model (here named the Creme RIFM model) has been developed to estimate consumer exposure to ingredients in personal care products. Details of the model produced in Phase 1 of the project have already been published. Further data on habits and practises have been collected which enable the model to estimate consumer exposure from dermal, oral and inhalation routes for 25 product types. . In addition, more accurate concentration data have been obtained which allow levels of fragrance ingredients in these product types to be modelled. Described is the use of this expanded model to estimate aggregate systemic exposure for eight fragrance ingredients. Results are shown for simulated systemic exposure (expressed as μg/kg bw/day) for each fragrance ingredient in each product type, along with simulated aggregate exposure. Highest fragrance exposure generally occurred from use of body lotions, body sprays and hydroalcoholic products. For the fragrances investigated, aggregate exposure calculated using this model was 11.5-25 fold lower than that calculated using deterministic methodology. The Creme RIFM model offers a very comprehensive and powerful tool for estimating aggregate exposure to fragrance ingredients. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  16. Reconciling concepts of space and person-centred care of the older person with cognitive impairment in the acute care setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rushton, Carole; Edvardsson, David

    2017-07-01

    Although a large body of literature exists propounding the importance of space in aged care and care of the older person with dementia, there is, however, only limited exploration of the 'acute care space' as a particular type of space with archetypal constraints that maybe unfavourable to older people with cognitive impairment and nurses wanting to provide care that is person-centred. In this article, we explore concepts of space and examine the implications of these for the delivery of care to older people who are cognitively impaired. Our exploration is grounded in theorisations of space offered by key geographers and phenomenologists, but also draws on how space has been constructed within the nursing literature that refers specifically to acute care. We argue that space, once created, can be created and that nursing has a significant role to play in the process of its recreation in the pursuit of care that is person-centred. We conclude by introducing an alternative logic of space aimed at promoting the creation of more salutogenic spaces that invokes a sense of sanctuary, safeness, and inclusion, all of which are essential if the care provided to the older person with cognitive impairment is apposite to their needs. The concept of 'person-centred space' helps to crystallize the relationship between space and person-centred care and implies more intentional manipulation of space that is more conducive to caring and healing. Significantly, it marks a return to Nightingale's wisdom, that is, to put the person in the best possible conditions for nature to act upon them. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  17. A Concept Analysis of Personalized Health Care in Nursing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Claire Jungyoun

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of the study is to identify the concept of personalized health care in nursing and to address future direction in person-centered nursing care. Personalized health care has attracted increased attention in the twenty-first century. As more and more preclinical studies are focusing on cost-effective and patient-centered care, there also has been an identified need for a personalized health care in nursing. Yet the term lacks clear definition and interests among healthcare professionals. Rodgers' strategy for concept analysis was used in this analysis. A literature review for 1960-2014 was conducted for the following keywords: nursing care, personalized, and health care. The analysis demonstrates that personalized health care in nursing is an intangible asset, including explicit attributes (interprofessional collaboration and individualized care approach) and implicit attributes (managing personal vulnerabilities: molecular-based health information and self-health-seeking behaviors). The result of this analysis provides a guide for further conceptual and empirical research and clinical practice in the personalized healthcare era. This concept analysis represents an effort to describe the attributes of a concept regarded as representing an important feature of nursing care and to promote discourse that will enhance maturation of the concept into one that is established with clearly delineated characteristics. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. Reconciling conceptualizations of relationships and person-centred care for older people with cognitive impairment in acute care settings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rushton, Carole; Edvardsson, David

    2018-04-01

    Relationships are central to enacting person-centred care of the older person with cognitive impairment. A fuller understanding of relationships and the role they play facilitating wellness and preserving personhood is critical if we are to unleash the productive potential of nursing research and person-centred care. In this article, we target the acute care setting because much of the work about relationships and older people with cognitive impairment has tended to focus on relationships in long-term care. The acute care setting is characterized by archetypal constraints which differentiate it from long-term care, in terms of acuity and haste, task-orientated work patterns and influence from "the rule of medicine," all of which can privilege particular types of relating. In this article, we drew on existing conceptualizations of relationships from theory and practice by tapping in to the intellectual resources provided by nurse researchers, the philosophy of Martin Buber and ANT scholars. This involved recounting two examples of dyadic and networked relationships which were re-interpreted using two complementary theoretical approaches to provide deeper and more comprehensive conceptualizations of these relationships. By re-presenting key tenets from the work of key scholars on the topic relationships, we hope to hasten socialization of these ideas into nursing into the acute care setting. First, by enabling nurses to reflect on how they might work toward cultivating relationships that are more salutogenic and consistent with the preservation of personhood. Second, by stimulating two distinct but related lines of research enquiry which focus on dyadic and networked relationships with the older person with cognitive impairment in the acute care setting. We also hope to reconcile the schism that has emerged in the literature between preferred approaches to care of the older person with cognitive impairment, that is person-centred care versus relationship-centred care

  19. Ecological risks of home and personal care products in the riverine environment of a rural region in south China without domestic wastewater treatment facilities

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zhang, N.; Liu, Y.; Brink, van den P.J.; Price, O.R.; Ying, G.G.

    2015-01-01

    Home and personal care products (HPCPs) including biocides, benzotriazoles (BTs) and ultraviolet (UV) filters are widely used in our daily life. After use, they are discharged with domestic wastewater into the receiving environment. This study investigated the occurrence of 29 representative HPCPs,

  20. Methylisothiazolinone: An Emergent Allergen in Common Pediatric Skin Care Products

    OpenAIRE

    Schlichte, Megan J.; Katta, Rajani

    2014-01-01

    Recalcitrant dermatitis, such as that of the hands, face, or genitals, may be due to allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) from ingredients in seemingly innocuous personal care products. Rising rates of allergy have been noted due to the preservative methylisothiazolinone (MI). This preservative is commonly found in skin and hair care products, especially wipes. This study evaluated the use of MI in products specifically marketed for babies and children and examined the associated marketing terms...

  1. The coming revolution in personal care robotics: what does it mean for nurses?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharts-Hopko, Nancy C

    2014-01-01

    The business sector provides regular reportage on the development of personal care robots to enable elders and people with disabilities to remain in their homes. Technology in this area is advancing rapidly in Asia, Europe, and North America. To date, the nursing literature has not addressed how nurses will assist these vulnerable populations in the selection and use of robotic technology or how robotics could effect nursing care and patient outcomes. This article provides an overview of development in the area of personal care robotics to address societal needs reflecting demographic trends. Selected relevant issues related to the human-robotic interface including ethical concerns are identified. Implications for nursing education and the delivery of nursing services are identified. Collaboration with engineers in the development of personal care robotic technology has the potential to contribute to the creation of products that optimally address the needs of elders and people with disabilities.

  2. Pharmaceutical and personal care products in tile drainage following land application of municipal biosolids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lapen, D R; Topp, E; Metcalfe, C D; Li, H; Edwards, M; Gottschall, N; Bolton, P; Curnoe, W; Payne, M; Beck, A

    2008-07-25

    Land application of municipal biosolids (sewage) is a common farming practice in many parts of the world. There is potential for transport of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) from agricultural fields to adjacent surface waters via tile drainage systems. In this study, liquid municipal biosolids (LMB) (total solids=11,933 mg L(-1)), supplemented with selected PPCPs and the fluorescent dye tracer rhodamine WT (RWT), were applied to tile drained fields using two land application approaches. Objectives included evaluating the relative benefits of land application practices with respect to reducing PPCP loadings to tile drains, evaluating PPCP persistence in tile water, and determining whether rhodamine WT can be used to estimate PPCP mass loads in tile. The PPCPs examined included an antibacterial agent used in personal care products (triclosan), a metabolite of nicotine (cotinine), and a variety of drugs including two sulfonamide antimicrobials (sulfapyridine, sulfamethoxazole), a beta-blocker (atenolol), an anti-epileptic (carbamazepine), an antidepressant (fluoxetine), analgesic/anti-inflammatories (acetaminophen, naproxen, ibuprofen), and a lipid-regulator (gemfibrozil). Maximum observed PPCP concentrations in the spiked LMB were about 10(3) ng g(-1) dry weight. PPCPs were shown to move rapidly via soil macropores to tile drains within minutes of the land application. Maximum observed PPCP concentrations in tile effluent associated with the LMB application-induced tile flow event were approximately 10(1) to 10(3) ng L(-1). PPCP mass loads, for the application-induced tile-hydrograph event, were significantly (ptile water during several precipitation-induced tile flow events that occurred post-application, included: triclosan (max. approximately 1.5 x 10(2) ng L(-1)), carbamazepine (max. approximately 7 x 10(1) ng L(-1)), atenolol (max approximately 4 x 10(1) ng L(-1)), and cotinine (max approximately 2 x 10(1) ng L(-1)). In spite of their presence

  3. Pharmaceuticals and personal care products in waters: occurrence, toxicity, and risk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cizmas, Leslie; Sharma, Virender K; Gray, Cole M; McDonald, Thomas J

    2015-12-01

    Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCP) are compounds with special physical and chemical properties that address the care of animal and human health. PPCP have been detected in surface water and wastewater in the ng/L to µg/L concentration range worldwide. PPCP ecotoxicity has been studied in a variety of organisms, and multiple methods have been used to assess the risk of PPCP in the environment to ecological health. Here we review the occurrence, effects, and risk assessment of PPCP in aquatic systems, as well as the sustainability of current methods for managing PPCP contamination in aquatic systems. The major points are the following: (1) a number of PPCP present potential concerns at environmentally relevant concentrations. PPCP mixtures may produce synergistic toxicity. (2) Various methods have been used for the ecological risk assessment of PPCP in aquatic systems. There are similarities in these methods, but no consensus has emerged regarding best practices for the ecological risk assessment of these compounds. (3) Human health risk assessments of PPCP contamination in aquatic systems have generally indicated little cause for concern. However, there is a lack of information regarding whether antibiotic contamination in wastewater and aquatic systems could lead to an increase in clinically relevant antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic-resistant genes. (4) Over the next century, the combination of increasing global population size and potential droughts may result in reduced water availability, increased need for water reuse, and increasing concentrations of PPCP in wastewaters. The current wastewater treatment methods do not remove all PPCP effectively. This, coupled with the possibility that antibiotics may promote the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic-resistant genes, leads to concerns about the sustainability of global water supplies.

  4. Application of ozonation for pharmaceuticals and personal care products removal from water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gomes, João; Costa, Raquel; Quinta-Ferreira, Rosa M; Martins, Rui C

    2017-05-15

    Due to the shortening on natural water resources, reclaimed wastewater will be an important water supply source. However, suitable technologies must be available to guaranty its proper detoxification with special concern for the emerging pharmaceutical and personal care products that are continuously reaching municipal wastewater treatment plants. While conventional biological systems are not suitable to remove these compounds, ozone, due to its interesting features involving molecular ozone oxidation and the possibility of generating unselective hydroxyl radicals, has a wider range of action on micropollutants removal and water disinfection. This paper aims to review the studies dealing with ozone based processes for water reuse by considering municipal wastewater reclamation as well as natural and drinking water treatment. A comparison with alternative technologies is given. The main drawback of ozonation is related with the low mineralization achieved that may lead to the production of reaction intermediates with toxic features. The use of hydrogen peroxide and light aided systems enhance ozone action over pollutants. Moreover, scientific community is focused on the development of solid catalysts able to improve the mineralization level achieved by ozone. Special interest is now being given to solar light catalytic ozonation systems with interesting results both for chemical and biological contaminants abatement. Nowadays the integration between ozonation and sand biofiltration seems to be the most interesting cost effective methodology for water treatment. However, further studies must be performed to optimize this system by understanding the biofiltration mechanisms. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Pharmaceutical and personal care products in domestic wastewater and their removal in anaerobic treatment systems: septic tank - upflow anaerobic filter

    OpenAIRE

    Arrubla, Juan Pablo; Cubillos, Janneth A.; Ramírez Vargas, Carlos Andrés; Arredondo, Jhon Alexander; Arias, Carlos A.; Paredes, Diego

    2016-01-01

    In several countries around the world, Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) exist in aquatic environments, a fact that increases the awareness within the scientific community with respect to their possible fate and environment effects. This research presents a preliminary monitoring of use, consumption and presence of PPCPs in wastewater from a treatment plant in a rural area of Pereira (Colombia). Domestic sewage is treated in a septic tank followed by an Up-Flow Anaerobic Filte...

  6. Pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the aquatic environment in China: a review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bu, Qingwei; Wang, Bin; Huang, Jun; Deng, Shubo; Yu, Gang

    2013-11-15

    Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) have been detected as contaminants of emerging concern ubiquitously in the aquatic environment in China and worldwide. A clear picture of PPCP contamination in the Chinese aquatic environment is needed to gain insight for both research and regulatory needs (e.g. monitoring, control and management). The occurrence data of 112 PPCPs in waters and sediments in China has been reviewed. In most cases, the detected concentration of these PPCPs in waters and sediments were at ng/L and ng/g levels, which were lower than or comparable to those reported worldwide. A screening level risk assessment (SLERA) identified six priority PPCPs in surface waters, namely erythromycin, roxithromycin, diclofenac, ibuprofen, salicylic acid and sulfamethoxazole. The results of SLERA also revealed that the hot spots for PPCP pollution were those river waters affected by the megacities with high density of population, such as Beijing, Tianjin, Guangzhou and Shanghai. Limitations of current researches and implications for future research in China were discussed. Some regulatory issues were also addressed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Effects of three pharmaceutical and personal care products on natural freshwater algal assemblages.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Brittan A; Smith, Val H; deNoyelles, Frank; Larive, Cynthia K

    2003-05-01

    Treated wastewaters in the United States contain detectable quantities of surfactants, antibiotics, and other types of antimicrobial chemicals contained in pharmaceutical and personal-care products (PPCPs) that are released into stream ecosystems. The degradation characteristics of many of these chemicals are not yet known, nor are the chemical properties of their byproducts. They also are not currently mandated for removal under the U.S. Clean Water Act. Three representative PPCPs were individually tested in this study using a series of laboratory dilution bioassays: Ciprofloxacin (an antibiotic), Triclosan (an antimicrobial agent), and Tergitol NP 10 (a surfactant), to determine their effects on natural algal communities sampled both upstream and downstream of the Olathe, KS wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). There were no significant treatment effects on algal community growth rates during the exponential phase of growth, but significant differences were observed in the final biomass yields (p WWTP effluents. These changes could result in shifts in both the nutrient processing capacity and the natural food web structure of these streams.

  8. Personality, personal model beliefs, and self-care in adolescents and young adults with Type 1 diabetes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chas Skinner, T.; Hampson, Sarah E.; Fife-Schaw, Chris

    2002-01-01

    This study compared 3 models of association between personality, personal model beliefs, and self-care in a cross-sectional design. These models were as follows: (a) Emotional stability determines self-care indirectly through personal model beliefs, and conscientiousness is a direct predictor of ....... Participants (N = 358, aged 12-30 years) with Type 1 diabetes completed measures of personality, personal model beliefs, and self-care. Structural equation modeling indicated that Model C was the best fit to the data....

  9. Safety Evaluations Under the Proposed US Safe Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Act of 2013 : Animal Use and Cost Estimates

    OpenAIRE

    Knight, Jean; Rovida, Costanza

    2014-01-01

    The proposed Safe Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Act of 2013 calls for a new evaluation program for cosmetic ingredients in the US, with the new assessments initially dependent on expanded animal testing. This paper considers possible testing scenarios under the proposed Act and estimates the number of test animals and cost under each scenario. It focuses on the impact for the first 10 years of testing, the period of greatest impact on animals and costs. The analysis suggests the first ...

  10. Towards person-centredness in aged care - exploring the impact of leadership.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Backman, Annica; Sjögren, Karin; Lindkvist, Marie; Lövheim, Hugo; Edvardsson, David

    2016-09-01

    To explore the association between leadership behaviours among managers in aged care, and person-centredness of care and the psychosocial climate. Theory suggests that leadership is important for improving person-centredness in aged care, however, empirical evidence is lacking. A cross-sectional design was used to collect data from Swedish aged care staff (n = 3661). Valid and reliable questionnaires assessing leadership behaviours, person-centeredness of care and the psychosocial climate were used. Data were analysed using multiple linear regression including interaction terms. Leadership behaviours were significantly related to the person-centredness of care and the psychosocial climate. The level of person-centredness of care moderated the impact of leadership on the psychosocial climate. The leadership behaviour of managers significantly impacts person-centred care practice and contributes to the psychosocial climate for both staff and residents in aged care. This study is the first empirically to confirm that middle managers have a central leadership role in developing and supporting person-centred care practice, thereby creating a positive psychosocial climate and high quality care. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. A first screening and risk assessment of pharmaceuticals and additives in personal care products in waste water, sludge, recipient water and sediment from Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huber, Sandra; Remberger, Mikael; Kaj, Lennart; Schlabach, Martin; Jörundsdóttir, Hrönn Ó; Vester, Jette; Arnórsson, Mímir; Mortensen, Inge; Schwartson, Richard; Dam, Maria

    2016-08-15

    A screening of a broad range of pharmaceuticals and additives in personal care products (PPCPs) in sub-arctic locations of the Faroe Islands (FO), Iceland (IS) and Greenland (GL) was conducted. In total 36 pharmaceuticals including some metabolites, and seven additives in personal care products were investigated in influent and effluent waters as well as sludge of waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) and in water and sediment of recipients. Concentrations and distribution patterns for PPCPs discharged via sewage lines (SLs) to the marine environment were assessed. Of the 36 pharmaceuticals or metabolites analysed 33 were found close to or above the limit of detection (LOD) in all or a part of the samples. All of the seven investigated additives in personal care products were detected above the LOD. Some of the analysed PPCPs occurred in every or almost every sample. Among these were diclofenac, ibuprofen, lidocaine, naproxen, metformin, citalopram, venlafaxine, amiloride, furosemide, metoprolol, sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and cetrimonium salt (ATAC-C16). Additionally, the study encompasses ecotoxicological risk assessment of 2/3 of the analysed PPCPs in recipient and diluted effluent waters. For candesartan only a small margin to levels with inacceptable risks was observed in diluted effluent waters at two locations (FO). Chronical risks for aquatic organisms staying and/or living around WWTP effluent pipe-outlets were indicated for 17β-estradiol and estriol in the three countries. Additives in PCPs were found to pose the largest risk to the aquatic environment. The surfactants CAPB and ATAC-C16 were found in concentrations resulting in risk factors up to 375 for CAPB and 165 for ATAC-C16 in recipients for diluted effluents from Iggia, Nuuk (GL) and Torshavn (FO) respectively. These results demonstrates a potentially high ecological risk stemming from discharge of surfactants as used in household and industrial detergents as well as additives in personal care

  12. Pediatric Palliative Care: A Personal Story

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... it free Find out why Close Pediatric Palliative Care: A Personal Story NINRnews Loading... Unsubscribe from NINRnews? ... and her family. The story demonstrates how palliative care can positively influence a patient's and family's experience ...

  13. Aggregate consumer exposure to UV filter ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate via personal care products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manová, Eva; von Goetz, Natalie; Hungerbuehler, Konrad

    2015-01-01

    Ultraviolet (UV) filters are substances designed to protect our skin from UV-induced damage and can be found in many categories of personal care products (PCPs). The potential endocrine-disrupting effects attributed to UV filter ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate (EHMC) are being debated. We evaluated the aggregate exposure of the Swiss-German population (N=1196; ages ≤1-97years) to EHMC via the use of PCPs; thus we provide the first comprehensive information about the current EHMC exposure sources and aggregate exposure levels. In our probabilistic modeling method performed at an individual level, PCP use data obtained by a postal questionnaire were linked to concentration data on EHMC gained from chemical analyses of PCPs used by the questionnaire respondents. The modeled median and 99.9th percentile of the internal aggregate exposure for the general population were 0.012 and 0.873mgday(-1)kg(-1) and 0.008 and 0.122mgday(-1)kg(-1) for the summer/autumn and winter/spring period, respectively. The major contributors to internal aggregate exposure were sunscreen products in summer/autumn (females: 64%; males: 85%; children aged ≤12years 93%). In winter/spring, lip care dominated for females (30%) and sunscreen for males (38%) and children aged ≤12years (50%). Overall, the internal aggregate exposure estimates for the studied population are shown to be below the Derived No Effect Level (DNEL) for EHMC i.e., the level of exposure above which humans should not be exposed; however, when an intense short-term exposure via sunscreen is accounted for during a sunbathing day, at the high-end percentiles (99.9th) the predicted aggregate exposure exceeds the DNEL for thyroid-disrupting effects such as for children aged ≤4years, who might be particularly susceptible to endocrine disrupting events. It is nevertheless critical to acknowledge that quantitative data on transdermal penetration of EHMC from PCPs are currently insufficient. Since long-term effects of endocrine

  14. Effects of person-centered care on residents and staff in aged-care facilities: a systematic review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brownie S

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Sonya Brownie, Susan NancarrowSchool of Health and Human Sciences, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, AustraliaBackground: Several residential aged-care facilities have replaced the institutional model of care to one that accepts person-centered care as the guiding standard of practice. This culture change is impacting the provision of aged-care services around the world. This systematic review evaluates the evidence for an impact of person-centered interventions on aged-care residents and nursing staff.Methods: We searched Medline, Cinahl, Academic Search Premier, Scopus, Proquest, and Expanded Academic ASAP databases for studies published between January 1995 and October 2012, using subject headings and free-text search terms (in UK and US English spelling including person-centered care, patient-centered care, resident-oriented care, Eden Alternative, Green House model, Wellspring model, long-term care, and nursing homes.Results: The search identified 323 potentially relevant articles. Once duplicates were removed, 146 were screened for inclusion in this review; 21 were assessed for methodological quality, resulting in nine articles (seven studies that met our inclusion criteria. There was only one randomized, controlled trial. The majority of studies were quasi-experimental pre-post test designs, with a control group (n = 4. The studies in this review incorporated a range of different outcome measures (ie, dependent variables to evaluate the impact of person-centered interventions on aged-care residents and staff. One person-centered intervention, ie, the Eden Alternative, was associated with significant improvements in residents' levels of boredom and helplessness. In contrast, facility-specific person-centered interventions were found to impact nurses' sense of job satisfaction and their capacity to meet the individual needs of residents in a positive way. Two studies found that person-centered care was actually associated with an

  15. Uptake of pharmaceutical and personal care products by soybean plants from soils applied with biosolids and irrigated with contaminated water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Chenxi; Spongberg, Alison L; Witter, Jason D; Fang, Min; Czajkowski, Kevin P

    2010-08-15

    Many pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are commonly found in biosolids and effluents from wastewater treatment plants. Land application of these biosolids and the reclamation of treated wastewater can transfer those PPCPs into the terrestrial and aquatic environments, giving rise to potential accumulation in plants. In this work, a greenhouse experiment was used to study the uptake of three pharmaceuticals (carbamazepine, diphenhydramine, and fluoxetine) and two personal care products (triclosan and triclocarban) by an agriculturally important species, soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.). Two treatments simulating biosolids application and wastewater irrigation were investigated. After growing for 60 and 110 days, plant tissues and soils were analyzed for target compounds. Carbamazepine, triclosan, and triclocarban were found to be concentrated in root tissues and translocated into above ground parts including beans, whereas accumulation and translocation for diphenhydramine and fluoxetine was limited. The uptake of selected compounds differed by treatment, with biosolids application resulting in higher plant concentrations, likely due to higher loading. However, compounds introduced by irrigation appeared to be more available for uptake and translocation. Degradation is the main mechanism for the dissipation of selected compounds in biosolids applied soils, and the presence of soybean plants had no significant effect on sorption. Data from two different harvests suggest that the uptake from soil to root and translocation from root to leaf may be rate limited for triclosan and triclocarban and metabolism may occur within the plant for carbamazepine.

  16. Personal health systems and value creation mechanisms in occupational health care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Auvinen, Ari-Matti

    2007-01-01

    Personal Health Systems are believed to have great business potential among citizens, but they might reach also an important market in occupational health care. However, in reaching the occupational health care market, it is important to understand the value creation and value configuration mechanisms of this particular market. This paper also claims that in such a business-to-business market service integrators are needed to compose for the various customers specific offerings combing a tailored variety of products and services to suit their specific needs.

  17. Innovation in the personal care industry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knaggs, Helen

    2010-09-01

    When considering opportunities to develop novel, eye-catching and consumer-relevant personal care (PC) products, it is important to understand and reflect on how science has changed over the last two decades and how this has generated a new body of data from which to draw ideas and technologies. This article outlines some advances in scientific technologies and new ways of thinking in science, which lead to new insights into skin biology. How these innovations may impact and be leveraged into the development of new products in PC is also discussed. For example, fundamental discoveries in skin biology and the advancement of scientific methodologies are enabling step changes in technology in PC. Two examples of areas where we have seen much advancement are discussed. This article is based on and summarizes a presentation given at the HBA in Sep 2009 as part of a session entitled "Emerging Technologies and New Opportunities in Antiaging in PC." © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. Gelatin controversies in food, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products: Authentication methods, current status, and future challenges.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ali, Eaqub; Sultana, Sharmin; Hamid, Sharifah Bee Abd; Hossain, Motalib; Yehya, Wageeh A; Kader, Abdul; Bhargava, Suresh K

    2018-06-13

    Gelatin is a highly purified animal protein of pig, cow, and fish origins and is extensively used in food, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products. However, the acceptability of gelatin products greatly depends on the animal sources of the gelatin. Porcine and bovine gelatins have attractive features but limited acceptance because of religious prohibitions and potential zoonotic threats, whereas fish gelatin is welcomed in all religions and cultures. Thus, source authentication is a must for gelatin products but it is greatly challenging due to the breakdown of both protein and DNA biomarkers in processed gelatins. Therefore, several methods have been proposed for gelatin identification, but a comprehensive and systematic document that includes all of the techniques does not exist. This up-to-date review addresses this research gap and presents, in an accessible format, the major gelatin source authentication techniques, which are primarily nucleic acid and protein based. Instead of presenting these methods in paragraph form which needs much attention in reading, the major methods are schematically depicted, and their comparative features are tabulated. Future technologies are forecasted, and challenges are outlined. Overall, this review paper has the merit to serve as a reference guide for the production and application of gelatin in academia and industry and will act as a platform for the development of improved methods for gelatin authentication.

  19. Toxicological Impacts of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products on Water Quality: Environmental Fate, Transformation and Health Effects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rubasinghege, G. R. S.; Rijal, H.; Gurung, R.; Maldonado-Torres, S.; Rogelj, S.; Piyasena, M.

    2016-12-01

    The growing medical and personal needs of the human population have escalated release of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) to the nature. The current work investigated abiotic degradation pathways of selected PPCPs in the presence of major mineral components of soil and the acute health effects of degraded PPCPs. Degradation of selected PPCPs (ibuprofen and clofibric acid) was carried out using custom-built glass reactors in batch studies. The secondary products of PPCPs were analyzed and identified using modified HPLC and LC-MS methods. Results from these studies showed that the extent of degradation depends on the type of the clay or mineral oxide, and solar radiation. In the absence of solar radiation (night time chemistry), the dominant reaction mechanism was observed to be the adsorption of PPCPs on to clay particles where surface functional groups and particle size play a key role. In contrast, under solar radiation, PPCPs break down to several fractions in the presence of clay particles. The decay rates were at least 3-fold higher for irradiated samples compared to that of dark conditions. Acute toxicity of selected PPCPs and their degradation products were tested on three microorganisms: gram-positive soil bacteria, Bacillus megaterium; gram-negative marine bacteria, Pseudoaltermonas atlantica; and algae from the Chlorella genus. Growth inhibition was measured using optical density measurements, MTT viability assay, and flow cytometer. The results suggest that the concentrations of primary compounds, Ibuprofen and Clofibric Acid, found in the environment that ranges from μg/L to ng/L are not sufficient to inhibit growth of either three microorganisms. However, selected organisms showed significant differences in sensitivity to degraded products. Results from current work advance our knowledge and understanding in the fields of environmental toxicology, chemistry in aqueous phases, and geochemistry.

  20. The work process and care production in a Brazilian indigenous health service

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aridiane Alves Ribeiro

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Objective: To understand the constitutive elements of the work process and care production in an Indigenous Health Support Service. Methods: Case study. Systematic observation and semi-structured interviews were conducted in January and February of 2012. The participants were 10 nursing professionals of an Indigenous Health Support Center, located in Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil. The work process was used as a conceptual and analytical category. Results: Through interpretative analysis, the data were organized into three categories. The results showed that care production was focused on procedures and guided by rigid institutional rules and bureaucracy. The prioritization of institutional rules and procedures was detrimental to the provision of person-centered care. Conclusion: The temporary employment contracts and rigid bureaucratic organization generated a tense work environment. These aspects do not maximize the efforts of the nursing staff to provide person-centered care.

  1. Concepts of person-centred care: a framework analysis of five studies in daily care practices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Margreet

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: Person-centred care is used as a term to indicate a ‘made to measure’ approach in care. But what does this look like in daily practice? The person-centred nursing framework developed by McCormack and McCance (2010 offers specific concepts but these are still described in rather general terms. Empirical studies, therefore, could help to clarify them and make person-centredness more tangible for nurses. Aims: This paper describes how a framework analysis aimed to clarify the concepts described in the model of McCormack and McCance in order to guide professionals using them in practice. Methods: Five separate empirical studies focusing on older adults in the Netherlands were used in the framework analysis. The research question was: ‘How are concepts of person-centred care made tangible where empirical data are used to describe them?’ Analysis was done in five steps, leading to a comparison between the description of the concepts and the empirical significance found in the studies. Findings: Suitable illustrations were found for the majority of concepts. The results show that an empirically derived specification emerges from the data. In the concept of ‘caring relationship’ for example, it is shown that the personal character of each relationship is expressed by what the nurse and the older person know about each other. Other findings show the importance of values being present in care practices. Conclusions: The framework analysis shows that concepts can be clarified when empirical studies are used to make person-centred care tangible so nurses can understand and apply it in practice. Implications for practice: The concepts of the person-centred nursing framework are recognised when: Nurses know unique characteristics of the person they care for and what is important to them, and act accordingly Nurses use values such as trust, involvement and humour in their care practice Acknowledgement of emotions and compassion create

  2. Fate of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in wastewater treatment plants - Conception of a database and first results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miege, C.; Choubert, J.M.; Ribeiro, L.; Eusebe, M.; Coquery, M.

    2009-01-01

    We created a database in order to quantitatively assess the occurrence and removal efficiency of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). From 117 scientific publications, we compiled 6641 data covering 184 PPCPs. Data included the concentrations of PPCPs in WWTP influents and effluents, their removal efficiency and their loads to the aquatic environment. The first outputs of our database allowed to identify the most investigated PPCPs in WWTPs and the most persistent ones, and to obtain reliable and quantitative values on their concentrations, frequency of detection and removal efficiency in WWTPs. We were also able to compare various processes and pointed out activated sludge with nitrogen treatment and membrane bioreactor as the most efficient ones. - By means of a database including information from 117 international scientific papers, we present quantitative conclusions on the concentrations, frequencies of detection and removals of pharmaceutical products in wastewater treatment plants.

  3. Contamination sources and distribution patterns of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in Alpine rivers strongly affected by tourism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mandaric, Ladislav; Diamantini, Elena; Stella, Elisa; Cano-Paoli, Karina; Valle-Sistac, Jennifer; Molins-Delgado, Daniel; Bellin, Alberto; Chiogna, Gabriele; Majone, Bruno; Diaz-Cruz, M Silvia; Sabater, Sergi; Barcelo, Damia; Petrovic, Mira

    2017-07-15

    Knowledge regarding the impact of tourism on the emergence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in Alpine river waters is limited and scarce. Therefore, a study on the occurrence patterns and spatiotemporal variability of 105 PPCPs in an Alpine river basin located in the Trentino-Alto Adige region (North-Eastern Italy) has been conducted. We observed that the total concentration of analyzed PPCPs was generally higher in all sampling sites during winter than in the summer. The analysis of tourist data revealed that during both sampling campaigns the number of tourists was lower in the downstream sites in comparison with the upstream area of the basin (Val di Sole). Particularly, sampling sites located near important tourist resorts have shown the highest abundance of the PPCPs during winter, being analgesics/anti-inflammatories, antihypertensives and antibiotics the most abundant pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs). Diclofenac showed the highest concentration amongst PhACs, reaching concentrations up to 675ngL -1 in the sampling site situated downstream of the Tonale wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Antihypertensives were found at concentrations >300ngL -1 , while antibiotics were quantified up to 196ngL -1 , respectively. Amongst personal care products (PCPs), the most abundant compound was octyl-dimethyl-p-aminobenzoic acid (ODPABA) with concentrations reaching up to 748ngL -1 in the sampling site situated within the Rotaliana district. In general, concentrations and detection frequencies were higher in water than in the sediment samples. The most frequently detected PhACs in sediments from both sampling campaigns were antibiotics, while amongst PCPs in sediments, octocrylene (OC) showed the highest concentration in both sampling campaigns. As a result, this study highlights the potential impact of tourism on the water quality of the Alpine aquatic ecosystems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Methylisothiazolinone: an emergent allergen in common pediatric skin care products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schlichte, Megan J; Katta, Rajani

    2014-01-01

    Recalcitrant dermatitis, such as that of the hands, face, or genitals, may be due to allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) from ingredients in seemingly innocuous personal care products. Rising rates of allergy have been noted due to the preservative methylisothiazolinone (MI). This preservative is commonly found in skin and hair care products, especially wipes. This study evaluated the use of MI in products specifically marketed for babies and children and examined the associated marketing terms of such products. Ingredients of skin care products specifically marketed for babies and children were surveyed at two major retailers. Of 152 products surveyed, 30 products contained MI. Categories of products surveyed included facial or body wipes, antibacterial hand wipes, hair products, soaps, bubble baths, moisturizers, and sunscreens. Facial or body wipes and hair products were the categories with the greatest number of MI-containing products. MI-containing products were manufactured by a number of popular brands. Of note, products marketed as "gentle," "sensitive," "organic," or "hypoallergenic" often contained MI, thus emphasizing the importance of consumer scrutiny of product choices. These findings reinforce the importance of educating parents and providing consumer decision-making advice regarding common skin care products, in order to help prevent ACD in children.

  5. Methylisothiazolinone: An Emergent Allergen in Common Pediatric Skin Care Products

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Megan J. Schlichte

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Recalcitrant dermatitis, such as that of the hands, face, or genitals, may be due to allergic contact dermatitis (ACD from ingredients in seemingly innocuous personal care products. Rising rates of allergy have been noted due to the preservative methylisothiazolinone (MI. This preservative is commonly found in skin and hair care products, especially wipes. This study evaluated the use of MI in products specifically marketed for babies and children and examined the associated marketing terms of such products. Ingredients of skin care products specifically marketed for babies and children were surveyed at two major retailers. Of 152 products surveyed, 30 products contained MI. Categories of products surveyed included facial or body wipes, antibacterial hand wipes, hair products, soaps, bubble baths, moisturizers, and sunscreens. Facial or body wipes and hair products were the categories with the greatest number of MI-containing products. MI-containing products were manufactured by a number of popular brands. Of note, products marketed as “gentle,” “sensitive,” “organic,” or “hypoallergenic” often contained MI, thus emphasizing the importance of consumer scrutiny of product choices. These findings reinforce the importance of educating parents and providing consumer decision-making advice regarding common skin care products, in order to help prevent ACD in children.

  6. Guidelines to facilitate self-care among older persons in South Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tinda Rabie

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Background: The number of older persons is growing at an alarming rate, yet the South African healthcare sector is not giving this issue the required attention. Moreover, the healthcare sector serves four-fifths of the country's population and primary healthcare (PHC facilities are overcrowded, and thus professional nurses are prevented from providing sufficient self-care health education to older persons. Aim: To develop guidelines for the three role players — the public health sector, professional nurse and older person — to facilitate self-care among older persons in South Africa. Design: Quantitative, descriptive, explorative and contextual research design. Methods: A literature review followed by a self-care assessment of a sample of older persons using the Appraisal of Self-care Agency (ASA-A and Exercise of Self-care Agency (ESCA questionnaires which led to the identification of conclusions and self-care deficits. Results: Based on Menon's psychological health empowerment model, and from the conclusions and self-care deficits, nine self-care guidelines were developed for the public health sector, professional nurses and older persons. Conclusion: This is the first systematic development of guidelines to facilitate self-care among older persons in South Africa. Implications for practice: The implementation of the self-care guidelines by the public health sector, professional nurses and older persons will improve the healthcare of older persons at home which will in turn improve their quality of life, reduce unintentional self-neglect, as well as assist in alleviating overcrowding in clinics because unnecessary visits to the clinic will drop.

  7. Occurrence and fate of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in drinking water in southern China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiao, Tiejun; Yu, Zhengrong; Zhang, Xihui; Au, Doris W T

    2011-11-01

    Occurrence and fate of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in drinking water was investigated in southern China. Fifteen and twelve PPCPs were detected with concentrations of 0-36 ng L(-1) in source water and of 0-20 ng L(-1) in treated water, respectively. Four PPCPs were detected with concentrations of approximately 1 ng L(-1) in drinking water of distribution network. Conventional water treatment processes removed the types and average concentrations of PPCPs by 30% and above 50%, respectively. Advanced water treatment processes were more efficient in the removal of most PPCPs, with the types and concentrations reduced by 50% and approximately 90%, respectively. Molecular properties of PPCPs had an important influence on their behaviors during water treatment. pK(a) (acidity coefficient) and K(oc) (organic carbon partition coefficient) of PPCPs appeared to have a combined effect on PPCPs removal during coagulation and oxidation. Adsorption and biodegradation were two possible mechanisms responsible for PPCPs removal during sand filtration.

  8. Occurrence, sources and fate of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the groundwater: A review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qian Sui

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available The presence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs in the aquatic environment may pose potential threat to the ecosystem and human health, hence PPCPs have aroused much concern over the world. The contamination of PPCPs in the groundwater, the main source of drinking water supply in many countries and regions, has been extensively studied in the last decade. This paper reviews the occurrence of frequently detected PPCPs, including antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, lipid-regulators, carbamazepine, caffeine, and N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide in groundwater, with special concern to the progress made over the past three years. Possible emission sources for PPCPs in groundwater, such as wastewater and contaminated surface water, landfills, septic systems, livestock breeding and sewer leakage, are summarized. Besides, adsorption, migration and degradation, the dominant mechanisms in the subsurface transport and fate of PPCPs, are discussed, and the insights into the future study of PPCPs in the groundwater are provided.

  9. APPLICATION OF U.S. EPA METHODS TO THE ANALYSIS OF PHARMACEUTICALS AND PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS IN THE ENVIRONMENT: DETERMINATION OF CLOFIBRIC ACID IN SEWAGE EFFLUENT BY GC-MS

    Science.gov (United States)

    An emerging area of research concerns pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the environment and their possible impact on biota and ecosystems. The long term effects of constant perfusion of PPCPs into the aquatic environment are presently unknown. Some compoun...

  10. Personal care workers in Australian aged care: retention and turnover intentions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Radford, Katrina; Shacklock, Kate; Bradley, Graham

    2015-07-01

    This study examined factors influencing personal care workers' intentions to stay or leave Australian aged care employment - especially for older workers. Retention of personal care workers is particularly important in aged care as they provide the majority of the direct care via community aged care or long-term aged care environments. However, there is limited research on what drives their turnover and retention. A survey was conducted during 2012 collecting 206 responses from workers within community and long-term aged care in four organisations in Australia. Perceived supervisor support, on-the-job embeddedness and area of employment were identified as predictors of both intention to stay and to leave, although the relationship strength differed. Community care workers were more likely to stay and reported more supervisor support than long-term care workers. Unexpectedly, age and health status were not predictors of staying or leaving. While there are similarities between retention and turnover motivators, there are also differences. Within a global context of health worker shortages, such new knowledge is keenly sought to enhance organisational effectiveness and sustain the provision of quality aged care. Retention strategies for older workers should involve increasing supervisor support, and seeking to embed workers more fully within their organisation. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. [Talk to them: Narrative care within a person-centered care framework].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Villar, Feliciano; Serrat, Rodrigo

    The aim of this paper is to highlight the importance of narrative care in the attention of older people who receive care in institutions, underlining how its use provides a better understanding of the Person Centered Care (PCC) model and valuable strategies to put it into practice. To achieve this goal, firstly, we describe the relevance of a narrative approach for understanding the experience of the old person who receive care in institutions, with regards to individual aspects as well as to her/his relationships with professionals and the institutional discourse which contextualize these relationships. Secondly, we specify different ways in which the use of narratives could have an impact on the improvement of the quality of attention and well-being of older people receiving care in institutions. Copyright © 2016 SEGG. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  12. Metabolism of pharmaceutical and personal care products by carrot cell cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Xiaoqin; Fu, Qiuguo; Gan, Jay

    2016-04-01

    With the increasing use of treated wastewater and biosolids in agriculture, residues of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) in these reused resources may contaminate food produce via plant uptake, constituting a route for human exposure. Although various PPCPs have been reported to be taken up by plants in laboratories or under field conditions, at present little information is available on their metabolism in plants. In this study, we applied carrot cell cultures to investigate the plant metabolism of PPCPs. Five phase I metabolites of carbamazepine were identified and the potential metabolism pathways of carbamazepine were proposed. We also used the carrot cell cultures as a rapid screening tool to initially assess the metabolism potentials of 18 PPCPs. Eleven PPCPs, including acetaminophen, caffeine, meprobamate, primidone, atenolol, trimethoprim, DEET, carbamazepine, dilantin, diazepam, and triclocarban, were found to be recalcitrant to metabolism. The other 7 PPCPs, including triclosan, naproxen, diclofenac, ibuprofen, gemfibrozil, sulfamethoxazole, and atorvastatin, displayed rapid metabolism, with 0.4-47.3% remaining in the culture at the end of the experiment. Further investigation using glycosidase hydrolysis showed that 1.3-20.6% of initially spiked naproxen, diclofenac, ibuprofen, and gemfibrozil were transformed into glycoside conjugates. Results from this study showed that plant cell cultures may be a useful tool for initially exploring the potential metabolites of PPCPs in plants as well as for rapidly screening the metabolism potentials of a variety of PPCPs or other emerging contaminants, and therefore may be used for prioritizing compounds for further comprehensive evaluations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Multi-residue determination of pharmaceutical and personal care products in vegetables.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Xiaoqin; Conkle, Jeremy Landon; Gan, Jay

    2012-09-07

    Treated wastewater irrigation and biosolid amendment are increasingly practiced worldwide and contamination of plants, especially produces that may be consumed raw by humans, by pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs), is an emerging concern. A sensitive method was developed for the simultaneous measurement of 19 frequently-occurring PPCPs in vegetables using high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS) for detection, combined with ultrasonic extraction and solid phase extraction (SPE) cleanup for sample preparation. Deuterated standards were used as surrogates to quantify corresponding analytes. The corrected recoveries ranged between 87.1 and 123.5% for iceberg lettuce, with intra- and inter-day variations less than 20%, and the method detection limits (MDLs) in the range of 0.04-3.0 ng g⁻¹ dry weight (dw). The corrected recoveries were equally good when the method was used on celery, tomato, carrot, broccoli, bell pepper and spinach. The method was further applied to examine uptake of PPCPs by iceberg lettuce and spinach grown in hydroponic solutions containing each PPCP at 500 ng L⁻¹. Twelve PPCPs were detected in lettuce leaves with concentrations from 0.2 to 28.7 ng g⁻¹ dw, while 11 PPCPs were detected in spinach leaves at 0.04-34.0 ng g⁻¹ dw. Given the diverse chemical structures of PPCPs considered in this study, this method may be used for screening PPCP residues in vegetables and other plants impacted by treated wastewater or biosolids, and to estimate potential human exposure via dietary uptake. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Use of an aggregate exposure model to estimate consumer exposure to fragrance ingredients in personal care and cosmetic products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Safford, B; Api, A M; Barratt, C; Comiskey, D; Daly, E J; Ellis, G; McNamara, C; O'Mahony, C; Robison, S; Smith, B; Thomas, R; Tozer, S

    2015-08-01

    Ensuring the toxicological safety of fragrance ingredients used in personal care and cosmetic products is essential in product development and design, as well as in the regulatory compliance of the products. This requires an accurate estimation of consumer exposure which, in turn, requires an understanding of consumer habits and use of products. Where ingredients are used in multiple product types, it is important to take account of aggregate exposure in consumers using these products. This publication investigates the use of a newly developed probabilistic model, the Creme RIFM model, to estimate aggregate exposure to fragrance ingredients using the example of 2-phenylethanol (PEA). The output shown demonstrates the utility of the model in determining systemic and dermal exposure to fragrances from individual products, and aggregate exposure. The model provides valuable information not only for risk assessment, but also for risk management. It should be noted that data on the concentrations of PEA in products used in this article were obtained from limited sources and not the standard, industry wide surveys typically employed by the fragrance industry and are thus presented here to illustrate the output and utility of the newly developed model. They should not be considered an accurate representation of actual exposure to PEA. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Changes in the Metabolome in Response to Low-Dose Exposure to Environmental Chemicals Used in Personal Care Products during Different Windows of Susceptibility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Houten, Sander M; Chen, Jia; Belpoggi, Fiorella; Manservisi, Fabiana; Sánchez-Guijo, Alberto; Wudy, Stefan A; Teitelbaum, Susan L

    2016-01-01

    The consequences of ubiquitous exposure to environmental chemicals remain poorly defined. Non-targeted metabolomic profiling is an emerging method to identify biomarkers of the physiological response to such exposures. We investigated the effect of three commonly used ingredients in personal care products, diethyl phthalate (DEP), methylparaben (MPB) and triclosan (TCS), on the blood metabolome of female Sprague-Dawley rats. Animals were treated with low levels of these chemicals comparable to human exposures during prepubertal and pubertal windows as well as chronically from birth to adulthood. Non-targeted metabolomic profiling revealed that most of the variation in the metabolites was associated with developmental stage. The low-dose exposure to DEP, MPB and TCS had a relatively small, but detectable impact on the metabolome. Multiple metabolites that were affected by chemical exposure belonged to the same biochemical pathways including phenol sulfonation and metabolism of pyruvate, lyso-plasmalogens, unsaturated fatty acids and serotonin. Changes in phenol sulfonation and pyruvate metabolism were most pronounced in rats exposed to DEP during the prepubertal period. Our metabolomics analysis demonstrates that human level exposure to personal care product ingredients has detectable effects on the rat metabolome. We highlight specific pathways such as sulfonation that warrant further study.

  16. Consumer-oriented innovation in the food and personal care products sectors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Grunert, K.G.; Jensen, B.B.; Sonne, A. M.

    2010-01-01

    In this chapter, we clarify the concept of consumer-oriented innovation in the food and personal products sectors and define it as a process towards the development of a new product or service in which an integrated analysis and understanding of consumers wants, needs and preference formation play...... a key role. We then outline relevant streams of research that may promote the implementation of consumer-oriented innovation in these sectors. We first review research on understanding consumers, notably on the quality perception, associated methods, and their application in innovation processes. We...... then review research on innovation management, emphasizing the use of consumer insight information in innovation processes. We conclude that a better integration of consumer research and research on innovation management would benefit the innovation process....

  17. Patient guardians as an instrument for person centered care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Basu, Lopa; Frescas, Ruben; Kiwelu, Humphrey

    2014-05-08

    Person-centered care involves keeping the person at the center of the care planning and decision-making process. While the theory behind person-centered care is commonly shared, its application in healthcare settings is more challenging. In a number of African countries, a lesson emerges involving the application of person-centered care through the use of patient guardians. Patient guardians, often family or close friends, act as an extension of the patient's hospital care team. Medical teams engage with these self-designated individuals who invest their time and efforts in the care of the patient. More importantly, the guardian continues this role and relationship when the patient is released from the hospital to return home. Healthcare workers view patient guardians as a valuable resource. In a structured manner, guardians become stewards of information regarding topics such as hand hygiene and infection control. The knowledge gained can help the recovering patient upon discharge and potentially spread the information to others in the community. Further study of this model may show clear applicability to help improve health literacy in underserved settings in both low-income and high-income countries.

  18. Borderline personality disorder in the primary care setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dubovsky, Amelia N; Kiefer, Meghan M

    2014-09-01

    Borderline personality disorder is estimated to be present in approximately 6% of outpatient primary care settings. However, the time and energy spent on this population can greatly exceed what primary care doctors are able to spend. This article gives an overview of borderline personality disorder, including the clinical characteristics, epidemiology, and comorbidities, as well as pharmacologic and most important behavioral management. It is our hope that, with improved understanding of the disorder and skills for managing this population, caring for patients with the disorder can be more satisfying and less taxing for both primary care doctors and their patients. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Environmental stewardship practices of veterinary professionals and educators related to use and disposal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lam, Jennifer; Chan, Samuel S; Conway, Flaxen D L; Stone, David

    2018-03-01

    OBJECTIVE To document the environmental stewardship practices (decisions and actions regarding use and disposal) of pet and human pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) among pet-owning veterinary-care professionals (practicing veterinarians, veterinary students, and veterinary technicians and trainees) and environmental educators. DESIGN Internet-based cross-sectional survey. SAMPLE 191 pet owners (103 veterinary-care professionals and 88 environmental educators). PROCEDURES Study participants were recruited by means of a 2-part internet survey distributed to veterinary-care professional and environmental educator networks of individuals residing in Washington state, Oregon, and southern California. Survey questions addressed motivators for environmental stewardship practices (ie, decisions and actions regarding use and disposal of pet and human PPCPs). RESULTS Data were collected from 191 respondents; the response rate for individuals who self-selected to opt in was 78% (191/246). Of the 191 respondents, 42 (22%) stored pet pharmaceuticals indefinitely. The most common disposal method was the garbage (88/191 [46%]). Veterinary-care professionals counseled clients infrequently regarding environmental stewardship practices for PPCPs. Fifty-five percent (105/191) of all respondents preferred more environmentally friendly and clinically effective PPCPs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results of the present survey emphasized the urgent need for improved educational resources to minimize environmental contamination from improper disposal of PPCPs. Environmental and economic motivations among pet owners in the veterinary-care and education professions indicate further opportunities for outreach and institutional support.

  20. Commercial products that convey personal health information in emergencies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Potini, Vishnu C; Weerasuriya, Dilani N; Lowery-North, Douglas W; Kellermann, Arthur L

    2011-12-01

    Describe commercially available products and services designed to convey personal health information in emergencies. The search engine Google®, supplemented by print ads, was used to identify companies and organizations that offer relevant products and services to the general market. Disease-specific, health system, and health plan-specific offerings were excluded. Vendor web sites were the primary sources of information, supplemented by telephone and e-mail queries to sales representatives. Perfect inter-rater agreement was achieved. Thirty-nine unique vendors were identified. Eight sell engraved jewelry. Three offer an embossed card or pamphlet. Twelve supply USB drives with various features. Eleven support password-protected web sites. Five maintain national call centers. Available media differed markedly with respect to capacity and accessibility. Quoted prices ranged from a one-time expenditure of $3.50 to an annual fee of $200. Associated features and annual fees varied widely. A wide range of products and services exist to help patients convey personal health information. Health care providers should be familiar with their features, so they can access the information in a disaster or emergency.

  1. Can health care providers recognize a fibromyalgia personality?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Da Silva, J.A.P.; Jacobs, J.W.G.; Branco, J.; Canaipa, R.; Gaspar, M.F.; Griep, E.N.; van Helmond, T.; Oliveira, P.J.; Zijlstra, T.R.; Geenen, R.

    2017-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: To determine if experienced health care providers (HCPs) can recognise patients with fibromyalgia (FM) based on a limited set of personality items, exploring the existence of a FM personality. METHODS: From the 240-item NEO-PI-R personality questionnaire, 8 HCPs from two different

  2. Organisational and environmental characteristics of residential aged care units providing highly person-centred care: a cross sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sjögren, Karin; Lindkvist, Marie; Sandman, Per-Olof; Zingmark, Karin; Edvardsson, David

    2017-01-01

    Few studies have empirically investigated factors that define residential aged care units that are perceived as being highly person-centred. The purpose of this study was to explore factors characterising residential aged care units perceived as being highly person-centred, with a focus on organisational and environmental variables, as well as residents' and staff' characteristics. A cross-sectional design was used. Residents ( n  = 1460) and staff ( n  = 1213) data from 151 residential care units were collected, as well as data relating to characteristics of the organisation and environment, and data measuring degree of person-centred care. Participating staff provided self-reported data and conducted proxy ratings on residents . Descriptive and comparative statistics, independent samples t-test, Chi 2 test, Eta Squared and Phi coefficient were used to analyse data. Highly person-centred residential aged care units were characterized by having a shared philosophy of care, a satisfactory leadership, interdisciplinary collaboration and social support from colleagues and leaders, a dementia-friendly physical environment, staff having time to spend with residents, and a smaller unit size. Residential aged care units with higher levels of person-centred care had a higher proportion of staff with continuing education in dementia care, and a higher proportion of staff receiving regular supervision, compared to units with lower levels of person-centred care. It is important to target organisational and environmental factors, such as a shared philosophy of care, staff use of time, the physical environment, interdisciplinary support, and support from leaders and colleagues, to improve person-centred care in residential care units. Managers and leaders seeking to facilitate person-centred care in daily practice need to consider their own role in supporting, encouraging, and supervising staff.

  3. Simple method for the determination of personal care product ingredients in lettuce by ultrasound-assisted extraction combined with solid-phase microextraction followed by GC-MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cabrera-Peralta, Jerónimo; Peña-Alvarez, Araceli

    2018-05-01

    A simple method for the simultaneous determination of personal care product ingredients: galaxolide, tonalide, oxybenzone, 4-methylbenzyliden camphor, padimate-o, 2-ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, octocrylene, triclosan, and methyl triclosan in lettuce by ultrasound-assisted extraction combined with solid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry was developed. Lettuce was directly extracted by ultrasound-assisted extraction with methanol, this extract was combined with water, extracted by solid-phase microextraction in immersion mode, and analyzed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. Good linear relationships (25-250 ng/g, R 2  > 0.9702) and low detection limits (1.0-25 ng/g) were obtained for analytes along with acceptable precision for almost all analytes (RSDs < 20%). The validated method was applied for the determination of personal care product ingredients in commercial lettuce and lettuces grown in soil and irrigated with the analytes, identifying the target analytes in leaves and roots of the latter. This procedure is a miniaturized and environmentally friendly proposal which can be a useful tool for quality analysis in lettuce. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  4. Guidance on maintaining personal hygiene in nail care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malkin, Bridget; Berridge, Pat

    Nail care is important in the maintenance of personal hygiene and is an essential aspect of patient care. Confusion about who should perform nail care for patients has resulted in poor practice and cycles of non-activity. This article provides guidance for nurses on performing routine nail care.

  5. Assessment of primary care services and perceived barriers to care in persons with disabilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harrington, Amanda L; Hirsch, Mark A; Hammond, Flora M; Norton, H James; Bockenek, William L

    2009-10-01

    To determine what percentage of persons with disabilities have a primary care provider, participate in routine screening and health maintenance examinations, and identify perceived physical or physician barriers to receiving care. A total of 344 surveys, consisting of 66 questions, were collected from adults with disabilities receiving care at an outpatient rehabilitation clinic. A total of 89.5% (95% CI 86.3%-92.8%) of participants reported having a primary care physician. Younger persons (P brain injury (P use, and safety with relationships at home ranged from 26.6% to 37.5% compared with screening for depression, diet, exercise, and smoking (64.5%-70%). Completion rates of age- and gender-appropriate health maintenance examinations ranged from 42.4% to 90%. A total of 2.67% of participants reported problems with physical access at their physician's office, and 36.4% (95% CI 30.8%-42.1%) of participants reported having to teach their primary care physician about their disability. Most persons with disabilities have a primary care physician. In general, completion rates for routine screening and health maintenance examinations were high. Perceived deficits in primary care physicians' knowledge of disability issues seem more prevalent than physical barriers to care.

  6. The importance of person-centred care and co-creation of care for the well-being and job satisfaction of professionals working with people with intellectual disabilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van der Meer, Leontine; Nieboer, Anna Petra; Finkenflügel, Harry; Cramm, Jane Murray

    2018-03-01

    Person-centred care and co-creation of care (productive interactions between clients and professionals) are expected to lead to better outcomes for clients. Professionals play a prominent role in the care of people with intellectual disabilities at residential care facilities. Thus, person-centred care and co-creation of care may be argued to lead to better outcomes for professionals as well. This study aimed to identify relationships of person-centred care and co-creation of care with the well-being and job satisfaction of professionals working with people with intellectual disabilities (PWID). A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2015 among professionals working at a disability care organisation in the Netherlands. All 1146 professionals involved in the care of people with intellectual disabilities who required 24-hours care were invited to participate. The response rate was 41% (n = 466). Most respondents (87%) were female, and the mean age was 42.8 ± 11.5 years (22-65). The majority of respondents (70%) worked ≥22 hours per week and had worked for the organisation for ≥5 years (88%). Most of the respondents (76.8%) were direct care workers either in residential homes (59.3%) or in day activities (17.5%). After controlling for background variables, person-centred care and co-creation of care were associated positively with job satisfaction and well-being of professionals. The provision of person-centred care and co-creation of care may lead to better well-being and job satisfaction among professionals working with PWID. This finding is important, as such professionals often experience significant levels of work stress and burnout. © 2017 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Nordic College of Caring Science.

  7. Diurnal variations in personal care products in seawater and mussels at three Mediterranean coastal sites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Picot-Groz, Marina; Fenet, Hélène; Martinez Bueno, Maria Jesus; Rosain, David; Gomez, Elena

    2018-03-01

    The presence of personal care products (PCPs) in the marine environment is of major concern. PCPs, UV filters, and musks can enter the marine environment indirectly through wastewater or directly via recreational activities. We conducted this study to document patterns in the occurrence of seven PCPs at three coastal sites impacted by recreational activities during 1 day. The study focused on diurnal variations in these seven PCPs in seawater and indigenous mussels. In seawater, UV filters showed diurnal variations that mirrored variations in recreational activities at the sites. Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate (EHMC) and octocrylene (OC) water concentrations increased from under the limit of quantification in the morning to 106 and 369 ng/L, respectively, when recreational activities were the highest. In mussels, diurnal variations in OC were observed, with the lowest concentrations recorded in the morning and then increasing throughout the day. As Mytilus spp. are widely used as sentinels in coastal pollution monitoring programs (mussel watch), our findings on diurnal variations could enhance sampling recommendations for recreational sites impacted by PCPs.

  8. Pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the aquatic environment as a new issue of environmental health

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aneta Koszowska

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products PPCPs are different chemical substances biologically active. They are part of drugs, supplements and cosmetics. An increasing interest in the field of PPCPs is observed recently. High sensitivity analysis methods allowed to detect PPCPs in natural environment in the world . Because of their complex chemical structure these compounds are not completely removed and discharged into the sewage for treatment and as such unchanged or intermediate metabolites may cause pollution of surface and deep water. It is estimated that they may accumulate in living organisms. PPCPs problem becomes a serious challenge for many scientific disciplines. The aim of the study is to present the problem of the occurrence of PPCPs in water environment as a new environmental health hazard. This study presents selected groups of PPCPs as the examples of research in the field of PPCPS and their presence in the environment. Moreover new prospects of removing these substances from water are shown.

  9. Estrogenic and anti-estrogenic activity of off-the-shelf hair and skin care products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Myers, Sharon L; Yang, Chun Z; Bittner, George D; Witt, Kristine L; Tice, Raymond R; Baird, Donna D

    2015-05-01

    Use of personal care products is widespread in the United States but tends to be greater among African Americans than whites. Of special concern is the possible hazard of absorption of chemicals with estrogenic activity (EA) or anti-EA (AEA) in these products. Such exposure may have adverse health effects, especially when it occurs during developmental windows (e.g., prepubertally) when estrogen levels are low. We assessed the ethanol extracts of eight commonly used hair and skin products popular among African Americans for EA and AEA using a cell proliferation assay with the estrogen sensitive MCF-7:WS8 cell line derived from a human breast cancer. Four of the eight personal care products tested (Oil Hair Lotion, Extra-dry Skin Lotion, Intensive Skin Lotion, Petroleum Jelly) demonstrated detectable EA, whereas three (Placenta Hair Conditioner, Tea-Tree Hair Conditioner, Cocoa Butter Skin Cream) exhibited AEA. Our data indicate that hair and skin care products can have EA or AEA, and suggest that laboratory studies are warranted to investigate the in vivo activity of such products under chronic exposure conditions as well as epidemiologic studies to investigate potential adverse health effects that might be associated with use of such products.

