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1 – 10 of 998Human hair may contain deposits of illicit drugs. Testing of hair will provide an indicator of drug use at the time the hair was grown. Hair samples have several advantages over…
Abstract
Human hair may contain deposits of illicit drugs. Testing of hair will provide an indicator of drug use at the time the hair was grown. Hair samples have several advantages over urine samples, particularly length of surveillance period (months rather than days) and resistance to tampering. Any form of drug‐testing must be seen as a component of a clinical plan for the management of the patient's drug misuse, mental disorder and offending.
Joanna R. Baker, Pamela K. Lattimore and Lance A. Matheson
The “at the source” emphasis of total quality management (TQM) has reduced the reliance on post‐production statistical quality control approaches such as acceptance sampling. In…
Abstract
The “at the source” emphasis of total quality management (TQM) has reduced the reliance on post‐production statistical quality control approaches such as acceptance sampling. In cases where it is appropriate more proactive approaches such as statistical process control have improved productivity in manufacturing environments. For social processes where the inputs are ill‐defined and the outputs are difficult to measure, traditional quality control approaches have rarely been applied. Addresses the problem of monitoring use of illegal drugs, a critical social problem. Because the inputs, the use of drugs, are not easy to document and the process which results in an individual’s decision to use drugs is too complex to model, one must rely on the detection of drugs as a measurement of drug abuse. The behaviour of interest is the detection of illegal drug use through urine testing. The technique for monitoring this behaviour in a population of interest is single‐attribute, Bayesian acceptance sampling. Applies a partial drug‐testing methodology based on single‐attribute acceptance sampling to a population of probationers in Madison County, Illinois, USA. The approach offers probation offices with a lower cost approach to monitoring drug use among populations of known drug users. The use of acceptance sampling allows Madison County to reduce the total cost of testing by reducing the total amount of testing that must be done to monitor use of drugs among their probation populations.
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Chia‐Lin Chen and Brian H. Kleiner
Cites drug abuse as a growing social problem which has a detrimental effect in the workplace. Considers the issues of privacy and the law, the methods of drug testing and the…
Abstract
Cites drug abuse as a growing social problem which has a detrimental effect in the workplace. Considers the issues of privacy and the law, the methods of drug testing and the methods employed by most companies faced with a positive test. Suggests solutions for drug abuse in the workplace and discusses ways to decrease legal liability associated with a workplace drug abuse policy. Provides a framework to guide companies on how to conduct a drug abuse policy properly before looking at the cost of testing.
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With the rapid and pervasive introduction of robots into human environments, ethics scholars along with roboticists are asking how ethics can be applied to the discipline of…
Abstract
Purpose
With the rapid and pervasive introduction of robots into human environments, ethics scholars along with roboticists are asking how ethics can be applied to the discipline of robotics. The purpose of this paper is to provide a concrete example of incorporating ethics into the design process of a robot in healthcare.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach for including ethics in the design process of care robots used in this paper is called the Care‐Centered Value Sensitive Design (CCVSD) approach. The CCVSD approach presented here provides both an outline of the components demanding ethical attention as well as a step‐by‐step manner in which such considerations may proceed in a prospective manner throughout the design process of a robot. This begins from the moment of idea generation and continues throughout the design of various prototypes. In this paper, this approach's utility and prospective methodology are illustrated by proposing a novel care robot, the “wee‐bot”, for the collection and testing of urine samples in a hospital context.
Findings
The results of applying the CCVSD approach inspired the design of a novel robot for the testing of urine in pediatric oncology patients – the “wee‐bot” robot – and showed that it is possible to successfully incorporate ethics into the design of a care robot by exploring and prescribing design requirements. In other words, the use of the CCVSD approach allowed for the translation of ethical values into technical design requirements as was shown in this paper.
Practical implications
This paper provides a practical solution to the question of how to incorporate ethics into the design of robots and bridges the gap between the work of roboticists and robot ethicists so that they may work together in the design of a novel care robot.
Social implications
In providing a solution to the issue of how to address ethical issues in the design of robots, the aim is to mitigate issues of societal concern regarding the design, development and implementation of robots in healthcare.
