Coronal mode ultrasound guided hemodialysis cannulation: A pilot randomized comparison with standard cannulation technique.

Background: Infiltrations from cannulation result in significant morbidity including loss of hemodialysis (HD) vascular access (VA). Cannulation is dependent on personnel skill and VA characteristics. Surface marking of VA lacks real-time information and traditional ultrasound (US) devices are large, expensive, requiring skilled operators.

Can follow-up phone calls improve patients self-monitoring of blood glucose?

Aims And Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of follow-up phone calls in improving frequency of glucose monitoring over a three month period in two groups of patients with type 2 diabetes with the goal to lower haemoglobin A1C.

Background: Telephone intervention has been successfully used in improving adherence to diabetes self-management and other chronic disease conditions.

Design: A quality improvement study.