Igiene e sanità pubblica
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Igiene e sanità pubblica · Jan 2015
[Ebola Virus Disease (EVD): proposed guideline for hospital triage of suspect and probable cases].
The magnitude of the present Ebola epidemic and the resonance in the media has led to the need to draw clear guidelines for the health personnel potentially involved, since the fears raised by the high lethality of the disease may create inefficiencies Here we present the guidelines for a medium-sized hospital, where, at present, the chance to confront a case of Ebola virus disease is rare, but not impossible. The role and activities of each professional involved and the procedures have been set out. We think that this exercise will be useful for all structureswith characteristics similar to ours.
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Igiene e sanità pubblica · Mar 2014
Multicenter StudyPaediatric emergency department utilisation: is it necessary an educational intervention?
Over the past ten years there has been a progressive increase in accesses to services for paediatric emergency room, documented in Italy and abroad. The aim of the study is describe the sociodemographic, cultural, subjective and objective factors for non-urgent access to paediatric emergency service in an Italian region. It was adopted a descriptive survey of a sample of non-urgent accesses to two paediatric emergency room services in an Italian region during the period from February-March 2009, through the administration of questionnaires and the consultation of facilities databases. ⋯ Approximately half of the accesses to the paediatric emergency department could be managed by primary care services. The convenience of the service, the self-referred and the proximity to home are emerging as the only influential factors reported by literature. In the future it should become crucial providing strategies for education/health information focused on non-urgent paediatric problems and offering people a call center phone service in order to filter and prevent the inappropriate accesses.
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Igiene e sanità pubblica · Jan 2014
Practice Guideline[Herpes Zoster and its prevention in Italy. Scientific consensus statement].
In this paper, an Italian group of experts presents a revision of the available data about epidemiology and prevention of Herpes Zoster (HZ). HZ is an acute viral diseases caused by the reactivation of Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV). HZ is characterized by neurological and dermatological symptoms with a dermatomeric localization. ⋯ Effectiveness studies confirm the data of clinical trials and numerous pharmaco-economical evaluation show a favorable profile of HZ vaccine. The vaccine is recommended in USA, Canada and some European countries for people over 60. The expert group concluded that HZ and PHN represent an important clinical and Public Health problem in Italy and that the possibility to prevent them should be carefully evaluated.
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Igiene e sanità pubblica · Jan 2014
Review[Second victims of medical errors: a systematic review of the literature].
"Second victims" are health care providers who remain traumatized and suffer at the psycho-physical level after being involved in a patient adverse event. A systematic review of the literature was conducted to: a) estimate the prevalence of second victims among healthcare workers, b) describe personal and work outcomes of second victims, c) identify coping strategies used by second victims to face their problems, and d) describe current support strategies. Findings reveal that the prevalence of "second victims" of medical errors is high, ranging in four studies from 10.4% to 43.3%. ⋯ Managers of health organizations need to be aware of the "second victim" phenomenon and ensure adequate support is given to healthcare providers involved. The best strategy seems to be the creation of networks of support at both the individual and organizational levels. More research is needed to evaluate the efficacy of support structures for second victims and to quantify the extent of the practice of defensive medicine following medical error.
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Igiene e sanità pubblica · Jul 2013
[Old problems and new strategies in the fight against pertussis].
Pertussis is still a major Public Health problem. In fact, despite high vaccination coverage, several outbreaks have occurred in the last years all over the world, with thousands of cases and several deaths. ⋯ From these subjects the infection spreads to infants who have not yet been vaccinated or who have not completed the vaccination cycle. To reduce the incidence and the complications of pertussis in infants and immune compromised persons, booster doses are recommended and a "cocoon" vaccination strategy has been proposed.