Rajesh Kamath

An Assessment of the Perceptions in the General Population of sexual Harassment

Historically, it is not uncommon to see a victim of sexual abuse being blamed for triggering her own harassment. This revolves mostly around the appearance of the victim where the victim is accused of being “provocatively” dressed. Jensen and Gutek suggest that men are more likely to blame the victims of sexual harassment than women. Other researchers have not found significant gender differences in perceptions of sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is not an unusual phenomenon in India. Male harassers are usually older, while female harassers are generally younger. Victims have been of all ages, from neonates to senior citizens. For this cross-sectional study, random sampling was done. A structured questionnaire consisting of questions pertaining to respondents’ demographic information like age, gender, location, and education along with whether or not they have experienced sexual harassment in their life was framed.statements based on chosen constructs along with instructions to rate them on a 5 point scale with 1 being strong disagreement and 5 being strong agreement was distributed to the sample population. Quantitative analysis was done. Primary data was collected from 287 respondents. It appears that the ignorance of the victims is more likely to convey consent, agreement, or approval on the part of the victim. This has important practical implications since it is quite possible that the ignorance may give an impression of rationality to the harassment resulting in recurrence and may not even be taken seriously by a witness. Too often women in India are stuck in a sticky situation of blaming and shaming, from where there is not much hope of redemption.

Business process re-engineering for bed allocation process in a tertiary care hospital in Mumbai

A proficient bed allotment system in the hospital reflects effective management. Minimizing the waiting time and appropriate bed allocation ensures quality of care and optimum utilization of hospital resources. The hospital management must respond to the growing needs of the patient care by reducing the admission delays and communication delays among health care providers. The objective of the study was to understand the bed allocation process, to evaluate reasons for delay in bed allotment and to minimize the waiting time for new admissions in a 750-bedded tertiary care hospital. The study was conducted by taking a random sample of 35 beds of general category. The admission time was recorded through hospital information system and by interviewing the nursing and housekeeping staff. The study revealed that the delay in communication from nurse station to admission counter was the major reason followed by delay in billing process and delay in preparing bed by the housekeeping staff.

Comparative Analysis of Cost of Biomedical Waste Management Across Varying Bed Strengths in Rural India

Abstract Background: The quantum of waste generated from medical care and activities is a global matter of concern. Improper management of biomedical waste has a grave health impact on the community, health care professionals and the environment. It is mandatory by law that every medical organization that generates waste should have a system, process and resources in place for segregating biomedical waste within the organization for proper disposal. The present articles deals with understanding the various costs associated in biomedical waste management process which will help the health care organization to prioritize their spending and focus on areas that require spending to achieve compliance in process of biomedical waste management. Material and methods: Descriptive cross sectional study was carried out, to study the compliance of biomedical waste management at three different hospitals with respect to Bio-Medical Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 2011. A retrospective study was conducted to analyze cost data for a 1-year time period. Cost involved in BMW management was analyzed and classified as capital and recurring costs. The study was undertaken in Udupi taluk, taluk comprises of 11 hospitals (1 Government and 10 private hospitals), the hospitals were selected using convenient sampling as taking permission to conduct the study was difficult. Only three hospitals permitted to carry out the study. Results: Compliance was found to be better in accredited hospital than non-accredited hospital. This could be attributed to strict adherence to standard operating procedures and Regular training of staff. Cost involved in BMW management was analyzed as capital and recurring costs. Since most of the hospital outsource final disposal, Capital costs are significantly less compared to recurring costs. Among the recurring costs, maximum expenditure is on Consumables like color- coded bags. Cost per bed per day for handling BMW was calculated and it was found to be higher in smaller hospitals. Conclusion: Cost of biomedical waste management forms a significant part of hospital expenses. We analyzed both the capital costs and the operating costs and it was found that operating costs had a bigger impact on the hospital bottom line. The costs were found to be higher in the smaller hospitals. The larger hospital would be procuring items in higher volumes, which would enable them to bargain for a lower cost. If the government or the common biomedical waste management facility can provide color- coded bags to hospitals at a uniform pricing irrespective of the bed strength, it would enable them to bring down the operating costs significantly.

