Account books of Thomas Cradock, 1786-1818 (inclusive)

Account books listing patients, medicines administered, and fees charged by Dr. Thomas Cradock (1752-1821), primarily in Maryland, from 1786 to 1818. In addition to recording names, Cradock occasionally noted demographic information, the patient's location, or their occupation: from 1813 to 1816, he treated Richard Gent, a free African-American man; in 1813, he attended to John Bell, who lived in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Cradock further noted if the patient was a slave and the name of his or her owner. He would also administer care on behalf of corporate entities, such as Powhatan Factory, which apparently refused him payment. He also sometimes included a diagnosis: in the cases of a Mr. Rowles and Mrs. Violet West, he administered unspecified medicines for gonorrhea at a cost of ten dollars. Commonly prescribed drugs included emetics, cathartics, and anodynes. Cradock also provided smallpox vaccination for his patients. He accepted both cash and payment-in-kind. Tipped into the first volume is an envelope containing a letter from the Medical and Chirurgical Faculty of Maryland to Mrs. Thomas Craddock in 1899 requesting a loan of portrait of Dr. Thomas Craddock [sic]. The three volumes also each contain an index to patient names.

The business case development process in the delivery of NHS infrastructure

There is a lack of knowledge base in relation to experiences gained and lessons learnt from previously executed National Health Service (NHS) infrastructure projects in the UK. This is in part a feature of one-off construction projects, which typify healthcare infrastructure, and in part due to the absence of a suitable method for conveying such information. The complexity of infrastructure delivery process in the NHS makes the construction of healthcare buildings a formidable task. This is particularly the case for the NHS trusts who have little or no experience of construction projects. To facilitate understanding a most important aspect of the delivery process, which is the preparation of a capital investment proposal; steps taken in developing the business case for an NHS healthcare facility are examined. The context for such examination is provided by the planning process of a healthcare project, studied retrospectively. The process is analysed using a social science based method called ‘building stories’, developed at the University of California-Berkeley. By applying this method, stories or narratives are constructed around the data captured on the case study. The findings indicate that the business case process may be used to justify, rather than identify, trusts’ requirements. The study is useful for UK public sector clients as well as consultants and professionals who aim to participate in the delivery of healthcare infrastructure projects in the UK.

Self-reported access to and quality of healthcare for diabetes : Do the severely obese experience equal access?

Background: Given reported pejorative views that health professionals have about patients who are severely obese, we examined the self-reported views of the quality and availability of diabetes care from the perspective of adults with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), stratified by body mass index (BMI). Methods: 1795 respondents to the Diabetes MILES - Australia national survey had T2DM. Of these, 530 (30%) were severely obese (BMI ≥35 kg/m2) and these participants were matched with 530 controls (BMI <35 kg/m2). Data regarding participants' self-reported interactions with health practitioners and services were compared. Results: Over 70% of participants reported that their general practitioner was the professional they relied on most for diabetes care. There were no betweengroup differences in patient-reported availability of health services, quality of interaction with health practitioners, resources and support for selfmanagement, or access to almost all diabetes services. Discussion: Participants who were severely obese did not generally report greater difficulty in accessing diabetes care.

Account book of David Townsend, 1774-1791

Account book kept by Dr. David Townsend (1753-1829) that records patients treated, illnesses, and fees charged in Boston, Massachusetts, and neighboring towns from 1774 to 1791. His patients included a number of soldiers and sailors, as well as figures like the French-American writer John Hector St. John (1735-1813). Townsend's treatments typically consisted of delivering cathartics or emetics. For the family of Samuel Appleton, Townsend administered smallpox inoculation in 1776, charging him 4 pounds, 4 shillings. Townsend sometimes recorded the occupation or race of the patient. For example, he attended the delivery of a child of Sappho Henshaw, "black girl," in 1786; in 1787 he attended to an unnamed "black man at [who lived at the] corner of Board Alley" in the North End of Boston. Other patients included John Hancock (1736-1793) and members of Hancock's household, as well as Federalist publisher John Fenno (1751-1798).