  10. Marketing of personalized cancer care on the web: an analysis of Internet websites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gray, Stacy W; Cronin, Angel; Bair, Elizabeth; Lindeman, Neal; Viswanath, Vish; Janeway, Katherine A

    2015-05-01

    Internet marketing may accelerate the use of care based on genomic or tumor-derived data. However, online marketing may be detrimental if it endorses products of unproven benefit. We conducted an analysis of Internet websites to identify personalized cancer medicine (PCM) products and claims. A Delphi Panel categorized PCM as standard or nonstandard based on evidence of clinical utility. Fifty-five websites, sponsored by commercial entities, academic institutions, physicians, research institutes, and organizations, that marketed PCM included somatic (58%) and germline (20%) analysis, interpretive services (15%), and physicians/institutions offering personalized care (44%). Of 32 sites offering somatic analysis, 56% included specific test information (range 1-152 tests). All statistical tests were two-sided, and comparisons of website content were conducted using McNemar's test. More websites contained information about the benefits than limitations of PCM (85% vs 27%, P market one or more nonstandard tests as compared with standard tests (88% vs 44%, P = .04). © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  11. Abiotic Degradation and Toxicological Impacts of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) in Surface Waters: Roles of Mineral Sediments and Solar Radiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rubasinghege, G. R. S.; Rijal, H.; Maldonado-Torres, S.; Gurung, R.; Rogelj, S.; Piyasena, M.

    2017-12-01

    The growing medical and personal needs of human populations have escalated release of pharmaceuticals and personal care products into surface waters. This work investigates abiotic degradation pathways of a particular PPCP, ibuprofen, in the presence of a major mineral component of sedimentation (kaolinite clay), as well as the health effects of the primary compound and its degradation products. Results from these studies showed that the rate and extent of ibuprofen degradation is greatly influenced by the presence of sedimentation particles and solar radiation. In the absence of solar radiation, the dominant reaction mechanism was observed to be the adsorption of ibuprofen onto sedimentation particle surface where surface silanol groups play a key role. In contrast, under solar radiation and in the presence of clay particles, ibuprofen breaks down to several fractions. The decay rates were at least 6-fold higher for irradiated samples compared to those of dark conditions. Toxicity of primary ibuprofen and its secondary residues were tested on three microorganisms: Bacillus megaterium, Pseudoaltermonas atlantica; and algae from the Chlorella genus. The results from the biological assays show that primary PPCP is more toxic than the mixture of secondary products. Overall, however, biological assays carried out using only 4-acetylbenzoic acid, the most abundant secondary product, show a higher toxic effect on algae compared to its parent compound.

  12. Models of home care services for persons with dementia: a narrative review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Low, Lee-Fay; Fletcher, Jennifer

    2015-10-01

    Worldwide trends of increasing dementia prevalence, have put economic and workforce pressures to shifting care for persons with dementia from residential care to home care. We reviewed the effects of the four dominant models of home care delivery on outcomes for community-dwelling persons with dementia. These models are: case management, integrated care, consumer directed care, and restorative care. This narrative review describes benefits and possible drawbacks for persons with dementia outcomes and elements that comprise successful programs. Case management for persons with dementia may increase use of community-based services and delay nursing home admission. Integrated care is associated with greater client satisfaction, increased use of community based services, and reduced hospital days however the clinical impacts on persons with dementia and their carers are not known. Consumer directed care increases satisfaction with care and service usage, but had little effect on clinical outcomes. Restorative models of home care have been shown to improve function and quality of life however these trials have excluded persons with dementia, with the exception of a pilot study. There has been a little research into models of home care for people with dementia, and no head-to-head comparison of the different models. Research to inform evidence-based policy and service delivery for people with dementia needs to evaluate both the impact of different models on outcomes, and investigate how to best deliver these models to maximize outcomes.

  13. Resident Reactions to Person-Centered Communication by Long-Term Care Staff.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savundranayagam, Marie Y; Sibalija, Jovana; Scotchmer, Emma

    2016-09-01

    Long-term care staff caregivers who are person centered incorporate the life history, preferences, and feelings of residents with dementia during care interactions. Communication is essential for person-centered care. However, little is known about residents' verbal reactions when staff use person-centered communication. Accordingly, this study investigated the impact of person-centered communication and missed opportunities for such communication by staff on resident reactions. Conversations (N = 46) between staff-resident dyads were audio-recorded during routine care tasks over 12 weeks. Staff utterances were coded for person-centered communication and missed opportunities. Resident utterances were coded for positive reactions, such as cooperation, and negative reactions, such as distress. Linear regression analyses revealed that the more staff used person-centered communication, the more likely that residents reacted positively. Additionally, the more missed opportunities in a conversation, the more likely that the residents reacted negatively. Conversation illustrations elaborate on the quantitative findings and implications for staff training are discussed. © The Author(s) 2016.

  14. Metabolism of pharmaceutical and personal care products by carrot cell cultures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Xiaoqin; Fu, Qiuguo; Gan, Jay

    2016-01-01

    With the increasing use of treated wastewater and biosolids in agriculture, residues of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) in these reused resources may contaminate food produce via plant uptake, constituting a route for human exposure. Although various PPCPs have been reported to be taken up by plants in laboratories or under field conditions, at present little information is available on their metabolism in plants. In this study, we applied carrot cell cultures to investigate the plant metabolism of PPCPs. Five phase I metabolites of carbamazepine were identified and the potential metabolism pathways of carbamazepine were proposed. We also used the carrot cell cultures as a rapid screening tool to initially assess the metabolism potentials of 18 PPCPs. Eleven PPCPs, including acetaminophen, caffeine, meprobamate, primidone, atenolol, trimethoprim, DEET, carbamazepine, dilantin, diazepam, and triclocarban, were found to be recalcitrant to metabolism. The other 7 PPCPs, including triclosan, naproxen, diclofenac, ibuprofen, gemfibrozil, sulfamethoxazole, and atorvastatin, displayed rapid metabolism, with 0.4–47.3% remaining in the culture at the end of the experiment. Further investigation using glycosidase hydrolysis showed that 1.3–20.6% of initially spiked naproxen, diclofenac, ibuprofen, and gemfibrozil were transformed into glycoside conjugates. Results from this study showed that plant cell cultures may be a useful tool for initially exploring the potential metabolites of PPCPs in plants as well as for rapidly screening the metabolism potentials of a variety of PPCPs or other emerging contaminants, and therefore may be used for prioritizing compounds for further comprehensive evaluations. - Highlights: • Five phase I metabolites of carbamazepine were identified in carrot cell cultures. • The metabolism potentials of 18 PPCPs were evaluated using carrot cell cultures. • Four PPCPs may partially form glycoside conjugates as phase II

  15. Health Care Finance Executive Personalities Revisited: A 10-Year Follow-up Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lieneck, Cristian; Nowicki, Michael

    2015-01-01

    A dynamic health care industry continues to call upon health care leaders to possess not one but multiple competencies. Inherent personality characteristics of leaders often play a major role in personal as well as organizational success to include those in health care finance positions of responsibility. A replication study was conducted to determine the Myers-Briggs personality-type differences between practicing health care finance professionals in 2014, as compared with a previous 2003 study. Results indicate a significant shift between both independent samples of health care finance professionals over the 10-year period from original high levels of introversion to that of extraversion, as well as higher sensing personality preferences, as compared with the original sample's high level of intuition preferences. Further investigation into the evolving role of the health care finance manager is suggested, while continued alignment of inherent, personal characteristics is suggested to meet ongoing changes in the industry.

  16. Exploring experience and perspectives of foreign-born direct care workers in dementia care: Accounts of Korean American personal care aides caring for older Korean Americans with dementia symptoms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Sang E; Casado, Banghwa Lee; Hong, Michin

    2018-05-01

    This focus group study explored experience of Korean American personal care aides caring for older Korean Americans with dementia symptoms. Personal care aides described dementia caregiving as challenging, demanding and stressful, yet they cared for their clients with love and affection, particularly with jeong (i.e., a Korean cultural concept of love, affection, sympathy, and bondage). They learned about dementia mostly through their caregiving experience and expressed their need and strong desire to learn more about dementia. They felt for family struggle and observed family conflict and filial obligation. They advocated the value of personal care aides' involvement in dementia care. This study revealed a pressing need for dementia training for personal care aides and called for an outreach effort to recruit and train direct care workers with potential of providing culturally competent care for traditionally underserved ethnic minorities.

  17. Practice patterns in prescribing oral care products by dental practitioners

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alena B. Abdrashitova

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes the practice patterns of dental practitioners in how they choose oral care products for prescriptions to their patients. One hundred seventy-three respondents were selected for a medico-sociological study. They were divided into 3 groups based on their work experience: less than 5 years (30.0%, 5–9 years (40.0% and 10–14 years (30.0%. The majority of respondents were dental therapists (71.0%, and the rest were paedodontists, dental surgeons, periodontists and orthodontists (11.0%, 7.0%, 4.0% and 1.0%, respectively. The study was conducted using a questionnaire specially developed by us, which consisted of 34 questions grouped into several domains. Analysis of the obtained results has shown that the majority of dental practitioners (88.7% were competent in prescribing oral care products. Professionals with work experience over 10 years often choose oral care products incorrectly; 80.6% of them believe that long-term use of personal oral care products containing antiseptic components affects the oral microbial flora, which suggests that it is necessary to amend the existing classification of toothpastes.

  18. Rapid determination of triclosan in personal care products using new in-tube based ultrasound-assisted salt-induced liquid-liquid microextraction coupled with high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Ming-Jen; Liu, Ya-Ting; Lin, Chiao-Wen; Ponnusamy, Vinoth Kumar; Jen, Jen-Fon

    2013-03-12

    This paper describes the development of a novel, simple and efficient in-tube based ultrasound-assisted salt-induced liquid-liquid microextraction (IT-USA-SI-LLME) technique for the rapid determination of triclosan (TCS) in personal care products by high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet (HPLC-UV) detection. IT-USA-SI-LLME method is based on the rapid phase separation of water-miscible organic solvent from the aqueous phase in the presence of high concentration of salt (salting-out phenomena) under ultrasonication. In the present work, an indigenously fabricated home-made glass extraction device (8-mL glass tube inbuilt with a self-scaled capillary tip) was utilized as the phase separation device for USA-SI-LLME. After the extraction, the upper extractant layer was narrowed into the self-scaled capillary tip by pushing the plunger plug; thus, the collection and measurement of the upper organic solvent layer was simple and convenient. The effects of various parameters on the extraction efficiency were thoroughly evaluated and optimized. Under optimal conditions, detection was linear in the concentration range of 0.4-100ngmL(-1) with correlation coefficient of 0.9968. The limit of detection was 0.09ngmL(-1) and the relative standard deviations ranged between 0.8 and 5.3% (n=5). The applicability of the developed method was demonstrated for the analysis of TCS in different commercial personal care products and the relative recoveries ranged from 90.4 to 98.5%. The present method was proven to be a simple, sensitive, less organic solvent consuming, inexpensive and rapid procedure for analysis of TCS in a variety of commercially available personal care products or cosmetic preparations. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Power, empowerment, and person-centred care: using ethnography to examine the everyday practice of unregistered dementia care staff.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scales, Kezia; Bailey, Simon; Middleton, Joanne; Schneider, Justine

    2017-02-01

    The social positioning and treatment of persons with dementia reflects dominant biomedical discourses of progressive and inevitable loss of insight, capacity, and personality. Proponents of person-centred care, by contrast, suggest that such loss can be mitigated within environments that preserve rather than undermine personhood. In formal organisational settings, person-centred approaches place particular responsibility on 'empowered' direct-care staff to translate these principles into practice. These staff provide the majority of hands-on care, but with limited training, recognition, or remuneration. Working within a Foucauldian understanding of power, this paper examines the complex ways that dementia care staff engage with their own 'dis/empowerment' in everyday practice. The findings, which are drawn from ethnographic studies of three National Health Service (NHS) wards and one private care home in England, are presented as a narrative exploration of carers' general experience of powerlessness, their inversion of this marginalised subject positioning, and the related possibilities for action. The paper concludes with a discussion of how Foucault's understanding of power may help define and enhance efforts to empower direct-care staff to provide person-centred care in formal dementia care settings. © 2016 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness.

  20. Pediatric Palliative Care: A Personal Story

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... thanks 3-months free Find out why Close Pediatric Palliative Care: A Personal Story NINRnews Loading... Unsubscribe ... This vignette shares the story of Rachel—a pediatric neuroblastoma patient—and her family. The story demonstrates ...

  1. Pediatric Palliative Care: A Personal Story

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... Queue Queue __count__/__total__ Find out why Close Pediatric Palliative Care: A Personal Story NINRnews Loading... Unsubscribe ... This vignette shares the story of Rachel—a pediatric neuroblastoma patient—and her family. The story demonstrates ...

  2. Trends in monitoring pharmaceuticals and personal-care products in the aquatic environment by use of passive sampling devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mills, G.A.; Vrana, B.; Allan, I.; Alvarez, D.A.; Huckins, J.N.; Greenwood, R.

    2007-01-01

    The use of passive sampling in monitoring pharmaceuticals and personal-care products (PPCPs) in the aquatic environment is discussed. The utility of passive sampling methods for monitoring the fraction of heavy metals and the biologically available fraction of non-polar organic priority pollutants is recognized and these technologies are being used in surveys of water quality. These devices are used to measure the dissolved fraction and they can yield information that can be used in the development of risk assessments models. These devices can also be used to locate illegal dumping and to monitor specific sources of input of PPCPs into the environment, or to monitor the effectiveness of water treatment processes in the removal of these compounds from wastewater. These devices can provide representative information at low cost which necessitate a combination of laboratory calibration and field studies for emerging pollutants.

  3. Analytical approaches for the determination of personal care products and evaluation of their occurrence in marine organisms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montesdeoca-Esponda, Sarah; Checchini, Leonardo; Del Bubba, Massimo; Sosa-Ferrera, Zoraida; Santana-Rodriguez, José Juan

    2018-03-23

    Contamination of the aquatic environment caused by multiple human activities may exert a negative impact on all living organisms. Several contaminants of emerging concern such as personal care products (PCPs) are continuously released into the aquatic environment where they are biologically active and persistent. This work reviews the current knowledge, provided by papers published after 2010 and indexed by SciFinder, Scopus, and Google search engines, about the determination and occurrence of PCPs in marine biota. Analytical methodologies have been critically reviewed, emphasizing the importance of green and high-throughput approaches and focusing the discussion on the complexity of the solute-matrix interaction in the extraction step, as well as the matrix effect in the instrumental determination. Finally, the worldwide distribution of PCPs is surveyed, taking into account the concentrations found in the same organism in different marine environments. Differences among various world areas have been highlighted, evidencing some critical aspects from an environmental point of view. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Person-centred care during prolonged weaning from mechanical ventilation, nurses' views: an interview study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cederwall, Carl-Johan; Olausson, Sepideh; Rose, Louise; Naredi, Silvana; Ringdal, Mona

    2018-03-19

    To determine: 1) if the three elements of person-centred care (initiating, working and safeguarding the partnership) were present, and 2) to identify evidence of barriers to person-centred care during prolonged weaning from mechanical ventilation. Secondary analysis of semi structured interviews with 19 critical care nurses using theoretical thematic analysis. This study was conducted in three Swedish intensive care units, one in a regional hospital and two in a university hospital. Three themes and nine subthemes related to person-centred care were identified. The three themes included: 1) 'finding a person behind the patient' related to the 'initiating the partnership' phase, 2) 'striving to restore patient́s sense of control' related to 'working the partnership' phase and 3) 'impact of patient involvement' related to 'safeguarding the partnership' phase of person-centred care'. Additionally a further theme 'barriers to person-centred care' was identified. We found evidence of all three person-centred care routines. Barriers to person-centred care comprised of lack team collaboration and resources. Facilitating patients to actively participate in decision-making during the weaning process may optimise weaning outcomes and warrants further research. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Sorption and degradation of wastewater-associated pharmaceuticals and personal care products in agricultural soils and sediment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Ting; Wu, Bo; Sun, Na; Ye, Yong; Chen, Huaixia

    2013-01-01

    Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) have drawn popular concerns recently as an emerging class of aquatic contaminants. In this study, adsorption and degradation of four selected PPCPs, metronidazole, tinidazole, caffeine and chloramphenicol, have been investigated in the laboratory using two agricultural soils in China and sediment from Changjiang River. Adsorption tests using a batch equilibrium method demonstrated that adsorption of all tested chemicals in soils could be well described with Freundlich equation, and their adsorption affinity on soil followed the order of chloramphenicol > caffeine > tinidazole > metronidazole. Generally, higher Kf value was associated with soils which had higher organic matter contents (except for caffeine acid in this study). Degradation of selected PPCPs in soils generally followed first-order exponential decay kinetics, and half-lives ranging from 0.97 to 10.21 d. Sterilization generally decreased the degradation rates, indicating that microbial activity played a significant role in the degradation in soils. The degradation rate constant decreased with increasing initial chemical concentrations in soil, implying that the microbial activity was inhibited with high chemical loading levels.

  6. Analysis of personal care products on model skin surfaces using DESI and PADI ambient mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salter, Tara L; Green, Felicia M; Faruqui, Nilofar; Gilmore, Ian S

    2011-08-21

    Two ambient ionisation techniques, desorption electrospray ionisation (DESI) and plasma assisted desorption ionisation (PADI), have been used to analyse personal care products (PCPs) on fixed fibroblast cell surfaces. The similarities and differences between the two techniques for this type of analysis have been explored in various ways. Here, we show the results of DESI and PADI analysis of individual PCP ingredients as well as the analysis of these as complex creams on model skin surfaces, with minimal sample preparation. Typically, organosiloxanes and small molecules were detected from the creams. A study of the morphological damage of the fibroblast cells by the two ionisation techniques showed that for a less than 10% reduction in cell number, acquisition times should be limited to 5 s for PADI, which gives good signal levels; with DESI, the morphological damage was negligible. The operating parameters for the plasma source were optimised, and it was also found that the parameters could be modified to vary the relative intensity of different ions in the mass spectrum.

  7. Transfer of wastewater associated pharmaceuticals and personal care products to crop plants from biosolids treated soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Chenxi; Spongberg, Alison L; Witter, Jason D; Sridhar, B B Maruthi

    2012-11-01

    The plant uptake of emerging organic contaminants such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) is receiving increased attention. Biosolids from municipal wastewater treatment have been previously identified as a major source for PPCPs. Thus, plant uptake of PPCPs from biosolids applied soils needs to be understood. In the present study, the uptake of carbamazepine, diphenhydramine, and triclocarban by five vegetable crop plants was examined in a field experiment. At the time of harvest, three compounds were detected in all plants grown in biosolids-treated soils. Calculated root concentration factor (RCF) and shoot concentration factor (SCF) are the highest for carbamazepine followed by triclocarban and diphenhydramine. Positive correlation between RCF and root lipid content was observed for carbamazepine but not for diphenhydramine and triclocarban. The results demonstrate the ability of crop plants to accumulate PPCPs from contaminated soils. The plant uptake processes of PPCPs are likely affected by their physico-chemical properties, and their interaction with soil. The difference uptake behavior between plant species could not solely be attributed to the root lipid content. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Ranking of concern, based on environmental indexes, for pharmaceutical and personal care products: an application to the Spanish case.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ortiz de García, Sheyla; Pinto, Gilberto Pinto; García-Encina, Pedro A; Irusta Mata, Rubén I

    2013-11-15

    A wide range of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) are present in the environment, and many of their adverse effects are unknown. The emergence of new compounds or changes in regulations have led to dynamical studies of occurrence, impact and treatment, which consider geographical areas and trends in consumption and innovation in the pharmaceutical industry. A Quantitative study of Structure-Activity Relationship ((Q)SAR) was performed to assess the possible adverse effects of ninety six PPCPs and metabolites with negligible experimental data and establish a ranking of concern, which was supported by the EPA EPI Suite™ interface. The environmental and toxicological indexes, the persistence (P), the bioaccumulation (B), the toxicity (T) (extensive) and the occurrence in Spanish aquatic environments (O) (intensive) were evaluated. The most hazardous characteristics in the largest number of compounds were generated by the P index, followed by the T and B indexes. A high number of metabolites has a concern score equal to or greater than their parent compounds. Three PBT and OPBT rankings of concern were proposed using the total and partial ranking method (supported by a Hasse diagram) by the Decision Analysis by Ranking Techniques (DART) tool, which was recently recommended by the European Commission. An analysis of the sensibility of the relative weights of these indexes has been conducted. Hormones, antidepressants (and their metabolites), blood lipid regulators and all of the personal care products considered in this study were at the highest levels of risk according to the PBT and OPBT total rankings. Furthermore, when the OPBT partial ranking was performed, X-ray contrast media, H2 blockers and some antibiotics were included at the highest level of concern. It is important to improve and incorporate useful indexes for the predicted environmental impact of PPCPs and metabolites and thus focus experimental analysis on the compounds that require

  9. Skin sensitisation quantitative risk assessment (QRA) based on aggregate dermal exposure to methylisothiazolinone in personal care and household cleaning products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ezendam, J; Bokkers, B G H; Bil, W; Delmaar, J E

    2018-02-01

    Contact allergy to preservatives is an important public health problem. Ideally, new substances should be evaluated for the risk on skin sensitisation before market entry, for example by using a quantitative risk assessment (QRA) as developed for fragrances. As a proof-of-concept, this QRA was applied to the preservative methylisothiazolinone (MI), a common cause of contact allergy. MI is used in different consumer products, including personal care products (PCPs) and household cleaning products (HCPs). Aggregate exposure to MI in PCPs and HCPs was therefore assessed with the Probabilistic Aggregated Consumer Exposure Model (PACEM). Two exposure scenarios were evaluated: scenario 1 calculated aggregate exposure on actual MI product concentrations before the restricted use in PCPs and scenario 2 calculated aggregate exposure using the restrictions for MI in PCPs. The QRA for MI showed that in scenarios 1 and 2, the proportion of the population at risk for skin sensitisation is 0.7% and 0.5%, respectively. The restricted use of MI in PCPs does not seem very effective in lowering the risk on skin sensitization. To conclude, it is important to consider aggregate exposure from the most important consumer products into consideration in the risk assessment. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Combining high-resolution gross domestic product data with home and personal care product market research data to generate a subnational emission inventory for Asia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hodges, Juliet Elizabeth Natasha; Vamshi, Raghu; Holmes, Christopher; Rowson, Matthew; Miah, Taqmina; Price, Oliver Richard

    2014-04-01

    Environmental risk assessment of chemicals is reliant on good estimates of product usage information and robust exposure models. Over the past 20 to 30 years, much progress has been made with the development of exposure models that simulate the transport and distribution of chemicals in the environment. However, little progress has been made in our ability to estimate chemical emissions of home and personal care (HPC) products. In this project, we have developed an approach to estimate subnational emission inventory of chemical ingredients used in HPC products for 12 Asian countries including Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam (Asia-12). To develop this inventory, we have coupled a 1 km grid of per capita gross domestic product (GDP) estimates with market research data of HPC product sales. We explore the necessity of accounting for a population's ability to purchase HPC products in determining their subnational distribution in regions where wealth is not uniform. The implications of using high resolution data on inter- and intracountry subnational emission estimates for a range of hypothetical and actual HPC product types were explored. It was demonstrated that for low value products (500 US$ per capita/annum required to purchase product) the implications on emissions being assigned to subnational regions can vary by several orders of magnitude. The implications of this on conducting national or regional level risk assessments may be significant. Further work is needed to explore the implications of this variability in HPC emissions to enable the HPC industry and/or governments to advance risk-based chemical management policies in emerging markets. © 2013 SETAC.

  11. OPTIMAL PRICING OF A PERSONALIZED PRODUCT

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Suresh P.SETHI

    2008-01-01

    This paper deals with optimal pricing of a personalized product such as a personal portrait or photo.A new model of the pricing structure inspired by two real-life cases is introduced to the literature and solved to obtain optimal photo sitting fees and the final product price.A sensitivity analysis with respect to the problem parameters is performed.

  12. Economic valuation of environmental benefits of removing pharmaceutical and personal care products from WWTP effluents by ozonation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molinos-Senante, M; Reif, R; Garrido-Baserba, M; Hernández-Sancho, F; Omil, F; Poch, M; Sala-Garrido, R

    2013-09-01

    Continuous release of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) present in effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is nowadays leading to the adoption of specific measures within the framework of the Directive 2000/60/EC (Water Framework Directive). The ozonation process, normally employed for drinking water production, has also proven its potential to eliminate PPCPs from secondary effluents in spite of their low concentrations. However, there is a significant drawback related with the costs associated with its implementation. This lack of studies is especially pronounced regarding the economic valuation of the environmental benefits associated to avoid the discharge of these pollutants into water bodies. For the first time the shadow prices of 5 PPCPs which are ethynilestradiol, sulfamethoxazole, diclofenac, tonalide and galaxolide from treated effluent using a pilot-scale ozonation reactor have been estimated. From non-sensitive areas their values are -73.73; -34.95; -42.20; -10.98; and -8.67 respectively and expressed in €/kg. They represent a proxy to the economic value of the environmental benefits arisen from undischarged pollutants. This paper contributes to value the environmental benefits of implementing post-treatment processes aimed to achieve the quality standards required by the Priority Substances Directive. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Robotic assistants in personal care: A scoping review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bilyea, A; Seth, N; Nesathurai, S; Abdullah, H A

    2017-11-01

    The aim of this study is to present an overview of the technological advances in the field of robotics developed for assistance with activities of daily living (ADL), and to present areas where further research is required. Four databases were searched for articles presenting either a novel design of one of these personal care robotic system or trial results relating to these systems. Articles presenting nine different robotic personal care systems were examined, six of which had been developed after 2005. These six also all have publications relating to their trials. In the majority of trials, patient independence was improved with operation of the robotic device for a specific subset of ADL. A map of the current state of the field of personal care robotics is presented in this study. Areas requiring further research include improving feedback and awareness, as well as refining control methods and pre-programmed behaviors. Developing an affordable, easy to use system would help fill the current gap in the commercial market. Copyright © 2017 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Is Personality Associated with Health Care Use by Older Adults?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Friedman, Bruce; Veazie, Peter J; Chapman, Benjamin P; Manning, Willard G; Duberstein, Paul R

    2013-01-01

    Context The patterns of health care utilization in the United States pose well-established challenges for public policy. Although economic and sociological research has resulted in considerable knowledge about what influences the use of health services, the psychological literature in this area is underdeveloped. Importantly, it is not known whether personality traits are associated with older adults’ use of acute and long-term care services. Methods Data were collected from 1,074 community-dwelling seniors participating in a Medicare demonstration. First they completed a self-report questionnaire measuring the “Big Five” personality traits: Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. During the next two years, the participants maintained daily journals of their use of health care services. We used regression models based on the Andersen behavioral model of health care utilization to test for associations. Findings Our hypothesis that higher Neuroticism would be associated with greater health care use was confirmed for three services—probability of any emergency department (ED) use, likelihood of any custodial nursing home use, and more skilled nursing facility (SNF) days for SNF users—but was disconfirmed for hospital days for those hospitalized. Higher Openness to Experience was associated with a greater likelihood of custodial home care use, and higher Agreeableness and lower Conscientiousness with a higher probability of custodial nursing home use. For users, lower Openness was associated with more ED visits and SNF days, and lower Conscientiousness with more ED visits. For many traits with significant associations, the predicted use was 16 to 30 percent greater for people high (low) versus low (high) in specific traits. Conclusions Personality traits are associated with Medicare beneficiaries’ use of many expensive health care services, findings that have implications for health services research and

  15. Cosmet'eau-Changes in the personal care product consumption practices: from whistle-blowers to impacts on aquatic environments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bressy, Adèle; Carré, Catherine; Caupos, Émilie; de Gouvello, Bernard; Deroubaix, José-Frédéric; Deutsch, Jean-Claude; Mailler, Romain; Marconi, Anthony; Neveu, Pascale; Paulic, Laurent; Pichon, Sébastien; Rocher, Vincent; Severin, Irina; Soyer, Mathilde; Moilleron, Régis

    2016-07-01

    The Cosmet'eau project (2015-2018) investigates the "changes in the personal care product (PCP) consumption practices: from whistle-blowers to impacts on aquatic environments." In this project, the example of PCPs will be used to understand how public health concerns related to micropollutants can be addressed by public authorities-including local authorities, industries, and consumers. The project aims to characterize the possible changes in PCP consumption practices and to evaluate the impact of their implementation on aquatic contamination. Our goals are to study the whistle-blowers, the risk perception of consumers linked with their practices, and the contamination in parabens and their substitutes, triclosan, and triclocarban from wastewater to surface water. The project investigates the following potential solutions: modifications of industrial formulation or changes in consumption practices. The final purpose is to provide policy instruments for local authorities aiming at building effective strategies to fight against micropollutants in receiving waters.

  16. Public dental health care program for persons with disability

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Lisa Bøge; Hede, Børge; Petersen, Poul Erik

    2005-01-01

    The objectives of the study were (1) to describe the organization and content of the Danish public oral health care program for persons with disability, and (2) to analyse possible variations in relation to the goals and requirements set by the health authorities. Data were collected by means......) payment of service, (4) providers of oral health care, (5) special training of staff, 6) dental services delivered, (7) ethical issues, and (8) patient rights. Less than one-third of persons estimated by the health authorities were enrolled in the program. On average, 0.4% of the municipal population...... of knowledge of oral health and oral health care for persons with disability were barriers to equal access to the program. Preventive dental services were the most frequent services delivered, although relatively few oral hygienists were involved in the program. Special training was most frequent in large...

  17. Personality and Health Care Decision-Making Style

    OpenAIRE

    Kathryn E. Flynn; Maureen A. Smith

    2007-01-01

    Using the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study Graduate Survey (N = 5,830), a population-based cohort of older adults (most aged 63–66 years), we explored relationships between five factors of personality and four preference types that account for multiple components of the health care decision-making process (information exchange, deliberation, and selection of treatment choice). After adjustment for personal, health, social, and economic factors, we found that increased conscientiousness and openne...

  18. Taking good care of myself: a qualitative study on self-care behavior among Chinese persons with a permanent colostomy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tao, Hui; Songwathana, Praneed; Isaramalai, Sang-arun; Wang, Qingxi

    2014-12-01

    In Chinese culture, as a possible consequence of Confucianism, caring for the sick is considered a moral obligation of family members, while self-care is only the basis of fulfilling filial piety. This qualitative study aims to explore the self-care behavior among persons with a permanent colostomy in a Chinese cultural context of emphasizing the role of family caregiving. Data from in-depth interviews with seven Chinese adults at a university hospital in southwest China were analyzed using content analysis. Informants' self-care behavior was characterized by "taking good care of myself," which underlined individuals' efforts to manage colostomy-related impacts involving: (i) taking care of my colostomy with a proper degree of independence; (ii) taking care of my life by dealing with limitations; (iii) taking care of my mood in a positive way. Findings revealed that informants' self-care behavior was linked to their Confucian beliefs in family obligations, and also influenced by a happy-go-lucky outlook of life, a likely product of Taoism. The information is useful for nurses to design a culturally appropriate care plan to improve self-care behavior and proper family caregiving. © 2014 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

  19. Effect of hydrophobicity of pharmaceuticals and personal care products for adsorption on activated carbon: Adsorption isotherms, kinetics and mechanism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaur, Harkirat; Bansiwal, Amit; Hippargi, Girivyankatesh; Pophali, Girish R

    2017-09-11

    Adsorption of three pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), namely caffeine, ibuprofen and triclosan on commercial powdered activated carbon was examined in aqueous medium. The contaminants were chosen based on their diverse log K ow (octanol-water partition coefficient) viz. - 0.07 for caffeine, 3.97 for ibuprofen and 4.76 for triclosan to examine the role of hydrophobicity on adsorption process. The adsorbent characterisation was achieved using BET surface area, SEM, pore size distribution studies and FTIR. Influence of mass of PAC, contact time, solution pH and initial concentration on adsorption capacity of PAC was studied. Adsorption isotherms and kinetics were applied to establish the mechanism of adsorption. The kinetics followed pseudo-second order with physisorption occurring through particle diffusion. The Freundlich model fitted best among the isotherm models. The adsorption capacity increased in the order CFN activated carbon.

  20. Using a measure of person-perception skills to identify outstanding home care workers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grosch, Kerry; Medvene, Louis; Walker, Diane

    2011-01-01

    This study involved university-community collaboration with an international home care company for the purpose of developing a tool to identify talented caregivers. Tested was the hypothesis that workers' ability to provide care in person-centered ways would be positively associated with their ability to describe others in complex ways--that is, their person-perception skills. Company coordinators functioning as supervisors used an innovative 10-item instrument to screen 554 home health aides for their person centeredness. The most and least person-centered workers were evaluated for their person-perception skills. Person centeredness was positively associated with the complexity of home care workers' descriptions of others.

  1. Irradiation treatment of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) in water and wastewater: An overview

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Jianlong; Chu, Libing

    2016-01-01

    Pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs), especially the pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) such as antibiotics and hormones have attracted great concerns worldwide for their persistence and potential threat to ecosystem and public health. This paper presents an overview on the ionizing irradiation-induced degradation of PPCPs in aqueous solution. Parameters that affect PPCPs degradation, such as the absorbed dose, solution pH, dose rate, water matrices and the presence of some inorganic ions and humic acid are evaluated. The mechanism and pathways of radiolytic degradation of PPCPs are reviewed. In many cases, PPCPs such as antibiotics and X-ray contrast agent could be removed completely by radiation, but a higher absorbed dose was needed for their mineralization and toxicity reduction. The combination of ionizing irradiation with other methods such as H 2 O 2 , ozonation and TiO 2 nanoparticles could improve the degradation efficacy and reduce the cost. Ionizing irradiation is a promising alternative for degradation of PPCPs in aqueous solution. - Highlights: • This paper presents an overview on radiation-induced degradation of PPCPs. • Parameters that affect PPCPs degradation were evaluated. • The mechanism and pathways of PPCPs degradation are reviewed. • Ionizing irradiation is a promising alternative for degradation of PPCPs in aqueous solution.

  2. Sorption and biodegradation characteristics of the selected pharmaceuticals and personal care products onto tropical soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foolad, Mahsa; Hu, Jiangyong; Tran, Ngoc Han; Ong, Say Leong

    2016-01-01

    In the present study, the sorption and biodegradation characteristics of five pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs), including acetaminophen (ACT), carbamazepine (CBZ), crotamiton (CTMT), diethyltoluamide (DEET) and salicylic acid (SA), were studied in laboratory-batch experiments. Sorption kinetics experimental data showed that sorption systems under this study were more appropriately described by the pseudo second-order kinetics with a correlation coefficient (R2)>0.98. Sorption equilibrium data of almost all target compounds onto soil could be better described by the Freundlich sorption isotherm model. The adsorption results showed higher soil affinity for SA, following by ACT. Results also indicated a slight effect of pH on PPCP adsorption with lower pH causing lower adsorption of compounds onto the soil except for SA at pH 12. Moreover, adsorption of PPCPs onto the soil was influenced by natural organic matter (NOM) since the higher amount of NOM caused lower adsorption to the soil. Biodegradation studies of selected PPCPs by indigenous microbial community present in soil appeared that the removal rates of ACT, SA and DEET increased with time while no effect had been observed for the rest. This study suggests that the CBZ and CTMT can be considered as suitable chemical sewage indicators based on their low sorption affinity and high resistance to biodegradation.

  3. Person-centred care after acute coronary syndrome, from hospital to primary care - A randomised controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fors, Andreas; Ekman, Inger; Taft, Charles; Björkelund, Cecilia; Frid, Kerstin; Larsson, Maria Eh; Thorn, Jörgen; Ulin, Kerstin; Wolf, Axel; Swedberg, Karl

    2015-01-01

    To evaluate if person-centred care can improve self-efficacy and facilitate return to work or prior activity level in patients after an event of acute coronary syndrome. 199 patients with acute coronary syndrome < 75 years were randomly assigned to person-centred care intervention or treatment as usual and followed for 6 months. In the intervention group a person-centred care process was added to treatment as usual, emphasising the patient as a partner in care. Care was co-created in collaboration between patients, physicians, registered nurses and other health care professionals and documented in a health plan. A team-based partnership across three health care levels included transparent knowledge about the disease and medical state to achieve agreed goals during recovery. Main outcome measure was a composite score of changes in general self-efficacy ≥ 5 units, return to work or prior activity level and re-hospitalisation or death. The composite score showed that more patients (22.3%, n=21) improved in the intervention group at 6 months compared to the control group (9.5%, n=10) (odds ratio, 2.7; 95% confidence interval: 1.2-6.2; P=0.015). The effect was driven by improved self-efficacy ≥ 5 units in the intervention group. Overall general self-efficacy improved significantly more in the intervention group compared with the control group (P=0.026). There was no difference between groups on re-hospitalisation or death, return to work or prior activity level. A person-centred care approach emphasising the partnership between patients and health care professionals throughout the care chain improves general self-efficacy without causing worsening clinical events. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Development of a multianalyte method based on micro-matrix-solid-phase dispersion for the analysis of fragrance allergens and preservatives in personal care products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Celeiro, Maria; Guerra, Eugenia; Lamas, J Pablo; Lores, Marta; Garcia-Jares, Carmen; Llompart, Maria

    2014-05-30

    An effective, simple and low cost sample preparation method based on matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) or gas chromatography-triple quadrupole-mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) has been developed for the rapid simultaneous determination of 38 cosmetic ingredients, 25 fragrance allergens and 13 preservatives. All target substances are frequently used in cosmetics and personal care products and they are subjected to use restrictions or labeling requirements according to the EU Cosmetic Directive. The extraction procedure was optimized on real non-spiked rinse-off and leave-on cosmetic products by means of experimental designs. The final miniaturized process required the use of only 0.1g of sample and 1 mL of organic solvent, obtaining a final extract ready for analysis. The micro-MSPD method was validated showing satisfactory performance by GC-MS and GC-MS/MS analysis. The use of GC coupled to triple quadrupole mass detection allowed to reach very low detection limits (low ng g(-1)) improving, at the same time, method selectivity. In an attempt to improve the chromatographic analysis of preservatives, the inclusion of a derivatization step was also assessed. The proposed method was applied to a broad range of cosmetics and personal care products (shampoos, body milk, moisturizing milk, toothpaste, hand creams, gloss lipstick, sunblock, deodorants and liquid soaps among others), demonstrating the extended use of these substances. The concentration levels were ranging from the sub parts per million to the parts per mill. The number of target fragrance allergens per samples was quite high (up to 16). Several fragrances (linalool, farnesol, hexylcinnamal, and benzyl benzoate) have been detected at levels >0.1% (1,000 μg g(-1)). As regards preservatives, phenoxyethanol was the most frequently found additive reaching quite high concentration (>1,500 μg g(-1)) in five cosmetic products. BHT was detected in eight

  5. Personalizing health care: feasibility and future implications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Godman, Brian; Finlayson, Alexander E; Cheema, Parneet K; Zebedin-Brandl, Eva; Gutiérrez-Ibarluzea, Inaki; Jones, Jan; Malmström, Rickard E; Asola, Elina; Baumgärtel, Christoph; Bennie, Marion; Bishop, Iain; Bucsics, Anna; Campbell, Stephen; Diogene, Eduardo; Ferrario, Alessandra; Fürst, Jurij; Garuoliene, Kristina; Gomes, Miguel; Harris, Katharine; Haycox, Alan; Herholz, Harald; Hviding, Krystyna; Jan, Saira; Kalaba, Marija; Kvalheim, Christina; Laius, Ott; Lööv, Sven-Ake; Malinowska, Kamila; Martin, Andrew; McCullagh, Laura; Nilsson, Fredrik; Paterson, Ken; Schwabe, Ulrich; Selke, Gisbert; Sermet, Catherine; Simoens, Steven; Tomek, Dominik; Vlahovic-Palcevski, Vera; Voncina, Luka; Wladysiuk, Magdalena; van Woerkom, Menno; Wong-Rieger, Durhane; Zara, Corrine; Ali, Raghib; Gustafsson, Lars L

    2013-08-13

    Considerable variety in how patients respond to treatments, driven by differences in their geno- and/ or phenotypes, calls for a more tailored approach. This is already happening, and will accelerate with developments in personalized medicine. However, its promise has not always translated into improvements in patient care due to the complexities involved. There are also concerns that advice for tests has been reversed, current tests can be costly, there is fragmentation of funding of care, and companies may seek high prices for new targeted drugs. There is a need to integrate current knowledge from a payer's perspective to provide future guidance. Multiple findings including general considerations; influence of pharmacogenomics on response and toxicity of drug therapies; value of biomarker tests; limitations and costs of tests; and potentially high acquisition costs of new targeted therapies help to give guidance on potential ways forward for all stakeholder groups. Overall, personalized medicine has the potential to revolutionize care. However, current challenges and concerns need to be addressed to enhance its uptake and funding to benefit patients.

  6. Screening the Toxicity of Selected Personal Care Products Using Embryo Bioassays: 4-MBC, Propylparaben and Triclocarban

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tiago Torres

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Recently, several emerging pollutants, including Personal Care Products (PCPs, have been detected in aquatic ecosystems, in the ng/L or µg/L range. Available toxicological data is limited, and, for certain PCPs, evidence indicates a potential risk for the environment. Hence, there is an urgent need to gather ecotoxicological data on PCPs as a proxy to improve risk assessment. Here, the toxicity of three different PCPs (4-Methylbenzylidene Camphor (4-MBC, propylparaben and triclocarban was tested using embryo bioassays with Danio rerio (zebrafish and Paracentrotus lividus (sea urchin. The No Observed Effect Concentration (NOEC for triclocarban was 0.256 µg/L for sea urchin and 100 µg/L for zebrafish, whereas NOEC for 4-MBC was 0.32 µg/L for sea urchin and 50 µg/L for zebrafish. Both PCPs impacted embryo development at environmentally relevant concentrations. In comparison with triclocarban and 4-MBC, propylparaben was less toxic for both sea urchin (NOEC = 160 µg/L and zebrafish (NOEC = 1000 µg/L. Overall, this study further demonstrates the sensitivity of embryo bioassays as a high-throughput approach for testing the toxicity of emerging pollutants.

  7. Pediatric Palliative Care: A Personal Story

    Medline Plus

    Full Text Available ... is starting stop Loading... Watch Queue Queue __count__/__total__ It’s YouTube. Uninterrupted. Loading... Want music and videos with zero ads? Get YouTube Red. Working... Not now Try it free Find out why Close Pediatric Palliative Care: A Personal Story NINRnews Loading... Unsubscribe from NINRnews? ...

  8. Developing person-centred practice in hip fracture care for older people.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christie, Jane; Macmillan, Maureen; Currie, Colin; Matthews-Smith, Gerardine

    2016-12-14

    To facilitate a multidisciplinary collaborative approach to developing person-centred practice in hip fracture care for older people. Collaborative inquiry, a form of action research, was used to collect data for this study. It involved exploration of dilemmas, questions and problems that are part of human experience. Clinical leaders from different disciplines (n=16), who work with older people with hip fractures at different stages of the care pathway, participated in a series of facilitated action meetings. The practice development techniques used in this study included: identifying the strengths and limitations of the current service, values clarification, creating a shared vision, sharing clinical stories, reviewing case records, and reflecting on the experiences of three older people and two caregivers. Hip fracture care was based on meeting service targets, national guidelines and audits. Care was fragmented across different service delivery units, with professional groups working independently. This resulted in suboptimal communication between members of the multidisciplinary group of clinical leaders and care that was process-driven rather than person-centred. Spending time away from clinical practice enabled the multidisciplinary group to collaborate to understand care from the patients' and caregivers' perspectives, and to reflect critically on the care experience as a whole. To develop a person-centred workplace culture, the multidisciplinary team requires facilitated time for reflection. Ongoing facilitative leadership would enable the multidisciplinary team to collaborate effectively to deliver safe, effective person-centred practice in hip fracture care for older people.

  9. What is the health care product?

    Science.gov (United States)

    France, K R; Grover, R

    1992-06-01

    Because of the current competitive environment, health care providers (hospitals, HMOs, physicians, and others) are constantly searching for better products and better means for delivering them. The health care product is often loosely defined as a service. The authors develop a more precise definition of the health care product, product line, and product mix. A bundle-of-elements concept is presented for the health care product. These conceptualizations help to address how health care providers can segment their market and position, promote, and price their products. Though the authors focus on hospitals, the concepts and procedures developed are applicable to other health care organizations.

  10. 28 CFR 43.2 - Obligations of persons receiving care and treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Obligations of persons receiving care and treatment. 43.2 Section 43.2 Judicial Administration DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE (CONTINUED) RECOVERY OF COST OF HOSPITAL AND MEDICAL CARE AND TREATMENT FURNISHED BY THE UNITED STATES § 43.2 Obligations of persons...

  11. Dynamic fabric phase sorptive extraction for a group of pharmaceuticals and personal care products from environmental waters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lakade, Sameer S; Borrull, Francesc; Furton, Kenneth G; Kabir, Abuzar; Marcé, Rosa Maria; Fontanals, Núria

    2016-07-22

    This paper describes for the first time the use of a new extraction technique, based on fabric phase sorptive extraction (FPSE). This new mode proposes the extraction of the analytes in dynamic mode in order to reduce the extraction time. Dynamic fabric phase sorptive extraction (DFPSE) followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was evaluated for the extraction of a group of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) from environmental water samples. Different parameters affecting the extraction were optimized and best conditions were achieved when 50mL of sample at pH 3 was passed through 3 disks and analytes retained were eluted with 10mL of ethyl acetate. The recoveries were higher than 60% for most of compounds with the exception of the most polar ones (between 8% and 38%). The analytical method was validated with environmental samples such as river water and effluent and influent wastewater, and good performance was obtained. The analysis of samples revealed the presence of some PPCPs at low ngL(-1) concentrations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Emerging contaminants (pharmaceuticals, personal care products, a food additive and pesticides) in waters of Sydney estuary, Australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Birch, G F; Drage, D S; Thompson, K; Eaglesham, G; Mueller, J F

    2015-08-15

    The current investigation of marine water from 30 sites adjacent to stormwater outlets across the entire Sydney estuary is the first such research in Australia. The number of analytes detected were: 8/59 pharmaceutical compounds (codeine, paracetamol, tramadol, venlafaxine, propranolol, fluoxetine, iopromide and carbamazepine), 7/38 of the pesticides (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), 3,4-dichloroaniline, carbaryl, diuron, 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (MCPA), mecoprop and simazine) and 0/3 of the personal care products (PCPs) analysed. An artificial sweetener (acesulfame) was detected, however none of the nine antibiotics analysed were identified. Sewage water is not discharged to this estuary, except infrequently as overflow during high-precipitation events. The presence of acesulfame (a recognised marker of domestic wastewater) and pharmaceuticals in water from all parts of the estuary after a dry period, suggests sewage water is leaking into the stormwater system in this catchment. The pesticides are applied to the environment and were discharged via stormwater to the estuary. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. [Personal budget for persons in need of care. A socio-economic change with new perspectives for supply and demand].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meyer, Dirk

    2005-11-01

    In October 2004, in Germany a pre-operating study was started in order to prove the feasibility and consequences of the use of personal budgets by persons who are in need of nursing care. About 1000 care dependent persons living in seven regions are included in this triannual study. For three years they receive a budget amounting to 100 percent of their right of benefit in kind according to the German compulsory long-term care insurance. This budget has to be used exclusively for care-related services and must not be spent for assistance delivered by family members or neighbours. From socio-economic perspectives, the personal budget will result in a promotion of individuals instead of certain services or service institutions. An analysis shows, that the consequences might be an increased efficiency and effectiveness as well as structural changes within the supply of nursing care services. But to achieve these advantages, certain conditions must be provided. At first, the amount of the budget has to correspond to the individual need of care, which can change over time. Secondly, a misapplication of the personal fund has to be prevented without to exclude the potential of local or family dedication. And finally, new ways of quality assurance are requested due to the scope for development, which arises through deregulation.

  14. Care and Service at Home for Persons With Dementia in Europe.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bökberg, Christina; Ahlström, Gerd; Leino-Kilpi, Helena; Soto-Martin, Maria E; Cabrera, Esther; Verbeek, Hilde; Saks, Kai; Stephan, Astrid; Sutcliffe, Caroline; Karlsson, Staffan

    2015-09-01

    To describe available and utilized formal care and service at home for persons with dementia, from diagnosis to end-of-life stage, in eight European countries. A descriptive cross-country design concerning eight European countries as a part of the European research project RightTimePlaceCare. The research team in each country used a mapping system to collect country-specific information concerning dementia care and service system. The mapping system consists of 50 types of care and service activities. Sixteen of the 50 predefined activities concerning care and service at home were selected for this study and subdivided into three categories, following the stages of dementia. Availability was reported to be higher than utilization, and the findings indicated more similarities than differences among the eight countries involved. Even though there were several available activities of "basic care and services" and "healthcare interventions," they were utilized by few in most countries. Furthermore, "specialized dementia care and services" were sparsely available and even more sparsely utilized in the participating countries. The findings indicated that persons with dementia in Europe received formal care and service on a general, basic level but seldom adjusted to their specific needs. This study describes the gap between service provision and utilization enabling nurses to develop individually adjusted care plans for persons with dementia during the progress of the disease. The findings do not include matters of quality of care or how to best organize effective care and services. However, the activities of care and services presented here should shed light on what room there is for improvement when it comes to enabling persons with dementia to go on living at home. © 2015 Sigma Theta Tau International.

  15. The financial hazard of personalized medicine and supportive care

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Carrera, Percivil Melendez; Olver, Ian

    2015-01-01

    Personalized medicine is revolutionizing the delivery of oncological care, promising benefits both at the patient and health system levels. The cost of targeted therapies, unfortunately, is becoming more expensive and unaffordable. Where supportive care in cancer concerns the prevention and

  16. Spirit-guided care: Christian nursing for the whole person.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murphy, Lyn S; Walker, Mark S

    2013-01-01

    Healthcare today is challenged to provide care that goes beyond the medical model of meeting physical needs. Despite a strong historical foundation in spiritual whole person care, nurses struggle with holistic caring. We propose that for the Christian nurse, holistic nursing can be described as Spirit-guided care--removing oneself as the moiatiating force and allowing Christ, in the furm of the Holy Spirit, to flow through and guide the nurse in care of patients and families.

  17. The third person in the room: The needs of care partners of older people in home care services-A systematic review from a person-centred perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anker-Hansen, Camilla; Skovdahl, Kirsti; McCormack, Brendan; Tønnessen, Siri

    2018-04-01

    To identify and synthesise the needs of care partners of older people living at home with assistance from home care services. "Ageing in place" is a promoted concept where care partners and home care services play significant roles. Identifying the needs of care partners and finding systematic ways of meeting them can help care partners to cope with their role. This study is based on the PRISMA reporting guidelines. The systematic review of qualitative and quantitative studies was guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. In total, 16 studies were included in the review, eleven qualitative and five quantitative. Three main categories were revealed in the analysis: the need for quality interaction, the need for a shared approach to care and the need to feel empowered. Care partners of older people have several, continuously unmet needs. A person-centred perspective can contribute new understandings of how to meet these needs. A knowledge gap has been identified regarding the needs of care partners of older people with mental health problems. There is a need to develop a tool for systematic collaboration between home care services and care partners, so that the identified needs can be met in a more thorough, systematic and person-centred way. The carers in home care services need competence to identify and meet the needs of care partners. The implementation of person-centred values in home care services can contribute to meet the needs of care partners to a greater extent than today. Future research on the needs of care partners of older people with mental health problems needs to be undertaken. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. Adaptive leadership and person-centered care: a new approach to solving problems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corazzini, Kirsten N; Anderson, Ruth A

    2014-01-01

    Successfully transitioning to person-centered care in nursing homes requires a new approach to solving care issues. The adaptive leadership framework suggests that expert providers must support frontline caregivers in their efforts to develop high-quality, person-centered solutions.

  19. The impact of organisational culture on the delivery of person-centred care in services providing respite care and short breaks for people with dementia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kirkley, Catherine; Bamford, Claire; Poole, Marie; Arksey, Hilary; Hughes, Julian; Bond, John

    2011-07-01

    Ensuring the development and delivery of person-centred care in services providing respite care and short breaks for people with dementia and their carers has a number of challenges for health and social service providers. This article explores the role of organisational culture in barriers and facilitators to person-centred dementia care. As part of a mixed-methods study of respite care and short breaks for people with dementia and their carers, 49 telephone semi-structured interviews, two focus groups (N= 16) and five face-to-face in-depth interviews involving front-line staff and operational and strategic managers were completed in 2006-2007. Qualitative thematic analysis of transcripts identified five themes on aspects of organisational culture that are perceived to influence person-centred care: understandings of person-centred care, attitudes to service development, service priorities, valuing staff and solution-focused approaches. Views of person-centred care expressed by participants, although generally positive, highlight a range of understandings about person-centred care. Some organisations describe their service as being person-centred without the necessary cultural shift to make this a reality. Participants highlighted resource constraints and the knowledge, attitudes and personal qualities of staff as a barrier to implementing person-centred care. Leadership style, the way that managers' support and value staff and the management of risk were considered important influences. Person-centred dementia care is strongly advocated by professional opinion leaders and is prescribed in policy documents. This analysis suggests that person-centred dementia care is not strongly embedded in the organisational cultures of all local providers of respite-care and short-break services. Provider organisations should be encouraged further to develop a shared culture at all levels of the organisation to ensure person-centred dementia care. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing

  20. Direct Detection of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products from Aqueous Samples with Thermally-Assisted Desorption Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campbell, Ian S.; Ton, Alain T.; Mulligan, Christopher C.

    2011-07-01

    An ambient mass spectrometric method based on desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) has been developed to allow rapid, direct analysis of contaminated water samples, and the technique was evaluated through analysis of a wide array of pharmaceutical and personal care product (PPCP) contaminants. Incorporating direct infusion of aqueous sample and thermal assistance into the source design has allowed low ppt detection limits for the target analytes in drinking water matrices. With this methodology, mass spectral information can be collected in less than 1 min, consuming ~100 μL of total sample. Quantitative ability was also demonstrated without the use of an internal standard, yielding decent linearity and reproducibility. Initial results suggest that this source configuration is resistant to carryover effects and robust towards multi-component samples. The rapid, continuous analysis afforded by this method offers advantages in terms of sample analysis time and throughput over traditional hyphenated mass spectrometric techniques.

  1. Examining courtesy stigma among foreign health care workers caring for persons with Alzheimer's disease: A focus group study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Werner, Perla; Hess, Adi

    2016-01-01

    Studies have shown that courtesy stigma is common among informal caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease. Guided by attribution theory and using focus group methodology, we examined this topic among 12 foreign health care workers. Findings revealed that stigma is noticeable in the everyday reality of foreign workers caring for persons with dementia and that its management is shaped by beliefs and knowledge about the disease in their original countries, and by knowledge gained as caregivers. Greater understanding of stigma among foreign workers is crucial for advancing knowledge in the area and for improving the care provided to persons with Alzheimer's disease.

  2. Removal of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) under nitrifying and denitrifying conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suarez, Sonia; Lema, Juan M; Omil, Francisco

    2010-05-01

    The contribution of volatilization, sorption and transformation to the removal of 16 Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) in two lab-scale conventional activated sludge reactors, working under nitrifying (aerobic) and denitrifying (anoxic) conditions for more than 1.5 years, have been assessed. Pseudo-first order biological degradation rate constants (k(biol)) were calculated for the selected compounds in both reactors. Faster degradation kinetics were measured in the nitrifying reactor compared to the denitrifying system for the majority of PPCPs. Compounds could be classified according to their k(biol) into very highly (k(biol)>5Lg(SS)(-1)d(-1)), highly (1fragrances (HHCB, AHTN and ADBI) were transformed to a large extent under aerobic (>75%) and anoxic (>65%) conditions, whereas naproxen (NPX), ethinylestradiol (EE2), roxithromycin (ROX) and erythromycin (ERY) were only significantly transformed in the aerobic reactor (>80%). The anti-depressant citalopram (CTL) was moderately biotransformed under both, aerobic and anoxic conditions (>60% and >40%, respectively). Some compounds, as carbamazepine (CBZ), diazepam (DZP), sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and trimethoprim (TMP), manifested high resistance to biological transformation. Solids Retention Time (SRT(aerobic) >50d and 20d and <20d) had a slightly positive effect on the removal of FLX, NPX, CTL, EE2 and natural estrogens (increase in removal efficiencies <10%). Removal of diclofenac (DCF) in the aerobic reactor was positively affected by the development of nitrifying biomass and increased from 0% up to 74%. Similarly, efficient anoxic transformation of ibuprofen (75%) was observed after an adaptation period of 340d. Temperature (16-26 degrees C) only had a slight effect on the removal of CTL which increased in 4%.

  3. Selected personal care products and endocrine disruptors in biosolids: an Australia-wide survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Langdon, Kate A; Warne, Michael St J; Smernik, Ronald J; Shareef, Ali; Kookana, Rai S

    2011-02-15

    Personal care products (PCPs) and endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) are groups of organic contaminants that have been detected in biosolids around the world. There is a shortage of data on these types on compounds in Australian biosolids, making it difficult to gain an understanding of their potential risks in the environment following land application. In this study, 14 biosolids samples were collected from 13 Australian wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to determine concentrations of eight compounds that are PCPs and/or EDCs: 4-t-octylphenol (4tOP), 4-nonylphenol (4NP), triclosan (TCS), bisphenol A (BPA), estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), estriol (E3) and 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2). Concentration data were evaluated to determine if there were any differences between samples that had undergone anaerobic or aerobic treatment. The concentration data were also compared to other Australian and international data. Only 4tOP, 4NP, TCS, and BPA were detected in all samples and E1 was detected in four of the 14 samples. Their concentrations ranged from 0.05 to 3.08 mg/kg, 0.35 to 513 mg/kg, treatment showed significantly higher concentrations of the compounds than those obtained from WWTPs that used aerobic treatment. Overall, 4NP, TCS and BPA concentrations in Australian biosolids were lower than global averages (by 42%, 12% and 62%, respectively) and 4tOP concentrations were higher (by 25%), however, of these differences only that for BPA was statistically significant. The European Union limit value for NP in biosolids is 50 mg/kg, which 4 of the 14 samples in this study exceeded. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Differences in risk behaviors, care utilization, and comorbidities in homeless persons based on HIV status.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parker, R David; Dykema, Shana

    2014-01-01

    This cross-sectional pilot project measured differences by HIV status in chronic health conditions, primary care and emergency department use, and high-risk behaviors of homeless persons through self-report. Using selective random sampling, 244 individuals were recruited from a homeless shelter. The reported HIV prevalence was 6.56% (n = 16), with the odds of HIV higher in persons reporting crack cocaine use. HIV-infected persons were more likely to report a source of regular medical care and less likely to use the emergency department than uninfected persons. Validation of findings through exploration of HIV and health care access in homeless persons is needed to confirm that HIV-infected homeless persons are more likely to have primary care. Distinctions between primary care and specialty HIV care also need to be explored in this context. If findings are consistent, providers who care for the homeless could learn more effective ways to engage homeless patients. Copyright © 2014 Association of Nurses in AIDS Care. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Concentrations of cyclic volatile methylsiloxanes in European cosmetics and personal care products: Prerequisite for human and environmental exposure assessment

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dudzina, T.; Goetz, N. von; Bogdal, C.; Biesterbos, J.W.H.; Hungerbuhler, K.

    2014-01-01

    Low molecular weight cyclic volatile methylsiloxanes (cVMSs) are widely employed as emollients and carrier solvents in personal care formulations in order to acquire desired performance benefits owing to their distinctive physicochemical properties. Under current European legislation cosmetic

  6. Use Patterns of Leave-on Personal Care Products among Swiss-German Children, Adolescents, and Adults

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Konrad Hungerbühler

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available In order to model exposure to ingredients contained in personal care products (PCPs and assess their potential risks to human health, access to reliable PCP use data, including co-use patterns, is essential. A postal questionnaire survey was conducted to determine the use patterns of eight leave-on PCP categories among the German-speaking population of Switzerland (N = 1,196; ages 0–97 years, providing for the first time in Europe PCP use data for children <12 years of age. The majority of respondents (99% reported having used at least one of the investigated PCP categories in the past year. Co-use of two or more PCP categories at the same time was common and more complex amongst adults. Regular use of face cream and body lotion was very high in the youngest group of children aged 0–4 years (more than 79% respondents who may be more vulnerable to certain adverse effects of some PCP ingredients. A comparison with previously collected information on PCP use patterns in Germany and the Netherlands indicates differences in PCP use patterns among European consumers and suggests that surrogate PCP use data from other countries must be used with caution. This work extends the existing knowledge of PCP use patterns and will be useful for new exposure assessments for ingredients contained in PCPs used by the young consumers.