Need assessment and operational feasibility indices for a geriatric inpatient facility in a tertiary care teaching hospital

ABSTRACT The world is facing a situation without precedent that soon we will have a greater proportion of older people than children and more number of people at extremes of age than ever before. With a rise in the number of older people and increased life expectancy, extended periods of good health, a sustained sense of well-being, improved social engagement and increased productivity accompanied by fewer illnesses, decreased disability, dependency, and reduced healthcare cost are of primary importance. Geriatric illnesses such as non-communicable diseases, mental health problems, and failing health are the priority areas that require continuum of care. However, this is encountered with challenges in providing care such as lack of proper referral mechanism, absence of social security, and transportation issues. This paper aims to perform a need assessment for a separate geriatric inpatient facility as perceived by the geriatric patients. Further, we have discussed the metrics pertaining to infrastructure, manpower, and finances required to set up such a facility.

Study of Bed Allocation and Utilisation in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in South India

Introduction:Optimal utilisation of hospital beds is very important.Identifying vacant beds(bed availability)for new/emergency patients is a very time consuming task for administrators.Non-availability of hospital beds can shed a negative light on the image of the hospital. Aim: This study focuses on the importance of proper allocation/identification and utilization of beds. Material and Method: Retro prospective study conducted at a tertiary care teaching hospital in South India.The study was done in three steps.In the first step,retrospective data regarding bed lists of the hospital was collected from the admissions office and medical records department of the tertiary care teaching hospital and the physical verification of beds was done.In the second step,a retrospective study was carried out in order to collect relevant hospital data concerning inpatient admissions,discharges,deaths and hospitalised days for the general wards,the intensive care units and the special wards from the medical record department and the information technology department.In the third step,the admission and discharge policy was studied to assess the reasons for bed blocking. Results: There is a difference in the bed complement as recorded in the admissions office v/s medical record department v/s physical verification. There is a difference in the bed occupancy in the admissions office vs the medical record department vs physical verification.The variation in percentage is because of the differences in the denominator(total number of beds assumed).

Planning an energy management program based on hospital electricity consumption in a tertiary care hospital in South India

Hospital buildings present substantial energy savings possibilities,especially in older buildings.Global warming and the international drive to reduce Carbon dioxide emissions have led hospital executive staff and facility managers to strive for reducing hospital energy usage through innovative technology and tools.Energy management in a hospital hence becomes a strategic area with a great potential for cost reduction through different energy saving measures.A descriptive observational study was done over a period of nine months to study the average consumption of electricity.The awareness of employees was assessed through an energy-awareness questionnaire,supplemented with walk-arounds and interviews.It was seen that at current consumption levels,carbon dioxide emission was substantial.Employee awareness on energy saving behaviours was high,but the practices observed left much to be desired,suggesting the need for an energy management plan.It is easier to obtain energy savings when the efforts are part of a structured program.

Epidemiological pattern of hand injuries and impact of Machine-Cut hand injuries in a Tertiary Care Hospital in South India

Hand injuries are the most common injuries. They account for 6.6% to 28.6% of all injuries and also constitute 5-10% of emergency department (ED) visits nationwide in the U. S. There is a lack of awareness of the significance of hand injuries across all sectors: business and industry, government and non-government sectors. Hand injuries impose a significant economic burden as about 11% of workers who sustain hand injuries never return to their jobs. Additionally, the social,economic and physical impact of disabilities (permanent or temporary) on the loss of productive working hours is a huge burden on the community

Effectiveness of an intervention module in improving the knowledge, attitude and practices regarding diabetic retinopathy in diabetic individuals in a tertiary care teaching hospital in Coastal Karnataka

Aim: The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of an intervention module in improving the Knowledge,Awareness,and Practices(KAP) related to Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) in diabetic individuals.Method: A hospital based prospective study regarding their awareness on Diabetic Retinopathy was conducted on 142 diabetic patients who visited the Department of General Medicine as Outpatients(OP) and Inpatients(IP) between October 2017 and April 2018.A semi-structured open-ended questionnaire based on demographic details, literacy levels,awareness of risk factors and management of diabetic retinopathy considering knowledge,attitude,and practice was administered to the participants. Results: All the 142 diabetic individuals attending the Department of General Medicine as OP & IP were aware that diabetes can cause eye disease(93 males,27 females;mean age=52 years).The awareness that diabetes is a hereditary disease was high(80%).76% of respondents knew that timely treatment could prevent damage to the eyes due to diabetes.91% of respondents knew that controlling diabetes was essential to prevent diabetic retinopathy.However,only 85% of them knew that good control of diabetes was important for prevention of visual impairment