All articles by julian turner
julian turner
Back to the suture – material solutions to infection
Sutures are the most commonly used means of fixing a wound, and, while the risk of infection is generally low, it can still occur if proper protocol isn’t maintained. Since most surgical site infections develop across the suture line, material choice is an important part of controlling such infections and an area that receives extensive analysis. We explore recent findings in this field and ask what kind of scope there is for antibacterial sutures.
Courting controversy – outsourcing NHS cleaning services
Against a backdrop of austerity and public cuts, healthcare facilities are continuing to contract out their facilities management and clinical services. But, the practice remains deeply controversial. Practical Patient Care talks to Jane Lethbridge, director of the Public Services International Research Unit about cleaning services and the history of NHS outsourcing.
Clean and clear? – countering the threat of infection
Flexible endoscopes are associated with more documented cases of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) than any other type of reusable medical device. Katherine Templar Lewis asks Dr Alex Kallen, medical epidemiologist and outbreak response coordinator for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), how endoscopy units should deal with the threat of an infection that can persist even beyond reprocessing procedures.
Upward mobility – the stigma surrounding obesity
Bariatric patients have a diverse range of mobility concerns, and in many cases require specially tailored scooters and wheelchairs to help them out. Yet, while the latest models allow greater independence among patients, the lingering social stigma surrounding obesity means many are still going without, as NHS Berkshire West specialist nurse Anita Rush tells Ross Davies.
Cloud favourite – e-care innovations
Hospitals are beginning to reap the benefits of cloud computing. As discrete aspects of healthcare are integrated, big data is redefining hospital management practices. Martin John reports on the Advantech World Partner Conference (AWPC), held last year in China, in which technology leaders discussed their visions for the future.
Under the skin – the remote patient monitoring trend
Advanced patient monitoring is on the rise. No longer a question of wiring the patient into a sensor, many of the newer monitoring systems boast wireless or remote capabilities. This could save time for hospital personnel and ultimately boost the quality of patient care. As we move towards an age of telehealth monitoring solutions, Practical Patient Care explores the implications and asks what lies behind the remote patient monitoring (RPM) trend.
UK NHS announces e-referrals live date
The NHS e-referral service will go live in November this year, the UK Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC ) has said.
NHS trust to deploy EPR system in developing countries
An open source electronic patient record system developed at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in the UK is to be deployed across 40 sites in developing Commonwealth countries.
US research reveals potential of protein nanoprobes
Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have discovered surprising new rules for creating ultra-bright light-emitting crystals that are less than ten nanometers in diameter.
Stick or twist: the centralised procurement quandary
PACS was one of the few success stories to come out of England’s now-defunct National Programme for IT. But with local service provider contracts about to expire, NHS trusts are set to move away from centralised procurement. Ross Davies meets Accenture’s Aimie Chapple to discuss the options available and the viability of running PACS from the cloud.