The demand for thorough disinfection within ambulances is essential, given the in-vehicle medical procedures and the potential high risk of infections due to patients' open wounds. One solution that ...can address this hygiene challenge involves the application of reactive products generated from atmospheric (air) oxygen and water vapor, activated through the use of cold plasma. Cold plasma's charged particles perforate the cell membranes of microorganisms. This process does not work in human cells, as proteins in the form of enzymes within the body break down the cold plasma and protect the cells. The study was done on an ambulance that was contaminated in eight places. Samples were taken from each site, and two surfaces measuring approximately 8 × 8 cm were carefully sealed and marked. These surfaces were deliberately contaminated by applying an Enterococcus faecium suspension of 8.5 × 107 CFU/mL using a sterile cotton swab. It was followed by the disinfection procedure, that was initiated with the PLASMOCAR device. It was positioned on the front workspace and operated for a duration of 30 min, utilizing the vehicle's onboard voltage. Throughout the operation, all doors and windows were closed and the vehicle's air conditioning system remained active. After the completion of the disinfection process, samples were collected from the surfaces for bacterial counts. A reduction of 3.73 log levels in initial bacteria was accomplished within the rescue vehicle for Enterococcus faecium, equivalent to a 10-fourfold reduction in bacteria, eliminating up to 99.99% of the initial microorganisms. This success makes the process well-suited and convenient as an ongoing "background" procedure to enhance the established disinfection procedures. The established disinfection procedures outlined in the hygiene plan must be promptly implemented whenever mechanical surface cleaning is required. The use of PLASMOCAR offers an extra layer of protection and security, significantly decreasing the risk of microorganism transmission through cross-contamination and aerosols. This is a significant benefit for the well-being of both staff and patients.
Introduction: In Germany, demand for platelet transfusion is maintained or even increasing, despite a decrease in whole blood donations observed in the last decade. The shelf-life of platelet ...concentrates (PCs) in Germany is 4 days, which can be extended to 5 days if appropriate safety measures are used. This short shelf-life leads to decreased PC availability. Methods: We investigated the impact of PC shelf-life extension on PC shortage, using a mathematical simulation model based on the PC production and delivery statistics of the Frankfurt Institute of the German Red Cross Transfusion Service of Baden-Württemberg-Hessen. We used a 2.2-year dataset for PC production and delivery as input data for a Monte Carlo inventory management simulation, focusing on PC shortage. The model generated the daily stock (expressed as mean number of PC units ± standard deviation), mean PC age at release, mean number of expired PC units, and shortage rates (i.e., requiring the release of more PCs than available), overall and by PC blood group. Results: Over 2.2 years, a total of 74,322 PC units were produced and 62,178 units were released at the Frankfurt Institute; the overall overproduction rate was 19.5%. Shortage rates decrease with an increase in PC shelf-life and/or increase in overproduction rates. At an overproduction rate of 20%, shortage rates would be reduced from 2.8% for a 4-day shelf-life to 0.7%, 0.3%, and 0.2%, for shelf-life lengths of 5, 6, and 7 days, respectively. Extending the PC shelf-life to 6 or 7 days would eliminate shortages almost entirely, including for rare bloods. Conclusion: These results can inform blood services and regulatory authorities on the potential medical and economic impact of extending PC shelf-life to 6 or 7 days.
The 'International Review of the Red Cross' has gone through many evolutions since it was first published in October 1869. All told, it has had sixteen editors-in-chief from diverse professional ...backgrounds, as well as many managing editors, thematic editors, editorial assistants and others, all working to support the production, promotion and distribution of the journal. It is now the oldest publication devoted to international humanitarian law (IHL), policy and action. Its collection represents a precious resource on the history of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (the Movement), and on the development of humanitarian law and action at large. The 'Review' continues to contribute significantly to these fields, so it is worthwhile to look back at the journal's role in the past to see how it has evolved and reflect on where it is now, and where it may go in the future.
