Mark Corrigan

Who's talking about breast cancer? Analysis of daily breast cancer posts on the internet

OBJECTIVE Breast cancer is the cancer most commonly searched for on the internet. Our aim was to assess daily new breast cancer related posting on the internet. METHODS We analyzed numbers of new daily posts for common cancers for one month and subsequently analyzed content of 1426 breast cancer related posts. We also assessed use of online discussion forums for breast cancer related dialogue. RESULTS Breast related topics had significantly more posts per day compared to others (mean 66.7, p < 0.01). Most posts were on media sites (65.8%). Accuracy levels were high (87.5%) but significantly lower where posted on blogs and discussion forums (p < 0.001). Anonymous posts were common (55%) and less likely to be accurate (p < 0.001). Use of discussion forums has exponentially increased over the last five years (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS The internet has become a primary forum within which health information, particularly relating to breast cancer, is both sought and shared. Increasingly information is provided by patients themselves.

The immunomodulatory effects of laparoscopic surgery.

Laparoscopic alternatives to conventional surgical procedures confer many advantages to patients including reduced postoperative pain, shortened convalescence and, perhaps, improved disease-related outcomes. The diminished degree of immune dysfunction apparent with these techniques may underpin these beneficial aspects. However, minimal access is accompanied by various ancillary anesthetic and mechanical associations (including the induction of a carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum), which must be considered in addition to reduced tissue trauma when attempting to correlate cause with effect. Furthermore, the opportunity to establish causation between the immunomodulatory aspects of laparoscopy and subsequent clinical outcome by prospective, randomized study is difficult because of the rapid incorporation of minimal access techniques into clinical practice. Therefore, experimental in vitro and in vivo studies must be used to complement the limitations of clinical studies in this area. Although the initial investigations into the immunological effects of laparoscopy are encouraging, many of the intricacies associated with this approach still await elaboration.

Surgical attire, practices and their perception in the prevention of surgical site infection.

INTRODUCTION Clean surgical scrubs, surgical gowns and headgear are worn by operative teams to decrease bacterial contamination and lower surgical site infection (SSI) rates. METHODS A detailed review was undertaken of peer-reviewed publications and other sources of material in the English language over the last 50 years included. RESULTS Surgical scrubs should be clean and made of tightly woven material. Studies investigating single-use gowns and drapes versus reusable gowns report conflicting evidence. Double gloving may reduce SSI rates in procedures where no antibiotic prophylaxis was administered. Bacterial contamination of the operative field has been shown to be decreased by the wearing of surgical headgear by the operating team. CONCLUSIONS Further consideration and better trials are required to determine the impact of different theatre clothing on SSI rates.

A targeted e-learning program for surgical trainees to enhance patient safety in preventing surgical infection.

Introduction Surgical site infection accounts for 20% of all health care–associated infections (HCAIs); however, a program incorporating the education of surgeons has yet to be established across the specialty. Methods An audit of surgical practice in infection prevention was carried out in Beaumont Hospital from July to November 2009. An educational Web site was developed targeting deficiencies highlighted in the audit. Interactive clinical cases were constructed using PHP coding, an HTML‐embedded language, and then linked to a MySQL relational database. PowerPoint tutorials were produced as online Flash audiovisual movies. An online repository of streaming videos demonstrating best practice was made available, and weekly podcasts were made available on the iTunes© store for free download. Usage of the e‐learning program was assessed quantitatively over 6 weeks in May and June 2010 using the commercial company Hitslink. Results During the 5‐month audit, deficiencies in practice were highlighted, including the timing of surgical prophylaxis (33% noncompliance) and intravascular catheter care in surgical patients (38% noncompliance regarding necessity). Over the 6‐week assessment of the educational material, the SurgInfection.com Web pages were accessed more than 8000 times; 77.9% of the visitors were from Ireland. The most commonly accessed modality was the repository with interactive clinical cases, accounting for 3463 (43%) of the Web site visits. The average user spent 57 minutes per visit, with 30% of them visiting the Web site multiple times. Discussion Interactive virtual cases mirroring real‐life clinical scenarios are likely to be successful as an e‐learning modality. User‐friendly interfaces and 24‐hour accessibility will increases uptake by surgical trainees.

Preventing infection in general surgery: improvements through education of surgeons by surgeons

Surgical patients are at particular risk of healthcare-associated infection (HCAI) due to the presence of a surgical site leading to surgical site infection (SSI), and because of the need for intravascular access resulting in catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI). A two-year initiative commenced with an initial audit of surgical practice; this was used to inform the development of a targeted educational initiative by surgeons specifically for surgical trainees. Parameters assessed during the initial audit and a further audit after the educational initiative were related to intra- and postoperative aspects of the prevention of SSIs, as well as care of peripheral venous catheters (PVCs) in surgical patients. The proportion of prophylactic antibiotics administered prior to incision across 360 operations increased from 30.0% to 59.1% (P<0.001). Surgical site dressings were observed in 234 patients, and a significant decrease was found in the percentage of dressings that were tampered with during the initial 48h after surgery (16.5% vs 6.2%, P=0.030). In total, 574 PVCs were assessed over the two-year period. Improvements were found in the proportion of unnecessary PVCs in situ (37.9% vs 24.4%, P<0.001), PVCs in situ for >72h (10.6% vs 3.1%, P<0.001) and PVCs covered with clean and intact dressings (87.3% vs 97.6%, P<0.001). Significant improvements in surgical practice were established for the prevention of SSI and CRBSI through a focused educational programme developed by and for surgeons. Potentially, other specific measures may also be warranted to achieve further improvements in infection prevention in surgical practice.

Social Media and Tomorrow's Medical Students—How Do They Fit?

