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Showing results for tags 'School / university'.
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Content Article
Letter from America: “We got trouble my friends”
lzipperer posted an article in Letter from America
Meredith Wilson’s “The Music Man” is an American musical set in 1900’s River City Iowa. First seen on Broadway and then as a 1960s film, the story rests on hope that arrives in town on the shoulders of a con man, Harold Hill. There are lots of themes we could track from this story into our times today – but one scene in particular is on point for this month’s letter. Hill distributes music and instruments to his students with instructions to practice on their own and they come together to play for the town. Let’s just say it doesn’t go so well. Although committed to the goal, the kids can’t play the music without solid instruction, synchronised development, collective practice and effective leadership. A band needs to follow the same score of the same tune in order to MAKE music that works. The COVID response in the US seems to have put patients, the public and clinicians in a situation similar to that of the River City kids. States, schools and cities seem to be playing from different arrangements of the same tune resulting in a lack of coordination and consistency across the country. The result is not just noise but profound failure. Ed Yong in The Atlantic summarises the systemic discord that has contributed to an estimated 183,000 deaths in the US. He highlights how despite ample warnings the country was unprepared for a pandemic, and suggests it remains unprepared for the next one. Weaknesses in leadership, testing, state policies, data capture and dissemination, public health infrastructure and information inaccuracies set the stage for the spread of COVID. Lack of respect for science, ingrained bias against people of colour and an ineffective health system perpetuated much of what could have been prevented. The situation Yong describes in his article has led the USA to a patchwork response to the pandemic. Across the country a variety of populations are being put at risk. For example, students and teachers at colleges and universities are having to navigate their way through the crisis – sorting through local concerns and statistics to devise a course that will serve their communities best while serving a mobile population of students who come from home to learn while potentially carrying or picking up the virus to take home or to their dorms. As examined in Kaiser Health News students arriving for classes are experiencing varying approaches to testing, hybrid online/in person class models and stay-at-home and masking orders. And should students become ill, universities may not be well equipped to keep those patients safe. Strategies to address these problems from politicians, researchers and healthcare abound. There is a recognised need of a national policy that aligns efforts to manage the COVID situation. As noted in USA Today, countries that have had relative success in managing the virus, such as Germany and Denmark, have a collective approach to address the problem they have committed to. The article compares international responses to those of the US to illustrate gaps and highlight areas where coordination and collaboration are desperately needed to move the country’s effort forward. Healthcare seems particularly suited to offer suggestions for improving the situation. The American Association of Medical Colleges recently published a guidance to set a direction for a safer future. The Way Forward on COVID-19: A Road Map to Reset the Nation’s Approach to the Pandemic outlines 11 recommendations to support and motivate the nation to adopt a systemic, collective plan to reset the country. Informed by expert insights from a variety of fields, the document shares actionable suggestions on topics such as testing improvement, national standards on face coverings and other safety protocols, and vaccine deployment planning. Suggestions include undertaking research to determine efficacy of face coverings to reduce transmission of COVID-19, distribution data to compare the impact of school reopening and designing a government-funded vaccine distribution and use process that involves a wide range of providers. The Music Man ends with a rousing performance of “76 Trombones.” The kids in the band follow a course toward success, resplendent in full uniform, high stepping and proud, seamlessly working together. The families and townsfolk people beam with accomplishment and join in on the celebration of collective achievement. When will we be ready to take up our instruments and perform cohesively together with no one left behind due to having a different COVID-19 score? -
Content Article
As college students return, a crisis in campus care awaits
lzipperer posted an article in Coronavirus (COVID-19)
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Content Article
Prevention of Future Deaths report: Karanbir Cheema
PatientSafetyLearning Team posted an article in Coroner reports
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Content Article
Time to Change: Our guide to asking twice
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Mental health
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Content ArticleThis guideline includes recommendations on: hand decontamination use of personal protective equipment safe use and disposal of sharps waste disposal long-term urinary catheters enteral feeding vascular access devices. Who is it for? commissioners and providers healthcare professionals working in primary and community care settings, including ambulance services, schools and prisons children, young people and adults receiving healthcare for which standard infection-control precautions apply in primary and community care, and their families and carers.
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News Article
Fall in school nurses prompts fears that children’s lives are ‘at risk’
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The number of nurses in schools has fallen in recent years, prompting fears that pupils’ lives are being put “at risk”. Teaching assistants are being asked to carry out medical interventions, such as injections, without adequate training or support, the GMB union, which represents school staff, has said. Data, obtained by the GMB union through a Freedom of Information request, shows the number of school nurses has fallen by 11 per cent in four years – from 472 in 2015 to 420 in 2018. Karen Leonard, National Schools Officer at the GMB union, said: “The uncomfortable truth is that in too many schools children are not getting the medical support they need.” Ms Leonard added: “School staff should not administer medicine unless they feel fully confident in their training and lines of accountability, but often they are placed in uncomfortable situations." “This is a highly stressful state of affairs for children, parents, and staff, who fear they will be blamed if something goes wrong. It is not alarmist to say that lives are at risk.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 23 February 2020
