Public health
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Euthanasia is performed relatively frequently among AIDS patients. ⋯ It seems, in recent years, that EAS has been performed on at least one out of three AIDS patients, which is a far greater percentage than found among other patients.
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Members of the public recruited by means of a local newspaper campaign for basic life support instruction by mass training sessions. Six hundred and seventy-two were trained and a random sample of 241 completed a questionnaire on their attitudes and willingness to attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation in an emergency. ⋯ Half would be willing to attempt resuscitation in unpleasant circumstances, but only a quarter thought that they might do so if the casualty had vomited. The campaign was successful in recruiting members of the public related to those with a higher risk of cardiac arrest and producing life supporters who intended to use their skills, should they be required.
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Both on a global and a regional basis, the World Health Organization (WHO) has set prominent goals for the turn of the millennium on the reduction of harms associated with licit and illicit drugs. Gauging what the world and its different regions are doing with respect to these specific public health goals is hindered by a conceptual problem: there is no clear concept and consistent way of defining or measuring 'harm' related to drugs, licit or illicit. In many instances, 'harm' is equated with substance use prevalence. ⋯ Looking at available macro-indicators of harm, it must be concluded with, we do not seem to be 'on track' globally in reducing harms related to drugs in accordance with the WHO goals. For alcohol and tobacco, trends for increased harm are just starting to show in the developing world, and will worsen over the next couple of decades. For illicit drugs, failing drug control policies have result in dramatically negative developments for public health, especially with respect to HIV infections and drug-related deaths, in the developed as well as developing world.
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To study the referral patterns of obstetric clinics, and the performance of receiving intensive care units measured by the survival of transported neonates, transport records were collected prospectively between July, 1991 and June, 1992. Two hundred and fifty-four transported neonates born in 51 obstetric clinics (level I units) in Tainan City and County, in southern Taiwan, were enrolled in this study. Nineteen percent of the transported neonates were very low birthweight infants (< 1500 g). ⋯ Approximately 56% of these normal birthweight infants in level II units died of severe birth asphyxia. The referral patterns of level 1 units had an unfavorable effect on the survival of neonates requiring mechanical ventilation. Enhancing the skills of the staff in level I units to recognize and stabilize such infants, elevating the capability of level II units in treating some of these cases, and increasing the hospital beds for level III care are necessary to increase their chance of survival.
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Diarrhoeal disease is a major cause of death in children in the developing world. In developing countries a quarter of infant and childhood mortality is related to diarrhoea. The World Health Organization started the Diarrhoeal Disease Control Programme (CDD) in 1980 with the objective to decrease diarrhoeal mortality and morbidity among young children in developing countries. ⋯ The message of ORS has penetrated into the general population well, but the practices of health professionals have not changed. To improve the situation further, training of health workers in correct case management is needed. Paediatric forms of symptomatic antidiarrhoeal drugs should also be withdrawn from the market.