OBJECTIVE The main aim of our study was to establish the prevalence of social networking accounts among a group of second-level students (aged 15-18 years), to determine whether they used privacy settings, and to examine their attitudes to various aspects of social media use in medicine. DESIGN A descriptive study design was employed. The questionnaire was constructed specifically to address the attitudes of students to social media. No similar suitable validated questionnaire could be identified. The questionnaire consisted of 20 questions with a mixture of open answer, yes/no, and Likert scale response options. PARTICIPANTS Participation was voluntary and anonymous. Second-level school children interested in studying medicine and aged between 15 and 18 years took part. SETTING An annual open day organized by the School of Medicine in University College Cork, Ireland, formed the setting. The day comprised a mixture of lectures, demonstrations, and practical sessions designed to give the students insight into life as a medical student. RESULTS A total of 96 students attended, and all were handed the questionnaires. Of them, 88 students completed the survey. Overall, 90.9% of students had Facebook accounts and 53% had Twitter accounts. Of those with social media accounts, 14.8% reported having no privacy settings. Most respondents felt that unprofessional behavior on social media sites should be a factor considered in admission to medical schools. CONCLUSIONS Serious consequences can result from lapses in best practice relating to social media behavior. Dedicated reflective learning modules need to be incorporated into undergraduate and postgraduate training programs as a matter of urgency.

From theater to the world wide web--a new online era for surgical education.

INTRODUCTION Traditionally, surgical education has been confined to operating and lecture theaters. Access to the World Wide Web and services, such as YouTube and iTunes has expanded enormously. Each week throughout Ireland, nonconsultant hospital doctors work hard to create presentations for surgical teaching. Once presented, these valuable presentations are often never used again. AIMS We aimed to compile surgical presentations online and establish a new online surgical education tool. We also sought to measure the effect of this educational tool on surgical presentation quality. METHODS Surgical presentations from Cork University Hospital and Beaumont Hospital presented between January 2010 and April 2011 were uploaded to http://www.pilgrimshospital.com/presentations. A YouTube channel and iTunes application were created. Web site hits were monitored. Quality of presentations was assessed by 4 independent senior surgical judges using a validated PowerPoint assessment form. Judges were randomly given 6 presentations; 3 presentations were pre-web site setup and 3 were post-web site setup. Once uploading commenced, presenters were informed. RESULTS A total of 89 presentations have been uploaded to date. This includes 55 cases, 17 journal club, and 17 short bullet presentations. This has been associated with 46,037 web site page views. Establishment of the web site was associated with a significant improvement in the quality of presentations. Mean scores for pre- and post-web site group were 6.2 vs 7.7 out of 9 respectively, p = 0.037. CONCLUSIONS This novel educational tool provides a unique method to enable surgical education become more accessible to trainees, while also improving the overall quality of surgical teaching PowerPoint presentations.

Role of patient awareness in prevention of peripheral vascular catheter-related bloodstream infection.

Infection • Author(s): Seamus Mark McHugh , MB, BCh, BAO, MRCSI, Mark Anthony Corrigan , MD, MRCSI, Borislav D. Dimitrov , PhD, Margaret Morris‐Downes , PhD, Fidelma Fitzpatrick , MD, Seamus Cowman , MSc, PhD, Sean Tierney , BSc, MCh, FRCSI, Arnold D. K. Hill , MCh, FRCSI, Hilary Humphreys , MD, FRCPI Source: Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, Vol. 32, No. 1 (January 2011), pp. 95-96 Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/657630 . Accessed: 11/01/2011 10:59

The immunohistochemical demonstration of Helicobacter pylori in rectal ectopia.

The finding of heterotopic gastric mucosa in the rectum is rare, with less than 40 reported cases in the literature. A condition of unknown etiology, several hypotheses exist including infectious and congenital. We report a case of ectopic gastric tissue in the rectum of a 47-year-old female, and her subsequent clinical course. Furthermore for the first time, we present immunohistologic evidence of the presence of Helicobacter pylori in rectal ectopic gastric tissue.

Clinical unity and community empowerment: the use of smartphone technology to empower community management of chronic venous ulcers through the support of a tertiary unit

Background Chronic ulcers affect roughly 60,000 Irish people, at a total cost of €600,000,000, or €10,000 per patient annually. By virtue of their chronicity, these ulcers also contribute a significant burden to tertiary outpatient vascular clinics. Objective We propose utilizing mobile phone technology to decentralise care from tertiary centres to the community, improving efficiency and patient satisfaction, while maintaining patient safety. Methods Bespoke mobile software was developed for Apples iPhone 4 platform. This allowed for the remote collection of patient images prospectively and their transmission with clinical queries, from the primary healthcare team to the tertiary centre. Training and iPhones were provided to five public health nurses in geographically remote areas of the region. Data were uploaded securely and user end software was developed allowing the review and manipulation of images, along with two way communication between the teams. Establishing reliability, patients were reviewed clinically as well as remotely, and concordance analysed. Qualitative data were collected through focus group discussion. Results From October to December 2011 eight patients (61–83 yrs, mean 75.3 yrs) with chronic venous ulceration and their five public health nurses were recruited. Data were transmitted using 3 G, Edge, GPRS and WiFi, at a mean speed of 69.03 kps. Concordance was 100% for wound bed assessment, 80% for skin integrity/colour and 60% for exudate assessment. Focus group analysis explored the concept, practicalities and future applications of the system. Conclusions With an evolving national data network, the secure transmission of clinical images is a safe alternative to regular clinic appointments for patients with chronic venous ulceration. With further development, and packaged as a freely downloadable application, this has the potential to support the community care of chronic wounds.