All articles by Ky Nikitha
The TB balancing act
TB remains a public health issue in developing nations, partly due to the lack of adequate diagnostic testing facilities. Is molecular detection – faster and simpler than conventional tests – the answer? Kim Thomas speaks to health economist Hassan Haghparast-Bidgoli about the benefits and challenges.
In safe hands
Understanding the beliefs of healthcare professionals regarding glove use and associated hand hygiene is imperative in order to improve practices. However, research in this area is limited. Louise Thomas explores the research on the perceptions and behaviours of healthcare professionals as well as the most effective strategies to improve adherence.
Reprocessing finances
A huge number of medical devices used by hospitals are labelled as ‘single-use’. As a cost-saving measure, many hospitals rely upon ‘reprocessed’ single-use devices as a cheap, yet safe, alternative to buying expensive new equipment, but recent manufacturer efforts to halt reprocessing could lead to hiked hospital costs. Nancy Chobin, sterile processing educator and consultant at Sterile Processing University, talks about best practices when using this technique.
The war on wounds
The interest in using smart systems that can monitor, report on and possibly even influence the healing process is intensifying by the year. Now that the US Department of Defense is launching a project to support wounded soldiers with the technology, Tim Gunn talks to programme lead Paul Sheehan, wound care expert Professor Michael Clark and smart bandage engineer Hossein Derakhshandeh about the world’s prospects for tackling the ‘silent epidemic’ of wounds.
A challenging landscape
Atypical wounds include a broad spectrum of conditions caused by inflammation, infection, malignancy, chronic illnesses or genetic disorders. An atypical wound may be suspected if the wound has an abnormal presentation or location and does not heal following a good treatment plan. The European Wound Management Association (EWMA) discusses its work to increase awareness about the clinical picture, diagnosis and treatment of these wounds.