How much do consumers consider sustainability when purchasing a toothbrush? A discrete choice experiment

Introduction A recent resurgence of sustainability in healthcare has resulted in huge progress towards more 'eco-aware' products and their incorporation into everyday life, with home oral hygiene products being not far behind. However, it is unclear which components of sustainability consumers value or how much they are willing to pay for these.Aim To use a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to evaluate preferences for attributes such as recyclable handle materials and recyclable packaging of low-cost disposable manual toothbrushes, along with the willingness to pay (WTP) for said attributes.Methods Design and implementation of the DCE were informed by best practice guidelines. A multi-method approach was used for attribute identification and refinement. Participants were recruited through an online survey platform. Conditional logistic regression model was used to estimate participant preferences for the attributes. WTP for attributes was estimated using the ratio of the coefficient of a given attribute level to the product cost coefficient.Results A total of 326 participants took part in the survey, of which 169 were women (52%). The median age was 35 years of age. The three most influential attributes were: bamboo handles (= 0.486 and WTP = £4.85 [€5.79]), recyclable plastic handles (= 0.338, WTP = £3.37 [€4.02]) and recyclable packaging (= 0.191,WTP = £2.32 [€2.77]).Conclusion Sustainable attributes dominated consumer preference when considering the purchase of a manual disposable toothbrush. This could perhaps be due to new environmental initiatives from influential oral hygiene companies or activism.

Acceleration of ice loss across the Himalayas over the past 40 years

Himalayan glaciers supply meltwater to densely populated catchments in South Asia, and regional observations of glacier change over multiple decades are needed to understand climate drivers and assess resulting impacts on glacier-fed rivers. Here, we quantify changes in ice thickness during the intervals 1975-2000 and 2000-2016 across the Himalayas, using a set of digital elevation models derived from cold war-era spy satellite film and modern stereo satellite imagery. We observe consistent ice loss along the entire 2000-km transect for both intervals and find a doubling of the average loss rate during 2000-2016 [-0.43 ± 0.14 m w.e. year^-1 (meters of water equivalent per year)] compared to 1975-2000 (-0.22 ± 0.13 m w.e. year^-1). The similar magnitude and acceleration of ice loss across the Himalayas suggests a regionally coherent climate forcing, consistent with atmospheric warming and associated energy fluxes as the dominant drivers of glacier change.

A 4-arm randomized controlled pilot trial of innovative solutions for jugular central venous access device securement in 221 cardiac surgical patients

PURPOSE

To improve jugular central venous access device (CVAD) securement, prevent CVAD failure (composite: dislodgement, occlusion, breakage, local or bloodstream infection), and assess subsequent trial feasibility.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Study design was a 4-arm, parallel, randomized, controlled, nonblinded, pilot trial. Patients received CVAD securement with (i) suture+bordered polyurethane (suture + BPU; control), (ii) suture+absorbent dressing (suture + AD), (iii) sutureless securement device+simple polyurethane (SSD+SPU), or (iv) tissue adhesive+simple polyurethane (TA+SPU). Midtrial, due to safety, the TA+SPU intervention was replaced with a suture + TA+SPU group.

RESULTS

A total of 221 patients were randomized with 2 postrandomization exclusions. Central venous access device failure was as follows: suture + BPU controls, 2 (4%) of 55 (0.52/1000 hours); suture + AD, 1 (2%) of 56 (0.26/1000 hours, P=.560); SSD+SPU, 4 (7%) of 55 (1.04/1000 hours, P=.417); TA+SPU, 4 (17%) of 23 (2.53/1000 hours, P=.049); and suture + TA+SPU, 0 (0%) of 30 (P=.263; intention-to-treat, log-rank tests). Central venous access device failure was predicted (P<.05) by baseline poor/fair skin integrity (hazard ratio, 9.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.2-79.9) or impaired mental state at CVAD removal (hazard ratio, 14.2; 95% confidence interval, 3.0-68.4).

CONCLUSIONS

Jugular CVAD securement is challenging in postcardiac surgical patients who are coagulopathic and mobilized early. TA+SPU was ineffective for CVAD securement and is not recommended. Suture + TA+SPU appeared promising, with zero CVAD failure observed. Future trials should resolve uncertainty about the comparative effect of suture + TA+SPU, suture + AD, and SSD+SPU vs suture + BPU.

Nursing team leader handover in the intensive care unit contains diverse and inconsistent content: An observational study

BACKGROUND

Despite a proliferation of evidence and the development of standardised tools to improve communication at handover, evidence to guide the handover of critical patient information between nursing team leaders in the intensive care unit is limited.

OBJECTIVE

The study aim was to determine the content of information handed over during intensive care nursing team leader shift-to-shift handover.

DESIGN

A prospective observational study.

SETTING

A 21-bed medical/surgical adult intensive care unit specialising in cardiothoracic surgery at a tertiary referral hospital in Queensland, Australia.

PARTICIPANTS

Senior nurses (Grade 5 and 6 Registered nurses) working in team leader roles, employed in the intensive care unit were sampled.

METHOD

After obtaining consent from nursing staff, team leader handovers were audiotaped over 20 days. Audio recordings were transcribed and analysed using deductive and inductive content analysis. The frequency of content discussed at handover that fell within the a priori categories of the ISBAR schema (Identify-Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation) was calculated.

