Safety of a meningococcal group B vaccine used in response to two university outbreaks.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the safety of meningococcal group B (MenB)-4C vaccine. PARTICIPANTS: Undergraduates, dormitory residents, and persons with high-risk medical conditions received the MenB-4C vaccine two-dose series during mass vaccination clinics from 12/2013 through 11/2014. METHODS: Adverse events (AEs) were identified by 15 minutes of observation postvaccination, spontaneous reports, surveys, and hospital surveillance. Causality was assessed for serious adverse events (SAEs). RESULTS: 16,974 persons received 31,313 MenB-4C doses. The incidence of syncope during the 15-minutes post-dose 1 was 0.88/1000 persons. 2% of participants spontaneously reported an AE (most common were arm pain and fever). 3 SAEs were suspected of being caused by the vaccine, including one case of anaphylaxis. CONCLUSIONS: Most AEs reported were nonserious and consistent with previous clinical trial findings. Measures to prevent injury from syncope and to treat anaphylaxis should be available wherever vaccines are administered. Our safety evaluation supports the use of MenB-4C in response to outbreaks.

Anglo-American nursing theory, individualism and mental health care: a social conflict perspective.

This paper uses social conflict theory to reconsider the relationship of American nursing theory and individualised mental health care in the UK. It is argued that nursing theory has developed within a context of 'American dream' individualism, and that this ideology may be problematic for some UK mental health nurses and service users whose values and beliefs are those of different socio-political traditions. The paper explores the historical background of Anglo-American nursing theory, and then uses conflict theory to generate challenging propositions about the culture bias and political instrumentality of individualised care in mental health settings. In so doing, it critiques the 'scientific' and 'liberal' preconceptions of individualised care which have dominated mental health care policy for over a decade.

A sociological study of bed blocking in psychiatric rehabilitation units.

This study focuses on the reported problem of psychiatric patients who are 'bed-blocking' mental health rehabilitation units. It explores the concept of individualized care within psychiatric nursing and argues that this 'received view' is counterproductive for some client groups. Individualized care assumes a number of mainstream social values and beliefs that may conflict radically with the attitudes to life (ideologies) of some service users. These clients may resist normalisation, independence and individualism, preferring instead a more collective, pastoral and spiritual lifestyle. Clients and nurses may reject culture-biased care policy, using various strategies to neutralize individualized care in practice. In the absence of a coherent alternative, such action may lead to frustration, alienation and bed blocking. The study uses structured and unstructured interviews in two psychiatric units to examine this hypothesis.