An investigation of contact transmission of methicillin resistant-Staphylococcus aureus

Hand hygiene is critical in the healthcare setting and it is believed that methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), for example, is transmitted from patient to patient largely via the hands of health professionals. A study has been carried out at a large teaching hospital to estimate how often the gloves of a healthcare worker are contaminated with MRSA after contact with a colonized patient. The effectiveness of handwashing procedures to decontaminate the health professionals' hands was also investigated, together with how well different healthcare professional groups complied with handwashing procedures. The study showed that about 17% (9-25%) of contacts between a healthcare worker and a MRSA-colonized patient results in transmission of MRSA from a patient to the gloves of a healthcare worker. Different health professional groups have different rates of compliance with infection control procedures. Non-contact staff (cleaners, food services) had the shortest handwashing times. In this study, glove use compliance rates were 75% or above in all healthcare worker groups except doctors whose compliance was only 27%. (C) 2004 The Hospital Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Causes and Implications of the Decline of the Economics Majors: A Focus on Australia

This paper analyses the causes and implications of declining economics major in Australia. Based on a brief review of the relevant literature and an analysis of the Australian time series data, it is found that economics continues to be less attractive to students in relative terms. Three major factors contribute to this phenomenon: less than appropriate product for an increasingly diverse clientele, the introduction of more attractive and business, commerce and industry-oriented programs such as finance, accounting and commerce, and business majors geared to the needs of the real world, and the use of less experienced teaching staff in lower undergraduate courses. It is argued that stemming the tide against the economics discipline would require a significant rethink of development of products more vocational and real world-oriented, market segmentation for different clientele types, and marshalling of more experienced and capable teaching staff for lower undergraduate levels.

The status and relevance of Vietnamese journalism education: An empirical analysis

Based primarily on data from indepth interviews with senior journalists and journalism educators as well as a content analysis of journalism curricula, this paper sets out to provide an overview of the demand, overall provision structure, teaching materials and methods of Vietnamese journalism education. It first shows that with a fast expansion in both size and substance, the Vietnamese media system is beginning to feel the urgent need for formal journalism education. However, the country's major journalism programs have been criticised for producing hundreds of unqualified journalism graduates a year. In general, the most deplorable aspects of Vietnamese journalism education include its body of outdated and awkward teaching material, its undue focus on theories and politics at the expense of practical training, its lack of qualified teaching staff and its inadequate teaching resources.

Antimicrobial resistance in Staphylococcus aureus in Australian teaching hospitals, 1989-1999

An annual survey of antimicrobial resistance in clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus was conducted in 21 Australian teaching hospital microbiology laboratories in eight major cities from 1989 to 1999. A total of 19,000 isolates were tested for susceptibility to 18 antimicrobials, with 3795 being methicillin-resistant (MRSA). Resistance to ciprofloxacin in MRSA increased from 4.9% to 75.9%. The proportion of MRSA resistant to erythromycin decreased significantly (99.0%-88.9%), as did that to trimethoprim (98.4%-82.4%) and to tetracycline (96.5%-80.1%). The proportion of MRSA isolated increased in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth, and Darwin, but not in Brisbane. The proportion in Hobart peaked in 1994. MRSA in Perth were predominantly non-multiresistant (nmMRSA) throughout the survey (i.e., resistant to less than three of eight indicator antibiotics) due mainly to local strains that originated in the community. The proportion of nmMRSA increased to modest levels in the other cities. In eastern cities, this was due to the appearance of strains closely related to nmMRSA seen in other countries of the southwestern Pacific.

Quality of life compared during pharmacological treatments and clinical monitoring for non-localized prostate cancer: a randomized controlled trial

To investigate the effects of different management strategies for non-localized prostate cancer on men's quality of life and cognitive functioning. Men with prostate cancer were randomly assigned to one of four treatment arms: leuprorelin, goserelin, cyproterone acetate (CPA), or close clinical monitoring. In a repeated-measures design, men were assessed before treatment (baseline) and after 6 and 12 months of treatment. A community comparison group of men of the same age with no prostate cancer participated for the same length of time. The men were recruited from public and private urology departments from university teaching hospitals. All those with prostate cancer who were eligible for hormonal therapy had no symptoms requiring immediate therapy. In all, 82 patients were randomized and 62 completed the 1-year study, and of the 20 community participants, 15 completed the study. The main outcome measures were obtained from questionnaires on emotional distress, existential satisfaction, physical function and symptoms, social and role function, subjective cognitive function, and sexual function, combined with standard neuropsychological tests of memory, attention, and executive functions. Sexual dysfunction increased for patients on androgen-suppressing therapies, and emotional distress increased in those assigned to CPA or close clinical monitoring. Compared with before treatment there was evidence of an adverse effect of leuprorelin, goserelin, and CPA on cognitive function. In deciding the timing of androgen suppression therapy for prostate cancer, consideration should be given to potential adverse effects on quality of life and cognitive function.

