Resp Care
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Errors in employee selection and consequent high turnover rates are expensive and can result in poor staff morale and possible harm to patients and personnel. ⋯ The data offer cautious evidence for the validity of some application items to predict some employee behaviors. The relatively low correlations among the criterion variables (absenteeism, tardiness, tenure, and performance) suggest that these items may be assessing substantially different aspects of employee behavior.
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The introduction of the intensive care unit (ICU) in the 1960s with its demands for management of large volumes of patient data drove the initial introduction of computers into the ICU. Since the mid-1960s computer systems for the ICU have evolved into the highly sophisticated bedside workstations commercially available today. Despite all of the technologic advances in computers, their application in ICUs in the United States continues to spread very slowly. ⋯ Research systems have demonstrated that if one extends these systems to incorporate a fully integrated database, decision-support tools, automation of data acquisition, and more sophisticated display and user-interface technology, then these ICU computer systems can have a significant impact on improving the quality and reducing the costs of patient care. For computers to be embraced in the ICU environment, commercial systems of the future must move beyond merely gathering and displaying information. They must help the clinician at the bedside assimilate the vast array of ICU data and help him to make more effective decisions.
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We report the evaluation of a cart we created to provide high frequency jet ventilation (HFJV) to neonates during intrahospital or interhospital transport. ⋯ Our HFJV transport system is adequate to transport an HFJV-dependent infant during the 30 to 60 minutes that may elapse when the cart is away from ambulance or hospital sources of electricity and gas. Available operating time with an HFJV transport system should be estimated conservatively; when an infant is dependent on HFJV, it would be well to have aircraft backup in case of ambulance breakdown or other contingencies.