  7. The care-planning conference: Exploring aspects of person-centred interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jobe, Ingela; Lindberg, Birgitta; Nordmark, Sofi; Engström, Åsa

    2018-04-01

    The aim of this study was to describe the care-planning conference from the participants' and researchers' perspectives, focusing on exploring aspects of person-centred interactions. A single-instrumental, qualitative case study design was used describing a care-planning conference taking place in the home of an older woman and her daughter. Data collection consisted of observation and digital recording of the care-planning conference and individual interviews with all the participants before and after the conference. Data were analysed in several phases: first, a narrative description followed by a general description and, thereafter, qualitative content analysis. The findings revealed that the care-planning conference conducted had no clear purpose and did not fulfil all parts of the planning process. Three themes emerged related to aspects of person-centred interactions. The theme "expectations meet reality" showed different expectations, and participants could not really connect during the conference. The theme "navigate without a map" revealed health professionals' lack of knowledge about the care-planning process. The theme "lose the forest for the trees" described that the conference was conducted only as part of the health professionals' duties. Management and healthcare professionals cannot automatically assume that they are delivering person-centred care. Healthcare professionals need to be sensitive to the context, use the knowledge and tools available and continuously evaluate and reassess the work carried out.

  8. Pharmaceutical and personal care products in tile drainage following surface spreading and injection of dewatered municipal biosolids to an agricultural field.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edwards, M; Topp, E; Metcalfe, C D; Li, H; Gottschall, N; Bolton, P; Curnoe, W; Payne, M; Beck, A; Kleywegt, S; Lapen, D R

    2009-07-01

    Land application of municipal biosolids can be a source of environmental contamination by pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs). This study examined PPCP concentrations/temporally discrete mass loads in agricultural tile drainage systems where two applications of biosolids had previously taken place. The field plots received liquid municipal biosolids (LMB) in the fall of 2005 at an application rate of approximately 93,500 L ha (-1), and a second land application was conducted using dewatered municipal biosolids (DMB) applied at a rate of approximately 8Mg dw ha (-1) in the summer of 2006 [corrected].The DMB land application treatments consisted of direct injection (DI) of the DMB beneath the soil surface at a nominal depth of approximately 0.11 m, and surface spreading (SS) plus subsequent tillage incorporation of DMB in the topsoil (approximately 0.10 m depth). The PPCPs examined included eight pharmaceuticals (acetaminophen, fluoxetine, ibuprofen, gemfibrozil, naproxen, carbamazepine, atenolol, sulfamethoxazole), the nicotine metabolite cotinine, and two antibacterial personal care products triclosan and triclocarban. Residues of naproxen, cotinine, atenolol and triclosan originating from the fall 2005 LMB application were detected in tile water nearly nine months after application (triclocarban was not measured in 2005). There were no significant differences (p>0.05) in PPCP mass loads among the two DMB land application treatments (i.e., SS vs. DI); although, average PPCP mass loads late in the study season (>100 days after application) were consistently higher for the DI treatment relative to the SS treatment. While the concentration of triclosan (approximately 14,000 ng g(-1) dw) in DMB was about twice that of triclocarban (approximately 8000 ng g(-1) dw), the average tile water concentrations for triclosan were much higher (43+/-5 ng L(-1)) than they were for triclocarban (0.73+/-0.14 ng L(-1)). Triclosan concentrations (maximum observed in 2006

  9. Health care as perceived by persons with inflammatory bowel disease - a focus group study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lesnovska, Katarina Pihl; Hollman Frisman, Gunilla; Hjortswang, Henrik; Hjelm, Katarina; Börjeson, Sussanne

    2017-11-01

    The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of health care among persons living with inflammatory bowel disease. The quality of care plays an important role in the life of persons with a chronic disease. To define what persons with inflammatory bowel disease perceive as high-quality care, greater focus must be placed on the individual's own perspective of living with the condition. A qualitative exploratory study was conducted based on focus groups. Five focus groups were conducted with adult persons living with inflammatory bowel disease, 14 men and 12 women aged 19-76 years. The interviews were performed between January-June 2014. The perceptions of health care from the perspective of persons living with inflammatory bowel disease were summarised in two categories: 'professional attitudes of healthcare staff' and 'structure of the healthcare organisation'. Persons with inflammatory bowel disease want to be encountered with respect, experience trust and obtain information at the right time. They also expect shared decision-making, communication and to encounter competent healthcare professionals. Furthermore, the expectations on and perceptions of the structure of the healthcare organisation comprise access to care, accommodation, continuity of care, as well as the pros and cons of specialised care. The findings show the importance of establishing a respectful and trusting relationship, facilitating healthcare staff and persons with inflammatory bowel disease to work as a team in fulfilling individual care needs - but there is room for improvement in terms of quality of care. A person-centred approach, which places the individual and her/his family at the centre, considering them experts on their own health and enabling them to collaborate with healthcare staff, seems important to reach a high-quality healthcare organisation for patients with Inflammatory bowel disease. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Nursing Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  10. Person-centered care planning and service engagement: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stanhope, Victoria; Tondora, Janis; Davidson, Larry; Choy-Brown, Mimi; Marcus, Steven C

    2015-04-22

    Service disengagement is a pervasive challenge the mental health care system faces. Mental health services are of little value should persons with mental illnesses continue to opt out of receiving them. Consumers attribute disengagement from care to an absence of choice in their treatment. In response, the mental health system is adopting a person-centered model, based upon recovery principles, to engage consumers more actively in their care. Person-centered care planning is a promising practice involving collaboration to develop and implement an actionable plan to assist the person in achieving personal recovery goals. This study design combines a parallel-group randomized controlled trial of community mental health organizations with qualitative methods to assess the effectiveness of person-centered care planning. Participants at 14 sites in Delaware and Connecticut will be randomized to treatment as usual or the person-centered care planning intervention. Participants will be in leadership (n = 70) or supervisory or direct care (n = 210) roles. The person-centered care planning intervention involves intensive staff training and 12 months of ongoing technical assistance. Quantitative survey data will be collected at baseline, 6 months and 12 months measuring person-centered care planning competency and organizational factors. Consumer outcomes (engagement, medication adherence, functioning and consumer satisfaction) will be assessed by Medicaid and state-level data. Qualitative data focused on process factors will include staff and consumer interviews and focus groups. In this intent-to-treat analysis, we will use mixed-effects multivariate regression models to evaluate the differential impact of the person-centered care planning intervention on each consumer and implementation outcome as well as the extent to which clinician assessments of organizational factors are associated with the implementation outcome. Mixed methods will triangulate and strengthen the

  11. Improved wound care product

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2012-01-01

    The present invention pertains to use of sodium diacetate (NaHAc 2) as an antimicrobial agent against bacteria growing in biofilms. The aspects of the invention include a wound care product comprising sodium diacetate, a kit comprising a wound care product,and a methodof treating an infected wound....

  12. Removal of Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) from Municipal Waste Water with Integrated Membrane Systems, MBR-RO/NF.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yonggang; Wang, Xu; Li, Mingwei; Dong, Jing; Sun, Changhong; Chen, Guanyi

    2018-02-05

    This study focuses on the application of combining membrane bioreactor (MBR) treatment with reverse osmosis (RO) or nanofiltration (NF) membrane treatment for removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in municipal wastewater. Twenty-seven PPCPs were measured in real influent with lowest average concentration being trimethoprim (7.12 ng/L) and the highest being caffeine (18.4 ng/L). The results suggest that the MBR system effectively removes the PPCPs with an efficiency of between 41.08% and 95.41%, and that the integrated membrane systems, MBR-RO/NF, can achieve even higher removal rates of above 95% for most of them. The results also suggest that, due to the differences in removal mechanisms of NF/RO membrane, differences of removal rates exist. In this study, the combination of MBR-NF resulted in the removal of 13 compounds to below detection limits and MBR-RO achieved even better results with removal of 20 compounds to below detection limits.

  13. Influence of worldview on health care choices among persons with chronic pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buck, Tina; Baldwin, Carol M; Schwartz, Gary E

    2005-06-01

    The aim of this research was to examine relationships between the Pepperian worldviews of people with chronic pain and the health care choices that they make. A convenience sample survey was done. University Medical Center Pain Clinic, Tucson, Arizona. Men and women patients (n = 96) with nonmalignant chronic pain. World Hypothesis Scale; Health Care Choice List. Findings indicate that the combination of age and formistic worldview are statistically significant predictors of conventional health care choices by participants in this study. Older patients and persons with a predominantly formistic worldview were less likely to use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as a choice among this sample with chronic nonmalignant pain. Borderline significant associations were noted between persons with formistic or mechanistic worldviews and conventional health care choices, and persons with contextualistic, organismic, or equal scores in two worldview categories and CAM health care choices. Although rates of CAM use did not significantly differ from conventional choices, the prevalence rate for CAM use was high (55.2%) based on national findings. Results of this study provide a link to understanding how underlying philosophies can contribute to the reasons people with chronic pain make health care decisions. Further exploration of worldviews might very well contribute to best practices for consumer health care by engaging in communication styles and belief systems consistent with consumers' personal schemas.

  14. Person-Centered Care Practices in Long-Term Care in the Deep South: Consideration of Structural, Market, and Administrator Characteristics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacobs, M Lindsey; Snow, A Lynn; Parmelee, Patricia A; Davis, Jullet A

    2018-03-01

    The purpose of this study was to identify structural, market, and administrator factors of nursing homes that are related to the implementation of person-centered care. Administrators of Medicare/Medicaid-certified nursing homes in the Deep South were invited to complete a standardized survey about their facility and their perceptions and attitudes regarding person-centered care practices (PCCPs). Nursing home structural and market factors were obtained from public websites, and these data were matched with administrator data. Consistent with the resource-based theory of competitive advantage, nursing homes with greater resources and more competition were more likely to implement PCCPs. Implementation of person-centered care was also higher in nursing homes with administrators who perceived culture change implementation to be feasible in their facilities. Given that there is a link between resource availability and adoption of person-centered care, future research should investigate the cost of such innovations.

  15. Successful aging - the nurse - aged person interaction process in primary health care

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria João Soares Rodrigues de Sousa Fernandes

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available With the aging population and the natural increase of nursing care within gerontology, there is increasing interest in how the nurse interacts with the aged person and utilizes their role to protect and promote successful aging behaviors. The goal lies in understanding the nurse−aged person interaction process. This is a naturalistic study of qualitative paradigm and inductive reasoning, developed in the context of primary health care. We observed the interaction process between nurse and older person in various Health Centers and Day/Socializing Centers and supplemented the information with an interview. The grounded theory analysis method of Corbin & Strauss was used, which provides the triangulation of data and uses theoretical sampling. The nurse−aged person interaction is established in a joint process of recreation of the gerontologic care predisposing, fostering and strengthening knowledge about the essence of life. The elderly person who is the object of nurse care, builds their lived experience by aiming towards integrity, establishing individual and social interaction and enhancing experiences. From this whole interaction process, a central concept emerges: clarification of the aged person’s lived experience.

  16. Trajectories of personal control in cancer patients receiving psychological care

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zhu, Lei; Schroevers, Maya J.; van der Lee, Marije; Garssen, Bert; Stewart, Roy E.; Sanderman, Robbert; Ranchor, Adelita V.

    Objective: This study aimed to (1) identify subgroups of cancer patients with distinct personal control trajectories during psychological care, (2) examine whether socio-demographic, clinical, and psychological care characteristics could distinguish trajectories, and (3) examine differential

  17. Removal of Selected Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products by the Green Alga Nannochloris sp.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bai, X.; Acharya, K.

    2016-12-01

    Emerging contaminants have become an increasing concern in the environment due to their ubiquitous distribution and potential adverse effects on wildlife and humans. Municipal wastewater is a major source of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The ecotoxic impacts of PPCPs on aquatic organisms include development of antimicrobial resistance, decreases in plankton diversity, and endocrine disruption. Freshwater algae can be responsible for the uptake and transfer of the contaminants because they are a major food source for most aquatic organisms. This research applied laboratory-based incubation studies to evaluate the removal efficiency and uptake mechanisms of the selected PPCPs (trimethoprim, sulfamethoxazole, and triclosan) by the green alga Nannochloris sp. The results showed that trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole remained in the algal culture at 100% and 68%, respectively, after 14 days of incubation, and therefore were not significantly removed from the medium. However, the antimicrobial triclosan was significantly removed from the medium. Immediately after incubation began, 74% of triclosan dissipated and 100% of triclosan was removed after 7 days of incubation. Additionally, over 42% of triclosan was found associated with the algal cells throughout the incubation. The results demonstrate that the presence of Nannochloris sp. eliminated triclosan in the aquatic system, but could not significantly remove the antibiotics trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole. This study provided crucial information that toxicity of triclosan in aquatic organisms is a critical concern because of its high uptake by phytoplankton. The resistance of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole to uptake by phytoplankton may threaten water quality.

  18. Human resources in primary health care: investments and the driving force of production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maeda, Sayuri Tanaka; Moleiro, Priscilla Francescucci; Egry, Emiko Yoshikawa; Ciosak, Suely Itsuko

    2011-12-01

    The present study describes the composition, the qualification, the salary investment, the workforce produce, and discusses users' accessibility in terms of time at Basic Health Units (BHUs). The study was performed at two BHUs from January to December 2008, and developed by analyzing administrative documents. In both, the composition of professionals according to education level revealed: 21% with a university degree, 27% with a secondary education, and50% with a primary education; showing a positive salary variation. The medical and nursing conducts were the majority at both. The production indicators confirmed: 25 and 37 min/person/month for accessibility, respectively for BHU A and B; R$ 8.43 and R$ 12.11/person/month for the salary investment at both BHUs, and 0.07 appointments/person/month at both BHUs. The professionals' available time is scarce compared to the potential of the demand. The production indicated an opportunity of care < 1 per person/month at a reduced cost.

  19. Trajectories of personal control in cancer patients receiving psychological care

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zhu, Lei; Schroevers, Maya J.; van der Lee, Marije; Garssen, Bert; Stewart, Roy E.; Sanderman, Robbert; Ranchor, A.V.

    2015-01-01

    Objective This study aimed to (1) identify subgroups of cancer patients with distinct personal control trajectories during psychological care, (2) examine whether socio-demographic, clinical, and psychological care characteristics could distinguish trajectories, and (3) examine differential patterns

  20. OI Issues: Dental Care for Persons with OI

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Better Bones Upcoming Events Online Store OI Issues: Dental Care for Persons with OI Introduction Osteogenesis imperfecta ( ... jaws and may or may not affect the teeth. About half of the people who have OI ...

  1. Occurrence of Selected Pharmaceuticals, Personal-Care Products, Organic Wastewater Compounds, and Pesticides in the Lower Tallapoosa River Watershed near Montgomery, Alabama, 2005

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oblinger, Carolyn J.; Gill, Amy C.; McPherson, Ann K.; Meyer, Michael T.; Furlong, Edward T.

    2007-01-01

    Synthetic and natural organic compounds derived from agricultural operations, residential development, and treated and untreated sanitary and industrial wastewater discharges can contribute contaminants to surface and ground waters. To determine the occurrence of these compounds in the lower Tallapoosa River watershed, Alabama, new laboratory methods were used that can detect human and veterinary antibiotics; pharmaceuticals; and compounds found in personal-care products, food additives, detergents and their metabolites, plasticizers, and other industrial and household products in the environment. Well-established methods for detecting 47 pesticides and 19 pesticide degradates also were used. In all, 186 different compounds were analyzed by using four analytical methods. The lower Tallapoosa River serves as the water-supply source for more than 100,000 customers of the Montgomery Water Works and Sanitary Sewer Board. Source-water protection is a high priority for the Board, which is responsible for providing safe drinking water. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Montgomery Water Works and Sanitary Sewer Board, conducted this study to provide baseline data that could be used to assess the effects of agriculture and residential development on the occurrence of selected organic compounds in the lower Tallapoosa River watershed. Twenty samples were collected at 10 sites on the Tallapoosa River and its tributaries. Ten samples were collected in April 2005 during high base streamflow, and 10 samples were collected in October 2005 when base streamflow was low. Thirty-two of 186 compounds were detected in the lower Tallapoosa River watershed. Thirteen compounds, including atrazine, 2-chloro-4-isopropylamino-6-amino-s-triazine (CIAT), hexazinone, metalaxyl, metolachlor, prometryn, prometon, simazine, azithromycin, oxytetracycline, sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, and tylosin, had measurable concentrations above their laboratory reporting levels

  2. Spanish validation of the Person-centered Care Assessment Tool (P-CAT).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martínez, Teresa; Suárez-Álvarez, Javier; Yanguas, Javier; Muñiz, José

    2016-01-01

    Person-centered Care (PCC) is an innovative approach which seeks to improve the quality of care services given to the care-dependent elderly. At present there are no Spanish language instruments for the evaluation of PCC delivered by elderly care services. The aim of this work is the adaptation and validation of the Person-centered Care Assessment Tool (P-CAT) for a Spanish population. The P-CAT was translated and adapted into Spanish, then given to a sample of 1339 front-line care professionals from 56 residential elderly care homes. The reliability and validity of the P-CAT were analyzed, within the frameworks of Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory models. The Spanish P-CAT demonstrated good reliability, with an alpha coefficient of .88 and a test-retest reliability coefficient of .79. The P-CAT information function indicates that the test measures with good precision for the majority of levels of the measured variables (θ values between -2 and +1). The factorial structure of the test is essentially one-dimensional and the item discrimination indices are high, with values between .26 and .61. In terms of predictive validity, the correlations which stand out are between the P-CAT and organizational climate (r = .689), and the burnout factors; personal accomplishment (r = .382), and emotional exhaustion (r = - .510). The Spanish version of the P-CAT demonstrates good psychometric properties for its use in the evaluation of elderly care homes both professionally and in research.

  3. The economic burden of personality disorders in mental health care

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Soeteman, D.I.; Hakkaart-van Roijen, L.; Verheul, R.; Busschbach, J.J.V.

    2008-01-01

    Objective: Some evidence suggests that personality disorders are associated with a high economic burden due to, for example, a high demand on psychiatric, health, and social care services. However, state-of-the-art cost studies for the broad range of personality disorder diagnoses are lacking. The

  4. The Influence of Purchasing Context and Reversibility of Choice on Consumer Responses Toward Personalized Products and Standardized Products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Jieun; Lee, Doo-Hee; Taylor, Charles R

    2016-04-01

    Existing research on personalization has found that consumers generally prefer personalized products over standardized ones. This study argued that consumer preference for personalized products is dependent on purchasing context and reversibility of choice. Results of an experiment conducted in this study found that consumers preferred personalized products when purchasing an item for personal use but preferred standardized products when purchasing an item as a gift. However, the effects of purchasing context were negated when consumers were given the assurance that personalized products could be returned (reversibility of choice); when presented with reversibility of choice, consumers preferred personalized products over standardized products regardless of purchasing context. Theoretical and managerial implications of these results were discussed. © The Author(s) 2016.

  5. Socio-demographic determinants and effect of structured personal diabetes care

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Heltberg, Andreas; Siersma, Volkert; Andersen, John Sahl

    2017-01-01

    of any diabetes-related endpoint and death during 19 years after diagnosis, and cardiovascular risk factors, behaviour, attitudes and process-of-care variables 6 years after diagnosis. Results: Structured personal care reduced the risk of any diabetes-related endpoint and the effect of the intervention...... was modified by geographical area (interaction p = 0.034) with HR of 0.71 (95%CI: 0.60–0.85) and of 1.07 (95%CI: 0.77–1.48), for patients in urban and rural areas, respectively. Otherwise, there was no effect modification of education, employment and civil status on the intervention for the final endpoints....... There were no noticeable socio-demographic differences in the effect of the intervention on cardiovascular risk factors, behaviour, attitudes, and process-of-care. Conclusion: Structured personal care reduced the aggregate outcome of any diabetes-related endpoint and independent of socio-demographic factors...

  6. Economic valuation of environmental benefits of removing pharmaceutical and personal care products from WWTP effluents by ozonation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Molinos-Senante, M., E-mail: maria.molinos@uv.es [Department of Mathematics for Economy, Universitat de Valencia, Campus dels Tarongers, 46022 Valencia (Spain); Reif, R., E-mail: rreif@icra.cat [Laboratory of Chemical and Environmental Engineering (LEQUIA), Universitat de Girona, Facultat Ciències, Campus Montilivi, 17071 Girona (Spain); Chemical Engineering Department, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Rua Lope Gomez de Marzoa s/n, 15782 Santiago de Compostela (Spain); Garrido-Baserba, M., E-mail: mgarrido@icra.cat [Catalan Institute for Water Research, Scientific and Technological Park, H2O Building, Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona (Spain); Laboratory of Chemical and Environmental Engineering (LEQUIA), Universitat de Girona, Facultat Ciències, Campus Montilivi, 17071 Girona (Spain); Hernández-Sancho, F., E-mail: francesc.hernandez@uv.es [Department of Applied Economics II, Universitat de Valencia, Campus dels Tarongers, 46022 Valencia (Spain); Omil, F., E-mail: francisco.omil@usc.es [Chemical Engineering Department, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Rua Lope Gomez de Marzoa s/n, 15782 Santiago de Compostela (Spain); Poch, M., E-mail: manel@lequia.udg.edu [Catalan Institute for Water Research, Scientific and Technological Park, H2O Building, Emili Grahit 101, 17003 Girona (Spain); Laboratory of Chemical and Environmental Engineering (LEQUIA), Universitat de Girona, Facultat Ciències, Campus Montilivi, 17071 Girona (Spain); Sala-Garrido, R., E-mail: ramon.sala@uv.es [Department of Mathematics for Economy, Universitat de Valencia, Campus dels Tarongers, 46022 Valencia (Spain)

    2013-09-01

    Continuous release of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) present in effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is nowadays leading to the adoption of specific measures within the framework of the Directive 2000/60/EC (Water Framework Directive). The ozonation process, normally employed for drinking water production, has also proven its potential to eliminate PPCPs from secondary effluents in spite of their low concentrations. However, there is a significant drawback related with the costs associated with its implementation. This lack of studies is especially pronounced regarding the economic valuation of the environmental benefits associated to avoid the discharge of these pollutants into water bodies. For the first time the shadow prices of 5 PPCPs which are ethynilestradiol, sulfamethoxazole, diclofenac, tonalide and galaxolide from treated effluent using a pilot-scale ozonation reactor have been estimated. From non-sensitive areas their values are − 73.73; − 34.95; − 42.20; − 10.98; and − 8.67 respectively and expressed in €/kg. They represent a proxy to the economic value of the environmental benefits arisen from undischarged pollutants. This paper contributes to value the environmental benefits of implementing post-treatment processes aimed to achieve the quality standards required by the Priority Substances Directive. - Highlights: • Environmental Benefit Analysis of PPCPs • PPCPs' removal depends on their functional group and molecular structures. • Shadow prices as a proxy of the environmental benefits from ozonation process • HHCB and AHTN have the lowest shadow prices. • The greatest environmental benefit is associated with the removal of DCF.

  7. Economic valuation of environmental benefits of removing pharmaceutical and personal care products from WWTP effluents by ozonation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Molinos-Senante, M.; Reif, R.; Garrido-Baserba, M.; Hernández-Sancho, F.; Omil, F.; Poch, M.; Sala-Garrido, R.

    2013-01-01

    Continuous release of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) present in effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is nowadays leading to the adoption of specific measures within the framework of the Directive 2000/60/EC (Water Framework Directive). The ozonation process, normally employed for drinking water production, has also proven its potential to eliminate PPCPs from secondary effluents in spite of their low concentrations. However, there is a significant drawback related with the costs associated with its implementation. This lack of studies is especially pronounced regarding the economic valuation of the environmental benefits associated to avoid the discharge of these pollutants into water bodies. For the first time the shadow prices of 5 PPCPs which are ethynilestradiol, sulfamethoxazole, diclofenac, tonalide and galaxolide from treated effluent using a pilot-scale ozonation reactor have been estimated. From non-sensitive areas their values are − 73.73; − 34.95; − 42.20; − 10.98; and − 8.67 respectively and expressed in €/kg. They represent a proxy to the economic value of the environmental benefits arisen from undischarged pollutants. This paper contributes to value the environmental benefits of implementing post-treatment processes aimed to achieve the quality standards required by the Priority Substances Directive. - Highlights: • Environmental Benefit Analysis of PPCPs • PPCPs' removal depends on their functional group and molecular structures. • Shadow prices as a proxy of the environmental benefits from ozonation process • HHCB and AHTN have the lowest shadow prices. • The greatest environmental benefit is associated with the removal of DCF

  8. Phthalate metabolites in Norwegian mothers and children: Levels, diurnal variation and use of personal care products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakhi, Amrit Kaur; Sabaredzovic, Azemira; Cequier, Enrique; Thomsen, Cathrine

    2017-12-01

    Exposure to phthalates has been associated with reproductive and developmental toxicity. Data on levels of these compounds in the Norwegian population is limited. In this study, urine samples were collected from 48 mothers and their children in two counties in Norway. Eleven different phthalate metabolites originating from six commonly used phthalates in consumer products were determined. Concentrations of phthalate metabolites were significantly higher in children compared to mothers except for mono-ethyl phthalate (MEP). The mothers provided several urine samples during 24hours (h) and diurnal variation showed that the concentrations in the morning urine samples (24-8h) were significantly higher than at other time-periods for most of the phthalate metabolites. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for 24-hour time-period were in the range of 0.49-0.81. These moderate to high ICCs indicate that one spot urine sample can be used to estimate the exposure to phthalates. Since a significant effect of time of day was observed, it is still advisable to standardize the collection time point to reduce the variation. For the mothers, the use of personal care products (PCPs) were less associated with morning urine samples than early day (8-12h) and evening (16-24h) urine samples. The use of perfume and hair products were positively associated with the urinary concentrations of low molecular weight phthalates. Use of shower soap and shampoo were positively associated with urinary concentration of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) metabolites. For children, face cream use was positively associated with phthalate metabolites in the morning samples, and hand soap use was negatively associated with concentration of urinary DEHP metabolites in afternoon/evening samples. Since different PCPs were associated with the urinary phthalate metabolites in different time-periods during a day, more than one spot urine sample might be required to study associations between urinary

  9. Structured Decision-Making: Using Personalized Medicine to Improve the Value of Cancer Care

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hirsch, Bradford R.; Abernethy, Amy P.

    2012-01-01

    Cancer care is often inconsistently delivered with inadequate incorporation of patient values and objective evidence into decision-making. Utilization of time limited trials of care with predefined decision points that are based on iteratively updated best evidence, tools that inform providers about a patient’s experience and values, and known information about a patient’s disease will allow superior matched care to be delivered. Personalized medicine does not merely refer to the incorporation of genetic information into clinical care, it involves utilization of the wide array of data points relevant to care, many of which are readily available at the bedside today. By pushing uptake of personalized matching available today, clinicians can better address the triple aim of improved health, lowers costs, and enhanced patient experience, and we can prepare the health care landscape for the iterative inclusion of progressively more sophisticated information as newer tests and information become available to support the personalized medicine paradigm. PMID:25562407

  10. Caring for homeless persons with serious mental illness in general hospitals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bauer, Leah K; Baggett, Travis P; Stern, Theodore A; O'Connell, Jim J; Shtasel, Derri

    2013-01-01

    The care of homeless persons with serious mental illness remains a common and challenging problem in general hospital settings. This article aims to review data on homelessness and its psychiatric comorbidities, and to expand the skills of providers who encounter homeless individuals in general hospital settings. Literature review reveals patient, provider, and systems factors that contribute to suboptimal health outcomes in homeless individuals. Diagnostic rigor, integrated medical and psychiatric care, trauma-informed interventions, special considerations in capacity evaluations, and health care reform initiatives can improve the treatment of homeless persons with serious mental illness. Copyright © 2013 The Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Nurses' personal and ward accountability and missed nursing care: A cross-sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Srulovici, Einav; Drach-Zahavy, Anat

    2017-10-01

    Missed nursing care is considered an act of omission with potentially detrimental consequences for patients, nurses, and organizations. Although the theoretical conceptualization of missed nursing care specifies nurses' values, attitudes, and perceptions of their work environment as its core antecedents, empirical studies have mainly focused on nurses' socio-demographic and professional attributes. Furthermore, assessment of missed nursing care has been mainly based on same-source methods. This study aimed to test the joint effects of personal and ward accountability on missed nursing care, by using both focal (the nurse whose missed nursing care is examined) and incoming (the nurse responsible for the same patients at the subsequent shift) nurses' assessments of missed nursing care. A cross-sectional design, where nurses were nested in wards. A total of 172 focal and 123 incoming nurses from 32 nursing wards in eight hospitals. Missed nursing care was assessed with the 22-item MISSCARE survey using two sources: focal and incoming nurses. Personal and ward accountability were assessed by the focal nurse with two 19-item scales. Nurses' socio-demographics and ward and shift characteristics were also collected. Mixed linear models were used as the analysis strategy. Focal and incoming nurses reported occasional missed nursing care of the focal nurse (Mean=1.87, SD=0.71 and Mean=2.09, SD=0.84, respectively; r=0.55, ppersonal socio-demographic characteristics, higher personal accountability was significantly associated with decreased missed care (β=-0.29, p0.05). The interaction effect was significant (β=-0.31, ppersonal accountability and missed nursing care. Similar patterns were obtained for the incoming nurses' assessment of focal nurse's missed care. Use of focal and incoming nurses' missed nursing care assessments limited the common source bias and strengthened our findings. Personal and ward accountability are significant values, which are associated with

  12. Long term care needs and personal care services under Medicaid: a survey of administrators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palley, H A; Oktay, J S

    1991-01-01

    Home and community based care services constitute a public initiative in the development of a long term care service network. One such home based initiative is the personal care service program of Medicaid. The authors conducted a national survey of administrators of this program. They received a response from 16 administrators of such programs in 1987-1988. The responses raise significant issues regarding training, access to and equity of services, quality of services, administrative oversight and the coordination of home-based care in a network of available services. Based on administrator responses, the authors draw several conclusions.

  13. Effectiveness of person-centered care on people with dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kim SK

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Sun Kyung Kim, Myonghwa Park Education and Research Center for Evidence Based Nursing Knowledge, College of Nursing, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea Background: Person-centered care is a holistic and integrative approach designed to maintain well-being and quality of life for people with dementia, and it includes the elements of care, the individual, the carers, and the family.Aim: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis were undertaken to investigate the effectiveness of person-centered care for people with dementia.Methods: Literature searches were undertaken using six databases including Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Cochrane Database, and KoreaMed using the following keywords: cognition disorder, dementia, person-centered care, patient-centered care, client-centered care, relationship-centered care, and dementia care. The searches were limited to interventional studies written in English and Korean and included randomized controlled studies and noncontrolled studies for people with dementia living in any setting.Results: Nineteen interventional studies, including 3,985 participants, were identified. Of these, 17 studies were from long-term care facilities and two studies were from homecare settings. The pooled data from randomized controlled studies favored person-centered care in reducing agitation, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and depression and improving the quality of life. Subgroup analysis identified greater effectiveness of person-centered care when implemented for people with less severe dementia. For agitation, short-term interventions had a greater effect (standardized mean difference [SMD]: -0.434; 95% conference interval [CI]: -0.701 to -0.166 than long-term interventions (SMD: -0.098; 95% CI: -0.190 to 0.007. Individualized activities resulted in a significantly greater beneficial effect than standard care (SMD: 0.513; 95% CI: -0.994 to -0.032. However, long-term, staff education, and

  14. Personality traits, self-care behaviours and glycaemic control in Type 2 diabetes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skinner, T. C.; Bruce, D. G.; Davis, T. M.E.

    2014-01-01

    Aims: To determine whether the personality traits of conscientiousness and agreeableness are associated with self-care behaviours and glycaemia in Type 2 diabetes. Methods: The Big Five Inventory personality traits Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Neuroticism and Openness were...... modelling was used to determine whether personality was associated with BMI, smoking, self-monitoring of blood glucose and medication taking. Multivariable regression was used to investigate which traits were independently associated with these self-care behaviours and HbA1c. Results: Patients with higher......, longer diabetes duration, diabetes treatment, self-monitoring of blood glucose (negatively) and less medication taking (P ≤ 0.009), but no personality trait added to the model. Conclusions: Although there was no independent association between personality traits and HbA1c, the relationship between high...

  15. Health professionals’ experiences of person-centered collaboration in mental health care

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rita Sommerseth

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available Rita Sommerseth, Elin DysvikUniversity of Stavanger, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Health Studies, Stavanger, NorwayObjective: The basic aim in this paper is to discuss health care professionals’ experiences of person-centered collaboration and involvement in mental health rehabilitation and suggest ways of improving this perspective. Furthermore, the paper explains the supportive systems that are at work throughout the process of rehabilitation.Method: The study design is a qualitative approach using three focus group interviews with a total of 17 informants with different professional backgrounds such as nurses, social workers, and social pedagogies. In addition, one nurse and one social worker participated in a semistructured in-depth interview to judge validity.Results: Our results may demonstrate deficits concerning mental health care on several levels. This understanding suggests firstly, that a person-centered perspective and involvement still are uncommon. Secondly, multidisciplinary work seems uncommon and only sporadically follows recommendations. Thirdly, family support is seldom involved. Lastly, firm leadership and knowledge about laws and regulations seems not to be systematically integrated in daily care.Conclusion: Taking these matters together, the improvement of a person-centered perspective implies cooperation between different services and levels in mental health care. In order to bring about improvement the health care workers must critically consider their own culture, coordination of competence must be increased, and leadership at an institutional and organizational level must be improved so that scarce rehabilitation resources are used to the optimal benefit of people with a mental illness.Keywords: multidisciplinary teams, person-centered collaboration, supportive systems, rehabilitation

  16. Effects of a continuum of care intervention on frail older persons' life satisfaction: a randomized controlled study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berglund, Helene; Hasson, Henna; Kjellgren, Karin; Wilhelmson, Katarina

    2015-04-01

    The aim of this study was to analyse effects of a comprehensive continuum of care (intervention group) on frail older persons' life satisfaction, as compared to those receiving usual care (control group). The intervention included geriatric assessment, case management, interprofessional collaboration, support for relatives and organising of care-planning meetings in older persons' own homes. Improvements in older persons' subjective well-being have been shown in studies including care planning and coordination by a case manager. However, effects of more complex continuum of care interventions on frail older persons' life satisfaction are not well explored. Randomised controlled study. The validated LiSat-11 scale was used in face-to-face interviews to assess older persons' life satisfaction at baseline and at three, six and 12 months after the baseline. The odds ratio for improving or maintaining satisfaction was compared for intervention and control groups from baseline to three-month, three- to six-month as well as six- to 12-month follow-ups. Older persons who received the intervention were more likely to improve or maintain satisfaction than those who received usual care, between 6 and 12 month follow-ups, for satisfaction regarding functional capacity, psychological health and financial situation. A comprehensive continuum of care intervention comprising several components had a positive effect on frail older persons' satisfaction with functional capacity, psychological health and financial situation. Frail older persons represent a great proportion of the persons in need of support from the health care system. Health care professionals need to consider continuum of care interventions' impact on life satisfaction. As life satisfaction is an essential part of older persons' well-being, we propose that policy makers and managers promote comprehensive continuum of care solutions. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  17. The impact of the Dementia ABC educational programme on competence in person-centred dementia care and job satisfaction of care staff.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rokstad, Anne Marie Mork; Døble, Betty Sandvik; Engedal, Knut; Kirkevold, Øyvind; Benth, Jūratė Šaltytė; Selbaek, Geir

    2017-06-01

    The objective of the study was to evaluate the impact of the Dementia ABC educational programme on the participants' competence in person-centred care and on their level of job satisfaction. The development of person-centred care for people with dementia is highly recommended, and staff training that enhances such an approach may positively influence job satisfaction and the possibility of recruiting and retaining competent care staff. The study is a longitudinal survey, following participants over a period of 24 months with a 6-month follow-up after completion of the programme. A total of 1,795 participants from 90 municipalities in Norway are included, and 580 from 52 municipalities completed all measurements. The person-centred care assessment tool (P-CAT) is used to evaluate person-centredness. The psychosocial workplace environment and job satisfaction questionnaire is used to investigate job satisfaction. Measurements are made at baseline, and after 12, 24 and 30 months. A statistically significant increase in the mean P-CAT subscore of person-centred practice and the P-CAT total score is found at 12, 24 and 30 months compared to baseline. A statistically significant decrease in scores in the P-CAT subscore for organisational support is found at all points of measurement compared to baseline. Statistically significant increases in satisfaction with workload, personal and professional development, demands balanced with qualifications and variation in job tasks as elements of job satisfaction are reported. The evaluation of the Dementia ABC educational programme identifies statistically significant increases in scores of person-centredness and job satisfaction, indicating that the training has a positive impact. The results indicate that a multicomponent training programme including written material, multidisciplinary reflection groups and workshops has a positive impact on the development of person-centred care practice and the job satisfaction of care

  18. Phthalates in baby skin care products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lampel, Heather P; Jacob, Sharon E

    2011-01-01

    The systemic toxicity of phthalates has been extensively reported. Although rarely sensitizing, phthalates have been implicated in promoting the development of both atopy and contact dermatitis in animal models. Dermal absorption of phthalates may contribute to overall chemical burden. Infants may be particularly susceptible to chemical exposures. Baby skin care products may be a significant source of phthalate exposure. We measured the phthalate content of 30 skin care products intended for babies and children. Nineteen leave-on and 11 wash-off baby skin care products were analyzed for 17 unique phthalates by an independent laboratory using standard gas chromatographic mass spectrometry. Of 30 products tested, four had phthalate levels above the reporting limit (0.1-0.5 ppm); of these, only one had levels above 1 ppm (44 ppm). There was no statistical significance of phthalate detection in leave-on versus wash-off products (p = .578). The majority (26 of 30) of the baby skin care products analyzed did not have detectable phthalate levels. Four products had detectable phthalate levels. In baby skin care products, levels of the 17 phthalates tested are low overall, but occasional products may contain higher phthalate levels. Monitoring products to ensure safety standards are met may be warranted.

  19. Post-Hospital Medical Respite Care and Hospital Readmission of Homeless Persons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kertesz, Stefan G.; Posner, Michael A.; O’Connell, James J.; Swain, Stacy; Mullins, Ashley N.; Michael, Shwartz; Ash, Arlene S.

    2009-01-01

    Medical respite programs offer medical, nursing, and other care as well as accommodation for homeless persons discharged from acute hospital stays. They represent a community-based adaptation of urban health systems to the specific needs of homeless persons. This paper examines whether post-hospital discharge to a homeless medical respite program was associated with a reduced chance of 90-day readmission compared to other disposition options. Adjusting for imbalances in patient characteristics using propensity scores, Respite patients were the only group that was significantly less likely to be readmitted within 90 days compared to those released to Own Care. Respite programs merit attention as a potentially efficacious service for homeless persons leaving the hospital. PMID:19363773

  20. Acute Toxicity and Ecological Risk Assessment of Benzophenone and N,N-Diethyl-3 Methylbenzamide in Personal Care Products

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hong-Qin Sun

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Benzophenone (BP and N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET are two chemicals often used in personal care products (PCPs. There is a lack of systematic ecotoxicological evaluations about the two chemicals to aquatic organisms. In the present study, the acute toxic effects on Chlorella vulgaris, Daphnia Magana, and Brachydanio rerio were tested and the ecotoxicological risks were evaluated. For BP, the 96-h half-maximal effective concentration (EC50 on C. vulgaris was 6.86 mg/L; the 24-h median lethal concentration (LC50 on D. magana was 7.63 mg/L; the 96-h LC50 on B. rerio was 14.73 mg/L. For DEET, those were 270.72 mg/L, 40.74 mg/L, and 109.67 mg/L, respectively. The mixture toxicity of BP and DEET, on C. vulgaris, D. magana, and B. rerio all showed an additive effect. The induced predicted no-effect concentrations (PNECs for BP and DEET by assessment factor (AF method are 0.003 mg/L and 0.407 mg/L, respectively. Both are lower than the concentrations detected from environment at present, verifying that BP and DEET are low-risk chemicals to the environment.

  1. Meeting psychosocial needs for persons with dementia in home care services - a qualitative study of different perceptions and practices among health care providers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hansen, Anette; Hauge, Solveig; Bergland, Ådel

    2017-09-11

    The majority of persons with dementia are home-dwelling. To enable these persons to stay in their own homes as long as possible, a holistic, individual and flexible care is recommended. Despite a requirement for meeting psychological, social and physical needs, home care services seem to focus on patients' physical needs. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to explore how the psychosocial needs of home-dwelling, older persons with dementia were perceived, emphasized and met by home care services. A descriptive, qualitative approach was used. Data were collected through semi-structured focus group interviews with 24 health care providers in home care services from four municipalities. Data were analysed using systematic text condensation. This study showed major differences in how health care providers perceived the psychosocial needs of older home-dwelling persons with dementia and how they perceived their responsibilities for meeting those psychosocial needs. The differences in the health care providers' perceptions seemed to significantly influence the provided care. Three co-existing logics of care were identified: the physical need-oriented logic, the renouncement logic and the integrated logic. The differences in how health care providers perceived the psychosocial needs of persons with dementia and their responsibilities for meeting those needs, influenced how the psychosocial needs were met. These differences indicates a need for a clarification of how psychosocial needs should be conceptualized and who should be responsible for meeting these needs. Further, increased competence and increased consciousness of psychosocial needs and how those needs can be met, are essential for delivering high-quality holistic care that enables persons with dementia to live in their own home for as long as possible.

  2. Digital Technologies Supporting Person-Centered Integrated Care - A Perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Øvretveit, John

    2017-09-25

    Shared electronic health and social care records in some service systems are already showing some of the benefits of digital technology and digital data for integrating health and social care. These records are one example of the beginning "digitalisation" of services that gives a glimpse of the potential of digital technology and systems for building coordinated and individualized integrated care. Yet the promise has been greater than the benefits, and progress has been slow compared to other industries. This paper describes for non-technical readers how information technology was used to support integrated care schemes in six EU services, and suggests practical ways forward to use the new opportunities to build person-centered integrated care.

  3. [Refusal of personal hygiene care and nursing responsibility].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peyé, Anne

    2013-03-01

    Situations of patients refusing personal hygiene care are frequent. Sources of difficulties and questioning for caregivers, they can lead to maltreatment. In order to avoid this pitfall, it is essential to support the teams in their approach around representations of caregiving and nursing responsibility.

  4. Translating person-centered care into practice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zoffmann, Vibeke; Hörnsten, Åsa; Storbækken, Solveig

    2016-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: Person-centred care [PCC] can engage people in living well with a chronic condition. However, translating PCC into practice is challenging. We aimed to compare the translational potentials of three approaches: motivational interviewing [MI], illness integration support [IIS] and guided...... tools. CONCLUSION: Each approach has a primary application: MI, when ambivalence threatens positive change; IIS, when integrating newly diagnosed chronic conditions; and GSD, when problem solving is difficult, or deadlocked. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Professionals must critically consider the context...

  5. Computer modeling with randomized-controlled trial data informs the development of person-centered aged care homes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chenoweth, Lynn; Vickland, Victor; Stein-Parbury, Jane; Jeon, Yun-Hee; Kenny, Patricia; Brodaty, Henry

    2015-10-01

    To answer questions on the essential components (services, operations and resources) of a person-centered aged care home (iHome) using computer simulation. iHome was developed with AnyLogic software using extant study data obtained from 60 Australian aged care homes, 900+ clients and 700+ aged care staff. Bayesian analysis of simulated trial data will determine the influence of different iHome characteristics on care service quality and client outcomes. Interim results: A person-centered aged care home (socio-cultural context) and care/lifestyle services (interactional environment) can produce positive outcomes for aged care clients (subjective experiences) in the simulated environment. Further testing will define essential characteristics of a person-centered care home.

  6. Effects of reclaimed water matrix on fate of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dodgen, L K; Zheng, W

    2016-08-01

    Reclaimed water is increasingly used to supplement water resources. However, reclaimed water has a complex matrix, which includes emerging chemical contaminants, that is introduced to the soil when this water is used for irrigation. The effects of microbial activity, dissolved matter, nutrients, and particulate matter in reclaimed water on half-life of 11 pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) in soil were investigated with 7 treatment waters, namely swine lagoon effluent (either unaltered, sterilized, or filtered and sterilized) and nanopure water (either unaltered or with added nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium). The extractable residues of the parent PPCPs were measured over 35 d. Lagoon microbial activity was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) related to increased half-life of 4 PPCPs (carbamazepine, fluoxetine, ibuprofen, sulfamethoxazole) by 14-74%, and to decreased half-life of 3 others (caffeine, gemfibrozil, naproxen) by 13-25%. The presence of lagoon dissolved matter was significantly correlated with a 20-110% increase in half-life for 6 PPCPs (caffeine, estrone, gemfibrozil, ibuprofen, naproxen, triclocarban). However, lagoon particulate matter was significantly correlated with 9-52% decrease in half-life for these same compounds, as well as trimethoprim. The levels of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium in the lagoon effluent were not significantly related to half-life for most PPCPs, except caffeine. Overall, specific components of reclaimed water matrix had different effects on the soil half-lives of PPCPs, suggesting that the composition of reclaimed water needs to be considered when evaluating PPCP fate after land application. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Communicative challenges in the home care of older persons: a qualitative exploration.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sundler, A.J.; Eide, H.; Dulmen, S. van; Holmström, I.K.

    2016-01-01

    Aim To explore communicative challenges in encounters between nurse assistants and older persons during home care visits. Background The older population is increasing worldwide. Currently, there is a shift in care for older people from institutional care to home

  8. Personal care product preservatives: risk assessment and mixture toxicities with an industrial wastewater.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carbajo, Jose B; Perdigón-Melón, Jose A; Petre, Alice L; Rosal, Roberto; Letón, Pedro; García-Calvo, Eloy

    2015-04-01

    The aquatic toxicity of eight preservatives frequently used in personal care products (PCPs) (iodopropynyl butylcarbamate, bronopol, diazolidinyl urea, benzalkonium chloride, zinc pyrithione, propylparaben, triclosan and a mixture of methylchloroisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone) was assessed by means of two different approaches: a battery of bioassays composed of single species tests of bacteria (Vibrio fischeri and Pseudomonas putida) and protozoa (Tetrahymena thermophila), and a whole biological community resazurin-based assay using activated sludge. The tested preservatives showed considerable toxicity in the studied bioassays, but with a marked difference in potency. In fact, all biocides except propylparaben and diazolidinyl urea had EC50 values lower than 1 mg L(-1) in at least one assay. Risk quotients for zinc pyrithione, benzalkonium chloride, iodopropynyl butylcarbamate and triclosan as well as the mixture of the studied preservatives exceeded 1, indicating a potential risk for the process performance and efficiency of municipal sewage treatment plants (STPs). These four single biocides explained more than 95% of the preservative mixture risk in all bioassays. Each individual preservative was also tested in combination with an industrial wastewater (IWW) from a cosmetics manufacturing facility. The toxicity assessment was performed on binary mixtures (preservative + IWW) and carried out using the median-effect principle, which is a special case of the concept of Concentration Addition (CA). Almost 70% of all experiments resulted in EC50 values within a factor of 2 of the values predicted by the median-effect principle (CI values between 0.5 and 2). The rest of the mixtures whose toxicity was mispredicted by CA were assessed with the alternative concept of Independent Action (IA), which showed higher predictive power for the biological community assay. Therefore, the concept used to accurately predict the toxicity of mixtures of a preservative

  9. Derivation and validation of the Personal Support Algorithm: an evidence-based framework to inform allocation of personal support services in home and community care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sinn, Chi-Ling Joanna; Jones, Aaron; McMullan, Janet Legge; Ackerman, Nancy; Curtin-Telegdi, Nancy; Eckel, Leslie; Hirdes, John P

    2017-11-25

    Personal support services enable many individuals to stay in their homes, but there are no standard ways to classify need for functional support in home and community care settings. The goal of this project was to develop an evidence-based clinical tool to inform service planning while allowing for flexibility in care coordinator judgment in response to patient and family circumstances. The sample included 128,169 Ontario home care patients assessed in 2013 and 25,800 Ontario community support clients assessed between 2014 and 2016. Independent variables were drawn from the Resident Assessment Instrument-Home Care and interRAI Community Health Assessment that are standardised, comprehensive, and fully compatible clinical assessments. Clinical expertise and regression analyses identified candidate variables that were entered into decision tree models. The primary dependent variable was the weekly hours of personal support calculated based on the record of billed services. The Personal Support Algorithm classified need for personal support into six groups with a 32-fold difference in average billed hours of personal support services between the highest and lowest group. The algorithm explained 30.8% of the variability in billed personal support services. Care coordinators and managers reported that the guidelines based on the algorithm classification were consistent with their clinical judgment and current practice. The Personal Support Algorithm provides a structured yet flexible decision-support framework that may facilitate a more transparent and equitable approach to the allocation of personal support services.

  10. Derivation and validation of the Personal Support Algorithm: an evidence-based framework to inform allocation of personal support services in home and community care

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chi-Ling Joanna Sinn

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Personal support services enable many individuals to stay in their homes, but there are no standard ways to classify need for functional support in home and community care settings. The goal of this project was to develop an evidence-based clinical tool to inform service planning while allowing for flexibility in care coordinator judgment in response to patient and family circumstances. Methods The sample included 128,169 Ontario home care patients assessed in 2013 and 25,800 Ontario community support clients assessed between 2014 and 2016. Independent variables were drawn from the Resident Assessment Instrument-Home Care and interRAI Community Health Assessment that are standardised, comprehensive, and fully compatible clinical assessments. Clinical expertise and regression analyses identified candidate variables that were entered into decision tree models. The primary dependent variable was the weekly hours of personal support calculated based on the record of billed services. Results The Personal Support Algorithm classified need for personal support into six groups with a 32-fold difference in average billed hours of personal support services between the highest and lowest group. The algorithm explained 30.8% of the variability in billed personal support services. Care coordinators and managers reported that the guidelines based on the algorithm classification were consistent with their clinical judgment and current practice. Conclusions The Personal Support Algorithm provides a structured yet flexible decision-support framework that may facilitate a more transparent and equitable approach to the allocation of personal support services.

  11. Caring for people with dementia in residential aged care: successes with a composite person-centered care model featuring Montessori-based activities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roberts, Gail; Morley, Catherine; Walters, Wendy; Malta, Sue; Doyle, Colleen

    2015-01-01

    Person-centered models of dementia care commonly merge aspects of existing models with additional influences from published and unpublished evidence and existing government policy. This study reports on the development and evaluation of one such composite model of person-centered dementia care, the ABLE model. The model was based on building the capacity and ability of residents living with dementia, using environmental changes, staff education and organizational and community engagement. Montessori principles were also used. The evaluation of the model employed mixed methods. Significant behavior changes were evident among residents of the dementia care Unit after the model was introduced, as were reductions in anti-psychotic and sedative medication. Staff reported increased knowledge about meeting the needs of people with dementia, and experienced organizational culture change that supported the ABLE model of care. Families were very satisfied with the changes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Improving the care of older persons in Australian prisons using the Policy Delphi method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patterson, Karen; Newman, Claire; Doona, Katherine

    2016-09-01

    There are currently no internationally recognised and approved processes relating to the care of older persons with dementia in prison. This research aimed to develop tools and procedures related to managing the care of, including the identification and assessment of, older persons with dementia who are imprisoned in New South Wales, Australia. A modified approach to the Policy Delphi method, using both surveys and facilitated discussion groups, enabled experts to come together to discuss improving the quality of care provision for older persons with dementia in prison and achieve research aims. © The Author(s) 2014.

  13. Improving person-centred care in nursing homes through dementia-care mapping: design of a cluster-randomised controlled trial.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ven, G. van de; Draskovic, I.; Adang, E.M.M.; Donders, R.; Post, A.; Zuidema, S.U.; Koopmans, R.T.C.M.; Vernooij-Dassen, M.J.F.J.

    2012-01-01

    BACKGROUND: The effectiveness and efficiency of nursing-home dementia care are suboptimal: there are high rates of neuropsychiatric symptoms among the residents and work-related stress among the staff. Dementia-care mapping is a person-centred care method that may alleviate both the resident and the

  14. Person-centered care and engagement via technology of residents with dementia in aged care facilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goh, Anita M Y; Loi, Samantha M; Westphal, Alissa; Lautenschlager, Nicola T

    2017-12-01

    Touchscreen technology (TT) is a resource that can improve the quality of life of residents with dementia, and care staff, in residential aged care facilities (RACF) through a person-centered care approach. To enable the use of TTs to engage and benefit people with dementia in RACFs, education is needed to explore how these devices may be used, what facilitates use, and how to address barriers. We sought to provide education and explore RACF staff views and barriers on using TT to engage their residents with dementia. An educational session on using TT with residents with dementia was given to staff from three long-term RACFs in Melbourne, Australia. A cross-sectional convenience sample of 17 staff members (personal care attendants, registered nurses, enrolled nurses, allied health clinicians, and domestic staff) who attended were administered questionnaires pre- and post-sessions. As a result of the education seminar, they were significantly more confident in their ability to use TT devices with residents. TT, and education to staff about its use with residents with dementia, is a useful strategy to enhance RACF staff knowledge and confidence, thereby enhancing the use of technology in RACFs in order to improve care standards in people with dementia.

  15. Comprehensive evaluation of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in typical highly urbanized regions across China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Zhuo; Zhang, Xi-Hui; Huang, Yong; Wang, Hui

    2015-01-01

    This study evaluated the occurrence of 36 PPCPs in urban river water samples collected from Beijing, Changzhou and Shenzhen. Twenty-eight compounds were detected. Compounds found with highest median concentrations included: sulfadimethoxine (164 ng/L), sulpiride (77.3 ng/L), atenolol (52.9 ng/L), and indomethacin (50.9 ng/L). Antibiotic was the predominant class detected and contributed about half of the overall PPCPs contamination level. Effluents from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) were demonstrated to be the predominant pathways through which PPCPs entering into aquatic environment in all investigated areas. The ratio of persistent PPCPs like sulpiride and carbamazepine was identified to be feasible in tracing their contamination sources in rivers. Concentrations of most detected PPCPs showed significant positive correlations with total nitrogen and total phosphorus. Two groups of representative PPCPs were selected as the chemical indicators for predicting the overall PPCPs contamination, based on the significant correlations between PPCPs. - Highlights: • PPCPs were detected at high detection frequencies and average concentrations. • Antibiotics contributed about half of the overall PPCPs contamination level. • Wastewater treatment plant effluent was the dominant contributor to PPCPs residue. • Ratio of two persistent compounds was used in tracing contamination sources. • Two groups of representative PPCPs were selected as surrogate of overall PPCPs. - The occurrence, spatial distribution, sources, and surrogate of Pharmaceuticals and personal care products in aquatic environment of three typical cities across China were demonstrated

  16. Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Municipal Wastewater and the Marine Receiving Environment Near Victoria Canada

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeremy Krogh

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Concerns over the fate of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCP within the environment have been growing with the advent of more precise analytical methods. The discharge of municipal wastewater has been identified as a significant source of these contaminants, particularly where wastewater treatment is minimal. Here we present results from a comprehensive monitoring regime located around Victoria, BC, Canada. Samples were collected between 2009 and 2016 from a variety of sources including marine water, sediment and biota adjacent to two major untreated sewage outfalls, as well as the sewage itself. PPCP concentrations within the untreated sewage were high, and the sediment surrounding the outfalls showed corresponding contamination. However, this contamination dropped quickly with distance from the outfall such that by 800 m distance most PPCPs were below detection limits. Tissue samples of resident Northern Horse mussels (Modiolus modiolus collected adjacent to one of the major sewage outfalls showed high single sample concentrations of the antimicrobial triclosan (317 ng g−1 dry weight, the antibiotic ciprofloxacin (176 ng g−1 dry weight, as well as the antidepressant sertraline (84.1 ng g−1 dry weight. Reference stations from around the region showed very low concentrations of contamination with almost all PPCP concentrations being below detection limits. Within the sewage, concentrations were largely stable overtime, with the exception of triclosan and triclocarban which both showed declines over the study period.

  17. The Effects of Advertising Strategies on Consumer Trust: A Case of Skin Care Products in Taiwan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Velly Anatasia

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The main aim of this study was to develop advertising strategies in order to increase consumer trust. Four advertising elements: celebrity endorsement, branding, product attribute, and third party certification were investigated. Data were collected to answer two research questions: (1 To investigate the advertising strategies of skin care products leading to consumer trust, (2 To know the effects of advertising strategies in skin care products on consumer trust. A 5-point Likert scale survey was distributed to the female population in Taipei area. Via online and personal approaches, 266 questionnaires were returned. Targeting on 18-30 years old female skin care product users who stay in Taipei area more than six months, 240 qualified questionnaires were analyzed. The four independent variables are found having a significant relationship with trust in skin care advertising, in which branding has the greatest influence on increasing consumer trust. The control variable which is financial status is not found having statistically significant effect on consumer trust. To conclude, this study is dedicated to the communities in order to optimize their marketing strategies.

  18. The relationship between prenatal care, personal alcohol abuse and alcohol abuse in the home environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    GREKIN, EMILY R.; ONDERSMA, STEVEN J.

    2013-01-01

    Aims Nearly one-fourth of African-American women receive no prenatal care during the first trimester of pregnancy. The aim of the current study is to identify factors that underlie inadequate prenatal care among African-American women. Maternal alcohol abuse has been examined as one risk factor for inadequate prenatal care, but findings have been inconsistent, perhaps because (a) alcohol use during pregnancy is substantially under-reported and (b) studies have not considered the wider social network in which maternal alcohol use takes place. The current study attempts to clarify relationships between personal alcohol use, alcohol use in the home environment, and prenatal care in a sample of post-partum women. Methods Participants were 107 low-income, primarily African-American women. All participants completed a computer-based screening which assessed personal and environmental alcohol use, prenatal care and mental health. Findings Environmental alcohol use was related to delayed prenatal care while personal alcohol use was not. More specifically, after controlling for demographic variables, the presence of more than three person-episodes of binge drinking in a woman’s home environment increased the odds of seriously compromized prenatal care by a factor of seven. Conclusions Findings suggest the need to further assess environmental alcohol use and to examine the reliability of personal alcohol use measures. PMID:24391354

  19. Economic evaluation of home-based telebehavioural health care compared to in-person treatment delivery for depression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bounthavong, Mark; Pruitt, Larry D; Smolenski, Derek J; Gahm, Gregory A; Bansal, Aasthaa; Hansen, Ryan N

    2018-02-01

    Introduction Home-based telebehavioural healthcare improves access to mental health care for patients restricted by travel burden. However, there is limited evidence assessing the economic value of home-based telebehavioural health care compared to in-person care. We sought to compare the economic impact of home-based telebehavioural health care and in-person care for depression among current and former US service members. Methods We performed trial-based cost-minimisation and cost-utility analyses to assess the economic impact of home-based telebehavioural health care versus in-person behavioural care for depression. Our analyses focused on the payer perspective (Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs) at three months. We also performed a scenario analysis where all patients possessed video-conferencing technology that was approved by these agencies. The cost-utility analysis evaluated the impact of different depression categories on the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to test the robustness of the model assumptions. Results In the base case analysis the total direct cost of home-based telebehavioural health care was higher than in-person care (US$71,974 versus US$20,322). Assuming that patients possessed government-approved video-conferencing technology, home-based telebehavioural health care was less costly compared to in-person care (US$19,177 versus US$20,322). In one-way sensitivity analyses, the proportion of patients possessing personal computers was a major driver of direct costs. In the cost-utility analysis, home-based telebehavioural health care was dominant when patients possessed video-conferencing technology. Results from probabilistic sensitivity analyses did not differ substantially from base case results. Discussion Home-based telebehavioural health care is dependent on the cost of supplying video-conferencing technology to patients but offers the opportunity to

  20. Investigation of pharmaceuticals, personal care products and endocrine disrupting chemicals in a tropical urban catchment and the influence of environmental factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    You, Luhua; Nguyen, Viet Tung; Pal, Amrita; Chen, Huiting; He, Yiliang; Reinhard, Martin; Gin, Karina Yew-Hoong

    2015-12-01

    Previous studies showed the presence of multiple emerging organic contaminants (EOCs) in urban surface waters of Singapore even though there are no obvious direct wastewater discharges. In this study, we investigated the occurrence and distribution of 17 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and endocrine disruptive compounds (EDCs) in a tropical urban catchment of Singapore. Monthly samples were collected from a reservoir and its 5 upstream tributaries during a 16-month period. Analysis of samples showed all sites had measurable PPCP and EDC concentrations, with caffeine (33.9-2980 ng/L), salicylic acid (5-838 ng/L), acetaminophen (caffeine, BPA, triclosan, fipronil and DEET in the reservoir. Ecological risk assessment showed that caffeine, acetaminophen, estrone, BPA, triclosan and fipronil may warrant further survey. In particular, BPA levels exceeded the literature-based Predicted No-Effect Concentration (PNEC) value, highlighting the need for source control and/or water remediation in this urban catchment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Personal is Political: Caring Economy & Partnership in the Philippines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ann Amberg

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Center for Partnership Studies’ program Alumni are applying their leadership skills as community advocates in powerful ways worldwide. “Personal is Political” features certified Caring Economy Advocate Theresa Balayon’s work in the Philippines. In a context of a Partnership framework, Theresa facilitates local events with gender development activists and policy makers, witnessing their stories as women, to encourage awareness of the need for cultural change toward a more caring economic system.

