Errors in drug administration by anaesthetists in public hospitals in the Free State.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate errors in administering drugs by anaesthetists working in public hospitals in the Free State province. METHODS: Anonymous questionnaires were distributed to doctors performing anaesthesia in public hospitals in the Free State, i.e. 188 doctors at 22 public sector hospitals. Outcomes included demographic information on respondents, information regarding the administration of anaesthetics, reporting of errors, and the occurrence of errors during anaesthesia. RESULTS: The response rate was 46.3%; 48.8% were medical officers, and 39.3% of participants were involved in at least one event of erroneous drug administration. Registrars and specialists reported the most errors. Most events were of no clinical significance, caused no permanent harm to patients, and most commonly involved fentanyl and suxamethonium. Of the respondents, 23.8% indicated that they were aware of a South African standard for colour-coding syringe labels, and 92.9% indicated that they would report anaesthetic errors if a single reporting agency for such events existed. CONCLUSIONS. More than a third of participating anaesthetists were involved in a drug error at some stage in their practice. Preventive systems and precautionary measures should be put in place to reduce drug administration errors.

The anatomical basis of venographic filling defects of the transverse sinus.

Obstruction of the intracranial dural venous sinuses would result in an increase in intracranial dural venous pressure. This intracranial hypertension is not only the result of poor cerebral venous drainage but also life threatening. The aim of this study was to identify the structures, which may show signs of potential venographic filling defect qualities, including trabeculae/septa (also described as "fibrous bands") and arachnoid granulations, which ultimately can lead to increased intracranial dural sinus venous pressure. A total of 102 cadavers and living patients were used for the study. Fifty-three percent of the subjects presented with structures in their transverse sinuses that could be potential venous filling defects. Thirty percent of the subjects presented with arachnoid granulations in the right transverse sinus, which were found to be significantly dominant (Chi-square; p < 0.05). The study also revealed the presence of 1 to 5 septa in 29.4% of the subjects. The septa were found to be more dominant in the central (30%) and lateral (22%) thirds of the right transverse sinuses, while the central third of the left transverse sinus proved to be the least dominant occurring site (8%). In general, the right transverse sinus is highly more significantly dominant in septal occurrence (Chi-square; p < 0.01) than the left transverse sinus. We conclude from the statistical evidence that the right transverse sinus demonstrates significantly more potential venographic filling defects than the left sinus and submit that this information may assist in management options for patients diagnosed with idiopathic intracranial hypertension as well as direct future research.

Numerical evaluation of radio frequency power deposition in human models during MRI.

Concerns have been expressed about safety of MRI examination of two groups of people, namely pregnant mothers and cardiac pacemaker bearers. The main uncertainty relates to excessive heating by pulsed radio frequency (RF) fields. To address these issues, numerical evaluations of the power deposition are performed for a 27-week old fetus in a simplified model of the mother, and a realistic model of a human torso with an in situ pacemaker including its leads. The evaluations are supplemented with organ dosimetry for a realistic model of the human torso. An ideal non-resonant and two resonant birdcage coils operating at 64 MHz (corresponding to 1.5 T MRI) are evaluated. All simulations are performed with the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method.

[The experience of the patient and the registered nurse during tuberculosis education]. / Die belewenis van die pasiënt en die verpleegkundige tydens tuberkulose-onderrig.

This article focused on the problem that patients suffering from tuberculosis often stop taking their prescribed medicine and become defaulters. Although various factors could possibly contribute to the non compliance of the patients, this research had focused only on the teaching-learning situation. The experience of both the primary health nurse and the patient suffering from tuberculosis, during the teaching-learning situation in tuberculosis education, has been explored and described within the context of the North West Province. Phenomenological interviews were conducted with primary health nurses and defaulting patients suffering from tuberculosis. Interviews were recorded on tape and transcribed verbatim. The method of content analysis was used. The research has proven that adult-teaching principles have not been established in the teaching-learning situation and that the parent-child ego state predominates in communication.

[Guidelines for implementation of tuberculosis education-learning]. / Riglyne vir die toepassing in die onderrig-leersituasie ten opsigte van tuberkulose.

This article is a follow up article of the previously published article "Die belewenis van die pasiënt en die verpleegkundige tydens tuberkulose-onderrig" and focuses on guidelines formulated on the basis of the research findings. These guidelines have been formulated in order to promote the nurse's knowledge and skills concerning: interpersonal relations, subject knowledge, a task versus patient orientated nursing approach, the motivation of the nurse, social support systems, stimulation of the patient's motivation, recovery from the patient's chest centredness and the acceptance of responsibility for his own health as well as the affirmation of the role of the nurse.

[A study of factors related to contraceptive dropout: colored women in the metropolitan area of Capetown]. / 'N ondersoek na faktore wat met kontraseptiewe staking verband hou: kleurlingvroue in die metropolitaanse gebied Van kaapstad.

PIP: There is concern over persons who fail to attend family planning clinics without reason. The represents 1 of the major stumbling blocks to a successful family planning program. The author investigated factors associated with clinic dropout among black women in a metropolitan area (Capetown, South Africa). Almost 1/2 of those who ceased to attend had a good reason for doing so. The main findings regarding the other defaulters included a lack of motivation among black women to prevent uplanned pregnancies through temporary contraception and that the program may not have met all of the public needs. In this regard, specific reference is made to the need of those women who no longer bring their youngest child to the child health clinic as family planning services are usually integrated into such a clinic. (author's modified)^ieng