Scandinavian journal of public health
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Scand J Public Health · Aug 2012
Comparative StudyWeapons used in serious violence against a parent: retrospective comparative register study.
Our aim was to compare the weapons used in lethal or potentially lethal violence against parents according to the age (adolescent vs. adult) of the offender and victim (mother vs. father) of the offence. ⋯ Consistent with the physical strength hypothesis, firearms are used more often in lethal or potentially lethal violence against parents by adolescents than by adults in Finland. As firearms legislation in Finland is currently under reform the study findings suggest that restriction of gun availability may have an influence on intrafamilial homicides, particularly those committed by adolescents.
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Scand J Public Health · Jul 2012
Factors that impact on the safety of patient handovers: an interview study.
Improvement of clinical handover is fundamental to meet the challenges of patient safety. The primary aim of this interview study is to explore healthcare professionals' attitudes and experiences with critical episodes in patient handover in order to elucidate factors that impact on handover from ambulance to hospitals and within and between hospitals. The secondary aim is to identify possible solutions to optimise handovers, defined as "situations where the professional responsibility for some or all aspects of a patient's diagnosis, treatment or care is transferred to another person on a temporary or permanent basis". ⋯ The eight factors identified indicate that handovers are complex situations. The organisation did not see patient handover as a critical safety point of hospitalisation, revealing that the safety culture in regard to handover was immature. Work was done in silos and many of the handover barriers were seen to be related to the fact that only few had a full picture of a patient's complete pathway.