  2. Product personality and its influence on consumer preference

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Govers, P.; Schoormans, J.P.L.

    2005-01-01

    Purpose: Beyond their functional utility products have a symbolic meaning. Parts of this symbolic meaning are accounted for by concepts like brand personality and product-user image, which describe the symbolic meaning associated with the brand or product class. However, the physical product also

  3. [Personalized nursing care in hospital and its effects on the patient-nurse trust relationship].

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-Juárez, María del Rosario; López-Alonso, Sergio R; Moreno-Verdugo, Ana; Guerra-González, Sara; Fernández-Corchero, Juana; Márquez-Borrego, M José; Orozco-Cózar, M José; Ramos-Bosquet, Gádor

    2013-01-01

    To determine the level of implementation of an inpatient personalized nursing care model in four hospitals of the Andalusian Health Service, and to determine if there is an association between this model and the perception of trust in the nurse by the patient. An observational cross-sectional study included the patients discharged during a period of 12 months from hospital wards that used the Inpatient Personalized Nursing Care Model of the Andalusian Health Service (based on Primary Nursing Model). The level of implemention was evaluated using the Nursing Care Personalized Index (IPC), made by «patient report» methodology, and the nurse-patient trust relationship was evaluated at the same time as the IPC. Statistical analysis included descriptive data analysis, Chi-squared test, and bivariate and multivariate logistic regression, with and without stratifying by hospitals wards. A total of 817 patient were included. The implementation of the inpatient personalized nursing care model varied between 61 and 79%. The IPC values showed a strong association with the nurse-patient trust relationship, and that for each point increase in the IPC score, the probability of a nurse-patient trust relationship increased between 50 and 130% (0.120.58). The implementation of a personalized nursing care model in the wards studied was higher in the surgicals wards and at regular level in medical wards. Furthermore, the influence of the inpatient personalized nursing care model on the nurse-patient trust relationship has been demonstrated using the IPC model. This trust is the main component for the establishment of a therapeutic relationship. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

  4. Caring about dying persons and their families: Interpretation, practice and emotional labour.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Funk, Laura M; Peters, Sheryl; Roger, Kerstin Stieber

    2018-02-20

    The importance of emotional support for dying persons and their families has been well established, yet we know less about how care workers understand emotional processes related to death and dying, or how these understandings are connected to care practices and emotional labour at the end of life. The aim of this study was to explore how healthcare workers interpret and respond to emotional needs of dying persons and their families. Qualitative data were collected between 2013 and 2014 through in-depth, in-person interviews with 14 nurses and 12 healthcare aides in one Western Canadian city. Transcripts were analysed using an inductive, interpretive thematic coding approach and the analytic lens of emotional labour. Dominant interpretive frames of a "good death" informed participants' emotionally supportive practice. This included guiding patients and families to "open up" about their emotions to activate the grief process. There was concern that incomplete grieving would result in anger being directed towards care staff. The goal of promoting emotional sharing informed the work of "caring about." Although palliative philosophies opened up moral and professional space for "caring about" in the context of organisational norms which often discouraged these practices, the tension between the two, and the lack of time for this work, may encourage surface expressions rather than authentic emotional care. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  5. A Quantitative Risk Assessment of the Skin Sensitization Induction Potential of the Kathon CG Preservative in Rinse-off and Leave-on Personal Care and Cosmetic Products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Towle, Kevin M; Drechsel, Derek A; Warshaw, Erin M; Fung, Ernest S; Novick, Rachel M; Paustenbach, Dennis J; Monnot, Andrew D

    2018-03-22

    Kathon CG is a commonly used cosmetic-grade preservative that contains active ingredients methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCI) and methylisothiazolinone (MI). The aim of the study was to perform a skin sensitization induction risk assessment of daily exposure to Kathon CG after use of various personal care and cosmetic products. We calculated an estimated daily consumer exposure level for rinse-off and leave-on products using the amount of product applied per application, number of applications per day, a retention factor, the MCI/MI concentration, and body surface area values. We assumed that the products contained the maximum recommended safe concentration of MCI/MI: 15 ppm in rinse-off products and 7.5 ppm in leave-on products. We compared estimated consumer exposure levels with the no expected sensitization induction level for MCI/MI and applied sensitization assessment factors to calculate product-specific margins of safety (MOSs). The MOSs for rinse-off products ranged from 5 to 63, whereas the MOSs for leave-on products ranged from 0.03 to 1.49. Overall, our results provide evidence that some leave-on products containing the maximum recommended safe concentration of Kathon CG may increase the risk of sensitization induction due to exposure to MCI/MI. In contrast, rinse-off products were not associated with a potential increased risk of skin sensitization induction.

  6. Importance of Personalized Health-Care Models: A Case Study in Activity Recognition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zdravevski, Eftim; Lameski, Petre; Trajkovik, Vladimir; Pombo, Nuno; Garcia, Nuno

    2018-01-01

    Novel information and communication technologies create possibilities to change the future of health care. Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) is seen as a promising supplement of the current care models. The main goal of AAL solutions is to apply ambient intelligence technologies to enable elderly people to continue to live in their preferred environments. Applying trained models from health data is challenging because the personalized environments could differ significantly than the ones which provided training data. This paper investigates the effects on activity recognition accuracy using single accelerometer of personalized models compared to models built on general population. In addition, we propose a collaborative filtering based approach which provides balance between fully personalized models and generic models. The results show that the accuracy could be improved to 95% with fully personalized models, and up to 91.6% with collaborative filtering based models, which is significantly better than common models that exhibit accuracy of 85.1%. The collaborative filtering approach seems to provide highly personalized models with substantial accuracy, while overcoming the cold start problem that is common for fully personalized models.

  7. The role of patient personality in the identification of depression in older primary care patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCray, Laura W; Bogner, Hillary R; Sammel, Mary D; Gallo, Joseph J

    2007-11-01

    Our aim was to evaluate whether personality factors significantly contribute to the identification of depression in older primary care patients, even after controlling for depressive symptoms. We examined the association between personality factors and the identification of depression among 318 older adults who participated in the Spectrum study. High neuroticism (unadjusted Odds Ratio (OR) 2.36, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) [1.42, 3.93]) and low extraversion (adjusted OR 2.24, CI [1.26, 4.00]) were associated with physician identification of depression. Persons with high conscientiousness were less likely to be identified as depressed by the doctor (adjusted OR 0.45, CI [0.22, 0.91]). Personality factors influence the identification of depression among older persons in primary care over and above the relationship of depressive symptoms with physician identification. Knowledge of personality may influence the diagnosis and treatment of depression in primary care. Copyright 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  8. Art, music, story: The evaluation of a person-centred arts in health programme in an acute care older persons' unit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ford, Karen; Tesch, Leigh; Dawborn, Jacqueline; Courtney-Pratt, Helen

    2018-06-01

    To evaluate the impact of an arts in health programme delivered by a specialised artist within an acute older person's unit. Acute hospitals must meet the increasingly complex needs of older people who experience multiple comorbidities, often including cognitive impairment, either directly related to their admission or longer term conditions, including dementia. A focus on physical illness, efficiency and tasks within an acute care environment can all divert attention from the psychosocial well-being of patients. This focus also decreases capacity for person-centred approaches that acknowledge and value the older person, their life story, relationships and the care context. The importance of arts for health and wellness, including responsiveness to individual need, is well established: however, there is little evidence about its effectiveness for older people in acute hospital settings. We report on a collaborative arts in health programme on an acute medical ward for older people. The qualitative study used collaborative enquiry underpinned by a constructivist approach to evaluate an arts programme that involved participatory art-making activities, customised music, song and illustration work, and enlivening the unit environment. Data sources included observation of art activities, semi-structured interviews with patients and family members, and focus groups with staff. Data were transcribed and thematically analysed using a line by line approach. The programme had positive impacts for the environment, patients, families and staff. The environment exhibited changes as a result of programme outputs; patients and families were engaged and enjoyed activities that aided recovery from illness; and staff also enjoyed activities and importantly learnt new ways of working with patients. An acute care arts in health programme is a carefully nuanced programme where the skills of the arts health worker are critical to success. Utilising such skill, continued focus on person

  9. Reducing care-resistant behaviors during oral hygiene in persons with dementia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jablonski Rita A

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Nursing home residents with dementia are often dependent on others for mouth care, yet will react with care-resistant behavior when receiving assistance. The oral health of these elders deteriorates in the absence of daily oral hygiene, predisposing them to harmful systemic problems such as pneumonia, hyperglycemia, cardiac disease, and cerebral vascular accidents. The purpose of this study is to determine whether care-resistant behaviors can be reduced, and oral health improved, through the application of an intervention based on the neurobiological principles of threat perception and fear response. The intervention, called Managing Oral Hygiene Using Threat Reduction, combines best mouth care practices with a constellation of behavioral techniques that reduce threat perception and thereby prevent or de-escalate care-resistant behaviors. Methods/Design Using a randomized repeated measures design, 80 elders with dementia from 5 different nursing homes will be randomized at the individual level to the experimental group, which will receive the intervention, or to the control group, which will receive standard mouth care from research team members who receive training in the proper methods for providing mouth care but no training in resistance recognition or prevention/mediation. Oral health assessments and care-resistant behavior measurements will be obtained during a 7-day observation period and a 21-day intervention period. Individual growth models using multilevel analysis will be used to estimate the efficacy of the intervention for reducing care-resistant behaviors in persons with dementia, and to estimate the overall efficacy of the intervention using oral health outcomes. Activity-based costing methods will be used to determine the cost of the proposed intervention. Discussion At the conclusion of this study, the research team anticipates having a proven intervention that prevents and reduces care-resistant within the

  10. Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction with solidification of floating organic droplets for simultaneous extraction of pesticides, pharmaceuticals and personal care products

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marube, Liziane Cardoso; Caldas, Sergiane Souza; Soares, Karina Lotz; Primel, Ednei Gilberto

    2015-01-01

    Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction based on solidification of floating organic droplets (DLLME-SFO) has been applied to the extraction of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) and pesticides from water samples. The PPCPs included bisphenol A, sodium diclofenac, gemfibrozil, furosemide, glibenclamide, nifedipine, nimesulide, propylparaben and triclocarban. The pesticides included 2,4-D, atrazine, azoxystrobin, cyproconazole, clomazone, dichloran, difenoconazole, diuron, epoxiconazole, fenoxaprop-p-ethyl, fipronil, iprodione, irgarol, propanil, propiconazole, tebuconazole, and trifloxystrobin. The type and volume of extraction solvent, type and volume of disperser solvent, ionic strength and pH were optimized. All species were then quantified by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The limits of quantification (LOQs) ranged from 50 to 500 ng L −1 , and the linearity ranged from the LOQ of each compound up to 10,000 ng L −1 . Recoveries ranged from 63 to 120 %, with relative standard deviations lower than 14 %. It is making use of a low-toxicity and affordable extraction solvent (1-dodecanol) and was successfully applied to the analysis of surface water samples. (author)

  11. Advancing a conceptual model to improve maternal health quality: The Person-Centered Care Framework for Reproductive Health Equity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sudhinaraset, May; Afulani, Patience; Diamond-Smith, Nadia; Bhattacharyya, Sanghita; Donnay, France; Montagu, Dominic

    2017-11-06

    Background: Globally, substantial health inequities exist with regard to maternal, newborn and reproductive health. Lack of access to good quality care-across its many dimensions-is a key factor driving these inequities. Significant global efforts have been made towards improving the quality of care within facilities for maternal and reproductive health. However, one critically overlooked aspect of quality improvement activities is person-centered care. Main body: The objective of this paper is to review existing literature and theories related to person-centered reproductive health care to develop a framework for improving the quality of reproductive health, particularly in low and middle-income countries. This paper proposes the Person-Centered Care Framework for Reproductive Health Equity, which describes three levels of interdependent contexts for women's reproductive health: societal and community determinants of health equity, women's health-seeking behaviors, and the quality of care within the walls of the facility. It lays out eight domains of person-centered care for maternal and reproductive health. Conclusions: Person-centered care has been shown to improve outcomes; yet, there is no consensus on definitions and measures in the area of women's reproductive health care. The proposed Framework reviews essential aspects of person-centered reproductive health care.

  12. Understanding of advance care planning by family members of persons undergoing hemodialysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calvin, Amy O; Engebretson, Joan C; Sardual, S Alexander

    2014-11-01

    The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore hemodialysis patients' family members' understanding of end-of-life decision-making processes. The project aimed to address (a) family members' constructions of advance care planning (ACP), including their roles and responsibilities, and (b) family members' perceptions of health care providers' roles and responsibilities in ACP. Eighteen family members of persons undergoing hemodialysis were recruited primarily from outpatient dialysis facilities and interviewed individually. Confirmed transcript data were analyzed, coded, and compared, and categories were established. Interpretations were validated throughout the interviews and peer debriefing sessions were used at a later stage in the analysis. The overarching construct identified was one of Protection. Family members protect patients by (a) Sharing Burdens, (b) Normalizing Life, and (c) Personalizing Care. Recommendations for future research include the need to explore ACP of persons undergoing hemodialysis who do not have a family support system. © The Author(s) 2013.

  13. 'Pharmaceutical and chemical personal care products determination in natural and residual waters; Determinaciond e farmacos y productos quimicos de cuidado personal (PPcps) en aguas naturales y residuales

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jordi, R.; Gomez, M.; Vazquez, M. J.

    2004-07-01

    A quantitative, selected and sensitive method on liquid-liquid extraction (LLE)coupled to analysis by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) is described for analysis of a selected group of chemicals compounds used as pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPcPs). They are considered as persistent-emergent pollutants in natural and residual waters. The studied PPCPs- ibuprofen, diclofenac, benzafibrate, diazepan, carbamazepine, galaxolide, tonalide, celestolide, traseolide and cashmeran-are representative for three categories of PPCPs: acids and neutrals pahrmaceuticals and polycyclic synthetic musk, all of them with wide use. The effectiveness of the proposed method was higher than 90% in three different matrix, quantification limits, were at order of ng/L range. The estimated uncertainty was about 23% for all compounds. to asses the performance of the method, natural and wastewaters were analyzed. the obtained results showed that galaxolide, tonalide, ibuprofen, benzafibrate are the most frequently PPCP identified in these waters. Currently, concentrations found in the wastewater are ten times higher than those found in natural waters. No PPCP or very low concentrations were found in the tap water samples analyzed. (Author) 13 refs.

  14. Substance use among persons with homeless experience in primary care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stringfellow, Erin J; Kim, Theresa W; Gordon, Adam J; Pollio, David E; Grucza, Richard A; Austin, Erika L; Johnson, N Kay; Kertesz, Stefan G

    2016-01-01

    Community survey data suggest high prevalence of substance use disorders among currently homeless individuals. There are less data regarding illicit drug and alcohol use problems of homeless-experienced persons engaged in primary care. They may have less severe use and require different care responses from primary care teams. The authors surveyed currently and formerly homeless, i.e., homeless-experienced, persons engaged in primary care at five federally funded programs in the United States, administering the World Health Organization (WHO) Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST). The ASSIST definitions of lower, moderate, and high risk were used to assess a spectrum of lifetime and recent substance use, from any use to likely dependence, and to identify sociodemographic and health status characteristics associated with severity of use. Almost one half of the sample (N = 601) had recently (within the past three months) used alcohol, and one third had recently used an illicit drug. The most commonly used illicit drugs in the past three months were cannabis (19%), cocaine (16%), and opioids (7.5%). Over one half (59%) of respondents had ASSIST-defined moderate- or high-risk substance use. A significant proportion (31%) of those identified as at moderate risk had no recent substance use, but did report past problematic use. Ten percent of the lower-risk group had past problematic use of alcohol. Severity of use was associated with worse health status, but not with housing status or type of homelessness experienced. Less severe (moderate-risk) use and past problematic use, potentially indicative of remitted substance use disorders, were more common than high-risk use in this primary care, homeless-experienced sample. These findings highlight the urgency of identifying effective ways to reduce risky substance use and prevent relapse in homeless-experienced persons.

  15. Adult antisocial personality traits are associated with experiences of low parental care and maternal overprotection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reti, I M; Samuels, J F; Eaton, W W; Bienvenu, O J; Costa, P T; Nestadt, G

    2002-08-01

    To investigate the role of parenting in the development of adult antisocial personality traits. A total of 742 community-based subjects were assessed for adult DSM-IV antisocial personality disorder traits and for measures of parental behavior experienced as children, including by the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). Three fundamental dimensions of parental behavior - care, behavioral restrictiveness and denial of psychological autonomy - were derived by factor analysis from the PBI. These dimensions significantly correlated with measures of parental behavior considered influential in later antisocial behavior. Adult antisocial traits in males were associated with low maternal care and high maternal behavioral restrictiveness, and in females, antisocial traits were associated with low paternal care and high maternal denial of psychological autonomy. These dimensions did not, however, explain all variance parental behavior has on adult antisocial personality traits. Adult antisocial personality traits are associated with experiences of low parental care and maternal overprotection.

  16. Racial/Ethnic and social class differences in preventive care practices among persons with diabetes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Barnett Elizabeth

    2006-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Persons with diabetes are at increased risk for serious complications including CVD, stroke, retinopathy, amputation, and nephropathy. Minorities have the highest incidence and prevalence of diabetes and related complications compared to other racial groups. Preventive care practices such as smoking cessation, eye examinations, feet examinations, and yearly checkups can prevent or delay the incidence and progression of diabetes related complications. The purpose of this study was to examine racial/ethnic differences in diabetes preventive care practices by several socio-demographic characteristics including social class. Methods Data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey for 1998–2001 were used for analyses. The study population consisted of persons who indicated having diabetes on the BRFSS, 35 yrs and older, and Non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic White, or Hispanic persons. Logistic regression was used in analyses. Results Contrary to our hypotheses, Blacks and Hispanics engaged in preventive care more frequently than Whites. Whites were less likely to have seen a doctor in the previous year, less likely to have had a foot exam, more likely to smoke, and less likely to have attempted smoking cessation. Persons of lower social class were at greatest risk for not receiving preventive care regardless of race/ethnicity. Persons with no health care coverage were twice as likely to have not visited the doctor in the previous year and twice as likely to have not had an eye exam, 1.5 times more likely to have not had a foot exam or attempted smoking cessation. Conclusion This study showed that persons of lower social class and persons with no health insurance are at greatest risk for not receiving preventive services.

  17. Digital Technologies Supporting Person-Centered Integrated Care – A Perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John Øvretveit

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Shared electronic health and social care records in some service systems are already showing some of the benefits of digital technology and digital data for integrating health and social care. These records are one example of the beginning “digitalisation” of services that gives a glimpse of the potential of digital technology and systems for building coordinated and individualized integrated care. Yet the promise has been greater than the benefits, and progress has been slow compared to other industries. This paper describes for non-technical readers how information technology was used to support integrated care schemes in six EU services, and suggests practical ways forward to use the new opportunities to build person-centered integrated care.

  18. Digital Technologies Supporting Person-Centered Integrated Care – A Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-01-01

    Shared electronic health and social care records in some service systems are already showing some of the benefits of digital technology and digital data for integrating health and social care. These records are one example of the beginning “digitalisation” of services that gives a glimpse of the potential of digital technology and systems for building coordinated and individualized integrated care. Yet the promise has been greater than the benefits, and progress has been slow compared to other industries. This paper describes for non-technical readers how information technology was used to support integrated care schemes in six EU services, and suggests practical ways forward to use the new opportunities to build person-centered integrated care. PMID:29588629

  19. How grayscale influences consumers’ perception of product personality

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hung, W.-K.; Chen, Y.; Chen, L.

    Two studies are conducted to reveal the effect of grayscale on consumers' perception of product personality. Combining with two critical design elements - shape and surface finishing, we examined the net impact of grayscale on a particular one - business-like personality. In Study 1, eighteen cases

  20. Quality of care for frail older persons in a homecare setting: what is it and how can it be measured?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cohen-Mansfield, Jiska; Sela, Adi Hannah; Iecovich, Esther; Golander, Hava

    2017-11-02

    As more older persons opt to age in place, there is a growing trend to hire migrant workers as live-in caregivers to care for them. This raises the need to examine the quality of care they receive within this unique care setting. The objective of this pilot study was to establish the components of quality of care as provided by migrant live-in caregivers. We interviewed a convenience sample of older persons cared for by migrant live-in caregivers and their relatives. When relatives reported that older persons could not be interviewed due to advanced dementia, only relatives were interviewed. Overall, 72 older persons and 117 relatives were interviewed. We used the Quality of Care Questionnaire (QuCQ) developed for this study to examine the main components of quality of care in this population. Factor analysis using older persons' data revealed two factors. In the first factor, "caretaking," items concerning provision of prompt care exhibited the highest loadings. Items measuring interpersonal aspects of the care dynamic had the highest loadings in the second factor, thus labeled "relationship." The factor analysis based on relatives' data yielded similarities and differences with the one based on older persons' data. Yet, there were significant correlations between relative and older persons' responses when using the older persons' factor structure. According to older persons and relatives, quality of care depends on the extent to which older persons' care-related needs, as well as social ones, are addressed. Appropriate evaluation of quality of care in the live-in setting is important for its improvement.

  1. Psychiatric symptomatology and personality in a population of primary care patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maja Biała

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available introduction and objective. Psychiatric disorders (and their high rates of prevalence in primary care have been widely analyzed, but the problem of underdiagnosis remains unresolved. This becomes increasingly more important in rural health centres in the face of lack of epidemiological data from these centres. The aim of this study is focused on the relationship between general health, psychiatric symptomatology and personality characteristics in the context of an adequate diagnosis. materials and methods. 518 primary care patients in 6 Polish urban clinical centres were studied using (in order of administration: a sociodemographic questionnaire, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28 and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ-R. results. The investigated sample was representative for urban primary care patients. The findings confirmed a significant association between neuroticism and general health. The strongest relation with current functioning and mental distress of the patients (GHQ general score was observed in case of symptoms of anxiety and insomnia. The symptoms of depression may be the most difficult to identify (psychiatric symptoms assessed using GHQ sub-scales. conclusions. According to the GHQ assumptions and confirmed by the presented study, sub-threshold psychiatric symptomatology affects the functioning of primary care patients and their general health. This correlates with personality factors. Improving adequacy of diagnosis becomes extremely important, as it may often be the only chance for appropriate therapy of mental problems for people living in rural areas due to lower availability of specialistic mental services. Further epidemiological studies concerning rural primary care and prevalence of the spectrum of mental disorders need to be conducted.

  2. Diagnosis of compliance of health care product processing in Primary Health Care

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Camila Eugenia Roseira

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Objective: identify the compliance of health care product processing in Primary Health Care and assess possible differences in the compliance among the services characterized as Primary Health Care Service and Family Health Service. Method: quantitative, observational, descriptive and inferential study with the application of structure, process and outcome indicators of the health care product processing at ten services in an interior city of the State of São Paulo - Brazil. Results: for all indicators, the compliance indices were inferior to the ideal levels. No statistically significant difference was found in the indicators between the two types of services investigated. The health care product cleaning indicators obtained the lowest compliance index, while the indicator technical-operational resources for the preparation, conditioning, disinfection/sterilization, storage and distribution of health care products obtained the best index. Conclusion: the diagnosis of compliance of health care product processing at the services assessed indicates that the quality of the process is jeopardized, as no results close to ideal levels were obtained at any service. In addition, no statistically significant difference in these indicators was found between the two types of services studied.

  3. Guidelines to facilitate self-care among older persons in South Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tinda Rabie

    2015-06-01

    Implications for practice: The implementation of the self-care guidelines by the public health sector, professional nurses and older persons will improve the healthcare of older persons at home which will in turn improve their quality of life, reduce unintentional self-neglect, as well as assist in alleviating overcrowding in clinics because unnecessary visits to the clinic will drop.

  4. How to Choose the Best Skin Care Products

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Skin Care Products How to Choose the Best Skin Care Products Looking for a quick fix to erase wrinkles, ... available, the beauty aisle can be overwhelming. Some skin care products are overpriced and make claims they can’t ...

  5. Infrastructure for Personalized Medicine at Partners HealthCare

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Scott T. Weiss

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Partners HealthCare Personalized Medicine (PPM is a center within the Partners HealthCare system (founded by Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital whose mission is to utilize genetics and genomics to improve the care of patients in a cost effective manner. PPM consists of five interconnected components: (1 Laboratory for Molecular Medicine (LMM, a CLIA laboratory performing genetic testing for patients world-wide; (2 Translational Genomics Core (TGC, a core laboratory providing genomic platforms for Partners investigators; (3 Partners Biobank, a biobank of samples (DNA, plasma and serum for 50,000 Consented Partners patients; (4 Biobank Portal, an IT infrastructure and viewer to bring together genotypes, samples, phenotypes (validated diagnoses, radiology, and clinical chemistry from the electronic medical record to Partners investigators. These components are united by (5 a common IT system that brings researchers, clinicians, and patients together for optimal research and patient care.

  6. Life cycle environmental impacts of advanced wastewater treatment techniques for removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zepon Tarpani, Raphael Ricardo; Azapagic, Adisa

    2018-06-01

    Pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) are of increasing interest because of their ecotoxicological properties and environmental impacts. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are the main pathway for their release into freshwaters due to the inefficiency of conventional WWTPs in removing many of these contaminants from effluents. Therefore, different advanced effluent treatment techniques have been proposed for their treatment. However, it is not known at present how effective these treatment methods are and whether on a life cycle basis they cause other environmental impacts which may outweigh the benefits of the treatment. In an effort to provide an insight into this question, this paper considers life cycle environmental impacts of the following advanced treatment techniques aimed at reducing freshwater ecotoxicity potential of PPCPs: granular activated carbon (GAC), nanofiltration (NF), solar photo-Fenton (SPF) and ozonation. The results suggest that on average NF has the lowest impacts for 13 out of 18 categories considered. GAC is the best alternative for five impacts, including metals and water depletion, but it has the highest marine eutrophication. SPF and ozonation are the least sustainable for eight impacts, including ecotoxicity and climate change. GAC and NF are also more efficient in treating heavy metals while avoiding generation of harmful by-products during the treatment, thus being more suitable for potable reuse of wastewater. However, releasing the effluent without advanced treatment to agricultural land achieves a much higher reduction of freshwater ecotoxicity than treating it by any of the advanced treatments and releasing to the environment. Therefore, the use of advanced effluent treatment for agricultural purposes is not recommended. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. The Impact of Person-Organization Fit on Nurse Job Satisfaction and Patient Care Quality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Risman, K L; Erickson, Rebecca J; Diefendorff, James M

    2016-08-01

    In the current healthcare context, large health care organizations may increasingly emphasize profit, biomedicine, efficiency, and customer service in the delivery of care. This orientation toward nursing work by large organizations may be perceived by nurses as incompatible with professional caring. Ordinary Least Squares regression was used to explore the impact of person-organization fit (i.e., value congruence between self and employing organization) on nurses' general job satisfaction and quality of patient care (n=753). Nurses' perceived person-organization fit is a significant predictor of general job satisfaction and quality of patient care. The implications of our findings are discussed and recommendations for nursing leaders and future research are made. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. The emergence of personal growth amongst healthcare professionals who care for dying children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beaune, Laura; Muskat, Barbara; Anthony, Samantha J

    2018-06-01

    ABSTRACTObjective:Compassion fatigue, burnout, and vicarious traumatization are prominent topics in the current literature on the impact of the rewarding but challenging work of healthcare professionals who care for patients with life-limiting illnesses. The positive effects of caregiving constitute a newly emerging outcome that has been relatively unexplored in the pediatric literature, and yet they may play an important role in contributing to the satisfaction and well-being of the healthcare professionals who care for children who have a life-limiting illness. This paper reports the results of a secondary analysis of qualitative interview transcripts that explored the experiences of hospital-based pediatric healthcare providers caring for children with varied life-limiting illnesses. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 25 healthcare professionals (9 social workers, 8 nurses, and 8 physicians). The majority of participants were women (80%), with an age range between 20 and 60 years, and most (84%) had the experience of caring for more than 15 dying children. Thematic analysis was conducted using interpretive description and constant comparison. Every healthcare professional interviewed experienced personal growth as a result of their providing care for dying children. Three dimensions of personal growth were most consistently reported: (1) new or altered life perspectives, (2) enhanced personal resources, and (3) benevolence. A deeper understanding of the phenomenon of personal growth could help healthcare organizations to implement innovative approaches that would counterbalance compassion fatigue, and thereby enhance both healthcare provider well-being and child and family outcomes.

  9. The relationships between the combination of person- and organization-related conditions and patients' perceptions of palliative care quality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sandsdalen, Tuva; Høye, Sevald; Rystedt, Ingrid; Grøndahl, Vigdis Abrahamsen; Hov, Reidun; Wilde-Larsson, Bodil

    2017-12-06

    Little is known about the combination of person- and organization- related conditions and the relationships with patients' perspectives of care quality. Such a combination could contribute knowledge reflecting the complexity of clinical practice, and enhance individualized care. The aim was to investigate the relationships between the combination of person- and organization-related conditions and patients' perceptions of palliative care quality. A cross-sectional study, including 191 patients in the late palliative phase (73% response rate) admitted to hospice inpatient care (n = 72), hospice day care (n = 51), palliative units in nursing homes (n = 30) and home care (n = 38), was conducted between November 2013 and December 2014, using the instrument Quality from the Patients' Perspective specific to palliative care (QPP-PC). Data were analysed, using analysis of covariance, to explore the amount of the variance in the dependent variables (QPP-PC) that could be explained by combination of the independent variables - Person- and organization-related conditions, - while controlling for differences in covariates. Patients scored the care received and the subjective importance as moderate to high. The combination of person- and organization - related conditions revealed that patients with a high sense of coherence, lower age (person - related conditions) and being in a ward with access to and availability of physicians (organization-related condition) might be associated with significantly higher scores for the quality of care received. Gender (women), daily contact with family and friends, and low health-related quality of life (person-related conditions) might be associated with higher scores for subjective importance of the aspects of care quality. Healthcare personnel, leaders and policy makers need to pay attention to person- and organization-related conditions in order to provide person-centered palliative care of high quality. Further studies from

  10. Not only biocidal products: Washing and cleaning agents and personal care products can act as further sources of biocidal active substances in wastewater.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wieck, Stefanie; Olsson, Oliver; Kümmerer, Klaus

    2018-06-01

    The emission sources of biocidal active substances in households have been under discussion since these substances have been detected frequently in municipal wastewater and receiving surface water bodies. Therefore, the goal of this study was to investigate the products responsible for the emission of these substances to wastewater. We analysed the wastewater of two streets for a set of biocidal active substances. Time-proportional sampling was conducted for one week of each season during one year in each street. The 14 substances analysed with liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry were 1,2-benzisothiazol-3(2H)-one (BIT), C 12 -benzalkonium chloride, carbendazim, 5-chloro-2-methyl-2H-isothiazol-3-one (CMIT), dichlorooctylisothiazolinone (DCOIT), N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET), diuron, icaridine, 2-octyl-2H-isothiazol-3-one (OIT), piperonyl butoxide (PBO), triclosan, tebuconazole, terbutryn and tetramethrin. Using data available from household product inventories of the two streets, we searched the lists of ingredients for the products possibly being responsible for the emissions. Except for four substances, all substances have been detected in at least 10% of the samples. Highest concentrations were measured for C 12 -benzalkonium chloride with an average concentration in the daily samples of 7.7 μg/L in one of the streets. Next to C 12 -benzalkonium chloride, BIT, DEET and icaridine were detected in all samples in average concentrations above 1 μg/L in at least one street. The results show that washing and cleaning agents were important sources for preservatives such as BIT and OIT, while triclosan was apparently mainly emitted through personal care products. The mosquito repelling substances DEET and icaridine were found throughout the year, with highest emissions in summer and autumn. In conclusion, the results demonstrate that the sources of biocidal active substances in municipal wastewater are complex and that measures for the

  11. Characterization of heavy users of skin care products among Norwegian women from 2003 to 2011.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aniansson, Boel; Veierød, Marit B; Rylander, Charlotta; Lund, Eiliv; Sandanger, Torkjel M

    2016-01-01

    Several ingredients in personal care products (PCPs) have been classified as endocrine disruptors (EDs) and concern has been raised whether use of PCPs can affect human health. We aimed to characterize Norwegian female users of skin care products and compare life style characteristics between heavy users and non-users. This cross-sectional study consisted of 114 202 women (age 41-76 years) participating in the Norwegian Women and Cancer study, a large population-based prospective cohort study. Based on self-reported questionnaire data, we classified the study subjects into five groups according to a calculated percentage of skin area creamed per day. Life-style characteristics were then compared between heavy users (using body lotion twice a day) and non-users. Change in use from 2003 to 2011 was assessed through repeated measurements ( n  = 8484). Heavy users of skin care products had a significantly lower BMI, higher level of physical activity, higher income, higher alcohol consumption, fewer children and a shorter total time of breastfeeding than non-users ( p  skin care products was, to a moderate extent (weighted kappa 0.52), consistent over time from 2003 to 2011, and as many as 91.5% of the women were classified into the same user group ±1 category in 2003 and 2011. Heavy users of skin care products differ significantly from non-users on BMI, degree of daily physical activity, income, number of children, use of hormonal pharmaceuticals, smoking and alcohol consumption. Use of skin care products is common among women aged 41-76 years in Norway, and the use is consistent over time.

  12. Signal processing to evaluate parameters affecting SPE for multi-residue analysis of personal care products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pietrogrande, Maria Chiara; Basaglia, Giulia; Dondi, Francesco

    2009-05-01

    This paper discusses the development of a comprehensive method for the simultaneous analysis of personal care products (PCPs) based on SPE and GC-MS. The method was developed on 29 target compounds to represent PCPs belonging to different chemical classes: surfactants in detergents (alkyl benzenes), fragrances in cosmetics (nitro and polycyclic musks), antioxidants and preservatives (phenols), plasticizers (phthalates) displaying a wide range of volatility, polarity, water solubility. In addition to the conventional C(18) stationary phase, a surface modified styrene divinylbenzene polymeric phase (Strata X SPE cartridge) has been investigated as suitable for the simultaneous extraction of several PCPs with polar and non-polar characteristics. For both sorbents different solvent compositions and eluting conditions were tested and compared in order to achieve high extraction efficiency for as many sample components as possible. Comparison of the behavior of the two cartridges reveals that, overall, Strata-X provides better efficiency with extraction recovery higher than 70% for most of the PCPs investigated. The best results were obtained under the following operative conditions: an evaporation temperature of 40 degrees C, elution on Strata-X cartridge using a volume of 15 mL of ethyl acetate (EA) as solvent and operating with slow flow rate (-10 KPa). In addition to the conventional method based on peak integration, a chemometric approach based on the computation of the experimental autocovariance function (EACVF(tot)) was applied to the complex GC-MS signal: the percentage recovery and information on peak abundance distribution can be evaluated for each procedure step. The PC-based signal processing proved very helpful in assisting the development of the analytical procedure, since it saves labor and time and increases result reliability in handling GC complex signals.

  13. COLLAGE 360: A Model of Person-Centered Care To Promote Health Among Older Adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howard, Elizabeth P; Schreiber, Robert; Morris, John N; Russotto, Aline; Flashner-Fineman, Susan

    2016-01-01

    Health care leaders and providers have introduced the assumption the typical elder, even in the presence of complex, chronic disease and prevailing illness, is capable of assuming greater personal responsibility for their health care, with a shift from provider-centered to a person-centered model of care. For older adults who often and repeatedly face challenges managing and maintaining their health status, guidance and support is needed. In this study, COLLAGE 360 , a comprehensive assessment system and wellness coaching program that focuses on prevention and wellness, care coordination and self-management of health care was implemented in one continuing care retirement community. Following completion of two assessment tools via directed conversation with a wellness coach, older adults developed an individualized vitality plan that outlined life goals, supporting goals and action plans for goal achievement. Results from this program suggest engagement in the assessment and wellness coaching process via the COLLAGE 360 program translated into sample older adults sensing that they live in a more supportive environment when compared with elders not receiving any wellness coaching. In addition, the older adults had positive effects in the areas of mood, loneliness, social interaction, health status, and life satisfaction. Strategies to improve health and well being need an extended focus beyond the older adult's medical conditions and consider psychological, spiritual and social needs with personal preferences being paramount. These issues are foundational to a person-centered, health promotion approach needed among this population.

  14. The evolving role of the personal support worker in home care in Ontario, Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saari, Margaret; Patterson, Erin; Kelly, Shawna; Tourangeau, Ann E

    2018-03-01

    To meet increasing demand for home care, the role of personal support workers (PSWs) is shifting from providing primarily personal and supportive care to include care activities previously provided by regulated health professionals (RHPs). Much of the research examining this shift focuses on specialty programmes, with few studies investigating the daily care being provided by PSWs, frequency of care activities being provided by PSWs, and characteristics of the population receiving more complex tasks. Between January and April 2015, a review of 517 home-care service user charts was undertaken in Ontario, Canada, to: (1) describe the range of tasks being performed by PSWs in home care, (2) identify tasks transferred by RHPs to PSWs, and (3) examine characteristics of service users receiving transferred care. Findings indicate that normally, PSWs provide personal and supportive care commensurate with their training. However, in approximately one quarter of care plans reviewed, PSWs also completed more complex care activities transferred to them by RHPs. Service users receiving transferred care were older and had higher levels of cognitive and functional impairment. Although there is potential for the expansion of home-care services through increased utilisation of PSWs, healthcare leadership must ensure that the right provider is being utilised at the right time and in the right place to ensure safe and effective quality care. Thus, several actions are recommended: PSW core competencies be clearly articulated, processes used to transfer care activities from RHPs to PSWs be standardised and a team-based approach to the delivery of home-care services be considered. Utilisation of a team-based model can help establish positive relationships among home-care providers, provide increased support for PSWs, allow for easier scheduling of initial training and ensure regular reassessments of PSW competence among PSWs providing added skills. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  15. Medical Students' Personal Qualities and Values as Correlates of Primary Care Interest

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borges, Nicole J.; Jones, Bonnie J.

    2004-01-01

    Medical schools must use selection methods that validly measure applicants' noncognitive qualities, but primary-care (PC) schools have a particular need. This study correlated entering students' personality and values scores with their professed interest in PC. 93 medical students completed instruments assessing personality (16PF & PSP), values,…

  16. Facial skin care products and cosmetics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Draelos, Zoe Diana

    2014-01-01

    Facial skin care products and cosmetics can both aid or incite facial dermatoses. Properly selected skin care can create an environment for barrier repair aiding in the re-establishment of a healing biofilm and diminution of facial redness; however, skin care products that aggressively remove intercellular lipids or cause irritation must be eliminated before the red face will resolve. Cosmetics are an additive variable either aiding or challenging facial skin health. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Making Personalized Health Care Even More Personalized: Insights From Activities of the IOM Genomics Roundtable.

    Science.gov (United States)

    David, Sean P; Johnson, Samuel G; Berger, Adam C; Feero, W Gregory; Terry, Sharon F; Green, Larry A; Phillips, Robert L; Ginsburg, Geoffrey S

    2015-01-01

    Genomic research has generated much new knowledge into mechanisms of human disease, with the potential to catalyze novel drug discovery and development, prenatal and neonatal screening, clinical pharmacogenomics, more sensitive risk prediction, and enhanced diagnostics. Genomic medicine, however, has been limited by critical evidence gaps, especially those related to clinical utility and applicability to diverse populations. Genomic medicine may have the greatest impact on health care if it is integrated into primary care, where most health care is received and where evidence supports the value of personalized medicine grounded in continuous healing relationships. Redesigned primary care is the most relevant setting for clinically useful genomic medicine research. Taking insights gained from the activities of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Roundtable on Translating Genomic-Based Research for Health, we apply lessons learned from the patient-centered medical home national experience to implement genomic medicine in a patient-centered, learning health care system. © 2015 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.

  18. Occurrence of herbicides and pharmaceutical and personal care products in surface water and groundwater around Liberty Bay, Puget Sound, Washington.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dougherty, Jennifer A; Swarzenski, Peter W; Dinicola, Richard S; Reinhard, Martin

    2010-01-01

    Organic contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), pose a risk to water quality and the health of ecosystems. This study was designed to determine if a coastal community lacking point sources, such as waste water treatment plant effluent, could release PPCPs, herbicides, and plasticizers at detectable levels to their surface water and groundwater. Research was conducted in Liberty Bay, an embayment within Puget Sound, where 70% of the population (-10,000) uses septic systems. Sampling included collection of groundwater and surface water with grab samples and the use of polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS). We analyzed for a broad spectrum of 25 commonly used compounds, including PPCPs, herbicides, and a flame retardant. Twelve contaminants were detected at least once; only N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide, caffeine, and mecoprop, a herbicide not attributed to septic systems, were detected in more than one grab sample. The use of POCIS was essential because contaminants were present at very low levels (nanograms), which is common for PPCPs in general, but particularly so in such a small community. The use of POCIS allowed the detection of five compounds that were not present in grab samples. Data suggest that the community is contaminating local water with PPCPs; this effect is likely to increase as the population and product usage increase. The results presented here are a first step toward assessing the transport of herbicides and PPCPs into this coastal system.

  19. Medical and Personal Care Applications of Bacteriocins Produced by Lactic Acid Bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dicks, L. M. T.; Heunis, T. D. J.; van Staden, D. A.; Brand, A.; Noll, K. Sutyak; Chikindas, M. L.

    The frequent use of antibiotics has led to a crisis in the antibiotic ­resistance of pathogens associated with humans and animals. Antibiotic resistance and the emergence of multiresistant bacterial pathogens have led to the investigation of alternative antimicrobial agents to treat and prevent infections in both humans and animals. Research on antimicrobial peptides, with a special interest on bacteriocins of lactic acid bacteria, is entering a new era with novel applications other than food preservation. Many scientists are now focusing on the application of these peptides in medicinal and personal care products. However, it is difficult to assess the success of such ventures due to the dearth of information that has been published and the lack of clinical trials.

  20. Improving person-centred care in nursing homes through dementia-care mapping: design of a cluster-randomised controlled trial

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-01

    Background The effectiveness and efficiency of nursing-home dementia care are suboptimal: there are high rates of neuropsychiatric symptoms among the residents and work-related stress among the staff. Dementia-care mapping is a person-centred care method that may alleviate both the resident and the staff problems. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of dementia-care mapping in nursing-home dementia care. Methods/Design The study is a cluster-randomised controlled trial, with nursing homes grouped in clusters. Studywise minimisation is the allocation method. Nursing homes in the intervention group will receive a dementia-care-mapping intervention, while the control group will receive usual care. The primary outcome measure is resident agitation, to be assessed with the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory. The secondary outcomes are resident neuropsychiatric symptoms, assessed with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory - Nursing Homes and quality of life, assessed with Qualidem and the EQ-5D. The staff outcomes are stress reactions, job satisfaction and job-stress-related absenteeism, and staff turnover rate, assessed with the Questionnaire about Experience and Assessment of Work, the General Health Questionnaire-12, and the Maastricht Job Satisfaction Scale for Health Care, respectively. We will collect the data from the questionnaires and electronic registration systems. We will employ linear mixed-effect models and cost-effectiveness analyses to evaluate the outcomes. We will use structural equation modelling in the secondary analysis to evaluate the plausibility of a theoretical model regarding the effectiveness of the dementia-care mapping intervention. We will set up process analyses, including focus groups with staff, to determine the relevant facilitators of and barriers to implementing dementia-care mapping broadly. Discussion A novelty of dementia-care mapping is that it offers an integral person

  1. Improving person-centred care in nursing homes through dementia-care mapping: design of a cluster-randomised controlled trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    van de Ven Geertje

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The effectiveness and efficiency of nursing-home dementia care are suboptimal: there are high rates of neuropsychiatric symptoms among the residents and work-related stress among the staff. Dementia-care mapping is a person-centred care method that may alleviate both the resident and the staff problems. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of dementia-care mapping in nursing-home dementia care. Methods/Design The study is a cluster-randomised controlled trial, with nursing homes grouped in clusters. Studywise minimisation is the allocation method. Nursing homes in the intervention group will receive a dementia-care-mapping intervention, while the control group will receive usual care. The primary outcome measure is resident agitation, to be assessed with the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory. The secondary outcomes are resident neuropsychiatric symptoms, assessed with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory - Nursing Homes and quality of life, assessed with Qualidem and the EQ-5D. The staff outcomes are stress reactions, job satisfaction and job-stress-related absenteeism, and staff turnover rate, assessed with the Questionnaire about Experience and Assessment of Work, the General Health Questionnaire-12, and the Maastricht Job Satisfaction Scale for Health Care, respectively. We will collect the data from the questionnaires and electronic registration systems. We will employ linear mixed-effect models and cost-effectiveness analyses to evaluate the outcomes. We will use structural equation modelling in the secondary analysis to evaluate the plausibility of a theoretical model regarding the effectiveness of the dementia-care mapping intervention. We will set up process analyses, including focus groups with staff, to determine the relevant facilitators of and barriers to implementing dementia-care mapping broadly. Discussion A novelty of dementia-care mapping is that it offers an

  2. Safety evaluations under the proposed US Safe Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Act of 2013: animal use and cost estimates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knight, Jean; Rovida, Costanca

    2014-01-01

    The proposed Safe Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Act of 2013 calls for a new evaluation program for cosmetic ingredients in the US, with the new assessments initially dependent on expanded animal testing. This paper considers possible testing scenarios under the proposed Act and estimates the number of test animals and cost under each scenario. It focuses on the impact for the first 10 years of testing, the period of greatest impact on animals and costs. The analysis suggests the first 10 years of testing under the Act could evaluate, at most, about 50% of ingredients used in cosmetics. Testing during this period would cost about $ 1.7-$ 9 billion and 1-11.5 million animals. By test year 10, alternative, high-throughput test methods under development are expected to be available, replacing animal testing and allowing rapid evaluation of all ingredients. Given the high cost in dollars and animal lives of the first 10 years for only about half of ingredients, a better choice may be to accelerate development of high-throughput methods. This would allow evaluation of 100% of cosmetic ingredients before year 10 at lower cost and without animal testing.

  3. Occurrence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products and associated environmental risks in the central and lower Yangtze river, China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Chenxi; Huang, Xiaolong; Witter, Jason D; Spongberg, Alison L; Wang, Kexiong; Wang, Ding; Liu, Jiantong

    2014-08-01

    Pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) residues are being highlighted around the world as of emerging concern in surface waters. Here the occurrence of PPCPs in the central and lower Yangtze River, along with four large freshwater lakes within the river basin (Dongting, Poyang, Tai, and Chao) was reported. Fifteen out of twenty selected PPCPs were detected in the collected surface water samples. Caffeine, paraxanthine, sulfamethazine, and clindamycin were detected with 100 percent frequency in the Yangtze River. In the river, the highest average concentration was observed for erythromycin (296 ng L(-1)), followed by caffeine (142 ng L(-1)) and paraxanthine (41 ng L(-1)). In the four lakes, total PPCP concentrations were much higher in the Chao (1547 ng L(-1)) and Tai (1087 ng L(-1)) lakes compared to the Poyang (108 ng L(-1)) and Dongting (137 ng L(-1)) lakes. Lincomycin and clindamycin were most abundant in the lakes, especially in the Tai Lake. Environmental risk assessment for the worst case scenario was assessed using calculated risk quotients, and indicates a high environmental risk of erythromycin and clarithromycin in the Yangtze River, clarithromycin in the Chao Lake, and clindamycin in the Tai Lake. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Developing personal values: trainees' attitudes toward strikes by health care providers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Su-Ting T; Srinivasan, Malathi; Der-Martirosian, Claudia; Kravitz, Richard L; Wilkes, Michael S

    2011-05-01

    Worldwide, health care providers use strikes and job actions to influence policy. For health care providers, especially physicians, strikes create an ethical tension between an obligation to care for current patients (e.g., to provide care and avoid abandonment) and an obligation to better care for future patients by seeking system improvements (e.g., improvements in safety, to access, and in the composition and strength of the health care workforce). This tension is further intensified when the potential benefit of a strike involves professional self-interest and the potential risk involves patient harm or death. By definition, trainees are still forming their professional identities and values, including their opinions on fair wages, health policy, employee benefits, professionalism, and strikes. In this article, the authors explore these ethical tensions, beginning with a discussion of reactions to a potential 2005 nursing strike at the University of California, Davis, Medical Center. The authors then propose a conceptual model describing factors that may influence health care providers' decisions to strike (including personal ethics, personal agency, and strike-related context). In particular, the authors explore the relationship between training level and attitudes toward taking a job action, such as going on strike. Because trainees' attitudes toward strikes continue to evolve during training, the authors maintain that open discussion around the ethics of health care professionals' strikes and other methods of conflict resolution should be included in medical education to enhance professionalism and systems-based practice training. The authors include sample case vignettes to help initiate these important discussions. Copyright © by the Association of American medical Colleges.

  5. The tension between person centred and task focused care in an acute surgical setting: A critical ethnography

    OpenAIRE

    Sharp, Sandra.; Mcallister, Margaret.; Broadbent, Mark.

    2017-01-01

    Problem: Person centred care is a key indicator of quality care and a policy direction in many hospitals yet some patients experience care that falls short of this standard.Background: Health services worldwide are prioritising the delivery of person centred in order to address historical concerns over patient safety and quality care and to improve workplace morale. Workplaceculture is known to affect nurses’ care giving.Question: This research aimed to uncover the cultural factors that hinde...

  6. Changes in the Metabolome in Response to Low-Dose Exposure to Environmental Chemicals Used in Personal Care Products during Different Windows of Susceptibility

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Houten, Sander M.; Chen, Jia; Belpoggi, Fiorella; Manservisi, Fabiana; Sánchez-Guijo, Alberto; Wudy, Stefan A.; Teitelbaum, Susan L.

    2016-01-01

    The consequences of ubiquitous exposure to environmental chemicals remain poorly defined. Non-targeted metabolomic profiling is an emerging method to identify biomarkers of the physiological response to such exposures. We investigated the effect of three commonly used ingredients in personal care

  7. Personalizing death in the intensive care unit: the 3 Wishes Project: a mixed-methods study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cook, Deborah; Swinton, Marilyn; Toledo, Feli; Clarke, France; Rose, Trudy; Hand-Breckenridge, Tracey; Boyle, Anne; Woods, Anne; Zytaruk, Nicole; Heels-Ansdell, Diane; Sheppard, Robert

    2015-08-18

    Dying in the complex, efficiency-driven environment of the intensive care unit can be dehumanizing for the patient and have profound, long-lasting consequences for all persons attendant to that death. To bring peace to the final days of a patient's life and to ease the grieving process. Mixed-methods study. 21-bed medical-surgical intensive care unit. Dying patients and their families and clinicians. To honor each patient, a set of wishes was generated by patients, family members, or clinicians. The wishes were implemented before or after death by patients, families, clinicians (6 of whom were project team members), or the project team. Quantitative data included demographic characteristics, processes of care, and scores on the Quality of End-of-Life Care-10 instrument. Semistructured interviews of family members and clinicians were transcribed verbatim, and qualitative description was used to analyze them. Participants included 40 decedents, at least 1 family member per patient, and 3 clinicians per patient. The 159 wishes were implemented and classified into 5 categories: humanizing the environment, tributes, family reconnections, observances, and "paying it forward." Scores on the Quality of End-of-Life Care-10 instrument were high. The central theme from 160 interviews of 170 persons was how the 3 Wishes Project personalized the dying process. For patients, eliciting and customizing the wishes honored them by celebrating their lives and dignifying their deaths. For families, it created positive memories and individualized end-of-life care for their loved ones. For clinicians, it promoted interprofessional care and humanism in practice. Impaired consciousness limited understanding of patients' viewpoints. The 3 Wishes Project facilitated personalization of the dying process through explicit integration of palliative and spiritual care into critical care practice. Hamilton Academy of Health Science Research Organization, Canadian Intensive Care Foundation.

  8. Perspectives of health and self-care among older persons-To be implemented in an interactive information and communication technology-platform.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Göransson, Carina; Wengström, Yvonne; Ziegert, Kristina; Langius-Eklöf, Ann; Eriksson, Irene; Kihlgren, Annica; Blomberg, Karin

    2017-12-01

    To acquire knowledge regarding the contents to be implemented in an interactive information and communication technology-platform perceived to be relevant to health and self-care among older persons based on the literature, healthcare professionals and the older persons themselves. The growing ageing population places demands on the healthcare system to promote healthy ageing and to strengthen the older person's self-care ability. This requires innovative approaches to facilitate communication between the older person and healthcare professionals, and to increase the older person's participation in their care. An information and communication technology-platform could be used for this purpose, but the content needs to be relevant to both the older persons and the healthcare professionals. Descriptive qualitative design. This study was based on three samplings: a scoping review of the literature (n = 20 articles), interviews with healthcare professionals (n = 5) and a secondary analysis of interviews with older persons (n = 8) and nursing assistants (n = 7). The data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Four areas were identified to be of relevance to older persons' perceived health: frame of mind, having relationships and social activities, physical ability and concerns, and maintaining self-care. Self-care was described in the literature and by the healthcare professionals more than by the older persons. The results show a concordance in the data samplings that give a clear indication of the areas relevant to older persons' health and self-care that can be integrated in an interactive information and communication technology-platform for use in regular daily care assessments. Descriptions of self-care were limited indicating a possible gap in knowledge that requires further research. Areas relevant to older persons' health and self-care could be used for regular assessment to support and promote healthy ageing. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. Nursing in family environment: caring for person in mental suffering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lucas Amaral Martins

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The study aims to describe the experience of nursing care to person in mental suffering (PMS in the family context. Developed by nursing academic during home attendance, in the 2008.2 semester. The results showed that: is undeniable the family function of the PMS care, becoming the main partner of the heath teams, the care in the perspective of psychosocial rehabilitation influences the attitudes, patterns of response and participation in treatment, resulting in the empowerment of PMS and family. It’s concluded that home attendance contributes to the process of psychosocial rehabilitation of the PMS and assessment of mental health services, subsidizing the formulation of public policies for the sector, especially, in regard to care in perspective of the whole human life.

  10. The role of leadership in the implementation of person-centred care using Dementia Care Mapping: a study in three nursing homes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rokstad, Anne Marie Mork; Vatne, Solfrid; Engedal, Knut; Selbæk, Geir

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the role of leadership in the implementation of person-centred care (PCC) in nursing homes using Dementia Care Mapping (DCM). Leadership is important for the implementation of nursing practice. However, the empirical knowledge of positive leadership in processes enhancing person-centred culture of care in nursing homes is limited. The study has a qualitative descriptive design. The DCM method was used in three nursing homes. Eighteen staff members and seven leaders participated in focus-group interviews centring on the role of leadership in facilitating the development process. The different roles of leadership in the three nursing homes, characterized as 'highly professional', 'market orientated' or 'traditional', seemed to influence to what extent the DCM process led to successful implementation of PCC. This study provided useful information about the influence of leadership in the implementation of person-centred care in nursing homes. Leaders should be active role models, expound a clear vision and include and empower all staff in the professional development process. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. Personalized dementia care: proven effectiveness of psychosocial interventions in subgroups

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Mierlo, L.D.; van der Roest, H.G.; Meiland, F.J.M.; Dröes, R.M.

    2010-01-01

    Many psychosocial intervention studies report effects in subgroups of people with dementia. Insight into the characteristics of these subgroups is important for care practice. This study reviews personal characteristics of people with dementia (living in the community or in an institution) that are

  12. Facilitating person-centred after-death care: unearthing assumptions, tradition and values through practice development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Barbara Anderson

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Background: West Park Healthcare Centre, a complex continuing care and rehabilitation setting in Ontario, Canada has implemented practice development as one method of facilitating person-centred, evidence-informed practices. West Park is planning the construction of a new hospital, with a target construction timeline of 2018-21. Practice development is an internationally established transformation model (Manley et al., 2008 that can breathe life into the necessary but often burdensome process of policy revision in healthcare settings. Aims: The aim of this article is to share how practice development was used to review and revise West Park’s after-death care policy. The process entailed an integration of a broad span of evidence and intentional challenge of ‘habit-based’ ways. Such an approach to policy revision is needed if practice leaders are to use evidence to help achieve transformative changes in practice. Conclusions: Our after death-care policy involved processes that were antithetical to our shared vision for person-centred practices. Unquestioned, longstanding traditional approaches to after-death care needed to be questioned. Through the transformative journey at personal and organisational levels of applying practice development principles to this process, we were successful in bringing forward a policy that supports end-of-life plans of care, choice and person-centred after-death care practices and language. Implications for practice: •\tHealthcare organisations can review after-death care by exploring different sources of evidence, including research, clinical experience, local audit and patient experience, to challenge taken-for-granted practices •\tConsultation with funeral professionals will be valuable in terms of establishing what they do and do not need from a healthcare organisation •\tFellow patients do not need to be ‘protected’ from the after-death care process and appreciate having a voice on how it is

  13. 21 CFR 720.7 - Notification of person submitting cosmetic product ingredient statement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 7 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Notification of person submitting cosmetic product... AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) COSMETICS VOLUNTARY FILING OF COSMETIC PRODUCT INGREDIENT COMPOSITION STATEMENTS § 720.7 Notification of person submitting cosmetic product ingredient statement. When Form FDA...

