Stress among nurses working in an acute hospital in Ireland.

Stress among nurses leads to absenteeism, reduced efficiency, long-term health problems and a decrease in the quality of patient care delivered. A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted. The study's aim was to identify perceived stressors and influencing factors among nurses working in the critical and non-critical care practice areas.

A national survey (NAP5-Ireland baseline) to estimate an annual incidence of accidental awareness during general anaesthesia in Ireland.

As part of the 5th National Audit Project of the Royal College of Anaesthetists and the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland concerning accidental awareness during general anaesthesia, we issued a questionnaire to every consultant anaesthetist in each of 46 public hospitals in Ireland, represented by 41 local co-ordinators. The survey ascertained the number of new cases of accidental awareness becoming known to them for patients under their care or supervision for a calendar year, as well as their career experience. Consultants from all hospitals responded, with an individual response rate of 87% (299 anaesthetists).

Who operates when, where and on whom? A survey of anaesthetic-surgical activity in Ireland as denominator of NAP5.

The second phase of the 5th National Audit Project of the Royal College of Anaesthetists and the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland, concerning accidental awareness during general anaesthesia, consisted of a survey of anaesthetic activity in Ireland. A network of consultant anaesthetists co-ordinated data collection from the anaesthetic departments of 46 public and 20 independent hospitals over seven days. Data on patients' characteristics, anaesthetic techniques, staffing, and admission and discharge arrangements were collected on all cases for which anaesthetic care (general, regional or local anaesthesia, sedation or monitored anaesthesia care) was provided.

Epigastric pain…it's not always alcohol! An unusual presentation of caecal intussusception.

Our patient is a 19-year-old man who presented to the emergency department after consuming 50-60 units of alcohol over a weekend. He presented with a 2-day history of right-upper quadrant (RUQ) and epigastric pain radiating to the back. On examination he was haemodynamically stable.

The 'general check-up' in the asymptomatic adult—a study of GPs in the North West of Ireland.

Background: The asymptomatic general check-up (AGCU) is a common consultation in primary care. Detractors of the AGCU cite a lack of evidence and the harm of over-investigation. Proponents cite the opportunity for the GP to engage in health promotion and explore hidden concerns of the patient.

Adult-trained perioperative nurses' practice of family-centered care.

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore adult-trained perioperative nurses' practice of family-centered care (FCC).

Method: A qualitative research design with a hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used. In-depth interviews were conducted with six adult-trained perioperative nurses.

Laboratory test costs: attitudes and awareness among staff in a regional hospital.

There continues to be an unrelenting rise in the volumes of laboratory tests ordered in medicine, which is both expensive and has the potential for over-investigation. We performed a quantitative, observational, cross-sectional study of staff with the authority to initiate a laboratory test, using a voluntary, anonymous questionnaire. Our aim was to assess the awareness of and attitudes towards laboratory test costs.

Excellent postoperative analgesia with the addition of hyaluronidase to lignocaine for subcostal TAP block used in conjunction with systemic analgesia for laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Subcostal transversus abdominis plane (TAP) blocks provide good postoperative analgesia for laparoscopic cholecystectomies. We hypothesised that adding hyaluronidase may improve the efficacy of this technique by increasing spread of the local anaesthetic (LA). In this case, we performed a bilateral ultrasound-guided subcostal TAP block using lignocaine (40 mL 1%) with hyaluronidase (75 IU/mL) for postoperative analgesia following elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Evaluation of imaging quality of pulmonary 64-MDCT angiography in pregnancy and puerperium.

Objective: The aim of this study was to quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate pulmonary 64-MDCT angiography image quality in pregnancy and puerperium, compared with female nonpregnant control subjects.

Materials And Methods: The study group comprised 124 consecutive pregnant and postpartum women and 124 female nonpregnant control subjects who presented with suspected pulmonary embolism. The individual studies were evaluated for subjective and objective diagnostic quality.