Originality/value
This paper is the first and only presentation of a concrete prospective methodology for including ethics into the design of robots. While the example given here is tailored to the healthcare context, the approach can be adjusted to fit another context and/or robot design.
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Michael O. Ogundele, Jane Halliday and Patricia Weir
Several audits of clinical practice have confirmed that there is insignificant yield from screening of prolonged jaundice babies with a wide range of tests including thyroid…
Abstract
Purpose
Several audits of clinical practice have confirmed that there is insignificant yield from screening of prolonged jaundice babies with a wide range of tests including thyroid function test (TFT) and full blood count (FBC). This paper aims to audit local practice based on a newly adopted rationalised protocol of selective screening with split bilirubin supplemented with other investigations based on clinical risk assessment.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses a retrospective audit of 50 babies referred for prolonged jaundice to a large district hospital in South West England. The authors also designed an easy‐to‐use, user‐friendly software application as a quick aid for implementation of the prolonged jaundice protocol.
Findings
The overall annual incidence of prolonged jaundice was 2.2 per cent of all live births. 32 patients (64 per cent) had only split biliburin test according to the protocol. In total 16 patients (32 per cent) had 18 tests requested unnecessarily including seven liver function test (LFT), eight FBC, one each of glucose, TFT and serum electrolytes. No patient with any serious liver disease was missed.
Practical implications
Appropriate recommendations for optimising the implementation of the current protocol based on the available scientific evidence were introduced.
Originality/value
After two years of implementation of the protocol, it has been found to be cost‐effective and safe. The electronic software provides a useful prompt in guiding the investigation of prolonged jaundice.
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Anjali Takke and Pravin Shende
The purpose of this study was to design a paper strip-based non-invasive urine analysis system for the qualitative detection of biomarker aquaporin-1 (AQP1) in renal cancer (RC)…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to design a paper strip-based non-invasive urine analysis system for the qualitative detection of biomarker aquaporin-1 (AQP1) in renal cancer (RC). RC accounts for 3% of all cancers and 85% of all kidney tumors and mainly originates from the kidney cortex. In recent times, higher urine concentration of AQP1 in patients with RC was confirmed as a specific biomarker of the disease. Hence, the noninvasive, user-friendly and self-diagnostic method is required for the detection of aquaporin biomarkers in RC.
Design/methodology/approach
The present research work was focused on the development and characterization of a dye conjugated cyclodextrin-based miniaturized system for impregnation on Whatman filter paper to identify RC using AQP1 biomarker present in urine samples.
Findings
It was observed that the test strip dipped into the urine sample, and the yellow color intensity increased with a decrease in AQP1 concentration due to the transformation of the dye system of free basic form into bound acidic form. The Hue-Saturation-Value profiling was used to observe the effect of color change using a smartphone application. The paper strip-based urine analysis system is highly sensitive for the detection of AQP1 in the range of 10 to 1,000 ng.
Originality/value
The successful validation indicated that this biosensor is likely to contribute to the development of point-of-care, novel, personalized diagnostics and ensure prolonged survival of RC patients in the near future.
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John Adie, Wayne Graham, Kerron Bromfield, Bianca Maiden, Sam Klaer and Marianne Wallis
This case study describes a community-based urgent care clinic in a general practitioner (GP) super clinic in South East Queensland.
Abstract
Purpose
This case study describes a community-based urgent care clinic in a general practitioner (GP) super clinic in South East Queensland.
Design/methodology/approach
This retrospective chart audit describes patient demographic characteristics, types of presentations and management for Sundays in 2015.
Findings
The majority of patients (97%) did not require admission to hospital or office investigations (95%) and presented with one condition (94%). Of the presentations, 66.5% were represented by 30 conditions. Most patients received a prescription (57%), some were referred to the pathology laboratory (15%) and some were referred to radiology (12%). A majority (54%) of patients presented in the first three hours. Approximately half (51%) of patients presenting were aged under 25. More females (53%) presented than males. A majority (53%) lived in the same postcode as the clinic. The three most common office tests ordered were urinalysis, electrocardiogram (ECG) and urine pregnancy test. Some patients (19%) needed procedures, and only 3% were referred to hospital.