  14. How to practice person-centred care: A conceptual framework.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santana, Maria J; Manalili, Kimberly; Jolley, Rachel J; Zelinsky, Sandra; Quan, Hude; Lu, Mingshan

    2018-04-01

    Globally, health-care systems and organizations are looking to improve health system performance through the implementation of a person-centred care (PCC) model. While numerous conceptual frameworks for PCC exist, a gap remains in practical guidance on PCC implementation. Based on a narrative review of the PCC literature, a generic conceptual framework was developed in collaboration with a patient partner, which synthesizes evidence, recommendations and best practice from existing frameworks and implementation case studies. The Donabedian model for health-care improvement was used to classify PCC domains into the categories of "Structure," "Process" and "Outcome" for health-care quality improvement. The framework emphasizes the structural domain, which relates to the health-care system or context in which care is delivered, providing the foundation for PCC, and influencing the processes and outcomes of care. Structural domains identified include: the creation of a PCC culture across the continuum of care; co-designing educational programs, as well as health promotion and prevention programs with patients; providing a supportive and accommodating environment; and developing and integrating structures to support health information technology and to measure and monitor PCC performance. Process domains describe the importance of cultivating communication and respectful and compassionate care; engaging patients in managing their care; and integration of care. Outcome domains identified include: access to care and Patient-Reported Outcomes. This conceptual framework provides a step-wise roadmap to guide health-care systems and organizations in the provision PCC across various health-care sectors. © 2017 The Authors Health Expectations published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  15. Older persons' experiences and perspectives of receiving social care: a systematic review of the qualitative literature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de São José, José; Barros, Rosanna; Samitca, Sanda; Teixeira, Ana

    2016-01-01

    The topic of social care for older people has gained increasing attention from the part of academics, professionals, policy makers and media. However, we know little about this topic from the perspectives of older persons, which hinders future developments in terms of theory, empirical research, professional practice and social policy. This article presents and discusses a systematic review of relevant qualitative research-based evidence on the older persons' experiences and perspectives of receiving social care published between 1990 and September 2014. This review aimed to obtain answers to the following questions: How is the reception of social care experienced by the older persons? What are the negative and positive aspects of these experiences? What are the factors which influence the experiences? The synthesis of the findings of reviewed papers identified six analytical themes: asking for care as a major challenge; ambivalences; (dis)engagement in decisions concerning care; multiple losses as outcomes of receiving social care; multiple strategies to deal with losses originated by the ageing process; and properties of 'good care'. These themes are discussed from the point of view of their implications for theory, care practice and social policy, and future research. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  16. Developing collaborative person-centred practice: a pilot project on a palliative care unit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall, Pippa; Weaver, Lynda; Gravelle, Debbie; Thibault, Hélène

    2007-02-01

    Maximizing interprofessional collaborative patient-centred practice holds promise for improving patient care and creating satisfying work roles. In Canada's evolving health care system, there are demands for increased efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and quality improvement. Interprofessional collaboration warrants re-examination because maximizing interprofessional collaboration, especially nurse-physician collaboration, holds promise for improving patient care and creating satisfying work roles. A palliative care team seized the opportunity to pilot a different approach to patient and family care when faced with a reduction in medical staff. Grounded in a collaborative patient-centred practice approach, the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association's National Model to Guide Hospice Palliative Care (2002), and outcomes from program retreats and workgroups, a collaborative person-centred model of care was developed for a 12-bed pilot project. Preliminary findings show that the pilot project team perceived some specific benefits in continuity of care and interprofessional collaboration, while the presence of the physician was reduced to an average of 3.82 hours on the pilot wing, compared with 8 hours on the non-pilot wings. This pilot study suggests that a person-centred model, when focused on the physician-nurse dyad, may offer improved efficiency, job satisfaction and continuity of care on a palliative care unit. Incorporating all team members and developing strategies to successfully expand the model across the whole unit are the next challenges. Further research into the impact of these changes on the health care professionals, management and patients and families is essential.

  17. 38 CFR 17.46 - Eligibility for hospital, domiciliary or nursing home care of persons discharged or released from...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ..., domiciliary or nursing home care of persons discharged or released from active military, naval, or air service... Hospital, Domiciliary and Nursing Home Care § 17.46 Eligibility for hospital, domiciliary or nursing home care of persons discharged or released from active military, naval, or air service. (a) In furnishing...

  18. What Aspects of Personal Care Are Most Important to Patients Undergoing Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foley, Kimberley A.; Feldman-Stewart, Deb; Groome, Patti A.; Brundage, Michael D.; McArdle, Siobhan; Wallace, David; Peng, Yingwei; Mackillop, William J.

    2016-01-01

    Purpose/Objective: The overall quality of patient care is a function of the quality of both its technical and its nontechnical components. The purpose of this study was to identify the elements of nontechnical (personal) care that are most important to patients undergoing radiation therapy for prostate cancer. Methods and Materials: We reviewed the literature and interviewed patients and health professionals to identify elements of personal care pertinent to patients undergoing radiation therapy for prostate cancer. We identified 143 individual elements relating to 10 aspects of personal care. Patients undergoing radical radiation therapy for prostate cancer completed a self-administered questionnaire in which they rated the importance of each element. The overall importance of each element was measured by the percentage of respondents who rated it as “very important.” The importance of each aspect of personal care was measured by the mean importance of its elements. Results: One hundred eight patients completed the questionnaire. The percentage of patients who rated each element “very important” ranged from 7% to 95% (mean 61%). The mean importance rating of the elements of each aspect of care varied significantly: “perceived competence of caregivers,” 80%; “empathy and respectfulness of caregivers,” 67%; “adequacy of information sharing,” 67%; “patient centeredness,” 59%; “accessibility of caregivers,” 57%; “continuity of care,” 51%; “privacy,” 51%; “convenience,” 45%; “comprehensiveness of services,” 44%; and “treatment environment,” 30% (P<.0001). Neither age nor education was associated with importance ratings, but the patient's health status was associated with the rating of some elements of care. Conclusions: Many different elements of personal care are important to patients undergoing radiation therapy for prostate cancer, but the 3 aspects of care that most believe are most important are these: the perceived

  19. What Aspects of Personal Care Are Most Important to Patients Undergoing Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Foley, Kimberley A. [Cancer Care and Epidemiology, Queen' s Cancer Research Institute, Kingston, Ontario (Canada); Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen' s University, Kingston, Ontario (Canada); Feldman-Stewart, Deb [Cancer Care and Epidemiology, Queen' s Cancer Research Institute, Kingston, Ontario (Canada); Department of Oncology, Queen' s University, Kingston, Ontario (Canada); Groome, Patti A. [Cancer Care and Epidemiology, Queen' s Cancer Research Institute, Kingston, Ontario (Canada); Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen' s University, Kingston, Ontario (Canada); Brundage, Michael D. [Cancer Care and Epidemiology, Queen' s Cancer Research Institute, Kingston, Ontario (Canada); Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen' s University, Kingston, Ontario (Canada); Department of Oncology, Queen' s University, Kingston, Ontario (Canada); Cancer Centre of Southeastern Ontario, Kingston, Ontario (Canada); McArdle, Siobhan [Cancer Centre of Southeastern Ontario, Kingston, Ontario (Canada); Wallace, David [Cancer Care and Epidemiology, Queen' s Cancer Research Institute, Kingston, Ontario (Canada); Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen' s University, Kingston, Ontario (Canada); Peng, Yingwei [Cancer Care and Epidemiology, Queen' s Cancer Research Institute, Kingston, Ontario (Canada); Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen' s University, Kingston, Ontario (Canada); Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Queen' s University, Kingston, Ontario (Canada); Mackillop, William J., E-mail: William.mackillop@krcc.on.ca [Cancer Care and Epidemiology, Queen' s Cancer Research Institute, Kingston, Ontario (Canada); Department of Public Health Sciences, Queen' s University, Kingston, Ontario (Canada); Department of Oncology, Queen' s University, Kingston, Ontario (Canada); Cancer Centre of Southeastern Ontario, Kingston, Ontario (Canada)

    2016-02-01

    Purpose/Objective: The overall quality of patient care is a function of the quality of both its technical and its nontechnical components. The purpose of this study was to identify the elements of nontechnical (personal) care that are most important to patients undergoing radiation therapy for prostate cancer. Methods and Materials: We reviewed the literature and interviewed patients and health professionals to identify elements of personal care pertinent to patients undergoing radiation therapy for prostate cancer. We identified 143 individual elements relating to 10 aspects of personal care. Patients undergoing radical radiation therapy for prostate cancer completed a self-administered questionnaire in which they rated the importance of each element. The overall importance of each element was measured by the percentage of respondents who rated it as “very important.” The importance of each aspect of personal care was measured by the mean importance of its elements. Results: One hundred eight patients completed the questionnaire. The percentage of patients who rated each element “very important” ranged from 7% to 95% (mean 61%). The mean importance rating of the elements of each aspect of care varied significantly: “perceived competence of caregivers,” 80%; “empathy and respectfulness of caregivers,” 67%; “adequacy of information sharing,” 67%; “patient centeredness,” 59%; “accessibility of caregivers,” 57%; “continuity of care,” 51%; “privacy,” 51%; “convenience,” 45%; “comprehensiveness of services,” 44%; and “treatment environment,” 30% (P<.0001). Neither age nor education was associated with importance ratings, but the patient's health status was associated with the rating of some elements of care. Conclusions: Many different elements of personal care are important to patients undergoing radiation therapy for prostate cancer, but the 3 aspects of care that most believe are most important are these: the

  20. [Simultaneous determination of 22 typical pharmaceuticals and personal care products in environmental water using ultra performance liquid chromatography- triple quadrupole mass spectrometry].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Chunying; Gu, Feng; Bai, Lu; Lu, Wenlong

    2015-08-01

    An analytical method for simultaneous determination of 22 typical pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in environmental water samples was developed by ultra performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). An Oasis HLB solid phase extraction cartridge, methanol as washing solution, water containing 0. 1% formic acid-methanol (7:3, v/v) as the mobile phases were selected for sample pretreatment and chromatographic separation. Based on the optimized sample pretreatment procedures and separation condition, the target recoveries ranged from 73% to 125% in water with the relative standard deviations ( RSDs) from 8.8% to 17.5%, and the linear ranges were from 2 to 2 000 µg/L with correlation coefficients (R2) not less than 0.997. The method can be applied to simultaneous determination of the 22 typical PPCPs in environmental water samples because of its low detection limits and high recoveries. It can provide support and help for the related research on water environmental risk assessment and control of the micro-organic pollutants.

  1. How older persons structure information in the decision to seek medical care

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter J. Veazie

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Typical models of the decision to seek care consider information as a single conceptual object. This paper presents an alternative that allows multiple objects. For older persons seeking care, results support this alternative. Older decision-makers that segregate information into multiple conceptual objects assessed separately are characterized by socio-demographic (younger age, racial category, non-Hispanic, higher education, higher income, and not married, health status (better general health for men and worse general health for women, fewer known illnesses, and neuropsychological (less memory loss for men, trouble concentrating and trouble making decisions for men factors. Results of this study support the conclusion that older persons are more likely to integrate information, and individuals with identifiable characteristics are more likely to do so than others. The theory tested in this study implies a potential explanation for misutilization of care (either over or under-utilization.

  2. Uptake and Tissue Distribution of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Wild Fish from Treated-Wastewater-Impacted Streams.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanoue, Rumi; Nomiyama, Kei; Nakamura, Haruna; Kim, Joon-Woo; Isobe, Tomohiko; Shinohara, Ryota; Kunisue, Tatsuya; Tanabe, Shinsuke

    2015-10-06

    A fish plasma model (FPM) has been proposed as a screening technique to prioritize potential hazardous pharmaceuticals to wild fish. However, this approach does not account for inter- or intraspecies variability of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters. The present study elucidated the uptake potency (from ambient water), tissue distribution, and biological risk of 20 pharmaceutical and personal care product (PPCP) residues in wild cyprinoid fish inhabiting treated-wastewater-impacted streams. In order to clarify the uncertainty of the FPM for PPCPs, we compared the plasma bioaccumulation factor in the field (BAFplasma = measured fish plasma/ambient water concentration ratio) with the predicted plasma bioconcentration factor (BCFplasma = fish plasma predicted by use of theoretical partition coefficients/ambient water concentration ratio) in the actual environment. As a result, the measured maximum BAFplasma of inflammatory agents was up to 17 times higher than theoretical BCFplasma values, leading to possible underestimation of toxicological risk on wild fish. When the tissue-blood partition coefficients (tissue/blood concentration ratios) of PPCPs were estimated, higher transportability into tissues, especially the brain, was found for psychotropic agents, but brain/plasma ratios widely varied among individual fish (up to 28-fold). In the present study, we provide a valuable data set on the intraspecies variability of PPCP pharmacokinetics, and our results emphasize the importance of determining PPCP concentrations in possible target organs as well as in the blood to assess the risk of PPCPs on wild fish.

  3. DGT Passive Sampling for Quantitative in Situ Measurements of Compounds from Household and Personal Care Products in Waters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Wei; Li, Yanying; Chen, Chang-Er; Sweetman, Andrew J; Zhang, Hao; Jones, Kevin C

    2017-11-21

    Widespread use of organic chemicals in household and personal care products (HPCPs) and their discharge into aquatic systems means reliable, robust techniques to monitor environmental concentrations are needed. The passive sampling approach of diffusive gradients in thin-films (DGT) is developed here and demonstrated to provide in situ quantitative and time-weighted average (TWA) measurement of these chemicals in waters. The novel technique is developed for HPCPs, including preservatives, antioxidants and disinfectants, by evaluating the performance of different binding agents. Ultrasonic extraction of binding gels in acetonitrile gave good and consistent recoveries for all test chemicals. Uptake by DGT with HLB (hydrophilic-lipophilic-balanced) as the binding agent was relatively independent of pH (3.5-9.5), ionic strength (0.001-0.1 M) and dissolved organic matter (0-20 mg L -1 ), making it suitable for applications across a wide range of environments. Deployment time and diffusion layer thickness dependence experiments confirmed DGT accumulated chemicals masses are consistent with theoretical predictions. The technique was further tested and applied in the influent and effluent of a wastewater treatment plant. Results were compared with conventional grab-sampling and 24-h-composited samples from autosamplers. DGT provided TWA concentrations over up to 18 days deployment, with minimal effects from biofouling or the diffusive boundary layer. The field application demonstrated advantages of the DGT technique: it gives in situ analyte preconcentration in a simple matrix, with more quantitative measurement of the HPCP analytes.

  4. Perspectives from practice: complexities of personal care workers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martyn, Julie-Anne; Zanella, Sally; Wilkinson, Adele

    2017-11-14

    Personal care workers (PCWs) make up the bulk of the workforce in residential and community care services. The knowledge and skill set needed for safe and effective practice in care settings is extensive. A diverse range of registered training organisations (RTOs) offering Certificate III and IV in Individual Support (aging, home and community) are tasked with producing job-ready PCWs. However, the curricula of these programs vary. Additionally, a national code of conduct for healthcare workers became effective in October 2015 as a governance framework for PCWs. The language of the code statements is ambiguous making it unclear how this framework should be translated by RTOs and applied in the preservice practice preparation of PCWs. Employers of PCWs need to feel confident that the content of the preservice education of PCWs satisfactorily prepares them for the diverse contexts of their practice. Likewise, the health professionals who supervise PCWs must be assured about the knowledge and skills of the PCW if they are to safely delegate care activities. The perspectives presented in this discussion make it clear that investigation into the nebulous nature of PCW education, regulation and practice is needed to identify the shortcomings and enable improved practice.

  5. Occurrence and removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in an advanced wastewater reclamation plant.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Xin; Flowers, Riley C; Weinberg, Howard S; Singer, Philip C

    2011-10-15

    The occurrence of nineteen pharmaceutically active compounds and personal care products was followed monthly for 12 months after various stages of treatment in an advanced wastewater reclamation plant in Gwinnett County, GA, U.S.A. Twenty-four hour composite samples were collected after primary clarification, activated sludge biological treatment, membrane filtration, granular media filtration, granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption, and ozonation in the wastewater reclamation plant. Compounds were identified and quantified using high performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS) after solid-phase extraction. Standard addition methods were employed to compensate for matrix effects. Sixteen of the targeted compounds were detected in the primary effluent; sulfadimethoxine, doxycycline, and iopromide were not found. Caffeine and acetaminophen were found at the highest concentrations (∼10(5) ng/L), followed by ibuprofen (∼10(4) ng/L), sulfamethoxazole and DEET (∼10(3) ng/L). Most of the other compounds were found at concentrations on the order of hundreds of ng/L. After activated sludge treatment and membrane filtration, the concentrations of caffeine, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, DEET, tetracycline, and 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2) had decreased by more than 90%. Erythromycin and carbamazepine, which were resistant to biological treatment, were eliminated by 74 and 88%, on average, by GAC. Primidone, DEET, and caffeine were not amenable to adsorption by GAC. Ozonation oxidized most of the remaining compounds by >60%, except for primidone and DEET. Of the initial 16 compounds identified in the primary effluent, only sulfamethoxazole, primidone, caffeine and DEET were frequently detected in the final effluent, but at concentrations on the order of 10-100 ng/L. Removal of the different agents by the various treatment processes was related to the physical-chemical properties of the

  6. Is personality a driving force for socioeconomic differences in young adults' health care use? A prospective cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kraft, Maren; Arts, Koos; Traag, Tanja; Otten, Ferdy; Bosma, Hans

    2017-09-01

    To relate personality characteristics at the age of 12 to socioeconomic differences in health care use in young adulthood. And thereby examining the extent to which socioeconomic differences in the use of health care in young adulthood are based on differences in personality characteristics, independent of the (parental) socioeconomic background. Personality of more than 13,000 Dutch 12-year old participants was related to their health and socioeconomic position after a follow-up of 13 years (when the participants had become young adults). In young adulthood, low socioeconomic status was related to high health care use (e.g. low education -hospital admission: OR = 2.21; low income -GP costs: OR = 1.25). Odds ratios (for the socioeconomic health differences) did not decrease when controlled for personality. In this Dutch sample of younger people, personality appeared not to be a driving force for socioeconomic differences in health care use. Findings thus do not support the personality-related, indirect selection perspective on the explanation of socioeconomic differences in health.

  7. The Influence of the Seller’s Performance on the Consumer Purchase of Clothes and Personal Care, Toiletries and Cosmetics Products

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Denise Luciana Rieg

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the results of a survey about the influence of the seller’s performance on the consumer purchase of clothes and personal care, toiletries and cosmetics (HPPC and to compare their results. This study has an exploratory, quantitative and descriptive nature. The samples surveyed were made up of students enrolled in engineering courses of a university located in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. In the case of clothes market, a survey with a sample of 329 respondents was performed through a structured questionnaire. Regarding PHPC, the number of respondents was 317. We used descriptive statistics to describe the basic features of the data and the nonparametric Mann-Whitney test to compare the two sample results (significance level of 5%. The results indicate that, in both sectors, the majority of respondents go to specific stores to carry their purchases. Price, seller’s performance, style and brands are the main factors influencing the consumers’ decision about which store to buy. It was also found that the seller’s performance influences the costumers’ buying decision process and loyalty. Aspects of credibility, interest in customer needs, product knowledge, courtesy and attention were aspects of seller’s performance considered the most important by respondents in both sectors.

  8. Occurrences and removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in drinking water and water/sewage treatment plants: A review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Yi; Ok, Yong Sik; Kim, Ki-Hyun; Kwon, Eilhann E; Tsang, Yiu Fai

    2017-10-15

    In recent years, many of micropollutants have been widely detected because of continuous input of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) into the environment and newly developed state-of-the-art analytical methods. PPCP residues are frequently detected in drinking water sources, sewage treatment plants (STPs), and water treatment plants (WTPs) due to their universal consumption, low human metabolic capability, and improper disposal. When partially metabolized PPCPs are transferred into STPs, they elicit negative effects on biological treatment processes; therefore, conventional STPs are insufficient when it comes to PPCP removal. Furthermore, the excreted metabolites may become secondary pollutants and can be further modified in receiving water bodies. Several advanced treatment systems, including membrane filtration, granular activated carbon, and advanced oxidation processes, have been used for the effective removal of individual PPCPs. This review covers the occurrence patterns of PPCPs in water environments and the techniques adopted for their treatment in STP/WTP unit processes operating in various countries. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive summary of the removal and fate of PPCPs in different treatment facilities as well as the optimum methods for their elimination in STP and WTP systems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. From Right place--Wrong person, to Right place--Right person: dignified care for older people.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tadd, Win; Hillman, Alex; Calnan, Michael; Calnan, Sian; Read, Simon; Bayer, Antony

    2012-04-01

    To examine: older people's and their relatives' views of dignified care; health care practitioners' behaviours and practices in relation to dignified care; the occupational, organizational and cultural factors that impact on care; and develop evidence-based recommendations for dignified care. An ethnography of four acute trusts in England and Wales involving semi-structured interviews with recently discharged older people (n = 40), their relatives (n = 25), frontline staff (n = 79) and Trust managers (n = 32), complemented by 617 hours of non-participant observation in 16 wards in NHS trusts. 'Right Place - Wrong Person' refers to the staffs' belief that acute wards are not the 'right place' for older people. Wards were poorly-designed, confusing and inaccessible for older people; older people were bored through lack of communal spaces and activities and they expressed concern about the close proximity of patients of the opposite sex; staff were demoralised and ill-equipped with skills and knowledge to care for older people, and organizational priorities caused patients to be frequently moved within the system. In none of the wards studied was care either totally dignified or totally undignified. Variations occurred from ward to ward, in the same ward when different staff were on-duty and at different times of the day. The failure to provide dignified care is often a result of systemic and organizational factors rather than a failure of individual staff and it is these that must be addressed if dignified care is to be ensured.

  10. The influence of product- and person-related factors on consumer hedonic responses to soy products

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fenko, Anna; Backhaus, Birte W.; van Hoof, Joris Jasper

    2015-01-01

    Consumers in Western countries increasingly appreciate health benefits of soy products. However, several barriers prevent full acceptance of these products. This study investigates the effects of product-related factors (perceived familiarity and expected healthiness) and person-related factors

  11. 75 FR 34140 - Establishment of the Personal Care Attendants Workforce Advisory Panel

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-06-16

    ... services and supports; aging and disability populations and services; practices that help reduce high personal care attendant workforce vacancy and turnover rates; Medicaid, Medicare, the Older Americans Act...

  12. Health care access and quality for persons with disability: Patient and provider recommendations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McClintock, Heather F; Kurichi, Jibby E; Barg, Frances K; Krueger, Alice; Colletti, Patrice M; Wearing, Krizia A; Bogner, Hillary R

    2018-07-01

    Significant disparities in health care access and quality persist between persons with disabilities (PWD) and persons without disabilities (PWOD). Little research has examined recommendations of patients and providers to improve health care for PWD. We sought to explore patient and health care provider recommendations to improve health care access and quality for PWD through focus groups in the physical world in a community center and in the virtual world in an online community. In all, 17 PWD, 4 PWOD, and 6 health care providers participated in 1 of 5 focus groups. Focus groups were conducted in the virtual world in Second Life ® with Virtual Ability, an online community, and in the physical world at Agape Community Center in Milwaukee, WI. Focus group data were analyzed using a grounded theory methodology. Themes that emerged in focus groups among PWD and PWOD as well as health care providers to improve health care access and quality for PWD were: promoting advocacy, increasing awareness and knowledge, improving communication, addressing assumptions, as well as modifying and creating policy. Many participants discussed political empowerment and engagement as central to health care reform. Both PWD and PWOD as well as health care providers identified common themes potentially important for improving health care for PWD. Patient and health care provider recommendations highlight a need for modification of current paradigms, practices, and approaches to improve the quality of health care provision for PWD. Participants emphasized the need for greater advocacy and political engagement. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Designing a patient-centered personal health record to promote preventive care

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Krist Alex H

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Evidence-based preventive services offer profound health benefits, yet Americans receive only half of indicated care. A variety of government and specialty society policy initiatives are promoting the adoption of information technologies to engage patients in their care, such as personal health records, but current systems may not utilize the technology's full potential. Methods Using a previously described model to make information technology more patient-centered, we developed an interactive preventive health record (IPHR designed to more deeply engage patients in preventive care and health promotion. We recruited 14 primary care practices to promote the IPHR to all adult patients and sought practice and patient input in designing the IPHR to ensure its usability, salience, and generalizability. The input involved patient usability tests, practice workflow observations, learning collaboratives, and patient feedback. Use of the IPHR was measured using practice appointment and IPHR databases. Results The IPHR that emerged from this process generates tailored patient recommendations based on guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and other organizations. It extracts clinical data from the practices' electronic medical record and obtains health risk assessment information from patients. Clinical content is translated and explained in lay language. Recommendations review the benefits and uncertainties of services and possible actions for patients and clinicians. Embedded in recommendations are self management tools, risk calculators, decision aids, and community resources - selected to match patient's clinical circumstances. Within six months, practices had encouraged 14.4% of patients to use the IPHR (ranging from 1.5% to 28.3% across the 14 practices. Practices successfully incorporated the IPHR into workflow, using it to prepare patients for visits, augment health behavior counseling, explain test results

  14. Comparison of iPad applications with traditional activities using person-centred care approach: impact on well-being for persons with dementia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leng, Fong Yoke; Yeo, Donald; George, Stacey; Barr, Christopher

    2014-03-01

    Professionals working with people with dementia need to develop new activities that occupy patients and increase positive emotions. Dementia care mapping is a reliable method of measuring well-being during activities with people with dementia. The iPad has many applications that may be suitable as a group activity for persons with dementia. Six people with dementia took part in two traditional and two iPad activities over two days. Well-being was recorded using dementia care mapping. Subjects displayed similar or better levels of well-being during iPad activities than traditional activities. A larger variation of behaviors was seen during iPad activities than traditional activities. With detailed planning using a person-centred care approach, iPad group activity has the potential to be as effective and engaging as other conventional activities in achieving well-being.

  15. Infant Skin Care Products: What Are the Issues?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuller, Joanne McManus

    2016-10-01

    Infant skin is susceptible to dryness and irritation from external factors, including topical skin care products not formulated for the infant's skin. This may increase the risk of contact dermatitis. Parents frequently express concern regarding potential harm from ingredients in skin care products and seek information. This is complicated by several skin care myths. The purpose of this literature review was to provide evidence-based information to educate parents on the use of products for preterm and term infants. Multiple searches using PubMed were conducted including the search terms "infant skin care," "infant products," "infant bath," "emollients," "diaper skin care," and "diaper wipes." Reference lists of comprehensive reviews were also scanned. Google searches were used to assess consumer information, product information, and regulatory guidelines. There is little scientific evidence to support safety of natural/organic products on infant skin. Raw materials originate from different sources, complicating testing and comparisons of ingredients. Research shows that cleansers formulated for infant skin do not weaken the skin barrier the way harsher soaps and detergents can. Oils with the lowest oleic acid content provide a lower risk of irritant contact dermatitis. Nurses must be informed about natural and organic products, preservatives, and fragrances and know the definition of commonly used marketing terms. Decisions regarding the use of infant products in preterm and term infants should be evidence based. More research is needed to support claims regarding the safety of products used on infant skin.

  16. Making fair decisions about financing care for persons with AIDS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roper, W L; Winkenwerder, W

    1988-01-01

    An estimated 40 percent of the nation's 55,000 persons with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) have received care under the Medicaid Program, which is administered by the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) and funded jointly by the Federal Government and the States. In fiscal year 1988, Medicaid will spend between $700 and $750 million for AIDS care and treatment. Medicaid spending on AIDS is likely to reach $2.4 billion by fiscal year 1992, an estimate that does not include costs of treatment with zidovudine (AZT). Four policy principles are proposed for meeting this new cost burden in a way that is fair, responsive, efficient, and in harmony with our current joint public-private system of health care financing. The four guidelines are to (a) treat AIDS as any other serious disease, without the creation of a disease-specific entitlement program; (b) bring AIDS treatment financing into the mainstream of the health care financing system, making it a shared responsibility and promoting initiatives such as high-risk insurance pools: (c) give States the flexibility to meet local needs, including Medicaid home care and community-based care services waivers; (d) encourage health care professionals to meet their obligation to care for AIDS patients. PMID:3131823

  17. Investigating the impact of environmental attitude on the decision to purchase a green product with the mediating role of environmental concern and care for green products

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Esmaeilpour Majid

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The intention to purchase green products is the tendency of a person who prefers to purchase a product with optimal environmental characteristics rather than usual products. Nowadays, the environment is very important and maintaining it is a vital issue for all groups of people, whether in the customer's position or in the distributor’s position. However, in spite of the increased environmental awareness among consumers and encouragements made by producers for them to buy green products, we require further investigation in this area in order to increase green purchasing among different group of people. The main objective of this study is to investigate the impact of the environmental attitude on the decision to purchase a green product with the mediating role of environmental concerns and care for green products. This research is an applied research, and correlational-descriptive in terms of data analysis. The research population includes consumers from Bushehr city, sampled based on availability. In this research, 300 questionnaires were distributed among consumers. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. The findings of this research showed that the environmental attitude of customers has significant and positive impact on caring for green products and environmental concerns. In addition, environmental concerns and care for green products have a significant and positive impact on green purchasing decision.

  18. Nursing interventions for promoting self-care of persons with type 2 diabetes: an integrative review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Glória Yanne Martins de Oliveira

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This is an integrative review aiming at analyzing and identifying the evidence available in the literature on nursing interventions to promote self-care for persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Data collection occurred in the Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences (LILACS, MEDLINE (via EBSCO, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL and SCOPUS. The survey of articles occurred in July and August 2015 by two independent reviewers. The initial search identified 239 articles and eight of them met the selection criteria. Health education has emerged as a strategic field for implementing nursing interventions. Interventions with patient monitoring and that provided more care time were more satisfactory regarding self-care practices. The Orem's Self-Care Deficit Theory is indicated as a guide to direct the educator in self-care of diabetic persons.

  19. "I Treat Him as a Normal Patient": Unveiling the Normalization Coping Strategy Among Formal Caregivers of Persons With Dementia and Its Implications for Person-Centered Care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bentwich, Miriam Ethel; Dickman, Nomy; Oberman, Amitai; Bokek-Cohen, Ya'arit

    2017-11-01

    Currently, 47 million people have dementia, worldwide, often requiring paid care by formal caregivers. Research regarding family caregivers suggests normalization as a model for coping with negative emotional outcomes in caring for a person with dementia (PWD). The study aims to explore whether normalization coping mechanism exists among formal caregivers, reveal differences in its application among cross-cultural caregivers, and examine how this coping mechanism may be related to implementing person-centered care for PWDs. Content analysis of interviews with 20 formal caregivers from three cultural groups (Jews born in Israel [JI], Arabs born in Israel [AI], Russian immigrants [RI]), attending to PWDs. We extracted five normalization modes, revealing AI caregivers had substantially more utterances of normalization expressions than their colleagues. The normalization modes most commonly expressed by AI caregivers relate to the personhood of PWDs. These normalization modes may enhance formal caregivers' ability to employ person-centered care.

  20. Improving primary care for persons with spinal cord injury: Development of a toolkit to guide care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Milligan, James; Lee, Joseph; Hillier, Loretta M; Slonim, Karen; Craven, Catharine

    2018-05-07

    To identify a set of essential components for primary care for patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) for inclusion in a point-of-practice toolkit for primary care practitioners (PCP) and identification of the essential elements of SCI care that are required in primary care and those that should be the focus of specialist care. Modified Delphi consensus process; survey methodology. Primary care. Three family physicians, six specialist physicians, and five inter-disciplinary health professionals completed surveys. Importance of care elements for inclusion in the toolkit (9-point scale: 1 = lowest level of importance, 9 = greatest level of importance) and identification of most responsible physician (family physician, specialist) for completing key categories of care. Open-ended comments were solicited. There was consensus between the respondent groups on the level of importance of various care elements. Mean importance scores were highest for autonomic dysreflexia, pain, and skin care and lowest for preventive care, social issues, and vital signs. Although, there was agreement across all respondents that family physicians should assume responsibility for assessing mental health, there was variability in who should be responsible for other care categories. Comments were related to the need for shared care approaches and capacity building and lack of knowledge and specialized equipment as barriers to optimal care. This study identified important components of SCI care to be included in a point-of-practice toolkit to facilitate primary care for persons with SCI.

  1. Personal Continuity of Care in a University-Based Primary Care Practice: Impact on Blood Pressure Control.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nik Sherina Hanafi

    Full Text Available Continuity of care is an important quality outcome of patient care. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between personal continuity and blood pressure (BP control among the patients with hypertension in an academic primary care centre. Between January and May 2012, we conducted a retrospective review of medical records of patients with hypertension who had been followed up for at least 1 year in the Primary Care Clinic, University of Malaya Medical Centre, Malaysia. In this setting, doctors who provided care for hypertension included postgraduate family medicine trainees, non-trainee doctors and academic staff. Systematic random sampling (1:4 was used for patient selection. BP control was defined as less than 130/80 mm Hg for patients with diabetes mellitus, proteinuria and chronic kidney disease and less than 140/90 mm Hg for all other patients. Continuity of care was assessed using the usual provider continuity index (UPCI, which is the ratio of patient visits to the usual provider to the total number of visits to all providers in 1 year. A UPC index of zero denotes no continuity while an index of one reflects perfect continuity with only the usual provider. We reviewed a total of 1060 medical records. The patients' mean age was 62.0 years (SD 10.4. The majority was women (59.2% and married (85.7%. The mean number of visits in a year was 3.85 (SD 1.36. A total of 72 doctors had provided consultations (55 postgraduate family medicine trainees, 8 non-trainee doctors and 9 academic staff. The mean UPCI was 0.43 (SD 0.34. Target BP was achieved in 42% of the patients. There was no significant relationship between BP control and personal continuity after adjustment for total number of visits. Continuity of care was not associated with BP control in our centre. Further studies are needed to explore the reasons for this.

  2. Comparing Person-Centered Communication Education in Long-Term Care Using Onsite and Online Formats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coleman, Carissa K; Fanning, Kim; Williams, Kristine N

    2015-11-01

    Educating nursing home (NH) staff to provide person-centered care is complicated by scheduling, costs, and other feasibility issues. The current study compared outcomes for an in-service program focused on person-centered communication provided in onsite and online formats. The Changing Talk program was provided onsite in seven NHs (n = 327 staff). The online program included eight NHs (n = 211 staff). Analysis of variance revealed an interaction between format type and pre-/post-test scores with improved recognition of person-centered communication in the onsite group only. Group program evaluations based on the modified Diffusion of Innovation in Long-Term Care Battery indicated no significant differences between training formats. Staff perception of the program was similar. Although statistically significant gains were noted in posttest scores indicating awareness of person-centered communication for the onsite group, gains were of limited clinical significance. Feasibility and effectiveness are important considerations for in-service education supporting NH culture change. Copyright 2015, SLACK Incorporated.

  3. Source-specific sewage pollution detection in urban river waters using pharmaceuticals and personal care products as molecular indicators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiguchi, Osamu; Sato, Go; Kobayashi, Takashi

    2016-11-01

    Source-specific elucidation of domestic sewage pollution caused by various effluent sources in an urban river water, as conducted for this study, demands knowledge of the relation between concentrations of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) as molecular indicators (caffeine, carbamazepine, triclosan) and water quality concentrations of total nitrogen (T-N) and total phosphorous (T-P). River water and wastewater samples from the Asahikawa River Basin in northern Japan were analyzed using derivatization-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Caffeine, used as an indicator of domestic sewage in the Asahikawa River Basin, was more ubiquitous than either carbamazepine or triclosan (92-100 %). Its concentration was higher than any target compound used to assess the basin: caffeine, caffeine concentrations detected in wastewater effluents and the strongly positive mutual linear correlation between caffeine and T-N or T-P (R 2  > 0.759) reflect the contribution of septic tank system effluents to the lower Asahikawa River Basin. Results of relative molecular indicators in combination with different molecular indicators (caffeine/carbamazepine and triclosan/carbamazepine) and cluster analysis better reflect the contribution of sewage than results obtained using concentrations of respective molecular indicators and cluster analysis. Relative molecular indicators used with water quality parameters (e.g., caffeine/T-N ratio) in this study provide results more clearly, relatively, and quantitatively than results obtained using molecular indicators alone. Moreover, the caffeine/T-N ratio reflects variations of caffeine flux from effluent sources. These results suggest strongly relative molecular indicators are also useful indicators, reflecting differences in spatial contributions of domestic sources for PPCPs in urban areas.

  4. Comparative Effectiveness Research, Genomics-Enabled Personalized Medicine, and Rapid Learning Health Care: A Common Bond

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ginsburg, Geoffrey S.; Kuderer, Nicole M.

    2012-01-01

    Despite stunning advances in our understanding of the genetics and the molecular basis for cancer, many patients with cancer are not yet receiving therapy tailored specifically to their tumor biology. The translation of these advances into clinical practice has been hindered, in part, by the lack of evidence for biomarkers supporting the personalized medicine approach. Most stakeholders agree that the translation of biomarkers into clinical care requires evidence of clinical utility. The highest level of evidence comes from randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs). However, in many instances, there may be no RCTs that are feasible for assessing the clinical utility of potentially valuable genomic biomarkers. In the absence of RCTs, evidence generation will require well-designed cohort studies for comparative effectiveness research (CER) that link detailed clinical information to tumor biology and genomic data. CER also uses systematic reviews, evidence-quality appraisal, and health outcomes research to provide a methodologic framework for assessing biologic patient subgroups. Rapid learning health care (RLHC) is a model in which diverse data are made available, ideally in a robust and real-time fashion, potentially facilitating CER and personalized medicine. Nonetheless, to realize the full potential of personalized care using RLHC requires advances in CER and biostatistics methodology and the development of interoperable informatics systems, which has been recognized by the National Cancer Institute's program for CER and personalized medicine. The integration of CER methodology and genomics linked to RLHC should enhance, expedite, and expand the evidence generation required for fully realizing personalized cancer care. PMID:23071236

  5. ïSCOPE: Safer care for older persons (in residential environments: A study protocol

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Barnard Debbie

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The current profile of residents living in Canadian nursing homes includes elder persons with complex physical and social needs. High resident acuity can result in increased staff workload and decreased quality of work life. Aims Safer Care for Older Persons [in residential] Environments is a two year (2010 to 2012 proof-of-principle pilot study conducted in seven nursing homes in western Canada. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the feasibility of engaging front line staff to use quality improvement methods to integrate best practices into resident care. The goals of the study are to improve the quality of work life for staff, in particular healthcare aides, and to improve residents' quality of life. Methods/design The study has parallel research and quality improvement intervention arms. It includes an education and support intervention for direct caregivers to improve the safety and quality of their care delivery. We hypothesize that this intervention will improve not only the care provided to residents but also the quality of work life for healthcare aides. The study employs tools adapted from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Breakthrough Series: Collaborative Model and Canada's Safer Healthcare Now! improvement campaign. Local improvement teams in each nursing home (1 to 2 per facility are led by healthcare aides (non-regulated caregivers and focus on the management of specific areas of resident care. Critical elements of the program include local measurement, virtual and face-to-face learning sessions involving change management, quality improvement methods and clinical expertise, ongoing virtual and in person support, and networking. Discussion There are two sustainability challenges in this study: ongoing staff and leadership engagement, and organizational infrastructure. Addressing these challenges will require strategic planning with input from key stakeholders for sustaining quality improvement

  6. Monitoring of emerging contaminants (pharmaceuticals, Personal Care Products, surfactants and heavy metals) in a quaternary detritic aquifer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Candela, L.; Valdes-Abellan, J.; Jiménez-Martínez, J.

    2012-04-01

    The presence of 209 emerging compounds, surfactants, priority substances according to the 2008/105/EC Directive, 10 heavy metals and microbiological organisms in blended water and aquifer samples was investigated in a quaternary aquifer. The effects of these compounds over the environment are not clear in many cases, but many of them have been classified as endocrine disruptor compounds, EDC. Their presence in the media is controlled in one hand by their transformation and/or removal rates and, on the other hand, by their continuous release into the media, due to the broad use of these in many human activities (pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides, heavy metals, LAS and others). The attention of this work focusses on the presence and fate of these substances in the vadose zone and the aquifer. The aquifer catchment (81km2) located in SE Spain presents a high natural salinity (with EC values of ~7,500 μS cm-1, and high concentrations of chloride, sulphate and sodium), making it unsuitable to be used as drinking water or irrigation. Two sampling campaigns (February and June 2011) in wells and springs have been carried out top characterize physic-chemical, microbiological and emerging contaminants presence in the aquifer. A total of 209 emerging pollutants grouped into the following classes were analysed: 125 pharmaceutical compounds (Phs), 20 polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Dioxins, 46 pesticides, 3 volatile priority pollutants as well as the most commonly used anionic surfactants were identified for further analysis. Heavy metals included: Cu, Cd, Pb, Hg, Ni, Zn, Sn, Pt, Pd and Tl. Results showed that 39 out of all compounds were detected: 11 pharmaceuticals, 9 PAHs, 19 pesticides, 4 surfactants and 4 heavy metals. Two of the compounds, endosulfan-α and Ni, were detected in concentrations above the allowed regulation. Although results are limited to 2 sampling campaigns, it is important to note that surfactants (LAS), pesticides PAHs and

  7. Personal Communication Device Use by Nurses Providing In-Patient Care: Survey of Prevalence, Patterns, and Distraction Potential.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McBride, Deborah L; LeVasseur, Sandra A

    2017-04-13

    Coincident with the proliferation of employer-provided mobile communication devices, personal communication devices, including basic and enhanced mobile phones (smartphones) and tablet computers that are owned by the user, have become ubiquitous among registered nurses working in hospitals. While there are numerous benefits of personal communication device use by nurses at work, little is known about the impact of these devices on in-patient care. Our aim was to examine how hospital-registered nurses use their personal communication devices while doing both work-related and non‒work-related activities and to assess the impact of these devices on in-patient care. A previously validated survey was emailed to 14,797 members of two national nursing organizations. Participants were asked about personal communication device use and their opinions about the impact of these devices on their own and their colleagues' work. Of the 1268 respondents (8.57% response rate), only 5.65% (70/1237) never used their personal communication device at work (excluding lunch and breaks). Respondents self-reported using their personal communication devices at work for work-related activities including checking or sending text messages or emails to health care team members (29.02%, 363/1251), as a calculator (25.34%, 316/1247), and to access work-related medical information (20.13%, 251/1247). Fewer nurses reported using their devices for non‒work-related activities including checking or sending text messages or emails to friends and family (18.75%, 235/1253), shopping (5.14%, 64/1244), or playing games (2.73%, 34/1249). A minority of respondents believe that their personal device use at work had a positive effect on their work including reducing stress (29.88%, 369/1235), benefiting patient care (28.74%, 357/1242), improving coordination of patient care among the health care team (25.34%, 315/1243), or increasing unit teamwork (17.70%, 220/1243). A majority (69.06%, 848/1228) of

  8. Supporting Sustainability and Personalization with Product Architecture

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Kjeld; Jørgensen, Kaj Asbjørn; Taps, Stig B.

    2011-01-01

    Mass Customization, Personalization and Co-creation (MCPC) are continuously being adopted as a competitive business strategy. Consumers as well as governments are at the same time applying pressure on companies to adopt a more sustainable strategy, consumers request greener products and governments...... is a driver for MCPC and earlier research within product architecture has indicated that modularization could support sustainability. In this paper, work on the drivers for modularization with focus on sustainability and MCPC, will be presented. Several modularization methods and drivers are analyzed...

  9. Endocrine disruptors compounds, pharmaceuticals and personal care products in urban wastewater: implications for agricultural reuse and their removal by adsorption process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grassi, Mariangela; Rizzo, Luigi; Farina, Anna

    2013-06-01

    In the last years, a lot of emerging contaminants, such as, endocrine disruptors compounds (EDCs), pharmaceuticals, and personal care products (PPCPs) have been detected in wastewater. Because of their toxicity and possible adverse effects on the environment and humans, their release from urban wastewater treatment plants (UWWTPs) effluents should be minimized, particularly when a wastewater reuse for crops irrigation is expected. Many processes have been investigated for advanced treatment of UWWTP effluents as well as for emerging contaminant degradation; among these, adsorption process was successfully used to remove EDCs and PPCPs from wastewater. This article shortly reviews EDCs and PPCPs removal from UWWTP effluents by adsorption process using conventional and non-conventional adsorbents. The fate of EDCs and PPCPs in UWWTPs and the implications for agricultural wastewater reuse has been addressed too. In spite of the adsorption process looking to be a valuable alternative to other advanced technologies for the removal of emerging contaminants from wastewater, some gaps still remain to evaluate the actual feasibility at full scale. However, according to a few studies available in scientific literature on the use of both powdered activated carbon and granular activated carbon at full scale, adsorption process by activated carbon is a promising, potentially effective, and economically feasible solution for producing safe wastewater for agricultural reuse.

  10. Composted biosolids and treated wastewater as sources of pharmaceuticals and personal care products for plant uptake: A case study with carbamazepine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ben Mordechay, Evyatar; Tarchitzky, Jorge; Chen, Yona; Shenker, Moshe; Chefetz, Benny

    2018-01-01

    Irrigation with treated wastewater (TWW) and application of biosolids to arable land expose the agro-environment to pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) which can be taken up by crops. In this project, we studied the effect of a carrier medium (e.g., biosolids and TWW) on plant (tomato, wheat and lettuce) uptake, translocation and metabolism of carbamazepine as a model for non-ionic PPCPs. Plant uptake and bioconcentration factors were significantly lower in soils amended with biosolids compared to soils irrigated with TWW. In soils amended with biosolids and irrigated with TWW, the bioavailability of carbamazepine for plant uptake was moderately decreased as compared to plants grown in soils irrigated with TWW alone. While TWW acts as a continuous source of PPCPs, biosolids act both as a source and a sink for these compounds. Moreover, it appears that decomposition of the biosolids in the soil after amendment enhances their adsorptive properties, which in turn reduces the bioavailability of PPCPs in the soil environment. In-plant metabolism of carbamazepine was found to be independent of environmental factors, such as soil type, carrier medium, and absolute amount implemented to the soil, but was controlled by the total amount taken up by the plant. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Active agents in common skin care products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Draelos, Zoe Diana

    2010-02-01

    Skin care products are numerous and perplexing, yet the majority fall into the moisturizer category. Moisturizers are substances designed to improve and maintain the skin barrier. They serve as a vehicle for the delivery of active ingredients that minimize facial lines of dehydration, deliver photoprotection, and provide antioxidant properties. Moisturizers are based on occlusive substances, such as petrolatum and dimethicone, and humectant substances, such as glycerin, with a variety of sunscreens and botanicals for added functionality and marketing impact. This article reviews these common active agents. The plethora of over-the-counter skin care products available for patient purchase is overwhelming, yet there is certain commonality among 80 percent of the formulations. The majority of the products are moisturizers with added ingredients to support marketing claims. Whether the product is a facial foundation, an antiaging night cream, a sunscreen, a topical antioxidant, or a skin-lightening serum, the formulation is basically a moisturizer. Sunscreen is the most biologically active antiaging ingredient in skin care products, but the antiinflammatory and antioxidant effects of botanicals possess tremendous marketing appeal.

  12. Personality, stress and coping in intensive care nurses: a descriptive exploratory study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burgess, Lorraine; Irvine, Fiona; Wallymahmed, Akhtar

    2010-01-01

    The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between personality traits, perception of workplace stress and coping among intensive care unit (ICU) nurses. Research has indicated that ICUs are stressful environments. There is a tendency for research studies to investigate causes of stress and ways of coping, but few studies, particularly in recent years, have considered the personality traits of the staff who thrive in this challenging environment, the work stress they perceive and the coping strategies they use. A convenience sample of critical care nurses (n = 46) completed three standardised questionnaires during September 2007: the revised NEO personality inventory (NEO-PI-R); the nurses stress scale (NSI) and the Brief Coping Orientations to Problems Experienced (COPE) scale. ICU nurses did not perceive their workplaces to be stressful. Certain personality traits, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness, were associated with problem-solving coping strategies such as active planning and reframing. Openness and extraversion were associated with less perceived stress from the 'patients and relatives' dimension of the NSI; there were also negative correlations between conscientiousness and the 'workload stress' and stress from lack of 'confidence and competence' dimensions of the NSI. Certain personality traits may have a buffering effect on workplace stress. Pre-employment screening to identify staff that exhibit personality and coping traits associated with low perceived stress may be considered as part of the recruitment strategy to address problems relating to stress, sickness and retention. The retention and recruitment of staff who have lower perceived workplace stress and who utilise problem-focused coping may result in less reported absences and fewer critical incidents and errors.

  13. Ageing and Non-Formal Care for Elderly Persons in Croatia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sonja Podgorelec

    2007-06-01

    Full Text Available Ageing and depopulation are the fundamental demographic processes in the development of the population of Croatia. In the total population in 2001 the age group encompassing persons 65 years of age and older made up 15.7% of the total population. The age structure of the population is one of the essential determinants of the quality of lives of individuals, especially within the family. Based on an analysis of demographic indicators (the population structure, the ratio of females, the ageing index, the age coefficient, average age, age-dependency ratios, marital status, and a brief review of migration history in the second half of the 20th century, the goal of this paper is to evaluate the quality of non-formal care of the elderly in relation to potential care providers. Due to ageing in the total population of Croatia, due to a reduction in the number of children per family and separate residences of adult children and their elderly parents, the circle of main care providers for the elderly has diminished. With the decrease in the number of family members, increasingly frequent forms of single-parent families and the employment of women, who were traditionally the most important providers of all forms of non-formal care, insufficient care for the elderly within families has become a problem. Despite changes in the way of life, the family is still the basic source of emotional, informational and instrumental support for elderly people. The help and support that the elderly receive from friends is roughly equal in the city and in villages, although neighbourly help is somewhat greater in non-urban areas (for example in Istria and on the islands. However, researches confirm that the social network of support and help among the rural population has changed since the nineties of the last century. To a certain extent the support of friends and neighbours may substitute the lack of care by children, but a weaker network of homes for the elderly and

  14. Integrated Personal Health Records: Transformative Tools for Consumer-Centric Care

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raymond Brian

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Integrated personal health records (PHRs offer significant potential to stimulate transformational changes in health care delivery and self-care by patients. In 2006, an invitational roundtable sponsored by Kaiser Permanente Institute, the American Medical Informatics Association, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality was held to identify the transformative potential of PHRs, as well as barriers to realizing this potential and a framework for action to move them closer to the health care mainstream. This paper highlights and builds on the insights shared during the roundtable. Discussion While there is a spectrum of dominant PHR models, (standalone, tethered, integrated, the authors state that only the integrated model has true transformative potential to strengthen consumers' ability to manage their own health care. Integrated PHRs improve the quality, completeness, depth, and accessibility of health information provided by patients; enable facile communication between patients and providers; provide access to health knowledge for patients; ensure portability of medical records and other personal health information; and incorporate auto-population of content. Numerous factors impede widespread adoption of integrated PHRs: obstacles in the health care system/culture; issues of consumer confidence and trust; lack of technical standards for interoperability; lack of HIT infrastructure; the digital divide; uncertain value realization/ROI; and uncertain market demand. Recent efforts have led to progress on standards for integrated PHRs, and government agencies and private companies are offering different models to consumers, but substantial obstacles remain to be addressed. Immediate steps to advance integrated PHRs should include sharing existing knowledge and expanding knowledge about them, building on existing efforts, and continuing dialogue among public and private sector stakeholders. Summary Integrated PHRs

  15. Do physical environmental changes make a difference? Supporting person-centered care at mealtimes in nursing homes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaudhury, Habib; Hung, Lillian; Rust, Tiana; Wu, Sarah

    2017-10-01

    Purpose Drawing on therapeutic physical environmental design principles and Kitwood's theoretical view of person-centered care, this study examined the impact of environmental renovations in dining spaces of a long-term care facility on residents' mealtime experience and staff practice in two care units. Method The research design involved pre- and post-renovation ethnographic observations in the dining spaces of the care units and a post-renovation staff survey. The objective physical environmental features pre- and post-renovations were assessed with a newly developed tool titled Dining Environment Audit Protocol. We collected observational data from 10 residents and survey responses from 17 care aides and nurses. Findings Based on a systematic analysis of observational data and staff survey responses, five themes were identified: (a) autonomy and personal control, (b) comfort of homelike environment, (c) conducive to social interaction, (d) increased personal support, and (e) effective teamwork. Implications Although the physical environment can play an influential role in enhancing the dining experience of residents, the variability in staff practices reveals the complexity of mealtime environment and points to the necessity of a systemic approach to foster meaningful culture change.

  16. Organisational culture and change: implementing person-centred care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carlström, Eric D; Ekman, Inger

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to explore the connection between organisational cultures and the employee's resistance to change at five hospital wards in Western Sweden. Staff had experienced extensive change during a research project implementing person-centred care (PCC) for patients with chronic heart failure. Surveys were sent out to 170 nurses. The survey included two instruments--the Organisational Values Questionnaire (OVQ) and the Resistance to Change Scale (RTC). The results indicate that a culture with a dominating focus on social competence decreases "routine seeking behaviour", i.e. tendencies to uphold stable routines and a reluctance to give up old habits. The results indicate that a culture of flexibility, cohesion and trust negatively covariate with the overall need for a stable and well-defined framework. An instrument that pinpoints the conditions of a particular healthcare setting can improve the results of a change project. Managers can use instruments such as the ones used in this study to investigate and plan for change processes. Earlier studies of organisational culture and its impact on the performance of healthcare organisations have often investigated culture at the highest level of the organisation. In this study, the culture of the production units--i.e. the health workers in different hospital wards--was described. Hospital wards develop their own culture and the cultures of different wards are mirrored in the hospital.

  17. Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in surface and treated waters of Louisiana, USA and Ontario, Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boyd, Glen R; Reemtsma, Helge; Grimm, Deborah A; Mitra, Siddhartha

    2003-07-20

    A newly developed analytical method was used to measure concentrations of nine pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in samples from two surface water bodies, a sewage treatment plant effluent and various stages of a drinking water treatment plant in Louisiana, USA, and from one surface water body, a drinking water treatment plant and a pilot plant in Ontario, Canada. The analytical method provides for simultaneous extraction and quantification of the following broad range of PPCPs and endocrine-disrupting chemicals: naproxen; ibuprofen; estrone; 17beta-estradiol; bisphenol A; clorophene; triclosan; fluoxetine; and clofibric acid. Naproxen was detected in Louisiana sewage treatment plant effluent at 81-106 ng/l and Louisiana and Ontario surface waters at 22-107 ng/l. Triclosan was detected in Louisiana sewage treatment plant effluent at 10-21 ng/l. Of the three surface waters sampled, clofibric acid was detected in Detroit River water at 103 ng/l, but not in Mississippi River or Lake Pontchartrain waters. None of the other target analytes were detected above their method detection limits. Based on results at various stages of treatment, conventional drinking-water treatment processes (coagulation, flocculation and sedimentation) plus continuous addition of powdered activated carbon at a dosage of 2 mg/l did not remove naproxen from Mississippi River waters. However, chlorination, ozonation and dual media filtration processes reduced the concentration of naproxen below detection in Mississippi River and Detroit River waters and reduced clofibric acid in Detroit River waters. Results of this study demonstrate that existing water treatment technologies can effectively remove certain PPCPs. In addition, our study demonstrates the importance of obtaining data on removal mechanisms and byproducts associated with PPCPs and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals in drinking water and sewage treatment processes.

  18. Effect of operating conditions in soil aquifer treatment on the removals of pharmaceuticals and personal care products

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    He, Kai, E-mail: hekai@urban.env.kyoto-u.ac.jp; Echigo, Shinya; Itoh, Sadahiko

    2016-09-15

    Soil aquifer treatment (SAT) is an alternative advanced treatment for wastewater reclamation, and it has the potential to control micropollutants including pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). However, the relationship of operating conditions in SAT and removals of micropollutants was not clear. In this study, the effects of operating conditions on the removals of PPCPs were evaluated by using lab-scale columns and plant pilot-scale reactors under different operating conditions. Firstly, weathered granite soil (WGS), standard sand (SAND) and Toyoura standard sand (TS) have different soil characteristics such as total organic carbon (TOC) and cation exchange capacity (CEC). In the columns with these packing materials, the removals of carboxylic analgesics and antilipidemics were effective regardless packing materials. The removals of antibiotics were more effective in WGS than in TS and SAND, indicating high TOC and CEC enhance the sorption in SAT. Secondly, with the extension of hydraulic retention time (HRT), the removals of sulfamethoxazole, acetaminophen, crotamiton, and antipyrine were improved in WGS columns, and adaptable biodegradation for moderately removable PPCPs was formed. Thirdly, the removal efficiencies of sulfamethoxazole and crotamiton were higher in the WGS column under vadose condition than in the WGS column under saturated condition, because of aerobic condition in WGS column under vadose condition. Though long HRT and vadose condition had positive influence on the removals of several PPCPs such as sulfamethoxazole, WGS column with an HRT of 7 days under saturated condition removed most PPCPs. - Highlights: • Soil organic matter and cation exchange capacity enhanced the removals of antibiotics in SAT. • A hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 7 days was sufficient for the removals of most PPCPs. • The removals of most selected PPCPs were similar under vadose and saturated conditions. • Vadose condition contributed to the

  19. Combined effects of pharmaceuticals, personal care products, biocides and organic contaminants on the growth of Skeletonema pseudocostatum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petersen, Karina; Heiaas, Harald Hasle; Tollefsen, Knut Erik

    2014-05-01

    Organisms in the environment are exposed to a number of pollutants from different compound groups. In addition to the classic pollutants like the polychlorinated biphenyls, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), alkylphenols, biocides, etc. other compound groups of concern are constantly emerging. Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) can be expected to co-occur with other organic contaminants like biocides, PAHs and alkylphenols in areas affected by wastewater, industrial effluents and intensive recreational activity. In this study, representatives from these four different compound groups were tested individually and in mixtures in a growth inhibition assay with the marine algae Skeletonema pseudocostatum (formerly Skeletonema costatum) to determine whether the combined effects could be predicted by models for additive effects; the concentration addition (CA) and independent action (IA) prediction model. The eleven tested compounds reduced the growth of S. pseudocostatum in the microplate test in a concentration-dependent manner. The order of toxicity of these chemicals were irgarol>fluoxetine>diuron>benzo(a)pyrene>thioguanine>triclosan>propranolol>benzophenone 3>cetrimonium bromide>4-tert-octylphenol>endosulfan. Several binary mixtures and a mixture of eight compounds from the four different compound groups were tested. All tested mixtures were additive as model deviation ratios, the deviation between experimental and predicted effect concentrations, were within a factor of 2 from one or both prediction models (e.g. CA and IA). Interestingly, a concentration dependent shift from IA to CA, potentially due to activation of similar toxicity pathways at higher concentrations, was observed for the mixture of eight compounds. The combined effects of the multi-compound mixture were clearly additive and it should therefore be expected that PPCPs, biocides, PAHs and alkylphenols will collectively contribute to the risk in areas contaminated by such complex

  20. Occurrence of acidic pharmaceuticals and personal care products in Turia River Basin: from waste to drinking water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carmona, Eric; Andreu, Vicente; Picó, Yolanda

    2014-06-15

    The occurrence of 21 acidic pharmaceuticals, including illicit drugs, and personal care products (PPCPs) in waste, surface and drinking water and in sediments of the Turia River Basin (Valencia, Spain) was studied. A liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed for the determination of these PPCPs with electrospray (ESI) in negative ionization (NI) mode. Ammonium fluoride in the mobile phase improved ionization efficiency by an average increase in peak area of 5 compared to ammonium formate or formic acid. All studied compounds were detected and their concentration was waste water>surface water>drinking water. PPCPs were in waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) influents up to 7.26μgL(-1), dominated by ibuprofen, naproxen and 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THCOOH). WWTPs were highly effective in removing most of them, with an average removal rate of >90%. PPCPs were still detected in effluents in the 6.72-940ngL(-1) range, with the THCOOH, triclocarban, gemfibrozil and diclofenac as most prevalent. Similarly, diclofenac, gemfibrozil, ibuprofen, naproxen and propylparaben were detected quite frequently from the low ngL(-1) range to 7μgL(-1) in the surface waters of Turia River. Ibuprofen, methylparaben, salicylic acid and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) were at concentrations up to 0.85ngg(-1) d.w. in sediments. The discharge of WWTP as well as of non-treated waters to this river is a likely explanation for the significant amount of PPCPs detected in surface waters and sediments. Mineral and tap waters also presented significant amounts (approx. 100ngL(-1)) of ibuprofen, naproxen, propylparaben and butylparaben. The occurrence at trace levels of several PPCPs in drinking water raises concerns about possible implications for human health. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Personalized commissioning, public spaces: the limits of the market in English social care services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Needham, Catherine

    2013-01-01

    The article explores the implications of personal budgets within English social care services, which position the individual as market actor. Rooting the research in the broader personalization agenda, the study looks at the limitations of the market in relation to individual purchase of private goods (e.g. home care), in the pooling of funds to purchase group services and in the provision of public goods such as building-based services. The article takes a multi-method approach, combining an interpretive focus on the framing of the personal budget-holder by advocates of personalization with national evaluation data, and data from a small survey of day centre workers. The article identifies three framings of the individual budget-holder articulated by advocates of personalization. The first is that personal budget-holders will be empowered market actors, commissioning the services they need. The second is that budget-holders will pool resources with others to purchase group services in order to broaden the range of options available to them. The third is that services which cannot be disaggregated into individual or group budgets - such as day centres - are not valued by service users. The article looks at the evaluation data on these three claims in turn. It identifies four limitations to the capacity of people to purchase care goods on an individual basis: lack of transparency in allocating budgets, complexity in managing a budget, excessive auditing of spending and lack of responsiveness from the provider market. Pooling of budgets to purchase collective services is found to be underdeveloped, and hampered by the complexity which is a broader limitation on personal budgets. Day centres are found to be closing not in response to commissioning decisions by individual budget-holders but because of decommissioning by local authorities, minimising the scope for individuals to express a preference for this type of care. The survey highlights patterns of day centre

  2. European Federation of Associations of Families of People with Mental Illness initiatives on person-centred care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steffen, Sigrid

    2011-04-01

    European Federation of Associations of Families of People with Mental Illness is working towards the goal of shifting the emphasis of care for people with metal illness from the treatment of the symptoms to a more holistic approach of treating the whole person - in other words 'person-centred care'. It is also working with the Geneva conference on person-centred medicine and various interested groupings and organizations to ensure that the role of the family is fully recognized and supported. By engaging primarily with the medical community in bringing to fruition certain initiatives which European Federation of Associations of Families of People with Mental Illness considers as important to the success of person-centred care. To date, no formal reviews have taken place and feedback from the initiatives has been informal and anecdotal. Early reports from the various initiatives are positive. But they also indicate that there is still much work to be done in order for the concept to become a reality across the majority of European countries. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  3. [Refusal of care faced by case manager from elderly persons in complex situation: cross perspectives].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corvol, A; Balard, F; Moutel, G; Somme, D

    2014-01-01

    Case management is a new professional field in France. It is addressed to elderly persons living in community whose situation is regarded as particularly complex. Case managers have to assess needs and coordinate necessary services. One common criteria of complexity is refusal of care. The objective of this study is to compare the words of users with those of case managers about refusal of care, in order to understand its meaning, professionals' attitudes and ethical challenges. Two researchers have cooperated on this qualitative research: the first one, anthropologist, interviewed 19 individuals, and 11 of their caregivers. The second one, geriatrician and researcher in medical ethics, lead four focus groups gathering a total of 18 case managers. Refusal of care often is the result of the will of preserving one's identity, compromised by illness. Individuals seek control on their life. Facing this behaviour, case managers try to secure the individual, by establishing a personal relationship that respects their choices, even if care has to be delayed. Refusal of care may sometimes disclose a desire to vanish, in front of which professionals meet their own limits. To recognise an elderly person that refuses care as a unique individual who can make choices secure his identity, and allow him to change. Copyright © 2013 Société nationale française de médecine interne (SNFMI). Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

  4. Testing a bedside personal computer Clinical Care Classification System for nursing students using Microsoft Access.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feeg, Veronica D; Saba, Virginia K; Feeg, Alan N

    2008-01-01

    This study tested a personal computer-based version of the Sabacare Clinical Care Classification System on students' performance of charting patient care plans. The application was designed as an inexpensive alternative to teach electronic charting for use on any laptop or personal computer with Windows and Microsoft Access. The data-based system was tested in a randomized trial with the control group using a type-in text-based-only system also mounted on a laptop at the bedside in the laboratory. Student care plans were more complete using the data-based system over the type-in text version. Students were more positive but not necessarily more efficient with the data-based system. The results demonstrate that the application is effective for improving student nursing care charting using the nursing process and capturing patient care information with a language that is standardized and ready for integration with other patient electronic health record data. It can be implemented on a bedside stand in the clinical laboratory or used to aggregate care planning over a student's clinical experience.