Doctor Daniel Brigham's Book, 1789-1810 (inclusive)

Ledger maintained by Dr. Daniel Brigham (1760-1837) containing financial accounts for medical patients treated primarily in Northborough, Westborough, and Marlborough, Massachusetts from 1789 to 1837. The ledger details the charges for medical services and the corresponding payments, often made by payment-in-kind. Common charges included a shilling for a visit and administration of cathartics, emetics, or anodynes. Extraction of a tooth cost eight pence, and Brigham charged one woman nine shillings for delivering her son. A number of entries are obscured by pasted-in newspaper articles.

Sustainable me - a pharmacist’s role in reducing the carbon footprint of healthcare delivery

Introduction Climate change has been described as the most significant global health threat of the 21st century. Already, negative impacts on human health and wellbeing are being observed. These impacts present enormous challenges for the healthcare sector and the time has come for healthcare professionals to demonstrate leadership in addressing these challenges. Since any unsustainable organizational practices of healthcare organisations may ultimately have a negative impact on human health, there is an implicit moral obligation for these organisations and the people who work in them, to deliver healthcare more sustainably. If one considers that in 2010 pharmaceuticals comprised 22% of the carbon footprint of the NHS England (equating to 4.4 million tonnes of CO2 emissions) and 3% of England’s total carbon footprint (NHS Sustainable Development Unit, 2012), by reducing the carbon footprint of pharmaceuticals used in their healthcare organisations, pharmacists can have a significant impact on reducing the organisation’s total carbon footprint and ultimately on the public’s health. Aims The engagement of pharmacists with sustainability initiatives in the workplace has been largely unreported in international and national pharmacy journals. This paper aims to highlight the important role that pharmacists can play in helping to reduce the carbon footprint of healthcare delivery. Methods Literature was reviewed to identify areas where pharmacists could influence the more sustainable use of pharmaceuticals in their organisations. Discussion Much of the carbon footprint of pharmaceuticals is embedded carbon from their manufacture and delivery. Through efficient inventory management practices, pharmacists can reduce the number of orders and potentially reduce the number of deliveries required. Pharmacists can also help to reduce the amount of pharmaceutical waste generated. Of the waste that is generated, they can help improve the segregation of waste streams to increase the amount of non-contaminated packaging waste that is recycled and reduce the amount of pharmaceutical waste being incinerated or ending up in landfill. Reference NHS Sustainable Development Unit. (2012). Sustainability in the NHS Health Check 2012. NHS Sustainable Development Unit. Cambridge, UK: NHS Sustainable Devlopment Unit.

Statistical gazetteer of the state of Maryland, and the District of Columbia: giving a full and comprehensive review of the history, progress, present condition, commercial, railroad, manufacturing and industrial resources of every city and town in the state and district /

Col. map is frontispiece.

History of Harford County, Maryland, from 1608 (the year of Smith's expedition) to the close of the war of 1812,

Mode of access: Internet.

A sketch of the history of Maryland during the three first years after its settlement : to which is prefixed, a copious introduction /

Republished as v. 1 of the author's History of Maryland, Baltimore, 1837.

History of freemasonry in Maryland, of all the rites introduced into Maryland, from the earliest times to the present ...

Mode of access: Internet.

The environment of inpatient healthcare delivery and its influence on the outcome of care

Aim: This paper addresses issues arising in the literature regarding the environmental design of inpatient healthcare settings and their impact on care.

Background: Environmental design in healthcare settings is an important feature of the holistic delivery of healthcare. The environmental influence of the delivery of care is manifested by such things as lighting, proximity to bedside, technology, family involvement, and space. The need to respond rapidly in places such as emergency and intensive care can override space needs for family support. In some settings with aging buildings, the available space is no longer appropriate to the needs—for example, the need for privacy in emergency departments. Many aspects of care have changed over the last three decades and the environment of care appears not to have been adapted to contemporary healthcare requirements nor involved consumers in ascertaining environmental requirements. The issues found in the literature are addressed under five themes: the design of physical space, family needs, privacy considerations, the impact of technology, and patient safety.

Conclusion: There is a need for greater input into the design of healthcare spaces from those who use them, to incorporate dignified and expedient care delivery in the care of the person and to meet the needs of family.