Many of the volunteer activities required to raise public awareness on skin cancer screening and prevention are supported by dermatological societies and volunteer dermatologists, and are framed by ...substantial voluntary groups, often not sufficiently credited for their contribution, including blood donors and Red Cross Samaritans. We herein propose that amid the ongoing pandemic, skin cancer screening and blood donations must not be disrupted with attention paid to patient safety foremost. Although efforts over the last decade have led to a significant reduction in skin cancer, ongoing activities have been suspended and, in many cases, disrupted since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread has created a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. International Health systems are burdened, and patients ignore symptoms and evade specialist visits due to contamination fear of coronavirus, resulting in a 68.61% reduction in skin cancer diagnoses. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has also major implications for blood transfusion. Currently, there are uncertain patterns of demand, and transfusion institutions need to plan for reductions in donations and loss of crucial staff because of sickness and public health restrictions. Supporting volunteer blood donors through voluntary skin cancer screening could be an excellent initiative, bringing people together, giving us the opportunity to abandon the illusion of power and admit our weakness to the ongoing pandemic. Most of us have not worked through pandemics before but it is time to embrace humanity and solidarity via volunteering, with no profit aims but with social goals of equal skin cancer screening opportunities of vitally important volunteer blood donors, encouraging blood donation. In light of a change in dermatology practice, investing in prevention strategies in public health and social protection is the mark of responsible policy action.
Field theory largely treats the cultural dimensions of social fields as an emergent property of their objective structures. In this article, I reconsider the role of culture in fields by studying how ...the logics that govern their emergence develop. As a study case, I examine the rise of the field of transnational humanitarianism by focusing on the early endeavors of the International Committee of the Red Cross (established 1863). I show that the specific nineteenth-century strand of Calvinist doctrine espoused by the early Red Cross activists motivated and shaped the genesis of the humanitarian field through its convictions about the nature of war, state and society relations, and charity. Activists drew on this doctrine to justify and advocate the establishment of a permanent, independent, and neutral humanitarian field. Based on this analysis, I argue that preexistent belief systems have a key role in differentiating new fields from existing social institutions.
Važnost poznavanja prve pomoći ogleda se kroz njezine ciljeve koji su spašavanje života, sprječavanje nastanka invaliditeta te skraćivanje vremena liječenja i oporavka. Projekt „Sigurnost na vodi“ ...provodi se u organizaciji Crvenog križa u suradnji s Fakultetom za odgojne i obrazovne znanosti Sveučilišta Josipa Jurja Strossmayera u Osijeku. Terenskim poučavanjem, seminarima i radionicama koje provode djelatnici i volonteri Crvenog križa nastoji se educirati studente procesima kojima je svrha sprječavanje nesreće na vodi te postupcima pružanja pomoći ozlijeđenima ili oboljelima. Cilj je rada utvrditi koliko su studenti, budući odgojitelji i učitelji upoznati s osnovama pružanja prve pomoći te povećati svijest o važnosti poznavanja osnova pružanja prve pomoći. Istraživanje je provedeno na uzorku od 150 studenata Fakulteta za odgojne i obrazovne znanosti, anketnim upitnikom koji je bio dostupan u digitalnom obliku te su ga studenti dobrovoljno i anonimno popunjavali. Upitnik se sastojao od 18 pitanja otvorenog, zatvorenog i kombiniranog tipa. Nakon statističke obrade, istraživanjem je utvrđeno kako se većina studenata susrela s teorijom prve pomoći u dosadašnjem školovanju, ali ne poznaju u potpunosti postupke djelovanja. Istaknuta je potreba za kontinuiranom edukacijom i važnosti obnavljanja praktičnih znanja pružanja prve pomoći među studentima iz područja odgojno-obrazovnih znanosti te su navedene preporuke za daljnja istraživanja.
The importance of first aid knowledge is reflected in its goals: to save lives, prevent disability and shorten treatment and recovery time. Therefore, the Red Cross organizes a "Water Safety" project with the Faculty of Education at the Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek. Through field teaching, seminars, and workshops conducted by employees and volunteers of the Red Cross, an effort has been made to educate students on processes aimed at preventing accidents on the water and procedures for assisting the injured or sick. The work aims to determine how familiar students, future educators, and teachers are with the basics of first aid and to increase awareness of the importance of knowing the basics of first aid. The research was conducted on a sample of 150 students of the Faculty of Education, using a survey questionnaire that was available in digital form and filled out voluntarily and anonymously by the students. The questionnaire consisted of 18 open, closed, and combined questions. After statistical analysis, the research showed that most students had encountered the theory of first aid in their previous education. However, they still need to learn the first aid procedures thoroughly. The need for continuous education and the importance of renewing practical first aid knowledge among students of educational sciences was highlighted, and recommendations for further research were given.
The Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has donated breast cancer chemotherapy drugs to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, where there is a severe shortage of drugs because of a ...blockade by Israel imposed after the militant group Hamas started ruling the territory in 2007. “The pathway of care for breast cancer is not the gold standard and is always being challenged by politics and economics”, Dina Nasser, health advisor at Juzoor for Health & Social Development, a Palestinian health non-governmental organisation, told The Lancet Oncology. “The 5-year survival rates of patients with breast cancer and colon cancer are 65·1% and 50·2%, respectively, while the rates in Israel are much higher at 88% and 71·7%”, Aisha Mansour, West Bank Director of Medical Aid for Palestinians, told The Lancet Oncology.
Burnout syndrome (BOS) is a work-related constellation of symptoms characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment. A cross-sectional survey was performed to ...study the prevalence of BOS among a randomly selected sample of 280 Italian Red Cross volunteers. A socio-demographic questionnaire and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI)-HSS were used to collect data. 241 volunteers participated (response rate: 86.1%). A significant proportion of the workers had BOS subscale scores in the highest tertile: emotional exhaustion 8.0%, depersonalization 35.9% and perceived lack of accomplishment 23.5%, respectively. Volunteers in emergency care reported higher levels of emotional exhaustion (p=0.004) and depersonalization (p=0.001), and lower level of personal accomplishment (p=0.042) than volunteers engaged in non-healthcare social and administrative duties. These findings support the opportunity of a set of administrative, organizational and individual preventive interventions for emergency volunteers’ mental health.
海外の人道危機の増加に伴い国際救援活動のニーズは高まっている。国際活動に従事する看護職には幅広い対象の様々な疾患や外傷に対応できるジェネラリストとしての看護実践力が求められる。日本赤十字社愛知医療センター名古屋第二病院では、国際要員を目指す看護職の実践力の強化研修制度を設けている。プログラムは研修者の背景や目標に基づき選択した研修部署をローテートするOJTと、国際医療救援部でのOff-JTを融合させている。OJT内容はEMTで提供する医療サービス21/27項目を網羅している。修了者23名は、災害救援、紛争地での人道支援や開発協力などに延べ58回派遣されており、3名は管理的な役割を担う者もいた。成人教育を基盤とした本研修は、教育機関ではなく医療施設の臨床現場を活用したプログラムであり、より効果的な研修とするためには、国際基準として求められている看護実践内容を踏まえ、感染管理、Community Engagement and Accountability、Protection, Gender and Inclusionなどを研修に包含する必要がある。
Abstract
Background
Patient satisfaction is a crucial aspect of healthcare, reflecting the positive feelings patients experience when using a service. It serves as an indicator of the gap between ...expected and actual service quality from the patient's perspective. Measuring patient satisfaction is recommended for healthcare providers at all levels as it contributes to improvement efforts
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In recent times, pharmacy services have evolved beyond merely supplying medications to becoming more patient-centered and caring
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Given the high number of patients relying on the limited Red Cross community pharmacies in the city, this study aims to assess patient satisfaction and identify factors associated with patient satisfaction towards Red Cross Pharmacies in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Patients and methods
Cross sectional study design was conducted from August 15 to August 30, 2022 in three Red Cross Pharmacies in Addis Ababa. Patients were selected by Convenience sampling technique. Structured questionnaire was used to assess patient satisfaction. Bivariate and Multivariate logistic regression were computed to assess statistical association between the outcome variable, and independent variables. SPSS version 21 was used for analysis.
Results
Four hundred seven participants were willing and completed the study. The overall satisfaction towards Red Cross pharmacy service was 60.4%. Inadequate counselling was main reason for dissatisfaction (45%). Regarding associated factors, unavailability of some medications (Adjusted odds ratio = 0.393, 95% CI: 0.208–0.741), unfair medication cost (Adjusted odds ratio = 0.613, 95% CI: 0.607–0.910), and lack of organized pharmacy work flow (Adjusted odds ratio = 0.105, 95% CI: 0.049–0.221) were negatively associated with clients’ satisfaction.
Conclusion
This study provides significant insights into patient satisfaction with Red Cross pharmacy services in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, revealing an overall patient satisfaction rate of 60.4%. While a substantial number of patients had positive experiences, dissatisfaction due to inadequate counseling was a notable concern. Factors negatively associated with patient satisfaction, including medication unavailability, unfair cost, and a lack of organized workflow, further highlight the need for targeted interventions to improve patient experiences. Addressing these issues will be critical to enhance pharmaceutical care services and bridge the gap between patient needs and satisfaction.
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