Dtsch Arztebl Int
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The WHO regards hand hygiene as an essential tool for the prevention of nosocomial infection, but compliance in clinical practice is often low. ⋯ Improved compliance in hand hygiene, with proper use of alcohol-based hand rubs, can reduce the nosocomial infection rate by as much as 40%.
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Review
Self-monitoring of blood glucose in diabetes mellitus: arguments for an individualized approach.
The utility of glucose self-monitoring in different types and stages of diabetes is controversial, as there is only sparse relevant evidence from randomized controlled clinical trials. In this analysis, the authors aim to develop individualized recommendations based on clinical needs and the available literature. ⋯ The decision to use glucose self-monitoring, as well as the type and extent of self-monitoring that will be used, should be based on the individual patient's type of diabetes, treatment regimen, and clinical characteristics. Like any other type of therapeutic intervention, self-monitoring should have a well-documented, rational justification.
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The physician that initially sees a patient with an extensive and deep dermal burn injury must be able to provide initial acute treatment and to make a well-founded decision whether to have the patient transported to a burn care center (BCC). Physicians from a variety of specialities will be involved in the management of long-term sequelae. ⋯ The effective treatment of severe burns is interdisciplinary, involving general practitioners and emergency physicians as well as plastic surgeons and physicians of other specialties. Knowledge of the basic principles of treatment enables physicians to care for patients with burns appropriately both in the acute setting and in the long term.
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Descriptive statistics are an essential part of biometric analysis and a prerequisite for the understanding of further statistical evaluations, including the drawing of inferences. When data are well presented, it is usually obvious whether the author has collected and evaluated them correctly and in keeping with accepted practice in the field. ⋯ The description of collected data is indispensable. If the data are of good quality, valid and important conclusions can already be drawn when they are properly described. Furthermore, data description provides a basis for inferential statistics.
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Ongoing demographic changes in Europe are heightening the importance of adequate treatment for glaucoma, a disorder that is markedly more common in the elderly. ⋯ The goal of glaucoma treatment is to protect the patient from blindness and visual impairment while keeping the treatment-related decline in quality of life to a minimum. Any type of glaucoma treatment, be it medical or surgical, must further this aim in consideration of the situation of the individual patient.