Swiss medical weekly
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To measure the workload of residents in a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and to compare this value with the possible explanatory variables "nine equivalents of nursing manpower use score" (NEMS), length of stay (LOS), patient age and severity of illness at admission. ⋯ NEMS, a therapeutic intervention score, and LOS are both independent predictors of clinical workload of residents in PICU. The correlation with LOS means that workload depends mainly on routine procedures (rounds, discussions with parents, administrative tasks) unrelated to the severity of illness. After calibration, LOS or NEMS, two widely used measures, may be used to calculate resident workload.
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Swiss medical weekly · Jan 2013
Urinary Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin (uNGAL) and contrast-induced acute kidney injury after coronary angiogram.
Diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI) relies on measurement of serum creatinine (SCr). SCr is a late marker of impaired renal function. Urinary Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin (uNGAL) has given encouraging results for an early and sensitive detection of AKI. This cohort study was conducted (1) to assess the value of uNGAL as early marker of contrast-induced AKI (CI-AKI) in unselected patients undergoing percutaneous coronary procedure (PCP) and (2) to investigate whether uNGAL levels correlate with the volume of contrast medium (CM) used during the procedure. ⋯ In a large cohort of unselected adult patients, uNGAL measured four to six hours after PCP was ineffective to predict the risk of CI-AKI and did not correlate with the volume of CM used during the procedure.
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Swiss medical weekly · Jan 2013
What makes physicians go to work while sick: a comparative study of sickness presenteeism in four European countries (HOUPE).
Sickness presenteeism is common in the health sector, especially among physicians, leading to high costs in terms of medical errors and loss in productivity. This study investigates predictors of sickness presenteeism in university hospitals, which might be especially exposed to competitive presenteeism. The study included comparisons of university hospitals in four European countries. ⋯ Sickness presenteeism in university hospitals is part of a larger behavioural pattern where physicians seem to neglect or hide their own illness. Factors associated with competitive climate and myths about a healthy doctor might contribute to these behaviours. Importantly, it is suggested that managers and organisations should work actively to address these questions since organisational care might reduce the extent of these behaviours.