Vitamin D Synthesis Following a Single Bout of Sun Exposure in Older and Younger Men and Women.

Older adults are frequently cited as an at-risk population for vitamin D deficiency that may in part be due to decreased cutaneous synthesis, a potentially important source of cholecalciferol (vitamin D3). Previous studies found that cutaneous D3 production declines with age; however, most studies have been conducted ex vivo or in the photobiology lab. The purpose of this study was to characterize the response of vitamin D metabolites following a 30-min bout of sun exposure (15-min each to the dorsal and ventral sides) at close to solar noon in younger and older adults. METHODS: 30 healthy individuals with skin type II/III were recruited; a younger cohort, aged 20-37 (n = 18) and an older cohort (n = 12), age 51-69 years. Exposure was at outer limits of sensible sun exposure designed to enhance vitamin D synthesis without increasing risk of photo ageing and non-melanoma skin cancer. Serum D3 concentration was measured at baseline, 24, 48 and 72 h post-exposure. Serum 25(OH)D was measured at baseline and 72 h post-exposure plus 168 h post-exposure in the older cohort. RESULTS: D3 increased in response to sun exposure (time effect; p = 0.002) with a trend for a difference in D3 between cohorts (time*group; p = 0.09). By regression modeling of continuous data, age accounted for 20% of the variation in D3 production. D3 production decreased by 13% per decade. Despite changes in D3, however, serum 25(OH)D did not change from baseline to 72 or 168 h post exposure (p > 0.10). CONCLUSIONS: Serum D3 concentration increased significantly in response to outdoor sun exposure in younger and older adults. While ageing may dampen cutaneous synthesis, sunlight exposure is still a significant source of vitamin D3.

Reorganizing nursing work on surgical units: a time-and-motion study.

A time-and-motion study was conducted in response to perceptions that the surgical nursing staff at a Montreal hospital was spending an excessive amount of time on non-nursing care. A sample of 30 nurse shifts was observed by trained observers who timed nurses' activities for their entire working shift using a hand-held Personal Digital Assistant. Activities were grouped into four main categories: direct patient care, indirect patient care, non-nursing and personal activities. Break and meal times were excluded from the denominator of total worked hours. A total of 201 working hours were observed, an average of 6 hours, 42 minutes per nurse shift. The mean proportions of each nurse shift spent on the main activity categories were: direct care 32.8%, indirect care 55.7%, non-nursing tasks 9.0% and personal 2.5%. Three activities (communication among health professionals, medication verification/preparation and documentation) comprised 78.9% of indirect care time. Greater time on indirect care was associated with work on night shifts and on the short-stay surgical unit. Subsequent work reorganization focused on reducing time spent on communication and medications. The authors conclude that time-and-motion studies are a useful method of monitoring appropriate use of nursing staff, and may provide results that assist in restructuring nursing tasks.

Comparing rates of trial of labour attempts, VBAC success, and fetal and maternal complications among family physicians and obstetricians.

OBJECTIVES: To determine differences between family physicians and obstetricians in rates of trial of labour (TOL) attempt, vaginal birth after Caesarean section (VBAC) success, and maternal-fetal complications. METHODS: We undertook a database evaluation study in an urban Quebec secondary care hospital centre that serves a multiethnic population. Study subjects were pregnant women with at least one previous Caesarean section (CS), who delivered singletons at St. Mary's Hospital Center between January 1995 and December 2003. Outcomes were rates of TOL attempt, of VBAC success and failure, and of uterine rupture or dehiscence. RESULTS: Of 32 500 singleton deliveries, 3694 (11.4%) women met study criteria. Of these, 3493 (94.6%) were patients of obstetricians, and 201 (5.4%) were patients of family physicians. The TOL attempt rate was 50.6% (1768) and 81.1% (163) for obstetricians and family physicians, respectively (P 0.001). For women having TOL, the VBAC success rate was 64.3% for obstetricians and 76.1% for family physicians (P = 0.002). Rates of uterine rupture or dehiscence in the combined failed and successful VBAC groups were 2.9% for obstetricians and 4.3% for family physicians (P = 0.33) whereas in the failed VBAC group the rates were 7.9% versus 17.9% for the family physicians (P = 0.04). Within delivery outcomes for successful and failed VBAC there were no differences in maternal characteristics and newborn outcomes by physician group. CONCLUSION: More patients of family physicians than of obstetricians attempted TOL and had successful VBAC. Newborn outcomes were similar in the two groups, except that in the failed VBAC group, the family doctors had slightly higher uterine rupture or dehiscence rates; given the low power of this study, further studies are needed to confirm and explain this result. Also, given the similarity in patient profiles, the differences in delivery outcomes may be attributable to differences in physician practice styles.

Assessment of the work environment of multidisciplinary hospital staff.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this article is to investigate the performance of scales to assess the work environment of hospital professional staff, other than nurses or physicians. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A survey was conducted among professional (non-nursing or medical) staff at a 300-bed urban, university-affiliated Canadian hospital. A total of 24 work environment items were adapted from a scale previously validated among nursing staff. Scales were developed based on a principal components analysis, and were compared among four groups of staff. The relationships between the scales and the following measures were then explored using univariate and multivariate analyses: satisfaction with the work environment, perceived quality of patient care, perceived frequency of patient/family complaints, work-related injuries, and verbal abuse of staff. FINDINGS: The survey response rate was 154/200 (76.6 percent). Four scales were identified (with corresponding Cronbach's alpha), assessing the following aspects of the work environment: supervisory support (0.88), team-work (0.84), professionalism (0.77), and interdisciplinary relations (0.64). In multivariate analyses, there were significant differences between the job groups in all four scales. One or more of the scales was significantly associated with overall satisfaction, perceived quality, and adverse incidents, even after adjustment for other staff characteristics. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: Limitations include: the cross-sectional design, subjective measurement of quality of care, small sample sizes in some groups of staff, and the single study site. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The scales developed in this study may be used by managers to assess hospital staff perceptions of the work environment. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The four proposed scales appear to measure meaningful aspects of the working environment that are important in determining overall satisfaction with the work environment and are related to quality of care.

Nursing work environment and quality of care: differences between units at the same hospital.

The literature suggests that improvements in nurses' work environments may improve the quality of patient care. Furthermore, monitoring the work environment through staff surveys may be a feasible method of identifying opportunities for quality improvement. This study aimed to confirm five proposed sub-scales from the Nursing Work Index - Revised (NWI-R) to assess the nursing work environment and the performance of these sub-scales across different units in a hospital. Data were derived from a cross-sectional survey of 243 nurses from 13 units of a 300-bed university-affiliated hospital in Quebec, Canada, during 2001. Using confirmatory factor analysis, the five subscales were confirmed; three of the sub-scales had greater ability to discriminate between units. Using hierarchical regression models, "resource adequacy" was the sub-scale most strongly associated with the perceived quality of care at the last shift. The NWI-R sub-scales are potentially useful for comparison of work environments of different nursing units at the same hospital.