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Clearly not in terms of the worldwide stage but perhaps from the UK and Wales perspective, to quote Churchill, “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” As an ex-military man, I am struck by where we are currently but also as I write on this Remembrance Day I am reminded this 11th November is also the 100th anniversary of the return of the Unknown Warrior to Westminster Abbey, so perhaps military quotes are in order. I also wonder … Read the rest
Urine triggers
One of my lab scientists highlighted how a few years ago, when working in a smaller laboratory at a time when they were severely short staffed, they had to take the urgent decision to stop testing any urine sample that came into the laboratory without any clinical details.
There was a two fold effect: the absolute numbers of urine samples arriving in the laboratory, prior to any being rejected for lack of clinical information reduced and secondly, the clinical information on those samples arriving improved dramatically.
Some time later, the staffing situation improved and the lab felt able to stop … Read the rest
Care home conference
I always welcome the opportunity to visit the National Botanic Garden of Wales so was delighted to be invited to discuss how the Hywel Dda’s paradigm shift in thinking about the management of healthcare associated will support our local care homes.
The conference, “Working together to promote health, wellbeing and quality of life” was opened by Sarah Rochira, Older People’s Commissioner for Wales where she discussed elements of her care home review, “A place to call home?”
I was struck by her messages around the wellbeing agenda for older people in our community and what “good” looked like in those … Read the rest
Blood cultures: an important test
One of the most important microbiological investigations we undertake is the blood culture. This is because blood does not normally have bacteria swimming around in it and therefore unlike from non-sterile sites, we can view any organism from a blood culture as potentially serious.
That said, as with any test we undertake, the opportunity for a sample to become contaminated is ever present. This is just as true for blood culture because the sample is taken from a vein and access to the vein is via a needle through the skin. Skin is not sterile but is home to many … Read the rest
Should I worry about Healthcare Associated Infections?
This is a healthy question for any potential patient to ask of their medical advisors, particularly if they are about to go into hospital for some form of healthcare intervention, be it surgery or some other form of therapy. Every potential patient should be advised of all the risks they may face – that’s part of understanding and determining their decision to proceed with the advice of their physician.
The unhealthy question is much more the specific: “Should I be worried about MRSA or C diff?” It’s understandable that people ask about specific organisms but it is rather a failure … Read the rest