Computer simulations showing how patients and staff move around inside hospitals are helping civil engineers make modifications to help control the transmission of COVID-19. Similar visualisations could also help schools, offices and care homes lower the risk of infection spread, not just from COVID-19, but from other contagions like Ebola and future viruses. Brunel University […]
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Maintaining a high negative pressure in airborne infection isolation rooms of hospitals (over -10 Pa) and in renovation sites (over -5 Pa) effectively limits the dispersion of airborne contaminants and dust, a new study from the University of Eastern Finland shows. Inhaled airborne particles at work can cause adverse health effects, and this is why […]
In nursing there are many ways of saying goodbye when the therapeutic relationship ends. Some patients bid a cheery goodbye, cherishing their restored health, even prematurely self-discharging; for others, adieu is agony since it is a wrench to leave the ward routine and regain independence. Sometimes the farewell feels forced in the face of escalating […]
What’s the ideal gift to bring someone who is in hospital? Hospitals can be very tedious places for patients and a visit from family or friends bearing a small gift can brighten anyone’s hospital stay. However many people struggle to think of an appropriate present. It’s best to keep in mind that some traditional gifts, […]
Every day we hear more horrifying stories of people lying on trolleys in A&E for hours at a time, whilst waiting to be treated. We are told of ambulances taking forever to get to casualties and the elderly unable to be discharged from hospital because of a total breakdown in community and social care. But […]
In my opinion, the days of big clunky hospitals filling thousands of beds will soon be a relic of the past. Digital technology, telemedicine and concierge services, where people can access personalised medical care, will be much more efficient as well as more comfortable for patients. Concierge services so do not have to be super […]
This is not going to discuss Art Therapy – the medicine of the creative process in art – one of several medicines to create peace in the patient’s mind. But rather how two or three-dimensional artistic images encourage reflection – we meditate on them and “listen” to what they have to tell us. It is […]
Bedlam: The Asylum and Beyond at the Wellcome Collection Rebecca Wallersteiner explores ‘Bedlam’ and the rise and fall of the asylum, a new exhibition opening at the Wellcome Collection on 15th September From 15th September, the Wellcome Collection, in London, will open its doors to Bedlam: the asylum and beyond an exhibition tracing the rise […]
Adrift and deserted, the disappearance of the crew from the Mary Celeste remains a mystery. Walking onto a hospital ward today, you might also notice a distinct lack of trained staff, especially nurses. Buzzers unanswered, monitors beeping, patients calling out in pain; I have observed doctors being asked for blankets and bedpans. The Institute for […]
I am a hospital doctor who is thinking about leaving the profession I love. It is not because I doubt my calling, or because I am not competent. I have received many accolades over the course of my career and have an outstanding record of excellent outcomes and high patient satisfaction. But for every 99 cases I take on, […]