  5. Productivity in Pediatric Palliative Care: Measuring and Monitoring an Elusive Metric.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaye, Erica C; Abramson, Zachary R; Snaman, Jennifer M; Friebert, Sarah E; Baker, Justin N

    2017-05-01

    Workforce productivity is poorly defined in health care. Particularly in the field of pediatric palliative care (PPC), the absence of consensus metrics impedes aggregation and analysis of data to track workforce efficiency and effectiveness. Lack of uniformly measured data also compromises the development of innovative strategies to improve productivity and hinders investigation of the link between productivity and quality of care, which are interrelated but not interchangeable. To review the literature regarding the definition and measurement of productivity in PPC; to identify barriers to productivity within traditional PPC models; and to recommend novel metrics to study productivity as a component of quality care in PPC. PubMed ® and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews searches for scholarly literature were performed using key words (pediatric palliative care, palliative care, team, workforce, workflow, productivity, algorithm, quality care, quality improvement, quality metric, inpatient, hospital, consultation, model) for articles published between 2000 and 2016. Organizational searches of Center to Advance Palliative Care, National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, National Association for Home Care & Hospice, American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association, National Quality Forum, and National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care were also performed. Additional semistructured interviews were conducted with directors from seven prominent PPC programs across the U.S. to review standard operating procedures for PPC team workflow and productivity. Little consensus exists in the PPC field regarding optimal ways to define, measure, and analyze provider and program productivity. Barriers to accurate monitoring of productivity include difficulties with identification, measurement, and interpretation of metrics applicable to an interdisciplinary care paradigm. In the context of inefficiencies

  6. Defining care products to finance health care in the Netherlands

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    M. Westerdijk (MacHiel); J.J. Zuurbier (Joost); M. Ludwig (Martijn); S. Prins (Sarah)

    2012-01-01

    textabstractA case-mix project started in the Netherlands with the primary goal to define a complete set of health care products for hospitals. The definition of the product structure was completed 4 years later. The results are currently being used for billing purposes. This paper focuses on the

  7. Information and communication technology-enabled person-centered care for the "big five" chronic conditions: scoping review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wildevuur, Sabine E; Simonse, Lianne W L

    2015-03-27

    Person-centered information and communication technology (ICT) could encourage patients to take an active part in their health care and decision-making process, and make it possible for patients to interact directly with health care providers and services about their personal health concerns. Yet, little is known about which ICT interventions dedicated to person-centered care (PCC) and connected-care interactions have been studied, especially for shared care management of chronic diseases. The aim of this research is to investigate the extent, range, and nature of these research activities and identify research gaps in the evidence base of health studies regarding the "big 5" chronic diseases: diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, cancer, and stroke. The objective of this paper was to review the literature and to scope the field with respect to 2 questions: (1) which ICT interventions have been used to support patients and health care professionals in PCC management of the big 5 chronic diseases? and (2) what is the impact of these interventions, such as on health-related quality of life and cost efficiency? This research adopted a scoping review method. Three electronic medical databases were accessed: PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library. The research reviewed studies published between January 1989 and December 2013. In 5 stages of systematic scanning and reviewing, relevant studies were identified, selected, and charted. Then we collated, summarized, and reported the results. From the initial 9380 search results, we identified 350 studies that qualified for inclusion: diabetes mellitus (n=103), cardiovascular disease (n=89), chronic respiratory disease (n=73), cancer (n=67), and stroke (n=18). Persons with one of these chronic conditions used ICT primarily for self-measurement of the body, when interacting with health care providers, with the highest rates of use seen in chronic respiratory (63%, 46/73) and cardiovascular (53

  8. Young siblings of children with cancer deserve care and a personalized approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Massimo, Luisa M; Wiley, Thomas J

    2008-03-01

    The youngest siblings may be both emotionally vulnerable and often neglected members of the family of a childhood cancer patient. The prompt identification of signs of distress in these subjects allows trained caregivers to intervene with personalized, age-appropriate, attention, and care. A narrative approach, based on personalized listening, writings, and spontaneous drawings, can provide the means to elicit markers of psychological maladjustment in even the youngest of siblings. Two exemplary cases are reported to illustrate this approach. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  9. Cleaning and disinfection in home care: A comparison of 2 commercial products with potentially different consequences for respiratory health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodyear, Nancy; Markkanen, Pia; Beato-Melendez, Christian; Mohamed, Hagir; Gore, Rebecca; Galligan, Catherine; Sama, Susan; Quinn, Margaret

    2018-04-01

    Home care aides perform personal care and homemaking services in client homes, including cleaning and disinfection (C&D). Although C&D are performed to remove soil and dust, they are increasingly performed for infection prevention. Many C&D products contain respiratory irritants. The objective of this study was to evaluate 2 commercial products for C&D effectiveness on common household surfaces in seniors' homes. Two C&D visits were conducted in 46 seniors' homes. One visit applied a bleach-containing cleaning product and the other applied an environmentally preferable product. Before and after C&D, the study team performed organic soil bioluminometer measurements on surfaces and collected cotton swab and wipe samples for total bacteria count, Staphylococcus aureus, and Clostridium difficile identification. Both products removed microorganisms from tested surfaces. S aureus was found in 7 households, 1 strain of which was methicillin-resistant. Both products removed S aureus from all surfaces. Bleach-containing products removed somewhat more soil than environmentally preferable products, although results were statistically significant for only 1 surface. The study showed similar, not identical, C&D performance for 2 cleaning products with potentially different consequences for respiratory health. Additional research is needed to develop robust recommendations for safe, effective C&D in home care. Copyright © 2018 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. [Basic therapeutics : What are the features of modern personal care products to protect and regenerate the skin barrier?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daniels, R

    2017-11-01

    It is international consensus that the daily use of properly selected products for the maintenance therapy is a must in the adjuvant treatment of most chronic skin diseases. In a first step, the selection of an adequate product can be guided by the classical triangle of the dermal vehicles. However, modern skin care products use diverse excipients, e. g. emulsifiers and viscosity enhancers, to improve the galenical and haptic properties of the formulations. It is thus no longer sufficient to simply have knowledge about the oil and water content of a cream in order to make a proper selection. A very positive effect on the skin barrier can be achieved using biomimetic lipids which can be incorporated into the epidermal lipid barrier. The application of such products as a foam cream is the most convenient way especially favorable when inflamed or hardly accessible skin areas have to be treated.

  11. Personal determinants of nurses' burnout in end of life care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gama, Georgeana; Barbosa, Filipe; Vieira, Margarida

    2014-10-01

    Our aim is to identify socio-demographic, professional exposure to dying, training degree and personal factors relevant to burnout dimensions in nurses coping with death issues. A sample of 360 nurses (response rate 70.6%) from internal medicine, oncology, haematology and palliative care departments of five health institutions answered to a socio-demographic and professional questionnaire, Maslach Burnout Inventory, Death Attitude Profile Scale, Purpose in Life Test and Adult Attachment Scale. No significant differences were found between medical departments in burnout scores except when comparing those with palliative care department which showed significant lesser levels of emotional exhaustion (t = 2.71; p exhaustion and depersonalization are negative, sequentially determined respectively by purpose in life, dependent attachment, fear of death attitude and by purpose in life, dependent attachment, years of professional experience and personal accomplishment by positive purpose on life and secure attachment. We conclude for the protective value of factors such as meaning and purpose in life, secure attachment and attitude towards death, through the various burnout dimensions that shows the need to develop under and postgraduate training strategies in these specific areas. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Modeling the photochemical attenuation of down-the-drain chemicals during river transport by stochastic methods and field measurements of pharmaceuticals and personal care products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanamoto, Seiya; Nakada, Norihide; Yamashita, Naoyuki; Tanaka, Hiroaki

    2013-01-01

    Existing stochastic models for predicting concentrations of down-the-drain chemicals in aquatic environments do not account for the diurnal variation of direct photolysis by sunlight, despite its being an important factor in natural attenuation. To overcome this limitation, we developed a stochastic model incorporating temporal variations in direct photolysis. To verify the model, we measured 57 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in a 7.6-km stretch of an urban river, and determined their physical and biological properties in laboratory experiments. During transport along the river, 8 PPCPs, including ketoprofen and azithromycin, were attenuated by >20%, mainly owing to direct photolysis and adsorption to sediments. The photolabile PPCPs attenuated significantly in the daytime but persisted in the nighttime. The observations were similar to the values predicted by the photolysis model for the photolabile PPCPs (i.e., ketoprofen, diclofenac and furosemide) but not by the existing model. The stochastic model developed in this study was suggested to be a novel and useful stochastic model for evaluating direct photolysis of down-the-drain chemicals, which occurs during the river transport.

  13. Determination of silver in personal care nanoproducts and effects on dermal exposure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wasukan, Nootcharin; Srisung, Sujittra; Kulthong, Kornphimol; Boonrungsiman, Suwimon; Maniratanachote, Rawiwan

    2015-01-01

    Silver (Ag) is one of the widely used nanomaterials in cosmetics, personal care, and household products. This research aimed to investigate the Ag concentration contained in 20 commercial nanoproducts using a simple and reliable procedure. The exposure and adverse effects of a single topical application of Ag on the skin were also evaluated. Herein, we demonstrated that the technique of wet acid digestion, extraction and detection of Ag with graphite furnace absorption spectrometry were effective for any and all nanoproduct matrices. The Ag morphology was characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopy equipped with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. Penetration of Ag was evaluated using a polyethersulfone (PES) membrane through a Franz cell and reconstructed human epidermis (RhE) tissue. A skin irritation test was performed on RhE, an acceptable in vitro model which was in compliance with OECD test guideline 439. The results showed that the initial Ag concentration in the tested nanoproducts ranged between 0.0058 and 94 µg/g. However, particulate Ag was only found in two products, both of a liquid formulation. Silver penetration through a PES membrane (0.12–53 % by weight) was weakly correlated with the initial Ag concentration in each sample, but more so to the product formulation. The liquid products demonstrated the highest percent of average Ag penetration, followed by the semi-solid and solid formulations, respectively. In contrast, neither any Ag diffusion from these products into the RhE tissue nor any irritation or toxicity was detected. This study suggests a screening method to evaluate the Ag level in products and their potential adverse effects on the skin that could be incorporated as a part of risk assessment for nanotechnology products

  14. Determination of silver in personal care nanoproducts and effects on dermal exposure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wasukan, Nootcharin [National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), National Nanotechnology Center (Thailand); Srisung, Sujittra, E-mail: sujittras@g.swu.ac.th [Srinakharinwirot University, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science (Thailand); Kulthong, Kornphimol; Boonrungsiman, Suwimon; Maniratanachote, Rawiwan, E-mail: rawiwan@nanotec.or.th [National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), National Nanotechnology Center (Thailand)

    2015-11-15

    Silver (Ag) is one of the widely used nanomaterials in cosmetics, personal care, and household products. This research aimed to investigate the Ag concentration contained in 20 commercial nanoproducts using a simple and reliable procedure. The exposure and adverse effects of a single topical application of Ag on the skin were also evaluated. Herein, we demonstrated that the technique of wet acid digestion, extraction and detection of Ag with graphite furnace absorption spectrometry were effective for any and all nanoproduct matrices. The Ag morphology was characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopy equipped with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. Penetration of Ag was evaluated using a polyethersulfone (PES) membrane through a Franz cell and reconstructed human epidermis (RhE) tissue. A skin irritation test was performed on RhE, an acceptable in vitro model which was in compliance with OECD test guideline 439. The results showed that the initial Ag concentration in the tested nanoproducts ranged between 0.0058 and 94 µg/g. However, particulate Ag was only found in two products, both of a liquid formulation. Silver penetration through a PES membrane (0.12–53 % by weight) was weakly correlated with the initial Ag concentration in each sample, but more so to the product formulation. The liquid products demonstrated the highest percent of average Ag penetration, followed by the semi-solid and solid formulations, respectively. In contrast, neither any Ag diffusion from these products into the RhE tissue nor any irritation or toxicity was detected. This study suggests a screening method to evaluate the Ag level in products and their potential adverse effects on the skin that could be incorporated as a part of risk assessment for nanotechnology products.

  15. Care plan for the patient with a dependent personality disorder

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana María Ruiz Galán

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available Personality is unique for each individual and can be defined as the dynamic collection of characteristics relative to emotions, thought and behaviour.Personality trout’s only mean a Personality Disorder (PD when they are inflexible and maladjusted and cause notable functional deterioration or uneasiness.According to Bermudez personality is “the enduring organization of structural and functional features, innate and acquired under the special conditions of each one’s development that shape the particular and specific collection of behaviour to face different situations”.According to the Diagnostic a Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV, a Personality Disorder is “an enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that deviates markedly from the expectations of the person’s culture is pervasive and an inflexible, is stable over time and leads to distress or impairment. The onset of these patterns of behaviour is the beginning of the adulthood and, in rare instances, early adolescence”.There are several types of Personality Disorders (paranoid, schizoid, borderline, antisocial, dependent…. Dependent Personality Disorder is one of the most frequent in the Mental Health Services.People who suffer from this disorder are unable to take a decision by themselves because they don’t have confidence in themselves. They need a lot of social support and affection until the point of deny their individuality by subordinating their desires to other person’s desires and permitting these persons to manage their lives. Maybe they feel desolated by separation and loss and can support any situation, even maltreatment to keep a relationship.As we a deduce this diagnosis is sensible to cultural influences. This work aims to elaborate an standarized plan of cares for the patient with Dependent Personality Disorder by using nursing Diagnosis of NANDA II, Outcomes Criteria (NOC and Interventions Criteria (NIC.

  16. EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEADERSHIP COMMUNICATION STYLE, PERSONALITY TRAIT AND ORGANIZATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oludele Mayowa Solaja

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available In organizational research and practice, prolific communication is significantly linked with quality leadership traits. Leadership quality helps in mitigating the failure of an organization to survive the increasing business challenges that may result in waste of resources, talents and potentials needed for achieving optimal organizational productivity. However, an examination of academic literatures reveal that corporate leaders are often faced with the challenge of how to move smoothly between different communication styles to communicate clearly articulating ideas and knowledge to employee’s whenever the occasion demands which hinders organizational productivity. Against this background, this study explores the relationship between leadership communication style, personality trait and organizational productivity. The study utilized cross-sectional survey method. Participants were 112 academic staff of University of Lagos, Nigeria who was selected through multi-stage sampling techniques. Data were collected through structured questionnaire and personal observation. Results show that there exists a connection between leadership communication style and personality trait. Also, the finding revealed that leadership communication style determines organization productivity. More so, the finding established that personality traits and communication styles have combine effect on organizational productivity. Conclusively, the findings were discussed with reference to relevant empirical literatures with recommendations for management of organizations both for practice and future research highlighted.

  17. Experiences of women in secure care who have been prescribed clozapine for borderline personality disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dickens, Geoffrey L; Frogley, Catherine; Mason, Fiona; Anagnostakis, Katina; Picchioni, Marco M

    2016-01-01

    Clozapine is an atypical antipsychotic medicine which can cause significant side-effects. It is often prescribed off-license in severe cases of borderline personality disorder contrary to national treatment guidelines. Little is known about the experiences of those who take clozapine for borderline personality disorder. We explored the lived-experience of women in secure inpatient care who were prescribed clozapine for borderline personality disorder. Adult females ( N  = 20) participated in audio-taped semi-structured interviews. Transcripts were subject to thematic analysis. The central themes related to evaluation, wellbeing, understanding and self-management; for many, their subjective wellbeing on clozapine was preferred to prior levels of functioning and symptomatology, sometimes profoundly so. The negative and potentially adverse effects of clozapine were explained as regrettable but relatively unimportant. When psychological interventions are, at least initially, ineffective then clozapine treatment is likely to be evaluated positively by a group of women with borderline personality disorder in secure care despite the potential disadvantages.

  18. Personal values and attitudes toward people living with HIV among health care providers in Kazakhstan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tartakovsky, Eugene; Hamama, Liat

    2013-01-01

    Our study investigates the relationship between health care providers' personal value preferences and their attitudes toward people living with HIV (PLWH). The study was conducted among nurses (n = 38) and physicians (n = 87) working in HIV Centers in Kazakhstan. Significant relationships were found between the providers' personal value preferences and their attitudes toward PLWH: higher preferences for tradition and power values and lower preferences for benevolence values were associated with more negative attitudes toward PLWH. In addition, more years of experience working with PLWH was associated with more positive attitudes toward this population. Age, gender, family status, religiosity, occupation, and number of years working in health care were not related to the health care providers' attitudes toward PLWH. Theoretical and practical implications of the results obtained are discussed. Copyright © 2013 Association of Nurses in AIDS Care. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Guidelines to facilitate self-care among older persons in South Africa

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Tinda Rabie

    Results: Based on Menon's psychological health empowerment model, and from ... Implications for practice: The implementation of the self-care guidelines by the .... 115) a person who has good self- .... work in the communities - eight for the urban population in ... a sub-population of 333 men and women over the age of 60.

  20. Implementing Dementia Care Mapping to develop person-centred care: results of a process evaluation within the Leben-QD II trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quasdorf, Tina; Riesner, Christine; Dichter, Martin Nikolaus; Dortmann, Olga; Bartholomeyczik, Sabine; Halek, Margareta

    2017-03-01

    To evaluate Dementia Care Mapping implementation in nursing homes. Dementia Care Mapping, an internationally applied method for supporting and enhancing person-centred care for people with dementia, must be successfully implemented into care practice for its effective use. Various factors influence the implementation of complex interventions such as Dementia Care Mapping; few studies have examined the specific factors influencing Dementia Care Mapping implementation. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design embedded in a quasi-experimental trial was used to assess Dementia Care Mapping implementation success and influential factors. From 2011-2013, nine nursing units in nine different nursing homes implemented either Dementia Care Mapping (n = 6) or a periodic quality of life measurement using the dementia-specific instrument QUALIDEM (n = 3). Diverse data (interviews, n = 27; questionnaires, n = 112; resident records, n = 81; and process documents) were collected. Each data set was separately analysed and then merged to comprehensively portray the implementation process. Four nursing units implemented the particular intervention without deviating from the preplanned intervention. Translating Dementia Care Mapping results into practice was challenging. Necessary organisational preconditions for Dementia Care Mapping implementation included well-functioning networks, a dementia-friendly culture and flexible organisational structures. Involved individuals' positive attitudes towards Dementia Care Mapping also facilitated implementation. Precisely planning the intervention and its implementation, recruiting champions who supported Dementia Care Mapping implementation and having well-qualified, experienced project coordinators were essential to the implementation process. For successful Dementia Care Mapping implementation, it must be embedded in a systematic implementation strategy considering the specific setting. Organisational preconditions may need to

  1. Organizational culture and the implementation of person centered care: results from a change process in Swedish hospital care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alharbi, Tariq Saleem J; Ekman, Inger; Olsson, Lars-Eric; Dudas, Kerstin; Carlström, Eric

    2012-12-01

    Sweden has one of the oldest, most coherent and stable healthcare systems in the world. The culture has been described as conservative, mechanistic and increasingly standardized. In order to provide a care adjusted to the patient, person centered care (PCC) has been developed and implemented into some parts of the health care industry. The model has proven to decrease patient uncertainty. However, the impact of PCC has been limited in some clinics and hospital wards. An assumption is that organizational culture has an impact on desired outcomes of PCC, such as patient uncertainty. Therefore, in this study we identify the impact of organizational culture on patient uncertainty in five hospital wards during the implementation of PCC. Data from 220 hospitalized patients who completed the uncertainty cardiovascular population scale (UCPS) and 117 nurses who completed the organizational values questionnaire (OVQ) were investigated with regression analysis. The results seemed to indicate that in hospitals where the culture promotes stability, control and goal setting, patient uncertainty is reduced. In contrast to previous studies suggesting that a culture of flexibility, cohesion and trust is positive, a culture of stability can better sustain a desired outcome of reform or implementation of new care models such as person centered care. It is essential for health managers to be aware of what characterizes their organizational culture before attempting to implement any sort of new healthcare model. The organizational values questionnaire has the potential to be used as a tool to aid health managers in reaching that understanding. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Benzoate Allergy in Children--From Foods to Personal Hygiene Products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacob, Sharon E; Hill, Hannah; Lucero, Hanna; Nedorost, Susan

    2016-01-01

    Benzoate allergy may be an overlooked allergen in children and one that may be of increasing importance with its increasing role as a preservative in pediatric personal hygiene formulations. The cases herein report an association with cola and benzoate allergy and discusses the implications of replacement of formaldehyde by benzoates in personal hygiene products. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. Development and Evaluation of an Educational E-Tool to Help Patients With Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Manage Their Personal Care Pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stienen, Jozette Jc; Ottevanger, Petronella B; Wennekes, Lianne; Dekker, Helena M; van der Maazen, Richard Wm; Mandigers, Caroline Mpw; van Krieken, Johan Hjm; Blijlevens, Nicole Ma; Hermens, Rosella Pmg

    2015-01-09

    An overload of health-related information is available for patients on numerous websites, guidelines, and information leaflets. However, the increasing need for personalized health-related information is currently unmet. This study evaluates an educational e-tool for patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) designed to meet patient needs with respect to personalized and complete health-related information provision. The e-tool aims to help NHL patients manage and understand their personal care pathway, by providing them with insight into their own care pathway, the possibility to keep a diary, and structured health-related information. Together with a multidisciplinary NHL expert panel, we developed an e-tool consisting of two sections: (1) a personal section for patients' own care pathway and their experiences, and (2) an informative section including information on NHL. We developed an ideal NHL care pathway based on the available (inter)national guidelines. The ideal care pathway, including date of first consultation, diagnosis, and therapy start, was used to set up the personal care pathway. The informative section was developed in collaboration with the patient association, Hematon. Regarding participants, 14 patients and 6 laymen were asked to evaluate the e-tool. The 24-item questionnaire used discussed issues concerning layout (6 questions), user convenience (3 questions), menu clarity (3 questions), information clarity (5 questions), and general impression (7 questions). In addition, the panel members were asked to give their feedback by email. A comprehensive overview of diagnostics, treatments, and aftercare can be established by patients completing the questions from the personal section. The informative section consisted of NHL information regarding NHL in general, diagnostics, therapy, aftercare, and waiting times. Regarding participants, 6 patients and 6 laymen completed the questionnaire. Overall, the feedback was positive, with at least 75

  4. Evaluation of pharmaceuticals and personal care products with emphasis on anthelmintics in human sanitary waste, sewage, hospital wastewater, livestock wastewater and receiving water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sim, Won-Jin; Kim, Hee-Young; Choi, Sung-Deuk; Kwon, Jung-Hwan; Oh, Jeong-Eun

    2013-03-15

    We investigated 33 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) with emphasis on anthelmintics and their metabolites in human sanitary waste treatment plants (HTPs), sewage treatment plants (STPs), hospital wastewater treatment plants (HWTPs), livestock wastewater treatment plants (LWTPs), river water and seawater. PPCPs showed the characteristic specific occurrence patterns according to wastewater sources. The LWTPs and HTPs showed higher levels (maximum 3000 times in influents) of anthelmintics than other wastewater treatment plants, indicating that livestock wastewater and human sanitary waste are one of principal sources of anthelmintics. Among anthelmintics, fenbendazole and its metabolites are relatively high in the LWTPs, while human anthelmintics such as albendazole and flubendazole are most dominant in the HTPs, STPs and HWTPs. The occurrence pattern of fenbendazole's metabolites in water was different from pharmacokinetics studies, showing the possibility of transformation mechanism other than the metabolism in animal bodies by some processes unknown to us. The river water and seawater are generally affected by the point sources, but the distribution patterns in some receiving water are slightly different from the effluent, indicating the influence of non-point sources. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Access to primary and specialized somatic health care for persons with severe mental illness: a qualitative study of perceived barriers and facilitators in Swedish health care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Björk Brämberg, Elisabeth; Torgerson, Jarl; Norman Kjellström, Anna; Welin, Peder; Rusner, Marie

    2018-01-09

    Persons with severe mental illness (e.g. schizophrenia, bipolar disorder) have a high prevalence of somatic conditions compared to the general population. Mortality data in the Nordic countries reveal that these persons die 15-20 years earlier than the general population. Some factors explaining this high prevalence may be related to the individuals in question; others arise from the health care system's difficulty in offering somatic health care to these patient groups. The aim of the present study was therefore to explore the experiences and views of patients, relatives and clinicians regarding individual and organizational factors which facilitate or hinder access to somatic health care for persons with severe mental illness. Flexible qualitative design. Data was collected by means of semi-structured individual interviews with patients with severe mental illness, relatives and clinicians representing primary and specialized health care. In all, 50 participants participated. The main barrier to accessing somatic care is the gap between the organization of the health care system and the patients' individual health care needs. This is observed at both individual and organizational level. The health care system seems unable to support patients with severe mental illness and their psychiatric-somatic comorbidity. The main facilitators are the links between severe mental illness patients and medical departments. These links take the form of functions (i.e. systems which ensure that patients receive regular reminders), or persons (i.e. professional contacts who facilitate patients' access the health care). Health care services for patients with severe mental illness need reorganization. Organizational structures and systems that facilitate cooperation between different departments must be put in place, along with training for health care professionals about somatic disease among psychiatric patients. The links between individual and organizational levels could be

  6. Health care professionals’ perception of security of personal health devices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ondiege B

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Brian Ondiege, Malcolm Clarke Department of Computer Science, College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences, Brunel University London, UK Abstract: With the rapid advances in the capabilities of telehealth devices and their increasing connection to the Internet, security is becoming an issue of major concern. Therefore, the perceptions of the health care professionals regarding security are of interest, as the patients trust them to make informed decisions on issues concerning their privacy, data, and health. Eight health care professionals were interviewed to determine their perceptions and knowledge of security in health care. The research further examines one specific aspect of security which is considered of significant concern: the authenticity of a device being from the actual manufacturer and not a counterfeit. This research proposes device registration together with digital signatures and one-time passwords to address the issue of counterfeit remote patient-monitoring devices and identify and authenticate the user of the device. Keywords: telehealth security, health care professionals’ perception, personal health device, authentication

  7. 'Personal Care' and General Practice Medicine in the UK: A qualitative interview study with patients and General Practitioners.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adam, Rachel

    2007-08-31

    Recent policy and organisational changes within UK primary care have emphasised graduated access to care, speed of access to the first available general practitioner (GP) and care being provided by a range of healthcare professionals. These trends have been strengthened by the current GP contract and Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF). Concern has been expressed that the potential for personal care is being diminished as a result and that this will reduce quality standards. This paper presents data from a study that explored with patients and GPs what personal care means and whether it has continuing importance to them. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to interview participants and Framework Analysis supported analysis of emerging themes. Twenty-nine patients, mainly women with young children, and twenty-three GPs were interviewed from seven practices in Lothian, Scotland, ranged by practice size and relative deprivation score. Personal care was defined mainly, though not exclusively, as care given within the context of a continuing relationship in which there is an interpersonal connection and the doctor adopts a particular consultation style. Defined in this way, it was reported to have benefits for both health outcomes and patients' experience of care. In particular, such care was thought to be beneficial in attending to the emotions that can be elicited when seeking and receiving health care and in enabling patients to be known by doctors as legitimate seekers of care from the health service. Its importance was described as being dependent upon the nature of the health problem and patients' wider familial and social circumstances. In particular, it was found to provide support to patients in their parenting and other familial caring roles. Personal care has continuing salience to patients and GPs in modern primary care in the UK. Patients equate the experience of care, not just outcomes, with high quality care. As it is mainly conceptualised and

  8. Barriers to Homeless Persons Acquiring Health Insurance Through the Affordable Care Act.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fryling, Lauren R; Mazanec, Peter; Rodriguez, Robert M

    2015-11-01

    Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is intended to provide a framework for increasing health care access for vulnerable populations, including the 1.2 million who experience homelessness each year in the United States. We sought to characterize homeless persons' knowledge of the ACA, identify barriers to their ACA enrollment, and determine access to various forms of communication that could be used to facilitate enrollment. At an urban county Level I trauma center, we interviewed all noncritically ill adults who presented to the emergency department (ED) during daytime hours and were able to provide consent. We assessed access to communication, awareness of the ACA, insurance status, and barriers preventing subjects from enrolling in health insurance and compared homeless persons' responses with concomitantly enrolled housed individuals. Of the 650 enrolled subjects, 134 (20.2%) were homeless. Homeless subjects were more likely to have never heard of the ACA (26% vs. 10%). "Not being aware if they qualify for Medicaid" was the most common (70%) and most significant (30%) barrier to enrollment reported by uninsured homeless persons. Of homeless subjects who were unsure if they qualified for Medicaid, 91% reported an income homeless subjects reported access. Homeless persons report having less knowledge of the ACA than their housed counterparts, poor understanding of ACA qualification criteria, and limited access to phone and internet. ED-based outreach and education regarding ACA eligibility may increase their enrollment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Interventions to delay institutionalization of frail older persons: design of a longitudinal study in the home care setting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    De Almeida Mello Johanna

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Older people usually prefer staying at home rather than going into residential care. The Belgian National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance wishes to invest in home care by financing innovative projects that effectively help older people to stay at home longer. In this study protocol we describe the evaluation of 34 home care projects. These projects are clustered according to the type of their main intervention such as case management, night care, occupational therapy at home and psychological/psychosocial support. The main goal of this study is to identify which types of projects have the most effect in delaying institutionalization of frail older persons. Methods/design This is a longitudinal intervention study based on a quasi-experimental design. Researchers use three comparison strategies to evaluate intervention - comparison among different types of projects, comparisons between older persons in the projects and older persons not benefiting from a project but who are still at home and between older persons in the projects and older persons who are already institutionalized. Projects are asked to include clients who are frail and at risk of institutionalization. In the study we use internationally validated instruments such as the interRAI Home Care instrument, the WHO-QOL-8 and the Zarit Burden Interview-12. These instruments are filled out at baseline, at exit from the project and 6 months after baseline. Additionally, caregivers have to do a follow-up every 6 months until exit from the project. Criteria to exit the cohort will be institutionalization longer than 3 months and death. The main analysis in the study consists of the calculation of incidence rates, cumulative incidence rates and hazard rates of definitive institutionalization through survival analyses for each type of project. Discussion This research will provide knowledge on the functional status of frail older persons who are still living at

  10. Interventions to delay institutionalization of frail older persons: design of a longitudinal study in the home care setting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Almeida Mello, Johanna; Van Durme, Therese; Macq, Jean; Declercq, Anja

    2012-08-06

    Older people usually prefer staying at home rather than going into residential care. The Belgian National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance wishes to invest in home care by financing innovative projects that effectively help older people to stay at home longer. In this study protocol we describe the evaluation of 34 home care projects. These projects are clustered according to the type of their main intervention such as case management, night care, occupational therapy at home and psychological/psychosocial support. The main goal of this study is to identify which types of projects have the most effect in delaying institutionalization of frail older persons. This is a longitudinal intervention study based on a quasi-experimental design. Researchers use three comparison strategies to evaluate intervention--comparison among different types of projects, comparisons between older persons in the projects and older persons not benefiting from a project but who are still at home and between older persons in the projects and older persons who are already institutionalized. Projects are asked to include clients who are frail and at risk of institutionalization. In the study we use internationally validated instruments such as the interRAI Home Care instrument, the WHO-QOL-8 and the Zarit Burden Interview-12. These instruments are filled out at baseline, at exit from the project and 6 months after baseline. Additionally, caregivers have to do a follow-up every 6 months until exit from the project. Criteria to exit the cohort will be institutionalization longer than 3 months and death. The main analysis in the study consists of the calculation of incidence rates, cumulative incidence rates and hazard rates of definitive institutionalization through survival analyses for each type of project. This research will provide knowledge on the functional status of frail older persons who are still living at home. This is important information to identify determinants of

  11. Pharmaceutical and personal care products in domestic wastewater and their removal in anaerobic treatment systems: Septic tank – up flow anaerobic filter.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan Pablo Arrubla Vélez

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available In several countries around the world, Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Products (PPCPs exist in aquatic environments, a fact that increases the awareness within the scientific community with respect to their possible fate and environment effects. This research presents a preliminary monitoring of use, consumption and presence of PPCPs in wastewater from a treatment plant in a rural area of Pereira (Colombia. Domestic sewage is treated in a septic tank followed by an Up-Flow Anaerobic Filter and its effluent is discharged into the Otún River, upstream of the water intake of the supply system of the city. The compounds monitored in this research included ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac, aspirin, ketoprofen, caffeine, galaxolide, tonalide and dihydrojasmonate. An adapted method of multi-residue analysis was used, which is based on solid phase extraction with hydrophilic-lipophilic balance cartridges, and determination by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The removal efficiencies demonstrated that the treatment plant could eliminate less than 50% of dihydrojasmonate, diclofenac and galaxolide existing in wastewater; concentration of aspirin, naproxen and tonalide could only be reduced in 15%; and caffeine, ibuprofen and ketoprofen were not removed. Results provided basic information to decide over the necessity of complementary treatments for effluents from systems with the mentioned units.

  12. Who should decide how much and what information is important in person-centred health care?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kaltoft, Mette Kjer; Nielsen, Jesper Bo; Salkeld, Glenn

    2015-01-01

    implicitly segues into the patient having made a 'good decision'. In person-centred health care, whether, in what form, and with what weight, 'information' is included as a criterion of decision quality is a matter for the person involved, to decide in the light of their own values, preferences, and time...

  13. [Cross-sectional study of informal caregiver burden and the determinants related to the care of dependent persons].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodríguez-González, Ana María; Rodríguez-Míguez, Eva; Duarte-Pérez, Ana; Díaz-Sanisidro, Eduardo; Barbosa-Álvarez, Ángel; Clavería, Ana

    2017-03-01

    To describe the burden of informal carers of dependent people and to identify related variables. Descriptive observational cross-sectional study. Primary Health Care in the southern area of Pontevedra. 97 caregivers of dependent persons. We collected socioeconomic data and health conditions from caregivers and dependent persons, time spent on the daily care and caregiver burden (Zarit abbreviate) through a personal interview. Besides the description of the sample-including their burden level-, a contrast mean was used to identify characteristics that influenced in punctuation of Zarit scale. A logistic regression was used to analyse characteristics that increase the likelihood to experiment burden. 61.9% of caregivers are subject to intense burden. The item on the scale which contributes most to the caregiver burden is the lack of time for oneself, followed by the negative effects of interpersonal relationships. Contrast means shows that degree of relationship, number of care hours, caregiver health and aggressiveness of dependent persons produce significant differences in Zarit scale. Physic and psychological health of caregivers and aggressiveness of dependent persons is associated with the likelihood of developing caregiver burden. Informal caregivers of dependent persons show a high level of burden, both related to their characteristics and those of the dependent persons. Caregiver burden rethinks the need for public policies focused on dependence to adopt an integrative caregiver-dependent vision. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  14. Knowledge about persons with disability act (1995) among health care professionals dealing with persons affected by disabilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berry, B S; Devapitchai, K S; Raju, M S

    2009-01-01

    To assess the level of awareness about the different provisions of the persons with Disability Act (1995) among the health care professionals, 201 health care professionals dealing with the disabled persons from different parts of India were interviewed using structured interview checklist. The data were analysed through statistical package of social sciences software. Chi-square test were applied on the variables and the Pvalues were ascertained. The results show that 48.3% knew about administration hierarchy, 53.7% of respondents were aware of the free education available for the disabled, 68.5% were aware of the employment scheme, 62.7% about poverty alleviation schemes, 59.2% know about the traveling benefits, 56.2% of professionals were aware of the benefits for people with low vision. Only 29.9% of respondents knew about provisions to overcome architectural barriers. 43.8% of them knew about the least disability percentage whereas only 28.4% were aware of research and manpower schemes. Regarding affirmative action, 32.17% told correctly and 52.7% of the professionals responded correctly with respectto non- discrimination schemes. The level of awareness among the professionals working in rural regions is lower with regard to administration hierarchy and poverty alleviation schemes. Informations regarding disabled friendly environments and research and manpower development were found to be low among respondents of all professions which need to be effectively intervened. Gender did not show any influence with respect to the components of the act. The study showed that there is an ample need for educational interventions among the health care professionals in all socio-demography. Inclusion of PWD Act in the curriculum of medical schools as a topic in conferences and workshops for health care professionals are suggested.

  15. The Experience of Care-Giving for a Person with Parkinson's Disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bogard, Connie Lynn

    2010-01-01

    As the population continues to become more aged and at risk for chronic illness, there will be a growing need for caregivers. Caregivers to persons with Parkinson's disease (PD) face the challenge of providing care over many years due to the chronic progressive nature of this neurological disorder. The purpose of this study was to understand and…

  16. [The law of March 5, 2007 and the care of persons placed under guardianship].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Modot, Matthieu; Rougé-Maillart, Clotilde

    2018-04-01

    The care of persons placed under guardianship has changed considerably since the law of March 5, 2007, as greater autonomy is granted to them. By advocating greater autonomy of protected adults, the French Civil Code is in opposition with the French Public Health Code since the latter states that the systematic consent of the guardian is required in addition to that of the protected adult for so-called general care. In cases of serious injury to bodily integrity, the guardianship judge's opinion must be sought by the guardian. For some specific medical procedures (medically assisted procreation, abortion, etc.), the consent of the guardian does not seem necessary. A protected adult can now, if he/she is able to understand the information, with the agreement of the guardianship judge or the family council, appoint a trusted person and draft advance directives without possible representation by the guardian. The legislator promotes greater autonomy while not neglecting their protection. It also helps relieve the guardian, who is generally trained in asset management, of sometimes difficult medical decisions. Harmony between the Civil Code and the Public Health Code seems essential so as to move towards greater autonomy of the person under guardianship in the care relationship. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  17. Care robots for the supermarket shelf: a product gap in assistive technologies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blackman, Tim

    2013-07-01

    The literature on the development of assistive robots is dominated by technological papers with little consideration of how such devices might be commercialised for a mass market at a price that is affordable for older people and their families as well as public services and care insurers. This article argues that the focus of technical development in this field is too ambitious, neglecting the potential market for an affordable device that is aleady in the realm of the 'adjacent possible' given current technology capabilities. It also questions on both ethical and marketing grounds the current effort to develop assistive robots with pet-like or human-like features. The marketing literature on 'really new products' has so far not appeared to inform the development of assistive robots but has some important lessons. These include using analogies with existing products and giving particular attention to the role of early adopters. Relevant analogies for care robots are not animals or humans but useful domestic appliances and personal technologies with attractive designs, engaging functionality and intuitive usability. This points to a strategy for enabling mass adoption - which has so far eluded even conventional telecare - of emphasising how such an appliance is part of older people's contemporary lifestyles rather than a sign of age-related decline and loss of independence.

  18. Identifying preferred format and source of exercise information in persons with multiple sclerosis that can be delivered by health-care providers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Learmonth, Yvonne C; Adamson, Brynn C; Balto, Julia M; Chiu, Chung-Yi; Molina-Guzman, Isabel M; Finlayson, Marcia; Riskin, Barry J; Motl, Robert W

    2017-10-01

    There is increasing recognition of the benefits of exercise in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), yet the MS population does not engage in sufficient amounts of exercise to accrue health benefits. There has been little qualitative inquiry to establish the preferred format and source for receiving exercise information from health-care providers among persons with MS. We sought to identify the desired and preferred format and source of exercise information for persons with MS that can be delivered through health-care providers. Participants were adults with MS who had mild or moderate disability and participated in a range of exercise levels. All participants lived in the Midwest of the United States. Fifty semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis. Two themes emerged, (i) approach for receiving exercise promotion and (ii) ideal person for promoting exercise. Persons with MS want to receive exercise information through in-person consultations with health-care providers, print media and electronic media. Persons with MS want to receive exercise promotion from health-care providers with expertise in MS (ie neurologists) and with expertise in exercise (eg physical therapists). These data support the importance of understanding how to provide exercise information to persons with MS and identifying that health-care providers including neurologists and physical therapists should be involved in exercise promotion. © 2017 The Authors Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. Personally tailored activities for improving psychosocial outcomes for people with dementia in long-term care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Möhler, Ralph; Renom, Anna; Renom, Helena; Meyer, Gabriele

    2018-02-13

    People with dementia who are being cared for in long-term care settings are often not engaged in meaningful activities. Offering them activities which are tailored to their individual interests and preferences might improve their quality of life and reduce challenging behaviour. ∙ To assess the effects of personally tailored activities on psychosocial outcomes for people with dementia living in long-term care facilities.∙ To describe the components of the interventions.∙ To describe conditions which enhance the effectiveness of personally tailored activities in this setting. We searched ALOIS, the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group's Specialized Register, on 16 June 2017 using the terms: personally tailored OR individualized OR individualised OR individual OR person-centred OR meaningful OR personhood OR involvement OR engagement OR engaging OR identity. We also performed additional searches in MEDLINE (Ovid SP), Embase (Ovid SP), PsycINFO (Ovid SP), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), Web of Science (ISI Web of Science), ClinicalTrials.gov, and the World Health Organization (WHO) ICTRP, to ensure that the search for the review was as up to date and as comprehensive as possible. We included randomised controlled trials and controlled clinical trials offering personally tailored activities. All interventions included an assessment of the participants' present or past preferences for, or interests in, particular activities as a basis for an individual activity plan. Control groups received either usual care or an active control intervention. Two authors independently checked the articles for inclusion, extracted data and assessed the methodological quality of included studies. For all studies, we assessed the risk of selection bias, performance bias, attrition bias and detection bias. In case of missing information, we contacted the study authors. We included eight studies with 957 participants. The mean age of participants in the studies ranged from 78 to 88

  20. 78 FR 49528 - Consolidation of Wound Care Products Containing Live Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-14

    ...] Consolidation of Wound Care Products Containing Live Cells AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION... certain wound care products containing live cells from the Center for Devices and Radiological Health... CDRH and CBER. FDA believes that as more wound care products containing live cells are developed such...

  1. Personalized management of hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes: reflections from a Diabetes Care Editors' Expert Forum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raz, Itamar; Riddle, Matthew C; Rosenstock, Julio; Buse, John B; Inzucchi, Silvio E; Home, Philip D; Del Prato, Stefano; Ferrannini, Ele; Chan, Juliana C N; Leiter, Lawrence A; Leroith, Derek; Defronzo, Ralph; Cefalu, William T

    2013-06-01

    In June 2012, 13 thought leaders convened in a Diabetes Care Editors' Expert Forum to discuss the concept of personalized medicine in the wake of a recently published American Diabetes Association/European Association for the Study of Diabetes position statement calling for a patient-centered approach to hyperglycemia management in type 2 diabetes. This article, an outgrowth of that forum, offers a clinical translation of the underlying issues that need to be considered for effectively personalizing diabetes care. The medical management of type 2 diabetes has become increasingly complex, and its complications remain a great burden to individual patients and the larger society. The burgeoning armamentarium of pharmacological agents for hyperglycemia management should aid clinicians in providing early treatment to delay or prevent these complications. However, trial evidence is limited for the optimal use of these agents, especially in dual or triple combinations. In the distant future, genotyping and testing for metabolomic markers may help us to better phenotype patients and predict their responses to antihyperglycemic drugs. For now, a personalized ("n of 1") approach in which drugs are tested in a trial-and-error manner in each patient may be the most practical strategy for achieving therapeutic targets. Patient-centered care and standardized algorithmic management are conflicting approaches, but they can be made more compatible by recognizing instances in which personalized A1C targets are warranted and clinical circumstances that may call for comanagement by primary care and specialty clinicians.

  2. Preservatives in Personal Hygiene and Cosmetic Products, Topical Medications, and Household Cleaners in Spain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pastor-Nieto, María Antonia; Alcántara-Nicolás, Francisco; Melgar-Molero, Virginia; Pérez-Mesonero, Raquel; Vergara-Sánchez, Aránzazu; Martín-Fuentes, Adriana; González-Muñoz, Patricia; de Eusebio-Murillo, Ester

    2017-10-01

    Preservatives are added to cosmetic, household cleaning, and other industrial products to prevent the growth of microorganisms. Unfortunately, exposure to these substances can cause sensitization. Between January and June 2015, we analyzed the ingredients of 2300 products commercially available in Spain to identify the frequency of a wide variety of preservatives in different product categories. We analyzed 1093 skin care and cosmetic products sold exclusively in pharmacies (dermocosmetics), 458 household cleaning and personal hygiene and cosmetic products sold in supermarkets, 636 topical medications, and 113 cosmetic products sold in a herbal shop. Phenoxyethanol, citric acid, sodium benzoate, and potassium sorbate were very common in all the cosmetic product categories. Parabens were present in 16.1% of dermocosmetic products, 14.45% of cosmetic products available in supermarkets, 0.88% of cosmetic products available in the herbal shop, 5.18% of topical medications, and in none of the cleaning products. Isothiazolinones were identified in 2.56% of dermocosmetic products, 18% of cosmetic products in supermarkets, 7.9% of cosmetic products in the herbal shop, 63.63% of household cleaners, and in none of the topical medications. Formaldehyde releasers were detected in 5.76% of dermocosmetic products, 6.42% of cosmetic products sold in supermarkets, 7.96% of cosmetic products sold in the herbal shop, 3.93% of topical medications, and 16.74% of household cleaners. Evaluation of the presence of preservatives in everyday products allows us to indirectly estimate exposure levels to each one. Measures restricting the use of the most problematic preservatives need to be strengthened. Copyright © 2017 AEDV. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  3. The personal value of being a palliative care Community Volunteer Worker in Uganda: a qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jack, Barbara A; Kirton, Jennifer A; Birakurataki, Jerith; Merriman, Anne

    2012-07-01

    Volunteers in palliative care play a key role, particularly in the hospice setting. The expansion of palliative care into developing countries has been accompanied by the emergence of volunteer workers, who are providing a main source of support and care for patients, many of whom never see a health professional. The aim of this study was to evaluate the motivation for becoming a volunteer and the personal impact of being a palliative care Community Volunteer Worker in Uganda. A qualitative methodology using semi-structured individual and group digitally recorded interviews was adopted for the study. Data were analysed for emerging themes using thematic analysis. Forty-three interviews were undertaken, 32 with Community Volunteer Workers and 11 with the Hospice clinical teams, using semi-structured digitally recorded individual, group and focus group interviews at the Hospice Africa sites in Uganda. The results identified the cultural wish to help people as a key motivator in becoming a volunteer. Additionally, the volunteers reported having a sense of pride in their volunteering role, and this role had a positive impact on their perceived status in their local community. This model of volunteering is clearly having an impact on the volunteers, both personally and also in terms of how they are treated in their communities. Further research to explore the long-term personal benefits of being a palliative care volunteer is recommended.

  4. The Womanly World of Long Term Care: The Plight of the Long Term Care Worker. Gray Paper.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Older Women's League, Washington, DC.

    Long-term care workers (those who are paid to provide custodial care for long-term patients in nursing homes or at home) must care for a growing number of increasingly disabled or dependent persons. They are working for agencies and institutions under growing pressure to increase productivity. They face new training and competency requirements,…

  5. Reactive low temperature plasma ionization mass spectrometry for the determination of organic UV filters in personal care products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ding, Xuelu; Gerbig, Stefanie; Spengler, Bernhard; Schulz, Sabine

    2018-02-01

    Organic UV filters in personal care products (PCPs) have been persistently reported as a potential threat to human health. In order to guarantee consumers ' safety, the dose of these compounds in PCPs needs to be monitored. Here, a methodology based on reactive low temperature plasma ionization (LTP) mass spectrometry (MS) has been developed for the determination of common organic UV filters in PCPs including benzophenone-3, ethylhexyl dimethyl p-aminobenzoic acid, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, octocrylene, and ethylhexyl salicylate. The experiments were carried out in transmission geometry where the LTP ion source, samples loaded on a stainless steel mesh, and the MS inlet were aligned coaxially. Four chemicals, ammonia, ammonium formate, aniline, and methylamine were considered as reactive additives allowing reactions with the UV filters through different mechanisms. Methylamine-induced reactive LTP-MS showed the most prominent improvement on the detection of UV filter compounds. Compared to direct LTP-MS, the developed method improved the detection limits of UV filters more than 10 fold. Moreover, the method enabled fast semi-quantitative screening of UV filters in authentic PCPs. Concentrations of active ingredients in eight authentic PCPs as determined with reactive LTP-MS were found comparable to values offered by the cosmetic companies and corresponding HPLC data. The methodology provides high throughput analysis (70s per sample) and sensitive identification of organic UV filters. Lowest detectable concentrations ranged from 0.13µg/g for 4-methylbenzylidene camphor to 7.67µg/g for octocrylene in spiked cream. In addition, it shows the potential to be used as a screening tool for legal authentications of these chemicals in the future due to its semi-quantitative determination of UV filters in PCPs without tedious sample preparation and time-consuming chromatographic separation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Market trends in baby skin care products and implications for clinical practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Xiang; Simpson, Eric L

    2014-01-01

    Although the U.S. pediatric skin care market is a $1.7 billion industry, little is known regarding the usage pattern of skin care products in very young children. We have begun to recognize that common over-the-counter skin care products may have positive or negative effects on skin barrier function. Thus, knowing what and how skin care products are used early in life is important. The goal of the current study was to better understand skin care product use in the United States using market research data. We found that the prevalence of use was greater than 50% for all skin care product categories and age groups. Premoistened cleansing wipes and cloths were the most frequently used product, followed by baby oil and lotion and body and baby powder. Baby bath and shampoo products were used at least five times per week per household, and caregivers generally preferred products that were fragrance-free and made for sensitive skin. Lower-income households reported a higher frequency of product use and were less likely to purchase fragrance-free products or ones that were made for sensitive skin. Our findings suggest that the prevalence of pediatric skin care product use is high and conflicts with current recommended skin care guidelines. Product use and preferences may also vary according to race and ethnicity and household income level. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  7. Processing older persons as clients in elderly care: A study of the micro-processes of care management practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olaison, Anna

    2017-02-01

    Elder care has undergone a marketization in recent years in which various models for care management have been introduced with the aim of making assessments efficient. This article investigates the effects the care management model has on resource allocation for home care when handling the requests of older persons in the needs assessment process. Sixteen tape-recorded assessment conversations with associated case-file texts were analyzed through discourse analysis. The results show that a managerialist thinking has had a partial impact on the assessment process where the documentation requirements have entailed bureaucratization in terms of the transfer that occurs from talk to text. The findings from the study nevertheless indicate that the assessment conversations have clear elements of an individual-centred perspective in which there is room for a care rational dialogue. This constitutes a welfare policy dilemma today. Providing for older people's requests should be on the basis of quality and an individual-centred perspective and care management has had a contrary effect in which focus is directed instead towards needs assessment and bureaucratic processes.

  8. Use of the interRAI CHESS scale to predict mortality among persons with neurological conditions in three care settings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hirdes, John P; Poss, Jeffrey W; Mitchell, Lori; Korngut, Lawrence; Heckman, George

    2014-01-01

    Persons with certain neurological conditions have higher mortality rates than the population without neurological conditions, but the risk factors for increased mortality within diagnostic groups are less well understood. The interRAI CHESS scale has been shown to be a strong predictor of mortality in the overall population of persons receiving health care in community and institutional settings. This study examines the performance of CHESS as a predictor of mortality among persons with 11 different neurological conditions. Survival analyses were done with interRAI assessments linked to mortality data among persons in home care (n = 359,940), complex continuing care hospitals/units (n = 88,721), and nursing homes (n = 185,309) in seven Canadian provinces/territories. CHESS was a significant predictor of mortality in all 3 care settings for the 11 neurological diagnostic groups considered after adjusting for age and sex. The distribution of CHESS scores varied between diagnostic groups and within diagnostic groups in different care settings. CHESS is a valid predictor of mortality in neurological populations in community and institutional care. It may prove useful for several clinical, administrative, policy-development, evaluation and research purposes. Because it is routinely gathered as part of normal clinical practice in jurisdictions (like Canada) that have implemented interRAI assessment instruments, CHESS can be derived without additional need for data collection.

  9. Use of the interRAI CHESS scale to predict mortality among persons with neurological conditions in three care settings.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John P Hirdes

    Full Text Available Persons with certain neurological conditions have higher mortality rates than the population without neurological conditions, but the risk factors for increased mortality within diagnostic groups are less well understood. The interRAI CHESS scale has been shown to be a strong predictor of mortality in the overall population of persons receiving health care in community and institutional settings. This study examines the performance of CHESS as a predictor of mortality among persons with 11 different neurological conditions.Survival analyses were done with interRAI assessments linked to mortality data among persons in home care (n = 359,940, complex continuing care hospitals/units (n = 88,721, and nursing homes (n = 185,309 in seven Canadian provinces/territories.CHESS was a significant predictor of mortality in all 3 care settings for the 11 neurological diagnostic groups considered after adjusting for age and sex. The distribution of CHESS scores varied between diagnostic groups and within diagnostic groups in different care settings.CHESS is a valid predictor of mortality in neurological populations in community and institutional care. It may prove useful for several clinical, administrative, policy-development, evaluation and research purposes. Because it is routinely gathered as part of normal clinical practice in jurisdictions (like Canada that have implemented interRAI assessment instruments, CHESS can be derived without additional need for data collection.

  10. The impact of gender on the long-term morbidity and mortality of patients with type 2 diabetes receiving structured personal care

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Krag, Marlene Øhrberg; Hasselbalch, Lotte; Siersma, Volkert Dirk

    2016-01-01

    Aims/hypothesis: The aim of this study was to assess gender differences in mortality and morbidity during 13 follow-up years after 6 years of structured personal care in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: In the Diabetes Care in General Practice (DCGP) multicentre, cluster......-randomised, controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov registration no. NCT01074762), 1,381 patients newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes were randomised to receive 6 years of either structured personal care or routine care. The intervention included regular follow-up, individualised goal setting and continuing medical...... = 0.005). Conclusions/interpretation: Compared with routine care, structured personal diabetes care reduced all-cause mortality and diabetes-related death in women but not in men. This gender difference was also observed for any diabetes-related outcome and stroke but was not statistically significant...

  11. HIV Diagnoses and Care Among Transgender Persons and Comparison With Men Who Have Sex With Men: New York City, 2006-2011.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiewel, Ellen Weiss; Torian, Lucia V; Merchant, Pooja; Braunstein, Sarah L; Shepard, Colin W

    2016-03-01

    We measured HIV care outcomes of transgender persons, who have high HIV infection rates but are rarely distinguished from men who have sex with men (MSM) in HIV surveillance systems. New York City's surveillance registry includes HIV diagnoses since 2000 and HIV laboratory test results for transgender persons since 2005. We determined immunological status at diagnosis, delayed linkage to care, and nonachievement of viral suppression 1 year after diagnosis for transgender persons diagnosed with HIV in 2006 to 2011 and compared transgender women with MSM. In 2006 to 2011, 264 of 23 805 persons diagnosed with HIV were transgender (1%): 98% transgender women and 2% transgender men. Compared with MSM, transgender women had similar CD4 counts at diagnosis and rates of concurrent HIV/AIDS and delayed linkage to care but increased odds of not achieving suppression (adjusted odds ratio = 1.56; 95% confidence interval = 1.13, 2.16). Compared with MSM, transgender women in New York City had similar immunological status at diagnosis but lagged in achieving viral suppression. To provide appropriate assistance along the HIV care continuum, HIV care providers should accurately identify transgender persons.

  12. In-home use of personalized music for persons with dementia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kulibert, Danica; Ebert, Alexandria; Preman, Sharayah; McFadden, Susan H

    2018-01-01

    Although evidence is mounting that personalized music has beneficial effects for long-term care residents with dementia, little research has examined the effects of personalized music for the majority of persons with dementia living at home. These individuals live at home with care partners who may also benefit from having music that is personalized for their loved one. Using the Music & Memory SM program of personalized playlists delivered via iPod Shuffles®, the current study examined the effects of the Music & Memory program for persons with dementia by using the Bath Assessment of Subjective Quality of Life in Dementia scale and a Music Listening Experience Scale developed for this study. We also administered three scales that captured care partner experiences. Transcripts of the Bath Assessment of Subjective Quality of Life in Dementia administrations at the beginning of the study and 3 months later, plus interviews about the Music & Memory program, were then analyzed using the interpretive phenomenological analysis method. Themes about the Music & Memory program and life living with dementia for from diagnosed persons and their care partners are discussed.