Purchasing behaviour for non-prescription medicines

Background: The non-prescription medicine, market is constantly challenges. With changes to scheduling and market dynamics, a need for current Australian data on medicines purchasing behaviour was identified. Objectives: This survey aimed to report on the purchasing behaviour of non-prescription medicine customers, the medicines bought and influences on medicine sales. Methods: Researchers were stationed in 15 community pharmacies in southeast Queensland during mid-August 2004. Interview and observational data were collected for all eligible medicine purchases -over approximately 35 hours per pharmacy. Results: Data were collected for 3017 medicines purchased by 2583 customers. Most purchases were made by females (65%) and customers aged 26-35 years (25.8%). Pharmacy assistants alone provided advice in 58% of sales. Two thirds of purchases were for self use. In two thirds of cases, customers had a particular brand in mind; this was highly correlated with previous purchases. Pharmacy staff were highly influential in first time purchases. Conclusions: This study reports a high level of involvement and influence of pharmacy staff in medicine selection.

After hours medical ward duties in a teaching hospital

In many Australian hospitals a medical officer is available for urgent review of in-patients outside normal working hours. Current practice in nurse-initiated requests for medical officer involvement out of hours may adversely affect patient outcome as well as medical and nursing resource use at these times. Of 10 523 nurse-initiated requests for out-of-hours review recorded by medical officers at our hospital in 2002-2003, the most frequent reasons for the requests were medication review, IV fluid orders, IV resite, venesection and pathology review, none of which are related to acute changes in clinical condition. Requests for routine review of medication and fluid orders were found to be rarely essential and often inappropriate. Medical officer activity was highest before midnight and least after midnight, suggesting most requests are fulfilled in the evening. Several strategies to reduce inappropriate out-of-hours requests were identified. Routine tasks could be completed by primary treating unit staff before going off-duty. IV cannulation and venesection may be performed by appropriately trained phlebotomists or skilled advanced practice nursing staff. Meticulous ordering of 'as required' analgesia and night sedation would reduce unnecessary requests. Clinical protocols for nurse-initiated adjustment of drugs with variable dosing may also decrease inefficiencies. This would leave the ward cover medical officers more available for their primary function of urgent patient review.

Sourcing the news: Teaching journalism students different approaches to sourcing practices

The experiences of a group of Australian university journalism students from diverse backgrounds are explored as they become involved in producing five editions of a new newspaper for the isolated community of Blackall in the Queensland Outback, 1500km north-west of Sydney. During this learning experience, non-traditional journalistic sourcing methods were trialled. This paper documents the exercise, compares the alternative methods with existing practices identified in the literature, and examines the effects and consequences of the exercise.

Teaching principles of genetics through SNP analysis

An understanding of inheritance requires comprehension of genetic processes at all levels, from molecules to populations. Frequently genetics courses are separated into molecular and organismal genetics and students may fail to see the relationships between them. This is particularly true with human genetics, because of the difficulties in designing experimental approaches which are consistent with ethical restrictions, student abilities and background knowledge, and available time and materials. During 2005 we used analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in two genetic regions to enhance student learning and provide a practical experience in human genetics. Students scanned databases to discover SNPs in a gene of interest, used software to design PCR primers and a restriction enzyme based assay for the alleles, and carried out an analysis of the SNP on anonymous individual and family DNAs. The project occupied eight to ten hours per week for one semester, with some time spent in the laboratory and some spent in database searching, reading and writing the report. In completing their projects, students acquired a knowledge of Mendel’s first law (through looking at inheritance patterns), Mendel’s second law and the exceptions (the concepts of linkage and linkage disequilibrium), DNA structure (primer design and restriction enzyme analysis) and function (SNPs in coding and non-coding regions), population genetics and the statistical analysis of allele frequencies, genomics, bioinformatics and the ethical issues associated with the use of human samples. They also developed skills in presentation of results by publication and conference participation. Deficiencies in their understanding (for example of inheritance patterns, gene structure, statistical approaches and report writing) were detected and guidance given during the project. SNP analysis was found to be a powerful approach to enhance and integrate student understanding of genetic concepts.

The Cybrary - Seamless for the customer, fine needlework for the staff

The University of Queensland Cybrary delivers high quality customer focused innovative information resources, services and programs that are integrated with and central to the University’s teaching, learning and research activities. The Cybrary website - www.cybrary.uq.edu.au - enables customers to access information more or less seamlessly anywhere anytime. This paper will go behind the seams to discuss some of the technologies that underpin service delivery and some of the implications for the Cybrary’s human, physical and financial resources.

Teaching software engineering fundamentals to practicing engineers

This paper describes an ongoing collaboration between Boeing Australia Limited and the University of Queensland to develop and deliver an introductory course on software engineering for Boeing Australia. The aim of the course is to provide a common understanding for all Boeing Australia's engineering staff of the nature of software engineering and the practices used throughout Boeing Australia. It is meant as an introductory course that can be presented to people with varying backgrounds, such as recent software engineering graduates, systems engineers, quality assurance personnel, etc. The paper describes the structure and content of the course, and the evaluation techniques used to collect feedback from the participants and the corresponding results. The course has been well-received by the participants, but the feedback from the course has indicated a need for more advanced courses in specific areas.