Research limitations/implications
The study offers analysis of the client group that can be served by an urgent care clinic in a GP super clinic on a Sunday. The study provides an option for emergency department avoidance.
Originality/value
Despite calls for more research into community-based urgent care clinics, little is known in Australia about what constitutes an urgent care clinic. The study proposes a classification system for walk-in presentations to an urgent care clinic, which is comparable to emergency department presentations.
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Marzeyeh Soleymani Nejad, Nastaran Keshavarz-Mohammadi, Nasrin Omidvar and Farid Zayeri
High salt intake is one of the most important causes of some serious health problems. This study aims to evaluate the effects of a salt intake reduction intervention based on…
Abstract
Purpose
High salt intake is one of the most important causes of some serious health problems. This study aims to evaluate the effects of a salt intake reduction intervention based on social marketing model in Ahwaz city, Iran.
Design/methodology/approach
This was a before-after study with a control group using social marketing approach. Two similar residential complexes were chosen and randomly assigned into intervention or control groups. One hundred and thirty women were selected in each complex. Formative research was conducted, including focus group discussions (FGDs), a survey to identify cognitive factors of salt intake and a 24-h urine test to estimate salt intake value. Based on the results of the formative research, an intervention was planned and implemented for one month in the intervention group. The postintervention assessment was conducted repeating the cognitive survey and urine test. Statistical tests, including independent T-Test and paired T-Test, were used to compare the experimental and control groups.
Findings
Before the intervention mean salt intake levels were 8,574.41 and 8,282.23 mg/day in the intervention and control groups, respectively. The total mean scores of cognitive and behavioral factors were 25.32 and 26.41 out of 59 in the intervention and control groups, respectively. After the intervention in the intervention group, daily salt intake decreased significantly by 1,558.83 mg/day and mean total scores of cognitive and behavioral factors increased significantly by 10.73.
Research limitations/implications
Due to sodium excretion fluctuations in different days and/or different people, estimating sodium excretion based on one-day sample may have bias. Still, 24-h urine test is the most effective method to estimate population mean salt intake which is used in this study.
Practical implications
The authors could not investigate urine sodium levels in other family members due to resource limitations. Knowing this could help us to see if similar results are achieved.
Originality/value
Despite the lack of public policies to decrease population salt intake, interventions based on social marketing can significantly reduce salt intake. However, the long-term effect of such interventions will require further investigation.
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Erry Yudhya Mulyani, Dudung Angkasa, Enrico Stanin and Idrus Jus'at
In Indonesia, 29.3% of Indonesian women were obese. Dehydrated women have 1.6 times higher risk of becoming obese than normal ones. This study was aimed to further explore the…
Abstract
Purpose
In Indonesia, 29.3% of Indonesian women were obese. Dehydrated women have 1.6 times higher risk of becoming obese than normal ones. This study was aimed to further explore the association between gestational weight gain (GWG) and maternal hydration status.
Design/methodology/approach
This longitudinal study involved 50 pregnant women aged 18–35 years. Subject identity, age, parity and household expenses were collected using questionnaire. Urine specific gravity (USG) was used as an indicator for hydration status. Venous blood was collected to measured haemoglobin (Hb) by anemometer method. Anthropometric data such as pre-pregnancy weight, maternal body weight, GWG, body mass index (BMI) and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) was collected using standardized tools. Dietary and total water intake (TWI) were measured through three consecutive days of a 24-h food recall. Pearson’s correlation, independent t-test and analysis of covariance were used to appraise the hypothesis.
Findings
The subject’s mean age was 29.3 ± 5.6 years; BMI was 23.5 ± 4.1 kg/m2. MUAC (28.2 ± 4.0 cm) and Hb (11.5 ± 1.0 g/dl) were still in the normal range. Most subjects were well hydrated, with an average USG of 1.016 g/mL. GWG and TWI are significantly correlated (p < 0.01). Based on the hydration status, after corrected with TWI, GWG was not significantly different.
Originality/value
It calls to mind that nutrition and water intake, alongside weight gain monitoring during pregnancy, are part of an effort to prevent pregnancy risks.
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