JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Clinical utility and cost-effectiveness of an air suspension bed in the prevention of pressure ulcers.
To determine, in critically ill patients at risk, both the clinical utility and cost-effectiveness of using an air suspension bed in the prevention of pressure ulcers. ⋯ Despite intense nursing care, pressure ulcers are more prevalent in the critically ill patient population than in the general hospital population. Air suspension therapy provides a clinically effective means of preventing pressure ulcers in these patients. In patients at risk, air suspension therapy was a cost-effective means of managing pressure ulcers compared with the standard hospital bed.
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To validate and refine previously derived clinical decision rules that aid the efficient use of radiography in acute ankle injuries. ⋯ Refinement and validation have shown the Ottawa ankle rules to be 100% sensitive for fractures, to be reliable, and to have the potential to allow physicians to safely reduce the number of radiographs ordered in patients with ankle injuries by one third. Field trials will assess the feasibility of implementing these rules into clinical practice.
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Comparative Study
Effect of iodophor vs iodine tincture skin preparation on blood culture contamination rate.
To determine if iodine tincture is a more effective skin antiseptic for blood culture collection than povidone-iodine, an iodophor. ⋯ The effectiveness of the skin antiseptic may be an important factor in determining contamination rate in blood culturing. If these results are confirmed by others, then institutions that have a high blood culture contamination rate when using an iodophor for skin preparation should consider changing to iodine tincture.