Aim: Triage, or prioritisation, is a process used to assign patients to treatment categories for clinical management and to support the allocation of staffing resources. The literature is limited regarding dietetic triage processes, and evaluation of their validity and reliability. The aims of this study were to compare the dietetic triage guidelines used in a sample of Australian hospitals; acquire demographic information describing the dietetic department and its services; and obtain feedback from dietetic managers on the benefits/disadvantages of their triage guidelines. Methods: A questionnaire was developed to elicit demographic data and qualitative comments from a convenience sample of two hospitals in each Australian state and territory. Data collection occurred electronically and results were analysed qualitatively. Results: Ten responses were received (62.5% response rate). The number of inpatient beds at each hospital ranged from 180 to 980. Dietetic staffing ranged from 3.3 to 27.25 equivalent full-time positions. All participating hospitals had triage guidelines in use with prioritisation categories similar for inpatients but not outpatients. Validity and inter-rater reliability were poorly evaluated. Strengths and weaknesses identified by dietetic managers were consistent with those reported in other disciplines. Conclusions: Both consensus and lack of consistency within current dietetic triage practices were highlighted in this exploratory study. The lack of evaluation of validity and reliability shows a limited evidence base in this area of practice and these areas need to be addressed. Consideration should also be given to changes in priority and focus of dietetic practice which will impact on triage categories.
Context: Community-based first aid training is the collaborative development of locally relevant emergency response training. The Sachigo Lake Wilderness Emergency Response Education Initiative was developed, delivered, and evaluated through two intensive 5-day first aid courses. Sachigo Lake First Nation is a remote Aboriginal community of 450 people in northern Ontario, Canada, with no local paramedical services. These courses were developed in collaboration with the community, with a goal of building community capacity to respond to medical emergencies. Issue: Most first aid training programs rely on standardized curriculum developed for urban and rural contexts with established emergency response systems. Delivering effective community-based first aid training in a remote Aboriginal community required specific adaptations to conventional first aid educational content and pedagogy. Lessons learned: Three key lessons emerged during this program that used collaborative principles to adapt conventional first aid concepts and curriculum: (1) standardized approaches may not be relevant nor appropriate; (2) relationships between course
Recent cases of scurvy within health care have been reported internationally. One potential reason is vitamin C losses associated with food cooking methods. This review systematically synthesised the published literature to determine the extent that vitamin C in food is lost secondary to food cooking methods used in hospitals or care facilities. The review followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, and was prospectively registered in the Prospective Register for Systematic Reviews. Searches were run in three databases with no date restrictions, complemented by an internet search and reference checking. Search terms focused on the intervention and outcome. The final review included seven publications including longitudinal studies and comparison to reference standards. All studies identified vitamin C losses between preparation and service resulting from food cooking methods. Quality was rated as positive for four papers and neutral for the remainder of the included library.Effect of cooking methods on vitamin C E. Armstrong et al. 298
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