Novel Skin Prep Technique Reduces OR Preparation Times in a Randomized Trial for Podiatric and Orthopedic Procedures.

The primary objectives of any high-volume surgery department should be patient safety, block time utilization and operating room efficiency. Reducing preparation time in the OR prior to actual surgery can improve operating room efficiency and utilization, but only if patient safety can be maintained. With this goal, this study evaluated a novel skin preparation technique using a device named ULTRAPREP™, a sterile, medical-grade plastic bag that is applied to the upper or lower extremity in the pre-operative holding area which allows for skin disinfection outside the OR (referred to as "disinfection bag").

Community Paramedics' Perception of Frequent ED Users and the Community Paramedicine Program: A Mixed-Methods Study.

Community paramedicine (CP) model of care integrates existing emergency medical service (EMS) resources with primary care, public health, social services and community engagement. However, published studies about CP programs in the U.S.

Drivers׳ merging behavior data in highway work zones.

There have been growing research interests in finding a suitable work zone layout to improve work zone safety and traffic efficiency. This paper contains data supporting the research article entitled: Effects of work zone configurations and traffic density on performance variables and subjective workload (Shakouri et al., 2014 [1]).

Effects of work zone configurations and traffic density on performance variables and subjective workload.

This paper investigates the effect of changing work zone configurations and traffic density on performance variables and subjective workload. Data regarding travel time, average speed, maximum percent braking force and location of lane changes were collected by using a full size driving simulator. The NASA-TLX was used to measure self-reported workload ratings during the driving task.

Making safety an integral part of 5S in healthcare.

Background: Healthcare faces major challenges with provider safety and rising costs, and many organizations are using Lean to instigate change. One Lean tool, 5S, is becoming popular for improving efficiency of physical work environments, and it can also improve safety.

Objective: This paper demonstrates that safety is an integral part of 5S by examining five specific 5S events in acute care facilities.

Neck disorders among construction workers: understanding the physical loads on the cervical spine during static lifting tasks.

In this study a common yet very strenuous construction work activity, was evaluated biomechanically by studying electromyography (EMG) of the major neck muscles. The muscles studied were the sternocleidomastoid and the upper trapezius. Fifteen healthy participants (10 males and 5 females) with no history of musculoskeletal abnormalities participated in this study.

Experimental manipulation of psychosocial exposure and questionnaire sensitivity in a simulated manufacturing setting.

Purpose: The objectives of this study were to determine the efficacy of experimental manipulations of psychosocial exposures and to evaluate the sensitivity of a psychosocial questionnaire by determining the factors perceived.

Methods: A 50-item questionnaire was developed from the job content questionnaire (JCQ) and the quality of worklife survey (QWL). The experiment involved simulated work at different physical and psychosocial levels.