  13. Evaluation of a model for the removal of pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and hormones from wastewater

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blair, Benjamin D. [School of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 600 E. Greenfield Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53204 (United States); Crago, Jordan P. [Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 600 E. Greenfield Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53204 (United States); Hedman, Curtis J. [State Laboratory of Hygiene, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2601 Agriculture Drive, Madison, WI 53718 (United States); Treguer, Ronan J.F. [Veolia Water North America, 101 West Washington St., Ste. 1400 East, Indianapolis, IN 46204 (United States); Magruder, Christopher [Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewer District, 260 W. Seeboth St, Milwaukee, WI 53204 (United States); Royer, L. Scott [Veolia Water Milwaukee, 700 E. Jones St., Milwaukee, WI 53207 (United States); Klaper, Rebecca D., E-mail: rklaper@uwm.edu [School of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 600 E. Greenfield Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53204 (United States)

    2013-02-01

    Current wastewater treatment processes are insufficient at removing many pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) from wastewater and it is necessary to identify the chemical characteristics that determine their fate. Models that predict the fate of various chemicals lack verification using in situ data, particularly for PPCPs. BIOWIN4 is a quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) model that has been proposed to estimate the removal of PPCPs from wastewater, but data verifying the accuracy of its predictions is limited. In this study, the in situ soluble and suspended solid concentrations were assessed from raw influent, primary effluent, secondary effluent, and final effluent for 54 PPCPs and hormones over six dates. When assessing the removal efficiency across the different stages of the WWTP, the majority of the removal occurred across the secondary treatment process for the majority of the compounds. The primary treatment and disinfection process had limited impacts on the removal of most PPCPs. Sorption to solids was found to influence the removal for compounds with a log octanol–water partitioning coefficient greater than 4.5 across the secondary treatment process. For other compounds, the removal of PPCPs across the secondary treatment process was significantly correlated with the biodegradation predicted by BIOWIN4. Removal efficiencies across the aerobic secondary treatment process were predicted by integrating BIOWIN4 into pseudo-first order kinetics of PPCPs and these predicted values were compared to the in situ data. This study determines that under a certain set of operating conditions, two chemical characteristics — the expected hydrophobic interaction and the modeled biological degradation from BIOWIN4 — were found to predict the removal of highly degradable and recalcitrant PPCPs from a wastewater secondary treatment process. - Highlights: ► Fifty-six PPCPs were assessed across the stages of a wastewater treatment

  14. Registered Nurses' personal rights vs. professional responsibility in caring for members of underserved and disenfranchised populations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maze, Claire D Martino

    2005-05-01

    Health disparities exist and refer to the chasms in health status between the advantaged and disadvantaged. Intense multiculturalism will require different approaches and moral obligations to work with these groups and urgency exists to develop nursing caring strategies when dealing with these populations. Development of nursing curricula which identify prejudicial thinking and intolerance for marginalized groups will help to decrease fears and increase nurses' willingness to provide culturally competent health care for underserved and disenfranchised populations. Caring for members of disenfranchised groups instills fear at some level in nurses who are working with these individuals. This fear may be due, in part, to the potential harm nurses perceive the patient may cause them, or perhaps it is because they feel they could possibly be in the individual's situation at some point in their lives. Prejudice and discrimination continue to exist in society and have adversely affected the health care system and the nursing profession. Discrimination may be based on differences due to age, ability, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or any characteristics by which people differ. Registered Nurses are accountable for nursing decisions and actions regardless of personal preferences. Due to the rapidly changing healthcare system the nurse faces increasing ethical dilemmas and human rights issues. Nurses are individually accountable for caring for each patient and the right to refuse an assignment should be carefully interpreted to avoid patient abandonment. Nurses' objections can be based on moral, ethical, or religious beliefs not on personal preferences and in an emergency the nurse must provide treatment regardless of any personal objections.

  15. Personal and social benefits:consumer beliefs towards product review blogs

    OpenAIRE

    Ghazisaeedi, Mehdi

    2012-01-01

    Online blogs that offer reviews of products, services and technologies increasingly attract interest among public relations practitioners, as well as academic scholars. This paper reports on blog readers’ perceptions of the personal and social benefits offered by these specialized blogs as a new communication medium. The study surveyed 169 Australian online consumers. A personal and social benefits (PSB) multi-item scale, traditionally employed in an advertising research context, is adapted a...

  16. [Care and Self-Care Among Families with a Person Suffering from Bipolar Disorder and Belonging to the Psychoeducational Group of the Psychiatry Department of the University of Antioquia, Colombia].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Correa, María Victoria Builes; Hernández, Mauricio Bedoya

    2013-03-01

    To analyze the families from the Psychoeducational Group of the Psychiatry Department of the University of Antioquia that have one member with bipolar disorder (BD) in order to identify their care-related practices. A comprehensive research project using the phenomenological and hermeneutic method. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve families. The data obtained were analyzed using the Atlas ti qualitative software. Two main categories emerged: 1. Care and family life course and 2. Care and self-care in relation to bipolar disorder. The first category manifests itself through practices such as: Taking care of the diseased person by being physically present, providing physical or emotional support, or by transferring care-related actions to other family members. Two main perspectives could be identified in the second category, namely: the caretaker's perspective and that of the person being taken care of. Two tendencies were found regarding the first one: taking care of others brings about transformations in the caretakers and taking care of others is tough. The second perspective has the same number of tendencies: self-care as poetics and taking care of oneself in order to go from the Diving Bell to the Butterfly. Taking care of others is a way of building humanity. Conducting research on care and self-care practices (i.e. the practices of both the caretaker and the person being taken care of) results in a more aesthetic way of providing care and a more aesthetic patient-caretaker dyad. Copyright © 2013 Asociación Colombiana de Psiquiatría. Publicado por Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

  17. Relational empathy and holistic care in persons with spinal cord injuries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    LaVela, Sherri L; Heinemann, Allen W; Etingen, Bella; Miskovic, Ana; Locatelli, Sara M; Chen, David

    2017-01-01

    Describe perceptions of persons with SCI on their receipt of holistic care and relational empathy during health care encounters. Mailed survey. Individuals with SCI who received care from the largest suppliers of SCI care and rehabilitation (Veterans Health Administration and SCI Model Systems). Using a survey and administrative databases, we collected demographic and injury characteristics, health status, health conditions, and the main outcome: Consultation and Relational Empathy (CARE) measure. The sample included 450 individuals with SCI (124 Veterans and 326 civilians). Response rate was 39% (450/1160). Analyses were conducted on patients with complete data (n = 389). Veterans and civilians with SCI differed across many demographic characteristics, age at injury, and etiology, but mean CARE scores were equivalent. Fewer than half of the full SCI cohort had CARE scores above the normative value of 43. Having a recent pressure ulcer showed a trend for lower odds of having a normative or higher CARE score. Odds of having an above-normative CARE score were nearly 2 times greater for individuals with tetraplegia, and odds were higher for those with higher physical and mental health status. Higher physical and mental health status and tetraplegia were each independently associated with greater perceptions of holistic care and empathy in the therapeutic patient-provider relationship. Limited empathy, communication, and holistic care may arise when providers focus on disease/disease management, rather than on patients as individuals. Frequent health care use and secondary conditions may affect empathy and holistic care in encounters, making it essential to understand and employ efforts to improve the therapeutic relationship between patients with SCI and their providers.

  18. Who Shall Not Be Treated: Public Attitudes on Setting Health Care Priorities by Person-Based Criteria in 28 Nations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rogge, Jana; Kittel, Bernhard

    2016-01-01

    The principle of distributing health care according to medical need is being challenged by increasing costs. As a result, many countries have initiated a debate on the introduction of explicit priority regulations based on medical, economic and person-based criteria, or have already established such regulations. Previous research on individual attitudes towards setting health care priorities based on medical and economic criteria has revealed consistent results, whereas studies on the use of person-based criteria have generated controversial findings. This paper examines citizens' attitudes towards three person-based priority criteria, patients' smoking habits, age and being the parent of a young child. Using data from the ISSP Health Module (2011) in 28 countries, logistic regression analysis demonstrates that self-interest as well as socio-demographic predictors significantly influence respondents' attitudes towards the use of person-based criteria for health care prioritization. This study contributes to resolving the controversial findings on person-based criteria by using a larger country sample and by controlling for country-level differences with fixed effects models.

  19. Who Shall Not Be Treated: Public Attitudes on Setting Health Care Priorities by Person-Based Criteria in 28 Nations.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jana Rogge

    Full Text Available The principle of distributing health care according to medical need is being challenged by increasing costs. As a result, many countries have initiated a debate on the introduction of explicit priority regulations based on medical, economic and person-based criteria, or have already established such regulations. Previous research on individual attitudes towards setting health care priorities based on medical and economic criteria has revealed consistent results, whereas studies on the use of person-based criteria have generated controversial findings. This paper examines citizens' attitudes towards three person-based priority criteria, patients' smoking habits, age and being the parent of a young child. Using data from the ISSP Health Module (2011 in 28 countries, logistic regression analysis demonstrates that self-interest as well as socio-demographic predictors significantly influence respondents' attitudes towards the use of person-based criteria for health care prioritization. This study contributes to resolving the controversial findings on person-based criteria by using a larger country sample and by controlling for country-level differences with fixed effects models.

  20. Complaints in long-term care facilities for older persons: why residents do not give 'free advice'.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bomhoff, M.; Friele, R.

    2017-01-01

    In health care policies, the right to complain is presented as a key patient right. Complaints are also seen as a potential vehicle for quality improvement. However, in long-term care facilities for older persons in the Netherlands, relatively few complaints are registered. An explorative

  1. Complaints in long-term care facilities for older persons : Why residents do not give 'free advice'

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bomhoff, Manja; Friele, R.D.

    2017-01-01

    In health care policies, the right to complain is presented as a key patient right. Complaints are also seen as a potential vehicle for quality improvement. However, in long-term care facilities for older persons in the Netherlands, relatively few complaints are registered. An explorative

  2. Productivity and quality improvements in health care through airboss mobile messaging services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shah, P J; Martinez, R; Cooney, E

    1997-01-01

    The US health care industry is in the midst of revolutionary changes. Under tremendous pressures from third-party payers and managed care programs to control costs while providing high quality medical services, health care entities are now looking at information technologies to help them achieve their goals. These goals typically include improved productivity, efficiency and decision-making capabilities among staff members. Moreover, hospitals and other health care facilities that provide a broad and integrated range of inpatient and outpatient care, wellness and home care services are in the best position to offer comprehensive packages to managed care and private insurers. Many health care providers and administrators are considered mobile employees. This mobility can range from intra-building and intra-campus to multi-site and metropolitan areas. This group often relies on a variety of information technologies such as personal computers, communicating laptops, pagers, cellular phones, wireline phones, cordless phones and fax machines to stay in touch and handle information needs. These health care professionals require mobile information access and messaging tools to improve communications, control accessibility and enhance decision-making capabilities. AirBoss mobile messaging services could address the health care industry's need for improved messaging capabilities for its mobile employees. The AirBoss family of services supports integrated voice services, data messaging, mobile facsimile and customized information delivery. This paper describes overview of the current mobile data networking capability, the AirBoss architecture, the health care-related applications it addresses and long-term benefits. In addition, a prototype application for mobile home health care workers is illustrated. This prototype application provides integrated e-mail, information services, web access, real-time access and update of patient records from wireline or wireless networks

  3. Work Stress, Burnout, and Social and Personal Resources among Direct Care Workers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gray-Stanley, Jennifer A.; Muramatsu, Naoko

    2011-01-01

    Work stress is endemic among direct care workers (DCWs) who serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Social resources, such as work social support, and personal resources, such as an internal locus of control, may help DCWs perceive work overload and other work-related stressors as less threatening and galvanize them to cope…

  4. Novel capsule phase microextraction in combination with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for determining personal care products in environmental water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lakade, Sameer S; Borrull, Francesc; Furton, Kenneth G; Kabir, Abuzar; Marcé, Rosa Maria; Fontanals, Núria

    2018-05-01

    A novel sample preparation technique named capsule phase microextraction (CPME) is presented here. The technique utilizes a miniaturized microextraction capsule (MEC) as the extraction medium. The MEC consists of two conjoined porous tubular polypropylene membranes, one of which encapsulates the sorbent through sol-gel technology, while the other encapsulates a magnetic metal rod. As such, MEC integrates both the extraction and stirring mechanisms into a single device. The aim of this article is to demonstrate the application potential of CPME as sample preparation technique for the extraction of a group of personal care products (PCPs) from water matrices. Among the different sol-gel sorbent materials (UCON ® , poly(caprolactone-dimethylsiloxane-caprolactone) (PCAP-DMS-CAP) and Carbowax 20M (CW-20M)) evaluated, CW-20M MEC demonstrated the best extraction performance for the selected PCPs. The extraction conditions for sol-gel CW-20M MEC were optimized, including sample pH, stirring speed, addition of salt, extraction time, sample volume, liquid desorption solvent, and time. Under the optimal conditions, sol-gel CW-20M MEC provided recoveries, ranging between 47 and 90% for all analytes, except for ethylparaben, which showed a recovery of 26%. The method based on CPME with sol-gel CW-20M followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was developed and validated for the extraction of PCPs from river water and effluent wastewater samples. When analyzing different environmental samples, some analytes such as 2,4-dihydroxybenzophenone, 2,2-dihydroxy-4-4 methoxybenzophenone and 3-benzophenone were found at low ng L -1 .

  5. Primary Patient-Derived Cancer Cells and Their Potential for Personalized Cancer Patient Care

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David P. Kodack

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Personalized cancer therapy is based on a patient’s tumor lineage, histopathology, expression analyses, and/or tumor DNA or RNA analysis. Here, we aim to develop an in vitro functional assay of a patient’s living cancer cells that could complement these approaches. We present methods for developing cell cultures from tumor biopsies and identify the types of samples and culture conditions associated with higher efficiency of model establishment. Toward the application of patient-derived cell cultures for personalized care, we established an immunofluorescence-based functional assay that quantifies cancer cell responses to targeted therapy in mixed cell cultures. Assaying patient-derived lung cancer cultures with this method showed promise in modeling patient response for diagnostic use. This platform should allow for the development of co-clinical trial studies to prospectively test the value of drug profiling on tumor-biopsy-derived cultures to direct patient care.

  6. Determination of personal care products and hormones in leachate and groundwater from Polish MSW landfills by ultrasound-assisted emulsification microextraction and GC-MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kapelewska, Justyna; Kotowska, Urszula; Wiśniewska, Katarzyna

    2016-01-01

    Determination of the endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) in leachate and groundwater samples from the landfill sites is very important because of the proven harmful effects of these compounds on human and animal organisms. A method combining ultrasound-assisted emulsification microextraction (USAEME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was developed for simultaneous determination of seven personal care products (PCPs): methylparaben (MP), ethylparaben (EP), propylparaben (PP), buthylparaben (BP), benzophenone (BPh), 3-(4-methylbenzylidene)camphor (4-MBC), N,N-diethyltoluamide (DEET), and two hormones: estrone (E1) and β-estradiol (E2) in landfill leachate and groundwater samples. The limit of detection (LOD)/limit of quantification (LOQ) values in landfill leachate and groundwater samples were in the range of 0.003-0.083/0.009-0.277 μg L(-1) and 0.001-0.015/0.002-0.049 μg L(-1), respectively. Quantitative recoveries and satisfactory precision were obtained. All studied compounds were found in the landfill leachates from Polish municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills; the concentrations were between 0.66 and 202.42 μg L(-1). The concentration of pollutants in groundwater samples was generally below 0.1 μg L(-1).

  7. Personal care products and steroid hormones in the Antarctic coastal environment associated with two Antarctic research stations, McMurdo Station and Scott Base.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Emnet, Philipp; Gaw, Sally; Northcott, Grant; Storey, Bryan; Graham, Lisa

    2015-01-01

    Pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) are a major source of micropollutants to the aquatic environment. Despite intense research on the fate and effects of PPCPs in temperate climates, there is a paucity of data on their presence in polar environments. This study reports the presence of selected PPCPs in sewage effluents from two Antarctic research stations, the adjacent coastal seawater, sea ice, and biota. Sewage effluents contained bisphenol-A, ethinylestradiol, estrone, methyl triclosan, octylphenol, triclosan, and three UV-filters. The maximum sewage effluent concentrations of 4-methyl-benzylidene camphor, benzophenone-1, estrone, ethinylestradiol, and octylphenol exceeded concentrations previously reported. Coastal seawaters contained bisphenol-A, octylphenol, triclosan, three paraben preservatives, and four UV-filters. The sea ice contained a similar range and concentration of PPCPs as the seawater. Benzophenone-3 (preferential accumulation in clams), estradiol, ethinylestradiol, methyl paraben (preferential accumulation in fish, with concentrations correlating negatively with fillet size), octylphenol, and propyl paraben were detected in biota samples. PPCPs were detected in seawater and biota at distances up to 25 km from the research stations WWTP discharges. Sewage effluent discharges and disposal of raw human waste through sea ice cracks have been identified as sources of PPCPs to Antarctic coastal environments. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Information and Communication Technology–Enabled Person-Centered Care for the “Big Five” Chronic Conditions: Scoping Review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simonse, Lianne WL

    2015-01-01

    Background Person-centered information and communication technology (ICT) could encourage patients to take an active part in their health care and decision-making process, and make it possible for patients to interact directly with health care providers and services about their personal health concerns. Yet, little is known about which ICT interventions dedicated to person-centered care (PCC) and connected-care interactions have been studied, especially for shared care management of chronic diseases. The aim of this research is to investigate the extent, range, and nature of these research activities and identify research gaps in the evidence base of health studies regarding the “big 5” chronic diseases: diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, cancer, and stroke. Objective The objective of this paper was to review the literature and to scope the field with respect to 2 questions: (1) which ICT interventions have been used to support patients and health care professionals in PCC management of the big 5 chronic diseases? and (2) what is the impact of these interventions, such as on health-related quality of life and cost efficiency? Methods This research adopted a scoping review method. Three electronic medical databases were accessed: PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library. The research reviewed studies published between January 1989 and December 2013. In 5 stages of systematic scanning and reviewing, relevant studies were identified, selected, and charted. Then we collated, summarized, and reported the results. Results From the initial 9380 search results, we identified 350 studies that qualified for inclusion: diabetes mellitus (n=103), cardiovascular disease (n=89), chronic respiratory disease (n=73), cancer (n=67), and stroke (n=18). Persons with one of these chronic conditions used ICT primarily for self-measurement of the body, when interacting with health care providers, with the highest rates of use seen in chronic

  9. Self-efficacy, personal goals, social comparison and scientific productivity.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vrugt, A.J.; Koenis, M.

    2002-01-01

    Investigated the extent to which perceived self-efficacy, personal goals, and upward comparison predict the scientific productivity of academic staff members. 123 academic staff employed at different Dutch universities answered written questions about their judgment of self-efficacy in the area of

  10. Photoprotection in moisturizers and daily-care products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seite, S; Fourtanier, A; Rougier, A

    2010-10-01

    During usual daily activities, an appropriate protection against solar UV exposure should prevent clinical, cellular and molecular changes potentially leading to photoaging. In skin areas regularly exposed to sun, UV-damage is superimposed to tissue degeneration resulting from chronological aging. It is, therefore, important to know if moisturizers and daily-care products containing UVA absorbers combined with UVB ones are able to prevent these skin damages. This review will summarize clinical studies evaluating this topic. These studies demonstrate that broad-spectrum protection in moisturizers or daily-care products can prevent the "silent" sub-erythemal cumulative effects of UVR from inadvertent sun exposure.

  11. Occurrence, distribution, and attenuation of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the riverside groundwater of the Beiyun River of Beijing, China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Lei; He, Jiang-Tao; Su, Si-Hui; Cui, Ya-Feng; Huang, De-Liang; Wang, Guang-Cai

    2017-06-01

    This study investigated the occurrence, seasonal-spatial distribution characteristics, and attenuation process of 15 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in riverside sections of Beiyun River of Beijing. The overall PPCP levels both in surface water and riverside groundwater were moderate on the global scale, and showed higher concentrations in the dry season mainly caused by water temperature variation. Caffeine (CF), carbamazepine (CBZ), metoprolol (MTP), N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET), diclofenac (DF), bezafibrate (BF), and gemfibrozil (GF) were seven representative PPCPs, because the rest eight studied compounds occurred in low concentrations and less than 15% of the total concentration of PPCPs. Caffeine and bezafibrate, respectively, was the most abundant compound in surface water and riverside groundwater, with median concentrations of 3020.0 and 125.0 ng L -1 . Total concentrations of PPCPs in surface water were much higher than those in the riverside groundwater spatially. Attenuation of PPCPs during riverbank filtration was largely depending on the sources, site hydrogeological conditions, and physical-chemical properties of PPCPs, also was influenced by dissolved organic matter and environmental physicochemical parameters. CF, MTP, DEET, and CBZ were potential groundwater attenuation contaminants; DF, BF, and GF were groundwater-enriched contaminants based on their removal rates. Predominant removal mechanism of PPCPs like CF was biodegradation. Attenuation simulation showed that the one-way supply between Beiyun River and riverside groundwater, and further confirmed Beiyun River, was the main source of pharmaceutical compounds in the riverside groundwater.

  12. Factores de personalidad en el personal de enfermería de unidades de cuidados paliativos Personality factors on nursing staff of palliative care units

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cristina Gómez Cantorna

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available En este estudio hemos tratado de evaluar si poseer un determinado factor de personalidad por parte de las enfermeras que trabajan en cuidados paliativos con pacientes terminales, influye sobre su trabajo. La muestra es de 94 enfermeras del SERGAS (Servicio Galego de Saúde, y se han utilizado como instrumentos de evaluación un cuestionario de datos sociodemográficos y organizacionales y el cuestionario de personalidad Big Five (formado por cinco dimensiones de personalidad. De este modo sabremos que existen una serie de parámetros de nuestra personalidad que se ven influenciados por los diferentes datos sociodemográficos y organizacionales, en las enfermeras de cuidados paliativos.In this study we wanted to evaluate whether having a particular personality factor of nurses working in palliative care with terminal patients, influences their work. The sample was 94 nurses Sergas (Servicio Galego de Saude and were used as screening tools, a questionnaire on demographic and organizational data and Personality Questionnaire "Big Five" (consisting of five dimensions of personality. Thus we know that there are a number of parameters of our personalities that are influenced by different socio-demographic and organizational, in the palliative care nurses.

  13. Social support and personal models of diabetes as predictors of self- care and well-being

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skinner, T. Chas; John, Mary; Hampson, Sarah E.

    2000-01-01

    , well-being, and social support. Results: Perceived impact of diabetes and supportive family and friends were prospectively predictive of participants' well-being measures. Although support from family and friends was predictive of better dietary self-care, this relationship was mediated by personal...... of diabetes are important determinants of both dietary self-care and well-being. In addition, personal models may serve to mediate the relationship between social support and dietary behavior.......Objectives: To examine whether peer support and illness representation mediate the link between family support, self-management and well-being. Method: Fifty-two adolescents (12-18 years old) with Type I diabetes were recruited and followed over 6 months, completing assessments of self- management...

  14. Developing integrated health and social care services for older persons in Europe.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leichsenring, Kai

    2004-01-01

    This paper is to distribute first results of the EU Fifth Framework Project 'Providing integrated health and social care for older persons-issues, problems and solutions' (PROCARE-http://www.euro.centre.org/procare/). The project's first phase was to identify different approaches to integration as well as structural, organisational, economic and social-cultural factors and actors that constitute integrated and sustainable care systems. It also served to retrieve a number of experiences, model ways of working and demonstration projects in the participating countries which are currently being analysed in order to learn from success-or failure-and to develop policy recommendations for the local, national and European level. The paper draws on existing definitions of integrated care in various countries and by various scholars. Given the context of an international comparative study it tries to avoid providing a single, ready-made definition but underlines the role of social care as part and parcel of this type of integrated care in the participating countries. The paper is based on national reports from researchers representing ten organisations (university institutes, consultancy firms, research institutes, the public and the NGO sector) from 9 European countries: Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, and the UK. Literature reviews made intensive use of grey literature and evaluation studies in the context of at least five model ways of working in each country. As a result of the cross-national overview an attempt to classify different approaches and definitions is made and indicators of relative importance of the different instruments used in integrating health and social care services are provided. The cross-national overview shows that issues concerning co-ordination and integration of services are high on the agenda in most countries. Depending on the state of service development, various approaches and instruments can be

  15. How to make a particular case for person-centred patient care: A commentary on Alexandra Parvan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Graham, George

    2018-06-14

    In recent years, a person-centred approach to patient care in cases of mental illness has been promoted as an alternative to a disease orientated approach. Alexandra Parvan's contribution to the person-centred approach serves to motivate an exploration of the approach's most apt metaphysical assumptions. I argue that a metaphysical thesis or assumption about both persons and their uniqueness is an essential element of being person-centred. I apply the assumption to issues such as the disorder/disease distinction and to the continuity of mental health and illness. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  16. Community care workers, poor referral networks and consumption of personal resources in rural South Africa.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ilona Sips

    Full Text Available Although home-based care (HBC programs are widely implemented throughout Africa, their success depends on the existence of an enabling environment, including a referral system and supply of essential commodities. The objective of this study was to explore the current state of client referral patterns and practices by community care workers (CCWs, in an evolving environment of one rural South African sub-district. Using a participant triangulation approach, in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 17 CCWs, 32 HBC clients and 32 primary caregivers (PCGs. An open-ended interview guide was used for data collection. Participants were selected from comprehensive lists of CCWs and their clients, using a diversified criterion-based sampling method. Three independent researchers coded three sets of data - CCWs, Clients and PCGs, for referral patterns and practices of CCWs. Referrals from clinics and hospitals to HBC occurred infrequently, as only eight (25% of the 32 clients interviewed were formally referred. Community care workers showed high levels of commitment and personal investment in supporting their clients to use the formal health care system. They went to the extent of using their own personal resources. Seven CCWs used their own money to ensure client access to clinics, and eight gave their own food to ensure treatment adherence. Community care workers are essential in linking clients to clinics and hospitals and to promote the appropriate use of medical services, although this effort frequently necessitated consumption of their own personal resources. Therefore, risk protection strategies are urgently needed so as to ensure sustainability of the current work performed by HBC organizations and the CCW volunteers.

  17. Community care workers, poor referral networks and consumption of personal resources in rural South Africa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sips, Ilona; Haeri Mazanderani, Ahmad; Schneider, Helen; Greeff, Minrie; Barten, Francoise; Moshabela, Mosa

    2014-01-01

    Although home-based care (HBC) programs are widely implemented throughout Africa, their success depends on the existence of an enabling environment, including a referral system and supply of essential commodities. The objective of this study was to explore the current state of client referral patterns and practices by community care workers (CCWs), in an evolving environment of one rural South African sub-district. Using a participant triangulation approach, in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 17 CCWs, 32 HBC clients and 32 primary caregivers (PCGs). An open-ended interview guide was used for data collection. Participants were selected from comprehensive lists of CCWs and their clients, using a diversified criterion-based sampling method. Three independent researchers coded three sets of data - CCWs, Clients and PCGs, for referral patterns and practices of CCWs. Referrals from clinics and hospitals to HBC occurred infrequently, as only eight (25%) of the 32 clients interviewed were formally referred. Community care workers showed high levels of commitment and personal investment in supporting their clients to use the formal health care system. They went to the extent of using their own personal resources. Seven CCWs used their own money to ensure client access to clinics, and eight gave their own food to ensure treatment adherence. Community care workers are essential in linking clients to clinics and hospitals and to promote the appropriate use of medical services, although this effort frequently necessitated consumption of their own personal resources. Therefore, risk protection strategies are urgently needed so as to ensure sustainability of the current work performed by HBC organizations and the CCW volunteers.

  18. The work pattern of personal care workers in two Australian nursing homes: a time-motion study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qian Si-Yu

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The aim of the study is to describe the work pattern of personal care workers (PCWs in nursing homes. This knowledge is important for staff performance appraisal, task allocation and scheduling. It will also support funding allocation based on activities. Methods A time-motion study was conducted in 2010 at two Australian nursing homes. The observation at Site 1 was between the hours of 7:00 and 14:00 or 15:00 for 14 days. One PCW was observed on each day. The observation at Site 2 was from 10:00 to 17:00 for 16 days. One PCW working on a morning shift and another one working on an afternoon shift were observed on each day. Fifty-eight work activities done by PCWs were grouped into eight categories. Activity time, frequency, duration and the switch between two consecutive activities were used as measurements to describe the work pattern. Results Personal care workers spent about 70.0% of their time on four types of activities consistently at both sites: direct care (30.7%, indirect care (17.6%, infection control (6.4% and staff break (15.2%. Oral communication was the most frequently observed activity. It could occur independently or concurrently with other activities. At Site 2, PCWs spent significantly more time than their counterparts at Site 1 on oral communication (Site 1: 47.3% vs. Site 2: 63.5%, P = 0.003, transit (Site 1: 3.4% vs. Site 2: 5.5%, P  Conclusions At both nursing homes, direct care, indirect care, infection control and staff break occupied the major part of a PCW’s work, however oral communication was the most time consuming activity. Personal care workers frequently switched between activities, suggesting that looking after the elderly in nursing homes is a busy and demanding job.

  19. Developing person-centred practice: nursing outcomes arising from changes to the care environment in residential settings for older people.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCormack, Brendan; Dewing, Jan; Breslin, Liz; Coyne-Nevin, Ann; Kennedy, Kate; Manning, Mary; Peelo-Kilroe, Lorna; Tobin, Catherine; Slater, Paul

    2010-06-01

    To present the nursing outcomes from the evaluation of developments in the care environment in residential settings for older people. The evaluation data reported here is derived from a larger national programme of work that focused on the development of person-centred practice in residential services for older people using an emancipatory practice development framework. A multi-method evaluation framework was utilised. Outcome data were collected at three time points between December 2007 and September 2009. The data reported here were collected using an instrument called the 'Person-Centred Nursing Index'. Heavy workload was the main cause of stress among nurses. Personal and professional satisfaction with the job was scored highest by the total sample of nurses. Nineteen factors were examined using the Person-Centred Nursing Index. Statistically significant changes were observed in 12 of these. In addition, there were statistically significant changes in nurses' perceptions of caring, indicating a shift from a dominant focus on 'technical' aspects of care, to one where 'intimate' aspects of care were more highly valued. The findings highlight the importance of the development of effective teamwork, workload management, time management and staff relationships in order to create a culture where there is a more democratic and inclusive approach to practice and space for the formation of person-centred relationships. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  20. Marketing a managed care plan: achieving product differentiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Romeo, N C

    1996-01-01

    The health care marketplace is changing dramatically, even without federal reform measures. This is a volatile, yet promising, time to market a managed care plan. Before marketing the product, it is critical that the competition is thoroughly evaluated and consumer and employer needs are researched. The final product should be distinguishable from the competition and address market needs. Promotion can then begin, utilizing a proactive public relations and advertising campaign in addition to traditional methods of marketing.

  1. Proposal of a service delivery integration index of home care for older persons: application in several European cities.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Henrard, J.C.; Ankri, J.; Frijters, D.; Carpenter, I.; Topinkova, E.; Garms-Homolova, V.; Finne-Soveri, H.; Wergeland Sorbye, L.; Jonsson, P.V.; Ljunggren, G.; Schroll, M.; Wagner, C.; Bernabei, R.

    2006-01-01

    PURPOSE: To propose an integration index of home care delivery to older persons, to study its validity and to apply it to home care services of European cities. THEORY: Home care delivery integration was based on two dimensions referring to process-centred integration and organisational structure

  2. Effects and meanings of a person-centred and health-promoting intervention in home care services - a study protocol of a non-randomised controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bölenius, Karin; Lämås, Kristina; Sandman, Per-Olof; Edvardsson, David

    2017-02-16

    The literature indicates that current home care service are largely task oriented with limited focus on the involvement of the older people themselves, and studies show that lack of involvement might reduce older people's quality of life. Person-centred care has been shown to improve the satisfaction with care and quality of life in older people cared for in hospitals and nursing homes, with limited published evidence about the effects and meanings of person-centred interventions in home care services for older people. This study protocol outlines a study aiming to evaluate such effects and meanings of a person-centred and health-promoting intervention in home aged care services. The study will take the form of a non-randomised controlled trial with a before/after approach. It will include 270 older people >65 years receiving home care services, 270 relatives and 65 staff, as well as a matched control group of equal size. All participants will be recruited from a municipality in northern Sweden. The intervention is based on the theoretical concepts of person-centredness and health-promotion, and builds on the four pedagogical phases of: theory apprehension, experimental learning, operationalization, and clinical supervision. Outcome assessments will focus on: a) health and quality of life (primary outcomes), thriving and satisfaction with care for older people; b) caregiver strain, informal caregiving engagement and relatives' satisfaction with care: c) job satisfaction and stress of conscience among care staff (secondary outcomes). Evaluation will be conducted by means of self-reported questionnaires and qualitative research interviews. Person-centred home care services have the potential to improve the recurrently reported sub-standard experiences of home care services, and the results can point the way to establishing a more person-centred and health-promoting model for home care services for older people. NCT02846246 .

  3. Toward Customized Care

    Science.gov (United States)

    Minvielle, Etienne

    2018-01-01

    Patients want their personal needs to be taken into account. Accordingly, the management of care has long involved some degree of personalization. In recent times, patients’ wishes have become more pressing in a moving context. As the population ages, the number of patients requiring sophisticated combinations of longterm care is rising. Moreover, we are witnessing previously unvoiced demands, preferences and expectations (eg, demand for information about treatment, for care complying with religious practices, or for choice of appointment dates). In view of the escalating costs and the concerns about quality of care, the time has now come to rethink healthcare delivery. Part of this reorganization can be related to customization: what is needed is a customized business model that is effective and sustainable. Such business model exists in different service sectors, the customization being defined as the development of tailored services to meet consumers’ diverse and changing needs at near mass production prices. Therefore, its application to the healthcare sector needs to be seriously considered. PMID:29524957

  4. HIV Diagnoses and Care Among Transgender Persons and Comparison With Men Who Have Sex With Men: New York City, 2006–2011

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torian, Lucia V.; Merchant, Pooja; Braunstein, Sarah L.; Shepard, Colin W.

    2016-01-01

    Objectives. We measured HIV care outcomes of transgender persons, who have high HIV infection rates but are rarely distinguished from men who have sex with men (MSM) in HIV surveillance systems. Methods. New York City’s surveillance registry includes HIV diagnoses since 2000 and HIV laboratory test results for transgender persons since 2005. We determined immunological status at diagnosis, delayed linkage to care, and nonachievement of viral suppression 1 year after diagnosis for transgender persons diagnosed with HIV in 2006 to 2011 and compared transgender women with MSM. Results. In 2006 to 2011, 264 of 23 805 persons diagnosed with HIV were transgender (1%): 98% transgender women and 2% transgender men. Compared with MSM, transgender women had similar CD4 counts at diagnosis and rates of concurrent HIV/AIDS and delayed linkage to care but increased odds of not achieving suppression (adjusted odds ratio = 1.56; 95% confidence interval = 1.13, 2.16). Conclusions. Compared with MSM, transgender women in New York City had similar immunological status at diagnosis but lagged in achieving viral suppression. To provide appropriate assistance along the HIV care continuum, HIV care providers should accurately identify transgender persons. PMID:26691124

  5. Moderating Role of Product Involvement on the Relationship Between Brand Personality and Brand Loyalty

    OpenAIRE

    SUDDIN LADA; SAMSINAR MD. SIDIN; KENNY TEOH GUAN CHENG

    2014-01-01

    Drawing from observations by consumer behavior theorists and product involvement studies, the present study seeks to investigate the moderating role of product involvement on the relationship between brand personality and brand loyalty. A total of 958 respondents participated in this study. They completed a 14-items questionnaire to measure product involvement, and a 32-items and 16-items questionnaire to measure brand personality and brand loyalty respectively. Results suggest that the effec...

  6. Clinical productivity of primary care nurse practitioners in ambulatory settings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xue, Ying; Tuttle, Jane

    Nurse practitioners are increasingly being integrated into primary care delivery to help meet the growing demand for primary care. It is therefore important to understand nurse practitioners' productivity in primary care practice. We examined nurse practitioners' clinical productivity in regard to number of patients seen per week, whether they had a patient panel, and patient panel size. We further investigated practice characteristics associated with their clinical productivity. We conducted cross-sectional analysis of the 2012 National Sample Survey of Nurse Practitioners. The sample included full-time primary care nurse practitioners in ambulatory settings. Multivariable survey regression analyses were performed to examine the relationship between practice characteristics and nurse practitioners' clinical productivity. Primary care nurse practitioners in ambulatory settings saw an average of 80 patients per week (95% confidence interval [CI]: 79-82), and 64% of them had their own patient panel. The average patient panel size was 567 (95% CI: 522-612). Nurse practitioners who had their own patient panel spent a similar percent of time on patient care and documentation as those who did not. However, those with a patient panel were more likely to provide a range of clinical services to most patients. Nurse practitioners' clinical productivity was associated with several modifiable practice characteristics such as practice autonomy and billing and payment policies. The estimated number of patients seen in a typical week by nurse practitioners is comparable to that by primary care physicians reported in the literature. However, they had a significantly smaller patient panel. Nurse practitioners' clinical productivity can be further improved. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. A Comparison of the Influence of Anticipated Death Trajectory and Personal Values on End-of-Life Care Preferences: A Qualitative Analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Supiano, Katherine P; McGee, Nancy; Dassel, Kara B; Utz, Rebecca

    2017-08-17

    We examined anticipated preferences for end-of-life (EOL) care in healthy older adults in the context of various terminal disease scenarios to explore the relationship between personal values and diseases and conditions that would influence EOL care choices. Qualitative Descriptive Analysis was used to derive themes and the relationship between EOL preference themes and personal value themes in 365 respondents in a national sample of healthy older adults who completed a survey on their anticipated preferences for end-of-life (EOL) care. Reluctance to burden close others was the most frequently voiced personal value across all conditions affecting EOL preferences, followed by the personal value of quality of life. Concern about whether one's wishes would be honored was more commonly voiced in the context of hypothetical, prospective terminal cancer than in neurological conditions. Respondents who voiced desire for autonomy in how they would die clearly attributed extreme pain as the primary influence on EOL preferences. Comprehensive assessment of patient personal values should include consideration of particular chronic disease scenarios and death trajectories to fully inform EoL preferences. Because personal values do influence EOL preferences, care should be taken to ascertain patient values when presenting diagnoses, prognoses, and treatment options. In particular, patients and families of patients with progressive neurological diseases will likely face a time when the patient cannot self-represent EOL wishes. Early discussion of values and preferences, particularly in the context of cognitive disease is vital to assure patient-directed care.

  8. The promise of outreach for engaging and retaining out-of-care persons in HIV medical care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bradford, Judith B

    2007-01-01

    From the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, outreach workers have been on the frontlines of HIV prevention, working in community venues to increase knowledge and promote behaviors to reduce HIV transmission. As demographics of the HIV-infected population have changed, the need has grown to locate out-of-care individuals and learn how to engage and retain them in HIV care. Through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) Outreach Initiative, 10 sites across the United States implemented and evaluated enhanced outreach models designed to increase engagement and retention in HIV care for underserved, disadvantaged HIV-infected individuals. Although the models differed in response to local needs and organizational characteristics, all made use of a common conceptual framework, and all used the same data collection and reporting protocols. Study teams enrolled and provided behavioral interventions to HIV-infected individuals who have been noticeably absent from research and from practice. Their interventions incorporated coaching, skills-building, and education, and were successful in reducing or removing structural, financial, and personal/cultural barriers that interfered with equitable access to HIV care. Desired outcomes of increased engagement and retention in HIV health care were achieved. Results demonstrate that interventions to promote equitable access to HIV care for disadvantaged population groups can be built from outreach models. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the multisite data indicates that further development and evaluation of outreach-based interventions will result in effective tools for reaching HIV-infected individuals who would otherwise remain without needed care.

  9. Risk factors for acute care hospital readmission in older persons in Western countries

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Mona Kyndi; Meyer, Gabriele; Uhrenfeldt, Lisbeth

    2017-01-01

    related to socio-demographics, health characteristics and clinical and organizational factors related to the care pathway. TYPES OF STUDIES: The current review considered analytical and descriptive epidemiological study designs that evaluated risk factors for acute care hospital readmission. OUTCOMES......: The outcome was readmission to an acute care hospital within one month of discharge. SEARCH STRATEGY: A three-step search was utilized to find published and unpublished studies in English, French, German, Norwegian, Swedish or Danish. Five electronic databases were searched from 2004 to 2013, followed...... summary and metasynthesis of the quantitative findings was conducted. RESULTS: Based on a review of nine studies from ten Western countries, we found several significant risk factors pertaining to readmission to an acute care hospital within one month of discharge in persons aged 65 years and over...

  10. Insights Into Care Providers' Understandings of Life Story Work With Persons With Dementia: Findings From a Qualitative Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berendonk, Charlotte; Caine, Vera

    2017-08-01

    In Germany, life story work, an approach which acknowledges humans as narrative beings and honors biographies, is required by health authorities to be integrated in care provided in nursing homes. Insufficient attention to life story work could place residents at risk of dehumanization, particularly residents with dementia, who depend on support of others to tell and make meaning of their life experiences. We conducted a qualitative study to gain insights into care providers' perceptions and practices of life story work with persons with dementia. Thirty-six care providers in 7 nursing homes participated in semistructured interviews or group discussions. We derived subjective theories (individual understandings) of care providers and higher-order concept patterns following the principles and processes of grounded theory. We found a great variation in participants' understandings of life story work. Some participants were unsure if and how life story work impacts persons with dementia. Starting points for improving the integration of life story work into practice are discussed. We conclude that care providers need a better understanding of life story work as a nursing intervention. The importance of the notion of humans as narrative beings and the multiple ways in which we story our lives as well as embody life stories needs to be further developed. Knowledge is required about the practical and systemic challenges of integrating life story work in the care of persons with dementia.

  11. Does Person-Centered Care Improve Residents' Satisfaction With Nursing Home Quality?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poey, Judith L; Hermer, Linda; Cornelison, Laci; Kaup, Migette L; Drake, Patrick; Stone, Robyn I; Doll, Gayle

    2017-11-01

    Person-centered care (PCC) is meant to enhance nursing home residents' quality of life (QOL). Including residents' perspectives is critical to determining whether PCC is meeting residents' needs and desires. This study examines whether PCC practices promote satisfaction with QOL and quality of care and services (QOC and QOS) among nursing home residents. A longitudinal, retrospective cohort study using an in-person survey. Three hundred twenty nursing homes in Kansas enrolled or not enrolled in a pay-for-performance program, Promoting Excellent Alternatives in Kansas (PEAK 2.0), to promote PCC in nursing homes. A total of 6214 nursing home residents in 2013-2014 and 5538 residents in 2014-2015, with a Brief Interview for Mental Status score ≥8, participated in face-to-face interviews. Results were aggregated to the nursing home level. My InnerView developed a Resident Satisfaction Survey for Kansas composed of 32 questions divided into QOL, QOC, QOS, and global satisfaction subdomains. After controlling for facility characteristics, satisfaction with overall QOL and QOC was higher in homes that had fully implemented PCC. Although some individual measures in the QOS domain (eg, food) showed greater satisfaction at earlier levels of implementation, high satisfaction was observed primarily in homes that had fully implemented PCC. These findings provide evidence for the effectiveness of PCC implementation on nursing home resident satisfaction. The PEAK 2.0 program may provide replicable methods for nursing homes and states to implement PCC systematically. Copyright © 2017 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Impact of the ‘Artful Moments’ Intervention on Persons with Dementia and Their Care Partners: a Pilot Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hazzan, Afeez Abiola; Humphrey, Janis; Kilgour-Walsh, Laurie; Moros, Katherine L.; Murray, Carmen; Stanners, Shannon; Montemuro, Maureen; Giangregorio, Aidan; Papaioannou, Alexandra

    2016-01-01

    Background Engaging with art can be valuable for persons living with dementia. ‘Artful Moments’ was a collaborative project undertaken by the Art Gallery of Hamilton and the Behavioural Health Program at Hamilton Health Sciences that sought to develop and implement a program of arts-based activities for persons in the middle-to-late stages of dementia who exhibit behavioural symptoms and for their accompanying care partners. Methods This pilot study employed a qualitative descriptive design. Eight participants were observed during multiple art sessions to evaluate their level of engagement in the program. Care partners also completed a questionnaire describing their experience. Qualitative content analysis was used to identify themes. Results For program participants, factors that promoted continued interest and engagement in art included: care partner involvement, group activities, opportunities to share opinions, validation of their personhood, and increased engagement over time. Care partners observed improvements in participants’ creativity, communication, relationship forming, and task accomplishment, and some reported reduced stress. Conclusions ‘Artful Moments’ promoted engagement and expression in persons in the middle-to-late stages of dementia, as well as having benefits for their care partners. Limitations of the study included a small convenience sample drawn from one hospital setting. PMID:27403209

  13. The occurrence of pharmaceuticals, personal care products, endocrine disruptors and illicit drugs in surface water in South Wales, UK.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kasprzyk-Hordern, Barbara; Dinsdale, Richard M; Guwy, Alan J

    2008-07-01

    The presence and fate of 56 pharmaceuticals, personal care products, endocrine disruptors and illicit drugs (PPCPs) were investigated in the South Wales region of the UK. Two contrasting rivers: River Taff and River Ely were chosen for this investigation and were monitored for a period of 10 months. The impact of the factors affecting the levels of concentration of PPCPs and illicit drugs in surface water such as surrounding area, proximity to wastewater effluent and weather conditions, mainly rainfall was also investigated. Most PPCPs were frequently found in river water at concentrations reaching single microgL(-1) and their levels depended mainly on the extent of water dilution resulting from rainfall. Discharge of treated wastewater effluent into the river course was found to be the main cause of water contamination with PPCPs. The most frequently detected PPCPs represent the group of pharmaceuticals dispensed at the highest levels in the Welsh community. These were antibacterial drugs (trimethoprim, erythromycin-H(2)O and amoxicillin), anti-inflammatories/analgesics (paracetamol, tramadol, codeine, naproxen, ibuprofen and diclofenac) and antiepileptic drugs (carbamazepine and gabapentin). Only four PPCPs out of 56 (simvastatin, pravastatin, digoxin and digoxigenin) were not quantified over the course of the study. Several PPCPs were found to be both ubiquitous and persistent in the aqueous environment (e.g. erythromycin-H(2)O, codeine, carbamazepine, gabapentin and valsartan). The calculated average daily loads of PPCPs indicated that in total almost 6 kg of studied PPCPs are discharged daily into the studied rivers. The illicit drugs studied were found in rivers at low levels of ng L(-1). Average daily loads of amphetamine, cocaine and its main metabolite benzoylecgonine were as follows: 8, 1.2 and 39 gday(-1), respectively. Their frequent occurrence in surface water is primarily associated with their high illegal usage and is strongly associated with the

  14. The Affordable Care Act Medicaid Expansions and Personal Finance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caswell, Kyle J; Waidmann, Timothy A

    2017-09-01

    Using a novel data set from a major credit bureau, we examine the early effects of the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansions on personal finance. We analyze less common events such as personal bankruptcy, and more common occurrences such as medical collection balances, and change in credit scores. We estimate triple-difference models that compare individual outcomes across counties that expanded Medicaid versus counties that did not, and across expansion counties that had more uninsured residents versus those with fewer. Results demonstrate financial improvements in states that expanded their Medicaid programs as measured by improved credit scores, reduced balances past due as a percent of total debt, reduced probability of a medical collection balance of $1,000 or more, reduced probability of having one or more recent medical bills go to collections, reduction in the probability of experiencing a new derogatory balance of any type, reduced probability of incurring a new derogatory balance equal to $1,000 or more, and a reduction in the probability of a new bankruptcy filing.

  15. The realities of partnership in person-centred care: a qualitative interview study with patients and professionals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wolf, Axel; Moore, Lucy; Lydahl, Doris; Naldemirci, Öncel; Elam, Mark; Britten, Nicky

    2017-07-17

    Although conceptual definitions of person-centred care (PCC) vary, most models value the involvement of patients through patient-professional partnerships. While this may increase patients' sense of responsibility and control, research is needed to further understand how this partnership is created and perceived. This study aims to explore the realities of partnership as perceived by patients and health professionals in everyday PCC practice. Qualitative study employing a thematic analysis of semistructured interviews with professionals and patients. Four internal medicine wards and two primary care centres in western Sweden. 16 health professionals based at hospital wards or primary care centres delivering person-centred care, and 20 patients admitted to one of the hospital wards. Our findings identified both informal and formal aspects of partnership. Informal aspects, emerging during the interaction between healthcare professionals and patients, without any prior guidelines or regulations, incorporated proximity and receptiveness of professionals and building a close connection and confidence. This epitomised a caring, respectful relationship congruent across accounts. Formal aspects, including structured ways of sustaining partnership were experienced differently. Professionals described collaborating with patients to encourage participation, capture personal goals, plan and document care. However, although patients felt listened to and informed, they were content to ask questions and felt less involved in care planning, documentation or exploring lifeworld goals. They commonly perceived participation as informed discussion and agreement, deferring to professional knowledge and expertise in the presence of an empathetic and trusting relationship. In our study, patients appear to value a process of human connectedness above and beyond formalised aspects of documenting agreed goals and care planning. PCC increases patients' confidence in professionals who are

  16. Person-centredness in elder care: A secondary analysis of data from a study among home-dwelling men and women in the Faroe Islands.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Róin, Ása

    2018-06-01

    As individuals in Western societies age, there is increasing demand for home-based care to help older people stay in their homes for as long as possible and provide services that ensure a person's quality of life in old age. Numerous attempts are made to develop a framework to secure quality of care. However, research has shown insufficient quality in care for older people. In this study, the purpose is to study how older people's experiences with home care reflect a person-centred approach to care. Data derived from an earlier study on ageing among home-dwelling men and women who are aged 67-91 and living in the Faroe Islands. Person-centredness as a concept is an often quoted, but ill-defined concept. Most studies concerning person-centred care are conducted within hospital wards or long-term care institutions. Empirical studies concerning home-dwelling older people receiving home care are scarce. The study is a secondary analysis of data from an earlier qualitative study. Latent thematic analysis was used which meant coding issues of potential interest and collecting these codes into themes. Three themes appeared to combine the initial codes: sense of involvement, sense of meaningfulness and contextual conditions. Overall, the analysis showed that the users were seldom involved in planning or scheduling the care they received. What they were offered did not always make sense to them or correspond to their needs or preferences. The number of interviews included was limited. However, findings from this study point at some possible barriers to successful implementation of person-centredness within elder care. Especially, contextual conditions seem to limit the facilitation of person-centred practices. Healthcare providers must take the user's preferences, resources and networks into consideration when coordinating and planning home care and, importantly, be open for negotiating needs. It is important to draw attention to the contrast between political intentions

  17. Use of a voice and video internet technology as an alternative to in-person urgent care clinic visits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brunett, Patrick H; DiPiero, Albert; Flores, Christine; Choi, Dongseok; Kum, Hayley; Girard, Donald E

    2015-06-01

    This study aimed to determine the feasibility of patient-initiated online Internet urgent care visits, and to describe patient characteristics, scope of care, provider adherence to protocols, and diagnostic and therapeutic utilization. A total of 456 unique patients were seen via Internet-based technology during the study period, generating 478 consecutive total patient visits. Of the 82 patients referred for an in-person evaluation, 75 patients (91.5%) reported to the clinic as instructed. None of the 82 patients recommended for in-person evaluation required an emergency department referral, hospital admission or urgent consultative referral. We conclude that real-time online primary and urgent care visits are feasible, safe and potentially beneficial in increasing convenient access to urgent and primary care. © The Author(s) 2015 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

  18. Fate and removal of typical pharmaceuticals and personal care products by three different treatment processes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    He, Yu-jie; Chen, Wei; Zheng, Xiao-ying; Wang, Xing-nan; Huang, Xi

    2013-01-01

    The presence and distribution of typical of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), which comprise two types of polycyclic musks (PCMs) including Galaxolide (HHCB) and Tonalide (AHTN) as well as six types of estrogens containing estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), estriol (E3), 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2), diethylstilbestrol (DES), and bisphenol A (BPA), were investigated at two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Jiangsu, China. Only raw wastewater was treated in WWTP A while WWTP B was serving an urban-industrialized area. In the influent, the concentrations of EE2 (2193–4437 ng L −1 ), E2 (1126–1170 ng L −1 ), and DES (268–421 ng L −1 ) were generally higher than the previously reported values, whereas the concentrations of HHCB (306–316 ng L −1 ), E1 (29–129 ng L −1 ), E3 (53 ng L −1 ), and BPA (26–176 ng L −1 ) were much lower than those reported in other previous studies. In addition, AHTN was not detected in either WWTP and E3 was not found in WWTP B. The detected processes including anaerobic/oxic process (A/O), combined orbal oxidation ditch process (C-orbal OD) and anaerobic/anoxic/anoxic/oxic membrane biological reactor (A/A/A/O-MBR) showed higher removal efficiencies for HHCB (67–71%) and EE2 (87%) than those in other previous studies. Besides, the total hydraulic retention time (HRT) ranged between 6.7 and 20.0 h, sludge retention time (SRT) ranged between 8 and 23 d, and water temperature ranged from 24.8 to 28.2 °C. The removal efficiencies for estrogens in biological processes were related to the following factors: the level of hydrophobic estrogens, the type of removal process (C-orbal OD was consistently less efficient in removing estrogens than A/O and A/A/A/O-MBR), and a high SRT or HRT (A/A/A/O-MBR with higher SRT and HRT showed higher and more stable removal of hydrophobic estrogens). - Highlights: ► We investigated 8 kinds of PPCPs in each unit at 2 WWTPs with different processes. ► Agilent 1290

  19. Moving from reclusion to partial freedom: the experience of family caregivers for disabled elderly persons assisted in a day care center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bocchi, Silvia Cristina Mangini; Cano, Karen Cristina Urtado; Baltieri, Lilian; Godoy, Daniele Cristina; Spiri, Wilza Carla; Juliani, Carmen Maria Casquel Monti

    2010-09-01

    This study aimed at understanding the interactional experience between family caregivers and disabled elderly persons supported in a Day Care Center according to the caregiver's perspective. It also aimed at developing a representative theoretical model for the events experienced by such caregiver. The Grounded Theory was used as methodological framework whereas Interactional Symbolism served as the theoretical framework. Observation and interviews were used for data collection. The following phenomenon arose from the results: feeling of support by the Day Care Center, by the strength of the bond with the elderly and by spirituality in order to continue playing the challenging role of a family caregiver for a disabled elderly person. The study made possible to understand that, among these three supporting cornerstones for coping with the burden generated by the family caregiver role, the care model promoted by the Day Care Center was the intervenient variable in the process of improving the quality of life of the family caregiver-disabled elderly person binomial. This allowed the identification of the main category--moving from reclusion to partial freedom: the experience of family caregivers for disabled elderly persons assisted in a Day Care Center.

  20. Person-Centered Care in the Home Setting for Parkinson’s Disease: Operation House Call Quality of Care Pilot Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nawaz Hack

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective. (1 To evaluate the feasibility of implementing and evaluating a home visit program for persons with Parkinson’s disease (PD in a rural setting. (2 To have movement disorders fellows coordinate and manage health care delivery. Background. The University of Florida, Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration established Operation House Call to serve patients with PD who could not otherwise afford to travel to an expert center or to pay for medical care. PD is known to lead to significant disability, frequent hospitalization, early nursing home placement, and morbidity. Methods. This was designed as a quality improvement project. Movement disorders fellows travelled to the home(s of underserved PD patients and coordinated their clinical care. The diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease was confirmed using standardized criteria, and the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale was performed and best treatment practices were delivered. Results. All seven patients have been followed up longitudinally every 3 to 6 months in the home setting, and they remain functional and independent. None of the patients have been hospitalized for PD related complications. Each patient has a new updatable electronic medical record. All Operation House Call cases are presented during video rounds for the interdisciplinary PD team to make recommendations for care (neurology, neurosurgery, neuropsychology, psychiatry, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and social work. One Operation House Call patient has successfully received deep brain stimulation (DBS. Conclusion. This program is a pilot program that has demonstrated that it is possible to provide person-centered care in the home setting for PD patients. This program could provide a proof of concept for the construction of a larger visiting physician or nurse program.

  1. The Medicaid personal care services program: implications for social work practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oktay, J S; Palley, H A

    1991-05-01

    Results of a survey of Medicaid personal care programs in 15 states and the District of Columbia in 1987 show that these programs suffer from many problems. Low wages and slow payment make recruitment and retention of qualified workers difficult. Other problems include lack of coordination among agencies, lack of adequate standards for training or supervision of workers, unequal access to programs, and inequities among states. Implications for social workers are discussed.

  2. Values and principles of person-centered integrated care: a systematic literature review (SIG meeting)

    OpenAIRE

    Zonneveld, Nick; Miller, Robin; Minkman, Mirella

    2017-01-01

    Introduction: In recent years many knowledge about integrated health services has been developed. So far research has focused on operational themes and interventions on the one side, which help decision makers in practice. On the other hand, a number of studies about generic elements of person-centered and integrated care have been published, resulting in valuable conceptual models and frameworks [1-9]. A third area of research is how to measure integrated care.However, if we want to further ...

  3. Sentence-position effects on children's perception and production of English third person singular -s.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sundara, Megha; Demuth, Katherine; Kuhl, Patricia K

    2011-02-01

    Two-year-olds produce third person singular -s more accurately on verbs in sentence-final position as compared with verbs in sentence-medial position. This study was designed to determine whether these sentence-position effects can be explained by perceptual factors. For this purpose, the authors compared 22- and 27-month-olds' perception and elicited production of third person singular -s in sentence-medial versus-final position. The authors assessed perception by measuring looking/listening times to a 1-screen display of a cartoon paired with a grammatical versus an ungrammatical sentence (e.g., She eats now vs. She eat now). Children at both ages demonstrated sensitivity to the presence/absence of this inflectional morpheme in sentence-final, but not sentence-medial, position. Children were also more accurate at producing third person singular -s sentence finally, and production accuracy was predicted by vocabulary measures as well as by performance on the perception task. These results indicate that children's more accurate production of third person singular -s in sentence-final position cannot be explained by articulatory factors alone but that perceptual factors play an important role in accounting for early patterns of production. The findings also indicate that perception and production of inflectional morphemes may be more closely related than previously thought.

  4. Patient factors predicting early dropout from psychiatric outpatient care for borderline personality disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Panfilis, Chiara; Marchesi, Carlo; Cabrino, Chiara; Monici, Alberto; Politi, Virginia; Rossi, Matteo; Maggini, Carlo

    2012-12-30

    Despite obvious clinical need, factors underlying early treatment discontinuation among 'real world' borderline personality disorder (BPD) patients are still unknown. This study investigates individual characteristics that can predict early (Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV) Personality. Sociodemographic, clinical and personality variables potentially relevant for dropout were assessed for all participants at baseline. Early dropouts (n=54) were compared to continuers (n=108) on all measures. Logistic regression was then used to identify independent predictors of early dropout. A history of suicide attempts predicted early discontinuation, whereas the presence of an eating disorder and of avoidant personality features protected from early dropout. If confirmed, these findings may help clinicians operating in general psychiatric settings with estimating the risk of premature treatment discontinuation, and stress the need to specifically address suicidal behaviours in order to improve treatment retention among borderline outpatients. In this regard, implementing general psychiatric care with specialised, evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions may be deemed necessary. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Modified TAROT for cross-selling personal financial products

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tee, Ya-Mei; LEE, Lai-Soon; LEE, Chew-Ging; SEOW, Hsin-Vonn

    2014-09-01

    The Top Application characteristics Remainder Offer characteristics Tree (TAROT) was first introduced in 2007. This is a modified Classification and Regression Trees (CART) used to help decide which question(s) to ask potential applicants to customise an offer of a personal financial product so that it would have a high probability of take up. In this piece of work the authors are presenting, they have further modified the TAROT to cross TAROT, using its properties and modeling steps to deal with the issue of cross-selling. Since the bank already has ready customers, it would be ideal to cross-sell the financial products seeing that one can ask one (or more) further question(s) based on the initial offer to identify and customise another financial product to offer.

