Trauma Nurse Leads in a Level I Trauma Center: Roles, Responsibilities, and Trauma Performance Improvement Outcomes.

Grand Strand Medical Center is a 325-bed, Level I adult, Level II pediatric trauma center located in Myrtle Beach, SC. In September 2015, a Trauma Nurse Lead (TNL) program was developed and implemented to allow for consistent, expert clinical nursing care across the trauma continuum. This TNL program has led to measurable improvements in patient care and quality metrics. These improvements include decreases in hospital and intensive care unit length of stay, arrival to administration of massive transfusion and anticoagulation reversal, and arrival to final disposition time. The TNL program has ensured the presence of highly trained trauma nurses at all times within the hospital. With the consistent availability of these highly trained and specialized nurses, trauma patients are cared for more efficiently and in a timely manner.

Location-allocation model for external beam radiotherapy as an example of an evidence-based management tool implemented in healthcare sector in Poland.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: External beam radiotherapy (EBRT) is one of three key treatment modalities of cancer patients. Its utilisation and outcomes depend on a plethora of variables, one of which is the distance a patient must travel to undergo the treatment. The relation between distance and utilisation is clearly visible in Poland. At the same time no strategic investment plan is observed. This work proposes a method of resolving these two issues. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We propose a mixed-integer linear programming model that aims to optimise the distribution of linear accelerators among selected locations in such a way that a patient's journey to the nearest EBRT is as short as possible. The optimisation is done with observance of international guidelines concerning EBRT capacity. With the use of proposed theoretical framework, we develop a national, strategic plan for linear accelerator investments. RESULTS: According to model assumptions decentralisation of EBRT, together with new equipment purchases, is required to ensure optimal access to EBRT. CONCLUSIONS: The results were incorporated into Healthcare Needs Maps for Poland. The plan based on the results of this study, implemented by 2025, should deal with the most pressing concerns of Polish EBRT.

Diffractive paper lens for terahertz optics.

Passive terahertz (THz) setups require optical elements with large diameters for optimal harvesting of weak signals. High f-number implies sophisticated aspheric designs to ensure optimal resolution and good energetic efficiency. Trial and error testing of such optics is expensive and numerical modeling is time consuming; hence, we propose extremely cheap diffractive lenses for THz made of regular paper. They are easy to manufacture even with large diameters, and the optical function can be easily customized, which can be used for initial experimental testing of THz setups. Characterization of the proposed diffractive lenses with time-domain spectroscopy is presented and discussed.