Improving weekend handover between junior doctors on medical and surgical wards.

Poor weekend handover has been implicated as one of the causes of observed higher mortality rates at weekends in UK hospitals. In a large teaching hospital we, a group of junior doctors, set about improving the quality and effectiveness of weekend handover. We used the Model for Improvement to implement a weekend handover sticker through an iterative process using multiple Plan/Do/Study/Act (PDSA) cycles.

Preventing violent conflict: a revised mandate for the public health professional?

Violent conflict disrupts livelihoods, healthcare systems, and food security, with dire public health consequences. My intention in this article is to conceptualise violent conflict as a public health hazard and delineate the strategies public health professionals might adopt to minimise that hazard. There is continued support among commentators for the role of the public health professional in addressing the underlying causes of conflict.

Public knowledge of the symptoms of myocardial infarction: a street survey in Birmingham, England.

Background: Myocardial infarction (MI) is a leading cause of death in the UK. A good clinical outcome depends on rapid treatment following the onset of symptoms. A person's knowledge of typical symptoms determines how quickly they present to the medical services.

Safety with access scaffolds: development of a prototype decision aid based on accident analysis.

Problem: Accidents involving temporary access systems, particularly temporary scaffolds, account for a large proportion of injuries in the construction industry worldwide.

Method: This paper outlines the development of a prototype decision aid (SCAFPASS, an abbreviation for Scaffold Planning Aid for System Safety) to promote access scaffold safety. It was guided by an examination of the root-causes and management deficiencies apparent in: (a) paper-based files of 186 access-related incidents held by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in the UK; and (b) computer-based files of 2,910 incidents appearing in the HSE database between 1997 to 2000.