  6. Index case finding facilitates identification and linkage to care of children and young persons living with HIV/AIDS in Malawi.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmed, Saeed; Sabelli, Rachael A; Simon, Katie; Rosenberg, Nora E; Kavuta, Elijah; Harawa, Mwelura; Dick, Spencer; Linzie, Frank; Kazembe, Peter N; Kim, Maria H

    2017-08-01

    Evaluation of a novel index case finding and linkage-to-care programme to identify and link HIV-infected children (1-15 years) and young persons (>15-24 years) to care. HIV-infected patients enrolled in HIV services were screened and those who reported untested household members (index cases) were offered home- or facility-based HIV testing and counselling (HTC) of their household by a community health worker (CHW). HIV-infected household members identified were enrolled in a follow-up programme offering home and facility-based follow-up by CHWs. Of the 1567 patients enrolled in HIV services, 1030 (65.7%) were screened and 461 (44.8%) identified as index cases; 93.5% consented to HIV testing of their households and of those, 279 (64.7%) reported an untested child or young person. CHWs tested 711 children and young persons, newly diagnosed 28 HIV-infected persons (yield 4.0%; 95% CI: 2.7-5.6), and identified an additional two HIV-infected persons not enrolled in care. Of the 30 HIV-infected persons identified, 23 (76.6%) were linked to HIV services; 18 of the 20 eligible for ART (90.0%) were initiated. Median time (IQR) from identification to enrolment into HIV services was 4 days (1-8) and from identification to ART start was 6 days (1-8). Almost half of HIV-infected patients enrolled in treatment services had untested household members, many of whom were children and young persons. Index case finding, coupled with home-based testing and tracked follow-up, is acceptable, feasible and facilitates the identification and timely linkage to care of HIV-infected children and young persons. © 2017 The Authors. Tropical Medicine & International Health Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  7. One Chance to Get it Right: understanding the new guidance for care of the dying person.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sykes, Nigel

    2015-09-01

    Following criticism of the Liverpool Care of the Dying Pathway (LCP), widely used to guide care of dying people in British health-care settings, the UK Government set up an independent review which in 2013 recommended that use of the LCP be discontinued. In response, the Leadership Alliance for the Care of Dying People, a coalition of a wide range of stakeholders, recently published guidance entitled One Chance to Get it Right. This guidance contains five Priorities of Care for the dying person that are intended to guide clinical staff and will inform Care Quality Commission inspections of health-care providers. This article summarizes the background to One Chance to Get it Right and the guidance it contains. One Chance to Get it Right, More Care, Less Pathway and related guidance documents. The need to improve the standard of end-of-life care in every clinical setting. The value of a pathway-based approach to end-of-life care in a context where well-implemented programmes of staff education in the subject are lacking. Public concern with, and scrutiny of, the quality of dying in the UK health-care system, particularly in hospitals but also the ability of patients to die well at home where that is their place of choice. Effective methods of teaching end of life care to all clinical staff; the effect upon families of caring for a dying relative at home; the optimum type, quantity and source of external support to informal carers that is perceived by them as adequate and enables the ill person to die well in in their own home; fuller understanding of the physiology of dying. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  8. Occurrence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in effluent-dominated Saudi Arabian coastal waters of the Red Sea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ali, Aasim M; Rønning, Helene Thorsen; Alarif, Walied; Kallenborn, Roland; Al-Lihaibi, Sultan S

    2017-05-01

    The occurrence of selected pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and the pesticide atrazine were investigated in seawater samples collected from stations located at effluent dominated sites in the Saudi Arabian coastal waters of the Red Sea. PPCPs were analysed using solid phase extraction (SPE) followed by high performance liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). A multi component method for the ultra-trace level quantification of 13 target PPCPs in Seawater was developed and validated for the here performed study. The method procedure is described in detail in the supplementary material section. 26 samples from 7 distinct locations (2 directly influenced by continuous sewage release) were chosen for the sampling of surface seawater. Based upon local sales information, 25 target substances (20 PPCPs, 4 pesticides and 1 stimulant) were chosen for the here reported method development. Thirteen PPCPs were detected and quantified in a total of 26 seawater samples. Metformin, diclofenac, acetaminophen, and caffeine were identified as the most abundant PPCPs, detected in maximum concentration higher than 3 μg/L (upper quantification limit for the here developed method). Concentrations were in the range of 7- >3000 (metformin), 3000 ng/L (caffeine). The contribution of direct sewage release on the PPCP levels detected was obvious, the target PPCPs were detected in the Al-Arbaeen and Al-Shabab coastal lagoons in high concentrations due to the low water exchange with the open sea and still ongoing sewage releases in the lagoons. Also, substantial amounts of antibiotics were detected in all samples. Levels and distribution profile of the detected PPCPs revealed high level release rates and give raise to concern on potential environmental risks associated with the here document long term exposure on the fragile coastal marine environment of the region but particularly in the nearby protected coral reef environment outside the harbour

  9. A Two Year Longitudinal Outcome Study of Addicted Health Care Professionals: An Investigation of the Role of Personality Variables

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Angres

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The co-morbidity of personality disorders (PDs and other dysregulatory personality patterns with addiction have been well-established, although few studies have examined this interplay on long-term sobriety outcome. In addition, health care professionals suffering from addiction have both a significant public health impact and a unique set of treatment and recovery challenges. The aim of this study was to investigate if personality variables differentiated sobriety outcome in this population over a two year interval. A clinical sample of health care professionals participated in a substance abuse hospital treatment program individually tailored with respect to personality. Participants took the Temperament and Character Inventory and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory at intake, and were tracked two years post-discharge to determine sobriety status. Univariate analyses showed antisocial personality, female gender, and alcohol dependence were independent predictors of relapse, however a significant relationship between personality and substance use did not exist in multivariate analysis when controlling for demographic variables The lack of multivariate relationships demonstrates the heterogeneity in self-report measures of personality, which suggests the interplay of personality and addiction is complex and individualized.

  10. Impacts of mobile tablet computing on provider productivity, communications, and the process of care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schooley, Benjamin; Walczak, Steven; Hikmet, Neset; Patel, Nitin

    2016-04-01

    Health information technology investments continue to increase while the value derived from their implementation and use is mixed. Mobile device adoption into practice is a recent trend that has increased dramatically and formal studies are needed to investigate consequent benefits and challenges. The objective of this study is to evaluate practitioner perceptions of improvements in productivity, provider-patient communications, care provision, technology usability and other outcomes following the adoption and use of a tablet computer connected to electronic health information resources. A pilot program was initiated in June 2013 to evaluate the effect of mobile tablet computers at one health provider organization in the southeast United States. Providers were asked to volunteer for the evaluation and were each given a mobile tablet computer. A total of 42 inpatient and outpatient providers were interviewed in 2015 using a survey style questionnaire that utilized yes/no, Likert-style, and open ended questions. Each had previously used an electronic health record (EHR) system a minimum of one year outside of residency, and were regular users of personal mobile devices. Each used a mobile tablet computer in the context of their practice connected to the health system EHR. The survey results indicate that more than half of providers perceive the use of the tablet device as having a positive effect on patient communications, patient education, patient's perception of the provider, time spent interacting with patients, provider productivity, process of care, satisfaction with EHR when used together with the device, and care provision. Providers also reported feeling comfortable using the device (82.9%), would recommend the device to colleagues (69.2%), did not experience increased information security and privacy concerns (95%), and noted significant reductions in EHR login times (64.1%). Less than 25% of participants reported negative impacts on any of these areas as

  11. A Look at Person- and Family-Centered Care Among Older Adults: Results from a National Survey [corrected].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wolff, Jennifer L; Boyd, Cynthia M

    2015-10-01

    Person-centered and family-centered care represents the pinnacle of health care quality, but delivering it is challenging, as is assessing whether it has occurred. Prior studies portray older adults as passive in health decisions and burdened by care-but emphasize age-based differences or focus on vulnerable subgroups. We aimed to examine domains of person-centered and family-centered care among older adults and whether the social context in which older adults manage their health relates to preferences for participating in health decisions and experiences with care. This was an observational study of a nationally representative survey of adults aged 65+ years, conducted in concert with the 2012 National Health and Aging Trends Study (n = 2040). Approach to managing health (self-manage, co-manage, delegate); preferences for making health care decisions with: (1) doctors, (2) family/close friends; and experiences with care pertaining to treatment burden were measured. Approximately two-thirds of older adults self-manage (69.4 %) and one-third co-manage (19.6 %) or delegate (11.0 %) health care activities. The majority prefer an independent or shared role when making health decisions with doctors (84.7 %) and family/close friends (95.9 %). Nearly four in ten older adults (37.9 %) experience treatment burden-that managing health care activities are sometimes or often hard for either them or their family/close friends, that health care activities get delayed or don't get done, or that they are cumulatively too much to do. Relative to older adults who self-manage, those who delegate health care activities are more likely to prefer to share or leave health decisions to doctors (aOR = 1.79 (95 % CI, 1.37-2.33) and family/close friends (aOR = 3.12 (95 % CI, 2.23-4.36), and are more likely to experience treatment burden (aOR = 2.37 (95 % CI, 1.61-3.47). Attaining person-centered and family-centered care will require strategies that respect diverse decision

  12. The impact of personal loss on the experience of health professions: graduate students in end-of-life and bereavement care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Supiano, Katherine P; Vaughn-Cole, Beth

    2011-01-01

    This study explored the impact of prior personal experience with grief on self-reported personal and professional development of graduate students in nursing, social work, counseling, pastoral care, and genetic counseling involved as cofacilitators in bereavement support groups, and of medical students observing interdisciplinary inpatient palliative care. Personal experience with death of a family member or close friend was reported in 80% of the 35 participating students. Findings suggest that grief and the students' construction of the meaning of their loss can mediate the students' developing sense of self as a professional helper. Active engagement with suffering persons, the opportunity for self-disclosure and reflection, and teacher-facilitator provision of emotional guidance and modeling contributed positively to learning.

  13. ADOLESCENTS WITH BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS: PERSONALITY, QUALITY OF LIFE AND SOCIAL HEALTH CARE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Ya. Volgina

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Deviant behavior of adolescents is a serious social problem in today's society because of the significant prevalence of this phenomenon. Authors present the results of the study of adolescents with behavioral problems. Aim: optimization of medical and social care for adolescents with behavioral problems. Patients and methods: the authors studied the incidence of this condition among children aged from 15 to 17 years using the software package «SOC/PEDIATRIA-2». The features of the personality structure of adolescents with deviant behavior were revealed using the adopted Russian short version of MMPI-MINI-MULT. Demographic and social characteristics of the families of adolescents were assessed. SF-36 questionnaire was applied for the quality of life assessment of the studied category. Results: increasing morbidity among adolescents was revealed due to various reasons: economic, medical and social. The study allowed to develop personal characteristics of the criteria in order to timely identify adolescents with accentuated and psychopathological features. The characteristics of quality of life were used as criteria of health care for adolescents with behavioral problems. The measures for the prevention and correction of deviant behavior among adolescents were proposed, including intersectoral integration and active participation of family in the process of rehabilitation. Conclusions: it is necessary to identify adolescents with deviant behavior timely, followed by a set of measures to provide them with health and social care to protect their health.

  14. Effect of sleep-inducing music on sleep in persons with percutaneous transluminal coronary angiography in the cardiac care unit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ryu, Min-Jung; Park, Jeong Sook; Park, Heeok

    2012-03-01

    The study compared the effect of earplug-delivered sleep-inducing music on sleep in persons with percutaneous transluminal coronary angiography in the cardiac care unit. Diverse types of music have been claimed to improve sleeping elsewhere, but relatively little is known in South Korea. Most studies investigating the effect of sleep-inducing music on sleep have involved persons with insomnia, even though many persons with cardiovascular disease in the intensive care unit suffer from sleeping problems. There is a need to investigate the effect of sleep-inducing music on sleep disorders in persons with percutaneous transluminal coronary angiography in the cardiac care unit. An experimental research design was used. Data collection was conducted in the cardiac care unit of K University Hospital in D city, from 3 September-4 October 2010. Fifty-eight subjects participated and were randomly assigned to the experimental group (earplug-delivered sleep-inducing music for 52 min beginning at 10:00 pm, while wearing an eyeshield, n = 29) and the control group (no music, but earplugs and eyeshield worn, n = 29). The quantity and quality of sleep were measured using questionnaires at 7 am the next morning for each group. Participants in the experimental group reported that the sleeping quantity and quality were significantly higher than control group (t = 3·181, p = 0·002, t = 5·269, p music significantly improved sleep in patients with percutaneous transluminal coronary angiography at a cardiac care unit. Offering earplugs and playing sleep-inducing music may be a meaningful and easily enacted nursing intervention to improve sleep for intensive care unit patients. Nurses working at cardiac care unit can use music to improve sleeping in clients with percutaneous transluminal coronary angiography. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  15. A cross-sectional study on person-centred communication in the care of older people: the COMHOME study protocol.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hafskjold, L.; Sundler, A.J.; Holmström, I.K.; Sundling, V.; Dulmen, S. van; Eide, H.

    2015-01-01

    Introduction: This paper presents an international cross-sectional study on person-centred communication with older people receiving healthcare (COMHOME). Person-centred care relies on effective communication, but few studies have explored this with a specific focus on older people. The main aim of

  16. A cross-sectional study on person-centred communication in the care of older people: the COMHOME study protocol

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hafskjold, L.; Sundler, A.J.; Holmstrom, I.K.; Sundling, V.; Dulmen, S. van; Eide, H.

    2015-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: This paper presents an international cross-sectional study on person-centred communication with older people receiving healthcare (COMHOME). Person-centred care relies on effective communication, but few studies have explored this with a specific focus on older people. The main aim of

  17. Seasonal variation in the occurrence and removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in a wastewater treatment plant in Xiamen, China

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sun, Qian; Lv, Min; Hu, Anyi; Yang, Xiaoyong; Yu, Chang-Ping, E-mail: cpyu@iue.ac.cn

    2014-07-30

    Highlights: • The occurrence and removal of 50 PPCPs in a WWTP were investigated over one year. • 39 PPCPs were detected in the influent, 14 PPCPs could be removed >50% in WWTP. • Most PPCPs showed higher concentrations in cold seasons in the influent and effluent. • Temperature and HRT may contribute to the seasonal variation of PPCP removal. - Abstract: The occurrence and seasonal variation of 50 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Xiamen, China was investigated over a period of one year. Among the targets, 39 PPCPs were detected in the influent. The highest concentration was observed for acetaminophen, with the average concentration in the influent of 2963.5 ng/L. The seasonal variation of PPCPs in the influent was observed. For most pharmaceuticals, highest concentrations were in March 2013, followed by December 2012, while the concentrations were lower in August 2012 and May 2013. Among the detected PPCPs, 14 targets could be removed more than 50% in the WWTP. The activated sludge treatment process contributed to most of PPCP removal, while the adsorption to the particles in the primary treatment and the transformation under UV radiation in the disinfection treatment also contributed to the PPCP removal. Among the detected PPCPs in the influent, 36 PPCPs could be detected in the final effluent of the WWTP. Significantly higher concentrations of PPCPs were observed in effluent samples collected in March 2013 compared to other seasons, suggesting higher concentrations of PPCPs could be discharged into the surrounding seawater during this period.

  18. Seasonal variation in the occurrence and removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in a wastewater treatment plant in Xiamen, China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun, Qian; Lv, Min; Hu, Anyi; Yang, Xiaoyong; Yu, Chang-Ping

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • The occurrence and removal of 50 PPCPs in a WWTP were investigated over one year. • 39 PPCPs were detected in the influent, 14 PPCPs could be removed >50% in WWTP. • Most PPCPs showed higher concentrations in cold seasons in the influent and effluent. • Temperature and HRT may contribute to the seasonal variation of PPCP removal. - Abstract: The occurrence and seasonal variation of 50 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Xiamen, China was investigated over a period of one year. Among the targets, 39 PPCPs were detected in the influent. The highest concentration was observed for acetaminophen, with the average concentration in the influent of 2963.5 ng/L. The seasonal variation of PPCPs in the influent was observed. For most pharmaceuticals, highest concentrations were in March 2013, followed by December 2012, while the concentrations were lower in August 2012 and May 2013. Among the detected PPCPs, 14 targets could be removed more than 50% in the WWTP. The activated sludge treatment process contributed to most of PPCP removal, while the adsorption to the particles in the primary treatment and the transformation under UV radiation in the disinfection treatment also contributed to the PPCP removal. Among the detected PPCPs in the influent, 36 PPCPs could be detected in the final effluent of the WWTP. Significantly higher concentrations of PPCPs were observed in effluent samples collected in March 2013 compared to other seasons, suggesting higher concentrations of PPCPs could be discharged into the surrounding seawater during this period

  19. Skin care products: What do they promise, what do they deliver.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Surber, Christian; Kottner, Jan

    2017-02-01

    The industry offers a vast armamentarium of skin care products to clean, soothe, restore, reinforce, protect and to treat our skin and hence to keep it in "good condition". Skin care products are readily available and their promotions with fanciful claims are omnipresent. The promotions are based on effects, evoked by actives that are delivered through vehicles that rely on specific technologies. Due to the fact, that these products are in direct contact to the target tissue, their vehicle and ingredients are able to profoundly modulate the characteristics of the skin and some of its functions. This makes products for the skin absolute unique and versatile delivery systems. This paper discusses the concept of skin care and skin protection, the choice of skin care products, their vehicles, their functionality and their regulatory status. Copyright © 2016 Tissue Viability Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Comparativism and the Grounds for Person-Centered Care and Shared Decision Making.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herlitz, Anders

    2017-01-01

    This article provides a new argument and a new value-theoretical ground for person-centered care and shared decision making that ascribes to it the role of enabling rational choice in situations involving clinical choice. Rather than referring to good health outcomes and/or ethical grounds such as patient autonomy, it argues that a plausible justification and ground for person-centered care and shared decision making is preservation of rationality in the face of comparative non-determinacy in clinical settings. Often, no alternative treatment will be better than or equal to every other alternative. In the face of such comparative non-determinacy, Ruth Chang has argued that we can make rational decisions by invoking reasons that are created through acts of willing. This article transfers this view to clinical decision making and argues that shared decision making provides a solution to non-determinacy problems in clinical settings. This view of the role of shared decision making provides a new understanding of its nature, and it also allows us to better understand when caregivers should engage in shared decision making and when they should not. Copyright 2017 The Journal of Clinical Ethics. All rights reserved.

  1. Juvenile sex offenders: Personality profile, coping styles and parental care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Margari, Francesco; Lecce, Paola Alessandra; Craig, Francesco; Lafortezza, Elena; Lisi, Andrea; Pinto, Floriana; Stallone, Valentina; Pierri, Grazia; Pisani, Rossella; Zagaria, Giuseppina; Margari, Lucia; Grattagliano, Ignazio

    2015-09-30

    In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in juvenile sex offenders showing that this population is highly heterogeneous. The aim of the present study was to identify possible different profiles that could help understand the motivation behind offending, comparing 31 Juvenile Sexual Offenders (JSOs), 31 Juvenile Sexual Non Offenders (JSNOs) and 31 Juvenile Non Offenders (Control Group). A data collection form, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI-A) or Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2), the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) and the Parental Bonding Inventory (PBI) were administered to all participants. The results show that JSOs differs from JNSOs in some domains, such as living in single-parent homes, while maintain some common aspects such as academic failure and previous sexual intercourse. Moreover, JNSOs showed more abnormal personality traits, such as Authority Problems, MacAndrew Alcoholism, Acknowledgement and Alcohol-Drug Problem Proneness compared to JSOs and the Control Group, while JSOs and JNSOs use a coping strategy more oriented to Avoidance and Distraction compared to the Control group. Finally, JSOs described the relationships with fathers characterized by higher care and protection than JNSOs. These findings provide additional evidence with respect the prevention and treatment of criminal sexual behavior in adolescent. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. The contents of a patient diary and its significance for persons cared for in an ICU: A qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strandberg, Sandra; Vesterlund, Lisa; Engström, Åsa

    2018-04-01

    The aim of this study was to describe the contents of a patient diary and its significance for persons cared for in an ICU. An empirical study with a qualitative design. Eight telephone interviews and one face-to-face interview were conducted with nine persons previously been treated in an ICU and been given a patient diary. In addition, the person would have read his/her diary. The data have been analysed with qualitative content analysis. The study identified one overarching theme; Gaining understanding, and four categories; The diary is written for me, Creating memories from the time of care, Who writes in the diary and, The ability to return to the diary. The diary meant that participants gained an understanding of their time in the ICU while they were critically ill and the diary was important to be able to return to. What formerly critically ill patients appreciate most about the diary is that the diary is personally written, which makes them feel confirmed and valuable as a person. Guidelines for how and when a diary should be written and used would likely encourage critical care nurses and relatives to write in it. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Suitability of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and artificial sweeteners (ASs) as wastewater indicators in the Pearl River Delta, South China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Yuan-Yuan; Liu, Wang-Rong; Liu, You-Sheng; Zhao, Jian-Liang; Zhang, Qian-Qian; Zhang, Min; Zhang, Jin-Na; Jiang, Yu-Xia; Zhang, Li-Juan; Ying, Guang-Guo

    2017-07-15

    Wastewater indicator is a useful tool for evaluating the wastewater impact on natural water, but there is little information about the suitability of wastewater indicators for different regions. This study aimed to select suitable wastewater indicators in the Pearl River Delta region, south China by screening a range of wastewater related organic compounds. The screening campaign was carried out by investigating the occurrence and removal efficiencies of 93 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and 5 artificial sweeteners (ASs) in nine wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) located in the region, and the occurrence of these target compounds in the contaminated and clean surface water of the Pearl River. An ideal wastewater indicator should be hydrophilic, source-specific for domestic wastewater, ubiquitous in contaminated surface water with detection frequency (DF) >80% and absent in background water samples. For liable indicators, high removal rates (>90%) should be observed in WWTPs and they should be detected in all the influent samples at concentrations fifty times higher than their limits of quantification. For conservative indicators, low removal rates (<50%) should be observed in WWTPs and they should be detected in all the effluent samples at concentrations fifty times higher than their limits of quantification. Based on the above criteria, sucralose and fluconazole were selected as conservative indicators in the region, while cyclamate, saccharin, methyl paraben, ethyl paraben, propyl paraben, paracetamol, salicylic acid and caffeine were selected as liable indicators. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Relationship between meanings, emotions, product preferences and personal values. Application to ceramic tile floorings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agost, María-Jesús; Vergara, Margarita

    2014-07-01

    This work aims to validate a conceptual framework which establishes the main relationships between subjective elements in human-product interaction, such as meanings, emotions, product preferences, and personal values. The study analyzes the relationships between meanings and emotions, and between these and preferences, as well as the influence of personal values on such relationships. The study was applied to ceramic tile floorings. A questionnaire with images of a neutral room with different ceramic tile floorings was designed and distributed via the web. Results from the study suggest that both meanings and emotions must be taken into account in the generation of product preferences. The meanings given to the product can cause the generation of emotions, and both types of subjective impressions give rise to product preferences. Personal reference values influence these relationships between subjective impressions and product preferences. As a consequence, not only target customers' demographic data but specifically their values and criteria must be taken into account from the beginning of the development process. The specific results of this paper can be used directly by ceramic tile designers, who can better adjust product design (and the subjective impressions elicited) to the target market. Consequently, the chance of product success is reinforced. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

  5. Evaluation of the Impact of Mandating Health Care Providers to Offer Hepatitis C Virus Screening to All Persons Born During 1945-1965 - New York, 2014.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flanigan, Colleen A; Leung, Shu-Yin J; Rowe, Kirsten A; Levey, Wendy K; King, Andrea; Sommer, Jamie N; Morne, Johanne E; Zucker, Howard A

    2017-09-29

    Approximately 75% of all hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in the United States and 73% of HCV-associated mortality occur in persons born during 1945-1965, placing this birth cohort at increased risk for liver cancer and other HCV-related liver disease (1). In the United States, an estimated 2.7 million persons are living with HCV infection, and it is estimated that up to 75% of these persons do not know their status. Since 2012, CDC has recommended that persons born during 1945-1965 receive one-time HCV testing. To increase the number of persons tested for HCV and to ensure timely diagnosis and linkage to care, in 2014, New York enacted a hepatitis C testing law that requires health care providers to offer HCV antibody screening to all persons born during 1945-1965 who are receiving services in primary care settings or as hospital inpatients, and to refer persons with positive HCV antibody tests for follow-up health care, including an HCV diagnostic test (i.e., HCV RNA).* The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) used survey data from clinical laboratories and Medicaid claims and encounter data, and state and New York City (NYC) HCV surveillance data to assess the number of persons tested for HCV and number of persons with newly diagnosed HCV infections who were linked to care. During the first year of the HCV law implementation, there was a 51% increase in specimens submitted for HCV testing to surveyed clinical laboratories; testing rates among active Medicaid clients increased 52%, and linkage to care among persons with newly diagnosed HCV infection increased approximately 40% in New York and 11% in NYC. These findings highlight the potential for state laws to promote HCV testing and the utility of HCV surveillance and Medicaid claims data to monitor the quality of HCV testing and linkage to care for HCV-infected persons.

  6. Personalized Regenerative Medicine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Babak Arjmand

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Personalized medicine as a novel field of medicine refers to the prescription of specific therapeutics procedure for an individual. This approach has established based on pharmacogenetic and pharmacogenomic information and data. The terms precision and personalized medicines are sometimes applied interchangeably. However, there has been a shift from “personalized medicine” towards “precision medicine”. Although personalized medicine emerged from pharmacogenetics, nowadays it covers many fields of healthcare. Accordingly, regenerative medicine and cellular therapy as the new fields of medicine use cell-based products in order to develop personalized treatments. Different sources of stem cells including mesenchymal stem cells, embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs have been considered in targeted therapies which could give many advantages. iPSCs as the novel and individual pluripotent stem cells have been introduced as the appropriate candidates for personalized cell therapies. Cellular therapies can provide a personalized approach. Because of person-to-person and population differences in the result of stem cell therapy, individualized cellular therapy must be adjusted according to the patient specific profile, in order to achieve best therapeutic results and outcomes. Several factors should be considered to achieve personalized stem cells therapy such as, recipient factors, donor factors, and the overall body environment in which the stem cells could be active and functional. In addition to these factors, the source of stem cells must be carefully chosen based on functional and physical criteria that lead to optimal outcomes.

  7. Comparison of 10 single and stepped methods to identify frail older persons in primary care: diagnostic and prognostic accuracy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sutorius, Fleur L; Hoogendijk, Emiel O; Prins, Bernard A H; van Hout, Hein P J

    2016-08-03

    Many instruments have been developed to identify frail older adults in primary care. A direct comparison of the accuracy and prevalence of identification methods is rare and most studies ignore the stepped selection typically employed in routine care practice. Also it is unclear whether the various methods select persons with different characteristics. We aimed to estimate the accuracy of 10 single and stepped methods to identify frailty in older adults and to predict adverse health outcomes. In addition, the methods were compared on their prevalence of the identified frail persons and on the characteristics of persons identified. The Groningen Frailty Indicator (GFI), the PRISMA-7, polypharmacy, the clinical judgment of the general practitioner (GP), the self-rated health of the older adult, the Edmonton Frail Scale (EFS), the Identification Seniors At Risk Primary Care (ISAR PC), the Frailty Index (FI), the InterRAI screener and gait speed were compared to three measures: two reference standards (the clinical judgment of a multidisciplinary expert panel and Fried's frailty criteria) and 6-years mortality or long term care admission. Data were used from the Dutch Identification of Frail Elderly Study, consisting of 102 people aged 65 and over from a primary care practice in Amsterdam. Frail older adults were oversampled. The accuracy of each instrument and several stepped strategies was estimated by calculating the area under the ROC-curve. Prevalence rates of frailty ranged from 14.8 to 52.9 %. The accuracy for recommended cut off values ranged from poor (AUC = 0.556 ISAR-PC) to good (AUC = 0.865 gait speed). PRISMA-7 performed best over two reference standards, GP predicted adversities best. Stepped strategies resulted in lower prevalence rates and accuracy. Persons selected by the different instruments varied greatly in age, IADL dependency, receiving homecare and mood. We found huge differences between methods to identify frail persons in prevalence

  8. [Guidelines to productivity bargaining in the health care industry].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fottler, M D; Maloney, W F

    1979-01-01

    A potential conflict exists between the recent growth of unionization in the health care industry and management efforts to increase productivity. One method of managing this conflict is to link employee rewards to employee productivity through productivity bargaining.

  9. Pattern of disability among persons who availed half-way home-care services for psychosocial rehabilitation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M Ranganathan

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: There is dearth of studies related to pattern of disability among persons who availed psychosocial rehabilitation services in India. We studied the pattern of disability among persons who availed half-way home-care services for psychosocial rehabilitation. Materials and Methods: Out of 130 case files of discharged patients, 50 files were randomly selected for data collection. Indian Disability Evaluation and Assessment Schedule was used to assess the pattern of disability in the sample. Results: The study revealed that only one-third (35% of the residents had disability in self-care, 41% in communication and understanding and 47% in interpersonal relationship. Overall, majority (76% of the respondents had moderate level of psychiatric disability at the time of discharge from half-way home. There was no significant relationship between gender and type of psychiatric illness with the level of disability. The overall disability correlated positively with the duration of illness (rs=0.39. Conclusion: Three-fourth of the residents who availed half-way home-care services had moderate level of disability.

  10. The psychological effects of providing personal care to a partner: a multidimensional perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas Hansen

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available The expected increasing demand for informal care in aging societies underscores the importance of understanding the psychological implications of caregiving. This study explores the effect of providing regular help with personal care to a partner on different aspects of psychological well-being. We use cross-sectional data from the Norwegian Life Course, Ageing and Generation study (n. ~15,000; age 40-84 and two-wave panel data from the Norwegian study on Life Course, Ageing and Generation (n. ~3000; age 40-84. To separate the effects of providing care from those of the partner’s disability, caregivers are contrasted with non-caregivers with both disabled and nondisabled partners. We separate outcomes into cognitive well-being (life satisfaction, psychological functioning (self-esteem, mastery, and affective well-being (happiness, depression, loneliness. Findings show that caregiving has important cross-sectional and longitudinal detrimental psychological effects. These effects are fairly consistent across all aspects of well-being, demonstrating that caregiving has a broad-based negative impact. Among women, however, these effects are similar to if not weaker than the effects of a partner’s disability. Caregiving effects are constant by age, education, and employment status, but stronger among caregivers with health problems. Providing personal care to a partner is associated with marked adverse psychological effects for men and women irrespective of age and socio-economic status. Hence, no socio-demographic group is immune from caregiving stress, so programs should be targeted generally. The results also suggest that the health needs of caregivers demand more attention.

  11. Clinical Problems in Community Mental Health Care for Patients with Severe Borderline Personality Disorder

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Koekkoek, B.; van Meijel, B.; Schene, A.; Hutschemaekers, G.

    2009-01-01

    The objective of this research was to assess the problems that professionals perceive in the community mental health care for patients with severe borderline personality disorder that do not fit into specialized therapy. A group of national experts (n = 8) participated in a four-phase

  12. Personal Models of Diabetes in Relation to Self-Care, Well-Being and Glycemic Control

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chas Skinner, T.; Hampson, Sarah E.

    2001-01-01

    OBJECTIVE - Personal models of diabetes have been shown to be proximal determinants of self-care behavior in adults with diabetes, both cross-sectionally and prospectively. This study set out to test the predictive utility of this approach in adolescents with diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS...

  13. The Person Centered approach in Gerontology: New validity evidence of the Staff Assessment Person-directed Care Questionnaire

    OpenAIRE

    Teresa Martínez; Javier Suárez-Álvarez; Javier Yanguas; José Muñiz

    2016-01-01

    Antecedentes/Objetivos La atención centrada en la persona es un enfoque innovador que busca mejorar la calidad asistencial de los servicios para personas mayores que precisan cuidados. Ante el creciente interés hacia este enfoque es necesario contar con instrumentos de medida que permitan evaluar en qué grado los servicios gerontológicos llevan a cabo una atención centrada en la persona. El objetivo de este trabajo es la adaptación y validación del Staff Assessment Person-directed Care (PDC) ...

  14. "Broken covenant": healthcare aides' "experience of the ethical" in caring for dying seniors in a personal care home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McClement, Susan; Lobchuk, Michelle; Chochinov, Harvey Max; Dean, Ruth

    2010-01-01

    Canada's population is aging, and seniors constitute the fastest growing demographic in the nation. The chronic health conditions, limited social support, functional decline, and cognitive impairment experienced by seniors may necessitate admission to a personal care home (PCH) setting up until the time of their death. The ethical problems that arise in the care of dying patients are numerous and complicated. The care of dying seniors in PCHs, however, is largely provided by frontline workers such as healthcare aides (HCAs), who usually have little training in palliative care or ethics. Research examining the identification and resolution of ethical problems in care of the dying has been conducted from the perspectives of nurses and physicians in various clinical settings, but the voice of HCAs in PCHs is virtually absent from clinical ethics. Given that the inability to satisfactorily resolve ethical issues in clinical practice is associated with feelings of guilt, powerlessness, avoiding contact with patients, failing to provide good physical care, and increased staff turnover, an empirical examination of HCAs' experiences of ethically challenging situations is warranted. We conducted a phenomenological study to access the lived experience of HCAs (N = 12) working in proprietary and nonproprietary care homes as they encountered situations they deemed ethically challenging in providing end-of-life care to dying seniors. The findings reported here explicate: (1) the types of situations that are ethically problematic for HCAs; (2) the meanings they assign to these situations, and (3) the impact such situations have on the provision of end-of-life care.

  15. Critical Care and Personalized or Precision Medicine: Who needs whom?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sugeir, Shihab; Naylor, Stephen

    2018-02-01

    The current paradigm of modern healthcare is a reactive response to patient symptoms, subsequent diagnosis and corresponding treatment of the specific disease(s). This approach is predicated on methodologies first espoused by the Cnidean School of Medicine approximately 2500years ago. More recently escalating healthcare costs and relatively poor disease treatment outcomes have fermented a rethink in how we carry out medical practices. This has led to the emergence of "P-Medicine" in the form of Personalized and Precision Medicine. The terms are used interchangeably, but in fact there are significant differences in the way they are implemented. The former relies on an "N-of-1" model whereas the latter uses a "1-in-N" model. Personalized Medicine is still in a fledgling and evolutionary phase and there has been much debate over its current status and future prospects. A confounding factor has been the sudden development of Precision Medicine, which has currently captured the imagination of policymakers responsible for modern healthcare systems. There is some confusion over the terms Personalized versus Precision Medicine. Here we attempt to define the key differences and working definitions of each P-Medicine approach, as well as a taxonomic relationship tree. Finally, we discuss the impact of Personalized and Precision Medicine on the practice of Critical Care Medicine (CCM). Practitioners of CCM have been participating in Personalized Medicine unknowingly as it takes the protocols of sepsis, mechanical ventilation, and daily awakening trials and applies it to each individual patient. However, the immediate next step for CCM should be an active development of Precision Medicine. This developmental process should break down the silos of modern medicine and create a multidisciplinary approach between clinicians and basic/translational scientists. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. The history and global market of oral home-care products

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juliana Jobim Jardim

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available This literature review reports the history and the current market of oral home-care products. It provides information extending from the products used by our ancestors to those currently available, as well as on the changes in the supply and consumption of these products. Although the scientific knowledge about oral diseases has improved greatly in recent years, our ancestors had already been concerned with cleaning their teeth. A variety of rudimentary products and devices were used since before recorded history, like chewing sticks, tree twigs, bird feathers, animal bones, tooth powder and home-made mouth rinses. Today, due to technological improvements of the cosmetic industry and market competition, home-use oral care products available in the marketplace offer a great variety of options. An increase in the consumption of oral care products has been observed in the last decades. Estimates show that Latin America observed a 12% increase in hygiene and beauty products sales between 2002 and 2003, whereas the observed global rate was approximately 2%. A significant increase in the per capita consumption of toothpaste, toothbrush, mouthrinse and dental floss has been estimated from 1992 to 2002, respectively at rates of 38.3%, 138.3%, 618.8% and 177.2%. Pertaining to this increased supply and consumption of oral care products, some related questions remain unanswered, like the occurrence of changes in disease behavior due to the use of new compounds, their actual efficacy and correct indications, and the extent of the benefits to oral health derived from consuming more products.

  17. A note on health care productivity with uncertain data

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hougaard, Jens Leth; Overgård, Christian

    2006-01-01

    The present paper suggests extending the FDH-method, known from the efficiency measurement literature, to cover interval production data. Interval data represent a direct way to handle data uncertainty and problems with data comparability which seem particularly prevalent concerning health care a...... applications. We illustrate the method using a simple 1-input-2-output model on health care data from the OECD health statistics......The present paper suggests extending the FDH-method, known from the efficiency measurement literature, to cover interval production data. Interval data represent a direct way to handle data uncertainty and problems with data comparability which seem particularly prevalent concerning health care...

  18. A cross-sectional study on person-centred communication in the care of older people: the COMHOME study protocol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hafskjold, Linda; Sundler, Annelie J; Holmström, Inger K; Sundling, Vibeke; van Dulmen, Sandra; Eide, Hilde

    2015-04-15

    This paper presents an international cross-sectional study on person-centred communication with older people receiving healthcare (COMHOME). Person-centred care relies on effective communication, but few studies have explored this with a specific focus on older people. The main aim of the COMHOME study is to generate knowledge on person-centred communication with older people (>65 years) in home healthcare services, radiographic and optometric practice. This study will explore the communication between care providers and older persons in home care services. Home healthcare visits will be audiorecorded (n=500) in Norway, the Netherlands and Sweden. Analyses will be performed with the Verona Coding Definitions for Emotional Sequences (VR-CoDES), the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS) and qualitative methods. The content of the communication, communicative challenging situations as well as empathy, power distance, decision-making, preservation of dignity and respect will be explored. In Norway, an additional 100 encounters, 50 in optometric practice (video recorded) and 50 in radiographic practice (audiorecorded), will be analysed. Furthermore, healthcare providers' self-reported communication skills, empathy, mindfulness and emotional intelligence in relation to observed person-centred communication skills will be assessed using well-established standardised instruments. Depending on national legislation, approval of either the central ethical committees (eg, nation or university), the national data protection officials or the local ethical committees (eg, units of home healthcare) was obtained. Study findings will be disseminated widely through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. The research findings will add knowledge to improve services provided to this vulnerable group of patients. Additionally, the findings will underpin a training programme for healthcare students and care providers focusing on communication with older people

  19. Personalized Strategies to Activate and Empower Patients in Health Care and Reduce Health Disparities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Jie; Mullins, C. Daniel; Novak, Priscilla; Thomas, Stephen B.

    2016-01-01

    Designing culturally sensitive personalized interventions is essential to sustain patients' involvement in their treatment and encourage patients to take an active role in their own health and health care. We consider patient activation and empowerment as a cyclical process defined through patient accumulation of knowledge, confidence, and…

  20. Beliefs about Promoting Cognitive Health among Filipino Americans Who Care for Persons with Dementia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laditka, Sarah B.; Tseng, Winston; Price, Anna E.; Ivey, Susan L.; Friedman, Daniela B.; Liu, Rui; Wu, Bei; Logsdon, Rebecca G.; Beard, Renee L.

    2012-01-01

    We examined beliefs about promoting cognitive health among Filipino Americans who care for persons with dementia, their awareness of media information about cognitive health, and their suggestions for communicating such information to other caregivers. We conducted three focus groups (25 participants). The constant comparison method compared…

  1. The role of personality in health care use: Results of a population-based longitudinal study in Germany.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hajek, André; Bock, Jens-Oliver; König, Hans-Helmut

    2017-01-01

    To determine the role of personality in health care use longitudinally. Data were derived from the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP), a nationally representative, longitudinal cohort study of German households starting in 1984. Concentrating on the role of personality, we used data from the years 2005, 2009 and 2013. Personality was measured by using the GSOEP Big Five Inventory (BFI-S). Number of physician visits in the last 3 months and hospital stays in the last year were used as measures of health care use. Adjusting for predisposing factors, enabling resources, and need factors, fixed effects regressions revealed that physician visits increased with increasing neuroticism, whereas extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness did not affect physician visits in a significant way. The effect of self-rated health on physician visits was significantly moderated by neuroticism. Moreover, fixed effects regressions revealed that the probability of hospitalization in the past year increased with increasing extraversion, whereas the other personality factors did not affect this outcome measure significantly. Our findings suggest that changes in neuroticism are associated with changes in physician visits and that changes in extraversion are associated with the probability of hospitalization. Since recent studies have shown that treatments can modify personality traits, developing interventional strategies should take into account personality factors. For example, efforts to intervene in changing neuroticism might have beneficial effects for the healthcare system.

  2. The role of personality in health care use: Results of a population-based longitudinal study in Germany.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    André Hajek

    Full Text Available To determine the role of personality in health care use longitudinally.Data were derived from the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP, a nationally representative, longitudinal cohort study of German households starting in 1984. Concentrating on the role of personality, we used data from the years 2005, 2009 and 2013. Personality was measured by using the GSOEP Big Five Inventory (BFI-S. Number of physician visits in the last 3 months and hospital stays in the last year were used as measures of health care use.Adjusting for predisposing factors, enabling resources, and need factors, fixed effects regressions revealed that physician visits increased with increasing neuroticism, whereas extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness did not affect physician visits in a significant way. The effect of self-rated health on physician visits was significantly moderated by neuroticism. Moreover, fixed effects regressions revealed that the probability of hospitalization in the past year increased with increasing extraversion, whereas the other personality factors did not affect this outcome measure significantly.Our findings suggest that changes in neuroticism are associated with changes in physician visits and that changes in extraversion are associated with the probability of hospitalization. Since recent studies have shown that treatments can modify personality traits, developing interventional strategies should take into account personality factors. For example, efforts to intervene in changing neuroticism might have beneficial effects for the healthcare system.

  3. Person-Centered Care for Older Adults With Serious Mental Illness and Substance Misuse Within a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cacchione, Pamela Z; Eible, Lisa; Gill, Le'Roi L; Huege, Steven F

    2016-05-01

    Providing person-centered care (PCC) to older adults with dual diagnosis, co-occurring serious mental illness (SMI), and substance misuse is complex and requires an interprofessional team. Older adults, who qualify for both Medicaid and Medicare (i.e., dual-eligibles) are overrepresented in the population of older adults with SMI and substance misuse. Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) exist to support community living needs of nursing home-eligible older adults and are increasingly in a position to serve older adults with SMI and substance misuse issues. PACE programs provide integrated person-centered mental health care to address the serious medical, social, and emotional complications posed by having SMI and substance misuse disorders. The case study presented illustrates PCC provided to a dual-diagnosis PACE participant, illustrating the impact of recent and past trauma on current psychopathology and substance misuse. Finally, recommendations for addressing PCC of dual diagnosis within the PACE model are provided. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 42(5), 11-17.]. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

  4. Personality and recovery: integrating personality assessment data to facilitate the recovery process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donat, D C

    2001-01-01

    The relatively enduring and persistent nature of personality traits means that they will likely continue to impact the course of psychiatric recovery after Axis I symptoms are stabilized. These traits can significantly impact the choices that recovering persons make and the quality of interpersonal relationships with care providers who are trying to facilitate the recovery process. Despite this, they are often inadequately assessed and considered in providing psychiatric care. This manuscript reviews the common combinations of personality traits that have emerged across a variety of clinical samples. The implications of these personality features for the provision of care in an inpatient setting to facilitate recovery are discussed.

  5. Healthcare Access and Quality Index based on mortality from causes amenable to personal health care in 195 countries and territories, 1990–2015

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2017-01-01

    Background National levels of personal health-care access and quality can be approximated by measuring mortality rates from causes that should not be fatal in the presence of effective medical care (ie, amenable mortality). Previous analyses of mortality amenable to health care only focused on high......-income countries and faced several methodological challenges. In the present analysis, we use the highly standardised cause of death and risk factor estimates generated through the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) to improve and expand the quantification of personal health-care...... the extensive data standardisation processes and redistribution algorithms developed for GBD. To isolate the effects of personal health-care access and quality, we risk-standardised cause-specific mortality rates for each geography-year by removing the joint effects of local environmental and behavioural risks...

  6. Building the national health information infrastructure for personal health, health care services, public health, and research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Detmer Don E

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Improving health in our nation requires strengthening four major domains of the health care system: personal health management, health care delivery, public health, and health-related research. Many avoidable shortcomings in the health sector that result in poor quality are due to inaccessible data, information, and knowledge. A national health information infrastructure (NHII offers the connectivity and knowledge management essential to correct these shortcomings. Better health and a better health system are within our reach. Discussion A national health information infrastructure for the United States should address the needs of personal health management, health care delivery, public health, and research. It should also address relevant global dimensions (e.g., standards for sharing data and knowledge across national boundaries. The public and private sectors will need to collaborate to build a robust national health information infrastructure, essentially a 'paperless' health care system, for the United States. The federal government should assume leadership for assuring a national health information infrastructure as recommended by the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics and the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee. Progress is needed in the areas of funding, incentives, standards, and continued refinement of a privacy (i.e., confidentiality and security framework to facilitate personal identification for health purposes. Particular attention should be paid to NHII leadership and change management challenges. Summary A national health information infrastructure is a necessary step for improved health in the U.S. It will require a concerted, collaborative effort by both public and private sectors. If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it. Lord Kelvin

  7. Impact of a person-centred dementia care training programme on hospital staff attitudes, role efficacy and perceptions of caring for people with dementia: A repeated measures study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Surr, C A; Smith, S J; Crossland, J; Robins, J

    2016-01-01

    People with dementia occupy up to one quarter of acute hospital beds. However, the quality of care delivered to this patient group is of national concern. Staff working in acute hospitals report lack of knowledge, skills and confidence in caring for people with dementia. There is limited evidence about the most effective approaches to supporting acute hospital staff to deliver more person-centred care. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a specialist training programme for acute hospital staff regarding improving attitudes, satisfaction and feelings of caring efficacy, in provision of care to people with dementia. A repeated measures design, with measures completed immediately prior to commencing training (T1), after completion of Foundation level training (T2: 4-6 weeks post-baseline), and following Intermediate level training (T3: 3-4 months post-baseline). One NHS Trust in the North of England, UK. 40 acute hospital staff working in clinical roles, the majority of whom (90%) were nurses. All participants received the 3.5 day Person-centred Care Training for Acute Hospitals (PCTAH) programme, comprised of two levels, Foundation (0.5 day) and Intermediate (3 days), delivered over a 3-4 months period. Staff demographics and previous exposure to dementia training were collected via a questionnaire. Staff attitudes were measured using the Approaches to Dementia Questionnaire (ADQ), satisfaction in caring for people with dementia was captured using the Staff Experiences of Working with Demented Residents questionnaire (SEWDR) and perceived caring efficacy was measured using the Caring Efficacy Scale (CES). The training programme was effective in producing a significant positive change on all three outcome measures following intermediate training compared to baseline. A significant positive effect was found on the ADQ between baseline and after completion of Foundation level training, but not for either of the other measures. Training acute hospital staff in

  8. Occurrence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products, and their associated environmental risks in a large shallow lake in north China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Panwei; Zhou, Huaidong; Li, Kun; Zhao, Xiaohui; Liu, Qiaona; Li, Dongjiao; Zhao, Gaofeng

    2018-01-13

    Eighteen selected pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), consisting of five non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals (N-APs), four sulfonamides (SAs), four tetracyclines (TCs), four macrolides (MCs), and one quinolone (QN) were detected in water, pore water, and sediment samples from Baiyangdian Lake, China. A total of 31 water samples and 29 sediment samples were collected in March 2017. Caffeine was detected with 100% frequency in surface water, pore water, and sediment samples. Carbamazepine was detected with 100% frequency in surface water and sediment samples. Five N-APs were prominent, with mean concentrations of 4.90-266.24 ng/l in surface water and 5.07-14.73 μg/kg in sediment samples. Four MCs were prominent, with mean concentrations of 0.97-29.92 ng/l in pore water samples. The total concentrations of the different classes of PPCPs followed the order: N-APs (53.26%) > MCs (25.39) > SAs (10.06%) > TCs (7.64%) > QNs (3.64%) in surface water; N-APs (42.70%) > MCs (25.43%) > TCs (14.69%) > SAs (13.90%) > QNs (3.24%) in sediment samples, and MCs (42.12%) > N-APs (34.80%) > SAs (11.71%) > TCs (7.48%) > QNs (3.88%) in pore water samples. The geographical differences of PPCP concentrations were largely due to anthropogenic activities. Sewage discharged from Baoding City and human activities around Baiyangdian Lake were the main sources of PPCPs in the lake. An environmental risk assessment for the upper quartile concentration was undertaken using calculated risk quotients and indicated a low or medium-high risk from 18 PPCPs in Baiyangdian Lake and its five upstream rivers.

  9. Bioaccumulation Behavior of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Adult Zebrafish (Danio rerio): Influence of Physical-Chemical Properties and Biotransformation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Fangfang; Gong, Zhiyuan; Kelly, Barry C

    2017-10-03

    The factors influencing bioaccumulation of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in aquatic organisms are not well understood. The present study involved a comprehensive laboratory investigation to assess the bioaccumulation behavior of several PPCPs in adult zebrafish (Danio rerio). The studied PPCPs included several ionogenic organic compounds (IOCs) such as weak acids and weak bases. Experiments involved two exposure groups (high and low) and a control group, with a 6 day aqueous exposure, followed by a 7 day depuration phase under flow-through conditions. Uptake rate constants (k u ) ranged between 0.19 and 8610 L·kg -1 ·d -1 , while depuration rate constants (k d ) ranged between 0.14 and 5.14 d -1 in different fish tissues. Steady-state bioconcentration factor (BCF ss ) values varied widely among the studied PPCPs, ranging from 0.09 to 6,460. In many cases, BCF ss values of individual PPCPs differed substantially among different fish tissues. Positive linear relationships were observed between log BCF ss values and physical-chemical properties such as octanol-water distribution coefficients (log D ow ), membrane-water distribution coefficients (log D mw ), albumin-water distribution coefficients (log D BSAw ), and muscle protein-water distribution coefficients (log D mpw ), indicating the importance of lipid-, phospholipid-, and protein-water partitioning. The results also showed that for many PPCPs, the estimated whole-body metabolism rate constant (k m ) values were comparable to the observed depuration rate (k d ), indicating that metabolism plays a major role in the overall elimination of these compounds in zebrafish. An exception was sertraline, which exhibited a k d value (0.4-0.5 d -1 ) that was much higher than the estimated whole-body k m (0.03 d -1 ). Overall, the results help to better understand the influence of physical-chemical properties and biotransformation on bioaccumulation behavior of these contaminants of concern in aquatic

  10. Staff's person-centredness in dementia care in relation to job characteristics and job-related well-being: a cross-sectional survey in nursing homes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Willemse, Bernadette M.; Jonge, de J.; Smit, D.; Visser, Q.; Depla, M.F.I.A.; Pot, Anne Margriet

    2015-01-01

    Aim: To explore the role of nursing staff's person-centredness caring for people with dementia in relation to their work environment and job-related well-being. Background: Given the development towards person-centred care and labour force issues, research has recently focused on the effect of

  11. Medicaid Personal Care Services for Children with Intellectual Disabilities: What Assistance Is Provided? When Is Assistance Provided?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elliot, Timothy R.; Patnaik, Ashweeta; Naiser, Emily; Fournier, Constance J.; McMaughan, Darcy K.; Dyer, James A.; Phillips, Charles D.

    2014-01-01

    We report on the nature and timing of services provided to children with an intellectual disability (ID) identified by a new comprehensive assessment and care planning tool used to evaluate children's needs for Medicaid Personal Care Services (PCS) in Texas. The new assessment procedure resulted from a legal settlement with the advocacy community.…

  12. The impact of older person's frailty on the care-related quality of life of their informal caregiver over time: results from the TOPICS-MDS project.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oldenkamp, Marloes; Hagedoorn, Mariët; Wittek, Rafael; Stolk, Ronald; Smidt, Nynke

    2017-10-01

    To examine the impact of changes in an older person's frailty on the care-related quality of life of their informal caregiver. Five research projects in the TOPICS-MDS database with data of both older person and informal caregiver at baseline and after 12 months follow-up were selected. Frailty was measured in five health domains (functional limitations, psychological well-being, social functioning, health-related quality of life, self-rated health). Care-related quality of life was measured with the Care-Related Quality of Life instrument (CarerQoL-7D), containing two positive (fulfilment, perceived support) and five negative dimensions (relational problems, mental health problems, physical health problems, financial problems, problems combining informal care with daily activities). 660 older person/caregiver couples were included. Older persons were on average 79 (SD 6.9) years of age, and 61% was female. Caregivers were on average 65 (SD 12.6) years of age, and 68% was female. Results of the multivariable linear and logistic regression analyses showed that an increase in older person's frailty over time was related to a lower total care-related quality of life of the caregiver, and to more mental and physical health problems, and problems with combining informal care with daily activities at follow-up. A change in the older person's psychological well-being was most important for the caregiver's care-related quality of life, compared to the other health domains. Health professionals observing decreasing psychological well-being of an older person and increasing hours of informal care provision should be aware of the considerable problems this may bring to their informal caregiver, and should tailor interventions to support informal caregivers according to their specific needs and problems.

  13. Striking a balance between in-person care and the use of eHealth to support the older rural population with chronic pain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anne Roberts

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available New and existing information communication technologies (ICT are playing an increasingly important role in the delivery of health and social care services. eHealth1 has the potential to supplement in-person home visits for older, rural adults with chronic pain. The Technology to support Older Adults' Personal and Social Interaction project—TOPS—examines interactions between older people and their health/social care providers and considers how eHealth could play a part in enhancing the life experiences of older people with chronic pain, who live in remote/rural areas. This paper reports findings from the TOPS study, drawing upon observations of health/social care home visits to chronic pain patients and interviews with patients and health/social care providers in rural Scotland. Patients and care professionals believe in-person care promotes the general well-being of older people with pain. However, our findings show that the potential recipients of eHealth are open to the use of such technologies and that although they cannot be expected to replace existing models of care, eHealth may provide opportunities to sustain and enhance these interactions.

  14. Energy aspects of leisure time, personal and medical care, communication and smoking: A possible energy reduction for households; Energieaspecten van vrije-tijdsbesteding, verzorging, communicatie en roken: Een mogelijke energiereductie bij huishoudens

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    De Paauw, K.F.B.

    1995-06-01

    The energy consumption of consumer expenditures is discussed. Energy consumption per unit of product or activity is calculated for leisure time, personal and medical care, communications, and smoking. In this report special attention is paid to leisure time, subdivided into holidays, day trips and other leisure time activities, focusing on household functions. For the consumer expenditures regarding care, communication and smoking a few products are considered in more detail or calculated by means of the updated version of the Energy Analysis Program. Besides the purchased product or activity itself, travelling and direct and indirect energy consumption are often involved. Most of the energy consumption is realized by travelling, so that options to reduce the energy consumption of leisure time activities can be found there. 37 tabs., 6 appendices, 57 refs.

  15. Patient, resident, or person: Recognition and the continuity of self in long-term care for older people.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pirhonen, Jari; Pietilä, Ilkka

    2015-12-01

    Becoming a resident in a long-term care facility challenges older people's continuity of self in two major ways. Firstly, as they leave behind their previous home, neighborhood, and often their social surroundings, older people have to change their life-long lifestyles, causing fears of the loss of one's self. Secondly, modern-day care facilities have some features of 'total' institutions that produce patient-like role expectations and thus challenge older people's selves. Our ethnographic study in a geriatric hospital and a sheltered home in Finland aims to find out what features of daily life either support or challenge older people's continuity of self. A philosophical reading of the concept of recognition is used to explore how various daily practices and interactions support recognizing people as persons in long-term care. Categories of institution-centered and person-centered features are described to illustrate multiple ways in which people are recognized and misrecognized. The discussion highlights some ways in which long-term care providers could use the results of the study. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Architecture of a wireless Personal Assistant for telemedical diabetes care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-Sáez, Gema; Hernando, M Elena; Martínez-Sarriegui, Iñaki; Rigla, Mercedes; Torralba, Verónica; Brugués, Eulalia; de Leiva, Alberto; Gómez, Enrique J

    2009-06-01

    Advanced information technologies joined to the increasing use of continuous medical devices for monitoring and treatment, have made possible the definition of a new telemedical diabetes care scenario based on a hand-held Personal Assistant (PA). This paper describes the architecture, functionality and implementation of the PA, which communicates different medical devices in a personal wireless network. The PA is a mobile system for patients with diabetes connected to a telemedical center. The software design follows a modular approach to make the integration of medical devices or new functionalities independent from the rest of its components. Physicians can remotely control medical devices from the telemedicine server through the integration of the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) and mobile GPRS communications. Data about PA modules' usage and patients' behavior evaluation come from a pervasive tracing system implemented into the PA. The PA architecture has been technically validated with commercially available medical devices during a clinical experiment for ambulatory monitoring and expert feedback through telemedicine. The clinical experiment has allowed defining patients' patterns of usage and preferred scenarios and it has proved the Personal Assistant's feasibility. The patients showed high acceptability and interest in the system as recorded in the usability and utility questionnaires. Future work will be devoted to the validation of the system with automatic control strategies from the telemedical center as well as with closed-loop control algorithms.

  17. Doctors' personal health care choices: A cross-sectional survey in a mixed public/private setting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chao David VK

    2008-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Among Western countries, it has been found that physicians tend to manage their own illnesses and tend not have their own independent family physicians. This is recognized as a significant issue for both physicians and, by extension, the patients under their care, resulting in initiatives seeking to address this. Physicians' personal health care practices in Asia have yet to be documented. Methods An anonymous cross-sectional postal questionnaire survey was conducted in Hong Kong, China. All 9570 medical practitioners in Hong Kong registered with the Hong Kong Medical Council in 2003 were surveyed. Chi-square tests and logistic regression models were applied. Results There were 4198 respondents to the survey; a response rate of 44%. Two-thirds of respondents took care of themselves when they were last ill, with 62% of these self-medicating with prescription medication. Physicians who were graduates of Hong Kong medical schools, those working in general practice and non-members of the Hong Kong College of Family Physicians were more likely to do so. Physician specialty was found to be the most influential reason in the choice of caregiver by those who had ever consulted another medical practitioner. Only 14% chose consultation with a FM/GP with younger physians and non-Hong Kong medical graduates having a higher likelihood of doing so. Seventy percent of all respondents believed that having their own personal physician was unnecessary. Conclusion Similar to the practice of colleagues in other countries, a large proportion of Hong Kong physicians self-manage their illnesses, take self-obtained prescription drugs and believe they do not need a personal physician. Future strategies to benefit the medical care of Hong Kong physicians will have to take these practices and beliefs into consideration.

  18. Complexities in the Provision of Respite Care to Family Carers of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Frieda Finlay

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available PurposeRespite care is generally thought to benefit family carers of persons with intellectual disabilities and is regarded as an important component of family-centred services.  However, the complexities associated with the provision of such services, from the carer’s perspective, have been rarely investigated.MethodThis qualitative research study was carried out through a participatory action research process that involved collaboration among researchers and family members as co-researchers.  Seven focus groups, involving seventy family carers (fifty mothers, fifteen fathers and five sisters, were held in seven locations across the Republic of Ireland. ResultsThree main themes dominated the discussions.  The first theme related to the ambivalence of carers towards using respite services, as expressed in their reluctance to relinquish care-giving for even a short period; the feelings of guilt they experienced; and the greater needs of other carers.  The second theme related to the benefits of respite breaks, but these were solely with respect to the carer and other family members, rather than to the person with an intellectual disability.  The third theme regarding the quality of provision was dominated by concerns for the care the person received in using the services. ConclusionsRespite care has the potential to make a difference, and these findings call for building much- needed alliances between all members of the family and professionals.  This is in order to support one another through the difficulties associated with the redesign of existing respite provision, and the extension of these services to the growing number of carers who require respite breaks.doi 10.5463/DCID.v22i2.22Key wordsIntellectual disability, respite, family members, Ireland 

  19. Enhanced Personal Contact With HIV Patients Improves Retention in Primary Care: A Randomized Trial in 6 US HIV Clinics

    OpenAIRE

    Gardner, Lytt I.; Giordano, Thomas P.; Marks, Gary; Wilson, Tracey E.; Craw, Jason A.; Drainoni, Mari-Lynn; Keruly, Jeanne C.; Rodriguez, Allan E.; Malitz, Faye; Moore, Richard D.; Bradley-Springer, Lucy A.; Holman, Susan; Rose, Charles E.; Girde, Sonali; Sullivan, Meg

    2014-01-01

    The intervention tested in the Retention in Care Study demonstrated improvement in retention in human immunodeficiency virus care. Enhanced personal contact with or without additional behavioral skills training significantly improved visit constancy and visit adherence over 12 months.

  20. Cognitive influences on self-care decision making in persons with heart failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dickson, Victoria V; Tkacs, Nancy; Riegel, Barbara

    2007-09-01

    Despite advances in management, heart failure is associated with high rates of hospitalization, poor quality of life, and early death. Education intended to improve patients' abilities to care for themselves is an integral component of disease management programs. True self-care requires that patients make decisions about symptoms, but the cognitive deficits documented in 30% to 50% of the heart failure population may make daily decision making challenging. After describing heart failure self-care as a naturalistic decision making process, we explore cognitive deficits known to exist in persons with heart failure. Problems in heart failure self-care are analyzed in relation to neural alterations associated with heart failure. As a neural process, decision making has been traced to regions of the prefrontal cortex, the same areas that are affected by ischemia, infarction, and hypoxemia in heart failure. Resulting deficits in memory, attention, and executive function may impair the perception and interpretation of early symptoms and reasoning and, thereby, delay early treatment implementation. There is compelling evidence that the neural processes critical to decision making are located in the same structures that are affected by heart failure. Because self-care requires the cognitive ability to learn, perceive, interpret, and respond, research is needed to discern how neural deficits affects these abilities, decision-making, and self-care behaviors.