Quality improvement: a new approach to quality assurance

The use of programs to help administrators and staff of health care facilities assess and monitor the quality of services provided is not new. For years, quality assurance (QA) programs have provided generalized sets of standards against which hospitals and other agencies measure their performance. Recently, there has been a trend towards quality improvement (QI) programs which advocate a more proactive response to quality concerns and emphasize a decentralized use of assessment and evaluation findings to continuously improve the care provided. QI is recognized as holding great opportunities for the enhancement of professional nursing practice and the improvement of patient care. In this paper, the process and design of QI was described and the advantages of this approach were recognized.     

Nutrition et fonction immunitaireNutrition and immune function

A deficiency of total energy or of one or more essential nutrients, including vitamins A, B₆, B₁₂, C, and E, folic acid, zinc, iron, copper, selenium, essential amino acids and essential fatty acids, will impair immune function and increase susceptibility of the host to infectious pathogens. This is most likely because these nutrients are involved in the molecular and cellular responses to challenge of the immune system. Providing these nutrients to deficient individuals restores immune function and improves resistance to infection. Thus, appropriate nutrition is required in order for the host to maintain adequate immune defences towards bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites and tumour celîs. Although the intakes of several nutrients which result in greatest enhancement of immune function appear to be greater than recommended intakes, excess intake of certain nutrients also impairs immune responses. Some nutrients (e.g. glutamine, arginine) may become limiting in critical illness and there is mounting evidence that provision of these will aid patient recovery.     

Protein turnover rates in sick, premature neonates during the first few days of life.

Rates of protein turnover were measured in 19 infants during the first few days of life while they were receiving i.v. glucose. The technique consisted of a continuous i.v. infusion of L-[1-13C]leucine to measure whole body leucine flux and determination of total urinary nitrogen excretion to assess leucine oxidation rates. Subsequent to each of the studies, the decision to start total parenteral nutrition (TPN) was made by the clinician concerned, with the result that seven infants did not start TPN and 12 did. There were significantly greater urinary nitrogen excretion (p less than 0.001) and lower rates of whole body protein synthesis (p = 0.024) and breakdown (p = 0.015) in those who did start TPN compared with those who did not. The marked difference in nitrogen excretion between the two groups suggests that this could be a useful determinant for deciding which neonate should start TPN.     

Prospective epidemiological study of invasiveHaemophilus influenzae disease in adults

The incidence and characteristics of invasiveHaemophilus influenzae disease were studied in 43 adult patients admitted to the acute care hospitals in El Vallés County (Barcelona, Spain) between January 1987 and June 1992. The annual incidence ofHaemophilus influenzae disease was 1.2 per 100,000 inhabitants. Pneumonia occurred in 24 patients, meningitis in five, intraabdominal infections in three, obstetric infections in two, epiglottitis in two and cellulitis in one. In six patients the source of infection was unknown. Ten (23 %) of the infections were hospital acquired. Underlying conditions were diagnosed in 30 (70 %) patients. NontypeableHaemophilus influenzae strains predominated in all adult age groups. Sixty-one percent of type b and 34 % of nontypeable strains were ampicillin resistant (p=0.08). Multiple antibiotic resistance was also high among type b (53 %) and nontypeable (18 %) strains. The mortality rate was significantly higher in patients with pneumonia, bactaeremia from an unidentified focus or shock at presentation.