Knowledge, perceptions, attitudes and willingness to report to work in an earthquake: A pilot study comparing Canadian versus Israeli hospital nursing staff.

Background: Health practitioners are expected to respond effectively to an earthquake event and provide lifesaving treatment to an influx of casualties. Understanding the factors that may influence nurses' willingness to report (WTR) in different social contexts and preparedness approaches is crucial for improving preparedness of medical facilities.

Methods: A questionnaire based on a previously validated methodology was used to assess demographic characteristics, knowledge, perceptions, attitudes and WTR of nurses after an earthquake.

False positive rate of rapid oral fluid HIV tests increases as kits near expiration date.

Background: Because a recent cluster of false positive results on the OraQuick ADVANCE Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Test occurred in San Francisco on test kits close to their expiration date, we decided to assess the relationship between time to expiration and rate of false positive results from tests used with oral fluid.

Methodology/principal Findings: We analyzed results of 20,904 tests with either an initial HIV-negative result (n = 20,828) or a preliminary positive result that was then negative on confirmatory tests (n = 76). We computed specificity for kits with time to expiration from < or = 1 to > or = 6 months, with exact binomial confidence intervals, then used logistic regression to estimate the independent association of time to expiration with false positive results, adjusting for site and technician effects.