RESULTS

Forty nursing team leader handovers were recorded resulting in 277 patient handovers and a median of 7 (IQR 2) patients discussed at each handover. The majority of nurses discussed the Identity (99%), Situation (96%) and Background (88%) of the patient, however Assessment (69%) content was varied and patient Recommendations (60%) were discussed less frequently. A diverse range of additional information was discussed that did not fit into the ISBAR schema.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite universal acknowledgement of the importance of nursing team leader handover, there are no previous studies assessing its content. Study findings indicate that nursing team leader handovers contain diverse and inconsistent content, which could lead to inadequate handovers that compromise patient safety. Further work is required to develop structured handover processes for nursing team leader handovers.

Increased sedation requirements in patients receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for respiratory and cardiorespiratory failure

Critically ill patients receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) are often noted to have increased sedation requirements. However, data related to sedation in this complex group of patients is limited. The aim of our study was to characterise the sedation requirements in adult patients receiving ECMO for cardiorespiratory failure. A retrospective chart review was performed to collect sedation data for 30 consecutive patients who received venovenous or venoarterial ECMO between April 2009 and March 2011. To test for a difference in doses over time we used a regression model. The dose of midazolam received on ECMO support increased by an average of 18 mg per day (95% confidence interval 8, 29 mg, P=0.001), while the dose of morphine increased by 29 mg per day (95% confidence interval 4, 53 mg, P=0.021) The venovenous group received a daily midazolam dose that was 157 mg higher than the venoarterial group (95% confidence interval 53, 261 mg, P=0.005). We did not observe any significant increase in fentanyl doses over time (95% confidence interval 1269, 4337 µg, P=0.94). There is a significant increase in dose requirement for morphine and midazolam during ECMO. Patients on venovenous ECMO received higher sedative doses as compared to patients on venoarterial ECMO. Future research should focus on mechanisms behind these changes and also identify drugs that are most suitable for sedation during ECMO.

Oxygen delivery through high-flow nasal cannulae increase end-expiratory lung volume and reduce respiratory rate in post-cardiac surgical patients

BACKGROUND

High-flow nasal cannulae (HFNCs) create positive oropharyngeal airway pressure, but it is unclear how their use affects lung volume. Electrical impedance tomography allows the assessment of changes in lung volume by measuring changes in lung impedance. Primary objectives were to investigate the effects of HFNC on airway pressure (P(aw)) and end-expiratory lung volume (EELV) and to identify any correlation between the two. Secondary objectives were to investigate the effects of HFNC on respiratory rate, dyspnoea, tidal volume, and oxygenation; and the interaction between BMI and EELV.

METHODS

Twenty patients prescribed HFNC post-cardiac surgery were investigated. Impedance measures, P(aw), ratio, respiratory rate, and modified Borg scores were recorded first on low-flow oxygen and then on HFNC.

RESULTS

A strong and significant correlation existed between P(aw) and end-expiratory lung impedance (EELI) (r=0.7, P<0.001). Compared with low-flow oxygen, HFNC significantly increased EELI by 25.6% [95% confidence interval (CI) 24.3, 26.9] and P(aw) by 3.0 cm H(2)O (95% CI 2.4, 3.7). Respiratory rate reduced by 3.4 bpm (95% CI 1.7, 5.2) with HFNC use, tidal impedance variation increased by 10.5% (95% CI 6.1, 18.3), and ratio improved by 30.6 mm Hg (95% CI 17.9, 43.3). A trend towards HFNC improving subjective dyspnoea scoring (P=0.023) was found. Increases in EELI were significantly influenced by BMI, with larger increases associated with higher BMIs (P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that HFNCs reduce respiratory rate and improve oxygenation by increasing both EELV and tidal volume and are most beneficial in patients with higher BMIs.

The Utility of Procalcitonin in Diagnosis of H1N1 Influenza in Intensive Care Patients

Procalcitonin (PCT) has been reported to differentiate between bacterial and viral causes of respiratory tract infections. We aimed to assess its ability to discriminate between viral and bacterial infection during the H1N1 pandemic of 2009. The design of this study was a retrospective single centre case series review. Subjects were 17 adult patients admitted to the intensive care unit with suspected or confirmed isolated H1N1 influenza infection, from whom a PCT level was assessed within 24 hours of admission. All patients were admitted during the H1N1 pandemic in Queensland from 6 July 2009 to 2 August 2009.

The relationship between PCT levels and H1N1 status was measured by a Wilcoxon rank sum test. Patients were proven to have isolated H1N1 infection as judged by Polymerase Chain Reaction, with no bacterial super-infection. Of this number, 37% had a PCT <1 μg/l, and 63% of patients had an indeterminate PCT between 1 and 10 μg/l.

The demographics of all 17 patients were mean age 48.2 years (SD 13.6 years); 59% female; mean Acute Physiological and Chronic Health Evaluation II score 20.3 (SD 5.8); mean intensive care unit 477.5 hours (SD 330.0 hours); 82% of cases required mechanical ventilation; 24% of cases required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and 94% of cases were alive at intensive care unit discharge.

PCT was neither sensitive nor specific in determining isolated H1N1 infection in this series of patients. The use of PCT to assist in isolation triage of patients suspected of infection with H1N1 influenza in the intensive care unit should be made with caution. A larger study may be required.