Differences in public support for handgun purchaser licensing

OBJECTIVE

To assess whether there are differences in support for handgun purchaser licensing.

METHODS

We used data from four waves of online, national polling on gun policy. To estimate differences in support for licensing across groups, we categorised respondents by whether they personally owned a gun, lived in a state with handgun purchaser licensing or lived in a state regulating private sales without a licensing system.

RESULTS

Eighty-four per cent of adults living in states with licensing supported the policy compared with 74% in states without the law (p<0.001). Seventy-seven per cent of gun owners living in states with licensing supported the policy vs 59% of gun owners in states without licensing (p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Support for licensing among gun owners living in states with these laws, many of whom have presumably gone through the process, was much higher than gun owners in states without such laws.

Developing a nursing managed central transportation service

Using computer simulation, a centralized transportation system was designed which resulted in 1) more time at the bedside for nurses and technicians, 2) fewer FTEs needed for transporting, 3) less waiting time for patients, and 4) better overall control of the transportation system.

Gastrointestinal complications in the post-cardiac transplant patient

Cardiac transplants have emerged as life-extending procedures for patients with diseased hearts. Their frequency has increased over the past decade. Evaluation of the clinical course of these patients has revealed trends toward development of gastrointestinal complications which involve the upper and lower gastrointestinal tracts as well as the accessory organs. This article will discuss the complications that have been seen in the post-cardiac transplant patient as reported at Saint Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta. A more detailed discussion of opportunistic infections caused by immunosuppression therapy will be presented since these are the major complications seen in this institution. This article will share this institution's practice in regard to caring for the cardiac transplant patient. Nursing implications relating to the GI endoscopy specialty will be included. Our experience has shown that although these complications are common, they may be managed effectively through early evaluation with attention to the special needs of the immunocompromised endoscopy candidate.