Associations between nurse-to-patient ratio, nurse educational level, and nurse-sensitive patient outcomes: A 12-month prospective observational study.

Aim: To investigate the associations between nurse staffing levels, nurse educational level, and nurse-sensitive patient outcomes among patients in medical and surgical wards.

Background: Patient outcomes are affected by a variety of factors, including nurse staffing and registered nurse (RN) educational levels. An examination of the associations between these factors and patient outcomes will help identify the impact that nurses make on patient care, including health and safety.

Molecular detection of respiratory pathogens and typing of human rhinovirus of adults hospitalized for exacerbation of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Background: Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) and asthma are associated with a variety of precipitating factors including infection. This study assessed the infective viral etiologies by real-time multiplex polymerase chain reaction of patients hospitalized with AECOPD and asthma exacerbations. In addition, infective etiologies were assessed for association with the clinical outcome of the patients.

Exploring Hidden In-Hospital Fall Clusters from Incident Reports Using Text Analytics.

Retrospective analysing of fall incident reports can uncover hidden information, identify potential risk factors, and improve healthcare quality. This study explores potential fall incident clusters using word embeddings and hierarchical clustering. Fall incident reports from 7 local hospitals in Hong Kong were catalogued into 5 potential clusters with significantly different fall severity, gender, reporting department, and keywords.

Management and attitudes toward patients with epilepsy in general practice: How far have we come in three decades?

Background: Previous surveys of Australian primary care physicians' attitudes regarding epilepsy and persons with epilepsy (PWE), conducted 20-30 years ago, identified the need for further education in epilepsy care for frontline clinicians. This follow-up study of general practitioners (GPs) in Sydney was conducted to determine the degree of changes in knowledge, attitudes, and management of PWE, with the purpose of evaluating if there had been significant improvement during this period.

Methods: A questionnaire, evaluating various aspects of epilepsy care, including investigations, preferred healthcare provider (HCP), and attitudes toward epilepsy was developed, largely based on the previous work, piloted, and completed by a representative sample of Sydney GPs.

Frequent Genetic Mismatch between Vaccine Strains and Circulating Seasonal Influenza Viruses, Hong Kong, China, 1996-2012.

The World Health Organization selects influenza vaccine compositions biannually to cater to peaks in temperate regions. In tropical and subtropical regions, where influenza seasonality varies and epidemics can occur year-round, the choice of vaccine remains uncertain. Our 17-year molecular epidemiologic survey showed that most influenza A(H3N2) (9/11) and B (6/7) vaccine strains had circulated in East Asia >1 year before inclusion into vaccines.

Temporal prediction of in-hospital falls using tensor factorisation.

In-hospital fall incidence is a critical indicator of healthcare outcome. Predictive models for fall incidents could facilitate optimal resource planning and allocation for healthcare providers. In this paper, we proposed a tensor factorisation-based framework to capture the latent features for fall incidents prediction over time.

Clinical features and seasonality of parechovirus infection in an Asian subtropical city, Hong Kong.

Background: The epidemiology of human parechovirus (HPeV) in Asia remains obscure. We elucidated the prevalence, seasonality, type distribution and clinical presentation of HPeV among children in Hong Kong.

Methods: A 24-month prospective study to detect HPeV in children ≤36 months hospitalized for acute viral illnesses.

Anti-inflammatory effects of adjunctive macrolide treatment in adults hospitalized with influenza: A randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: - Macrolides can ameliorate inflammation in respiratory diseases, providing clinical benefits. Data in influenza is lacking.

Method: - A randomized, open-label, multicenter trial among adults hospitalized for laboratory-confirmed influenza was conducted.

School-based surveillance for influenza vaccine effectiveness during 2014-2015 seasons in Hong Kong.

Background: Influenza imposes substantial healthcare burden in children, which can be prevented by vaccination. Influenza vaccination coverage varies widely among childhood populations worldwide, which has significant impact on herd immunity and usefulness of influenza vaccine. However, there are limited real-life data on influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) in children.

A longitudinal examination of the association between nurse staffing levels, the practice environment and nurse-sensitive patient outcomes in hospitals.

Background: The level of patient safety and outcomes accomplished depends on the quality of care provided. Previous studies found that nurse-to-patient ratio, practice environment, and nursing education were significant predictors of patient outcomes. However, the outcomes measured in previous studies were mainly inpatient mortality and failure-to-rescue rates.

Identifying the Manipulative Mating Methods Associated With Psychopathic Traits and BPD Features.

Psychopathy and borderline personality disorder (BPD) traits are associated with coercion and manipulation within relationships. The authors investigated whether BPD traits were uniquely associated with manipulation for emotional closeness whereas psychopathy was used for the purpose of attaining physical closeness. A community sample (N = 164) reported on mating behaviors, psychopathic traits, and BPD traits.

Virus Genotype Distribution and Virus Burden in Children and Adults Hospitalized for Norovirus Gastroenteritis, 2012-2014, Hong Kong.

We conducted a 2-year hospital-based study on norovirus gastroenteritis among children and adults between August 2012 and September 2014. A total of 1,146 norovirus cases were identified. Young children (aged ≤ 5 years) accounted for a majority (53.

Characteristics of patients infected with norovirus GII.4 Sydney 2012, Hong Kong, China.

Norovirus GII.4 Sydney 2012 has spread globally since late 2012. We report hospitalization of patients infected with this strain skewed toward infants and young children among 174 cases during August 2012-July 2013 in Hong Kong, China.

Single and double stereoselective fluorination of (E)-allylsilanes.

Acyclic allylic monofluorides were prepared by electrophilic fluorination of branched (E)-allylsilanes with Selectfluor. These reactions proceeded with efficient transfer of chirality from the silylated to the fluorinated stereocentre. Upon double fluorination, an unsymmetrical ethyl syn-2,5-difluoroalk-3-enoic ester was prepared, the silyl group acting as an anti stereodirecting group for the two C-F bond forming events.