The Journal of the Arkansas Medical Society
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As part of our plan to decrease infection rates, we instituted a rounding sticker used during daily rounds. This sticker is a checklist that serves as a reminder of interventions known to improve quality of care in the PICU. ⋯ Date was collected on central venous catheter days, foley catheter days, arterial line days, infection rates, GI prophylaxis use, neuromuscular blocker use, and changes in medications before and after institution of the rounding sticker. Following rounding sticker use, there was a 56% reduction in urinary tract infections [4.13/1000 device days vs 1.8/1000 device days; p = 0.027], as well as an increase in GI prophylaxis (1846 vs 2399) and enoxaparin (119 vs 151) use.
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Comparative Study Controlled Clinical Trial
The effect of cigarette smoking on hydrocodone efficacy in chronic pain patients.
Hydrocodone is frequently prescribed for moderate to severe pain. Nicotine has analgesic properties and it is hypothesized that cigarette smoking might decrease the dosage of hydrocodone needed for the relief of chronic pain. ⋯ This study concluded that the dose of hydrocodone consumed did not statistically differ between the two Groups. Smokers however, had significantly less pain relief than nonsmokers.
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In 2009, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimated nearly 6,000 distracted driver fatalities and 515,000 injuries in the United States alone. Distracted driving is a worldwide problem that needs to be addressed. Software is available to disable cell phone usage while driving, but using the advanced technology may require legislation along with a renewed sense of driver responsibility.