Pertussis is not a notifiable disease in France. In addition to a paediatric hospital sentinel surveillance system, pertussis epidemiological data have, since 1996, been gathered through the voluntary notification of community clusters by general practitioners, and since 2001 by the statutory notification of nosocomial infection to the relevant local health authority. The local health authority...

We introduce PERCEPT system, an indoor navigation system for the blind and visually impaired. PERCEPT will improve the quality of life and health of the visually impaired community by enabling independent living. Using PERCEPT, blind users will have independent access to public health facilities such as clinics, hospitals, and wellness centers. Access to healthcare facilities is crucial for thi...

AIMS The EndoCost study aims to calculate the costs of endometriosis from a societal perspective. METHODS This multicentre, prevalence-based cost-of-illness analysis aggregates data on endometriosis costs and quality of life from a prospective hospital questionnaire and from both retrospective and prospective patient questionnaires. The EndoCost study comprises 12 representative tertiary care...

BACKGROUND Evolution is the natural process that is not limited merely to the biological world but to the social world as well. The standards of living and the expectations change with time. This study was done to generate data that can help doctors and hospital administration to identify and solve problems. METHODS It was a cross-sectional study conducted at a major tertiary care hospital of...

OBJECTIVE To measure level and variation of healthcare quality provided by different types of healthcare facilities in Ghana and Kenya and which factors (including levels of government engagement with small private providers) are associated with improved quality. DESIGN Provider knowledge was assessed through responses to clinical vignettes. Associations between performance on vignettes and f...

BACKGROUND During the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, a key epidemiological feature was disease transmission within healthcare facilities, indicating a need for infection prevention and control (IPC) training and support. METHODS IPC training was provided to frontline healthcare workers (HCW) in healthcare facilities that were not Ebola treatment units, as well as to IPC trainers and...

BACKGROUND Noroviruses are responsible for at least 50% of all gastroenteritis outbreaks worldwide. Noroviruses GII can infect humans via multiple routes including direct contact with an infected person, fecal matter, or vomitus, and contact with contaminated surfaces. Although norovirus is an intestinal pathogen, aerosols could, if inhaled, settle in the pharynx and later be swallowed. The aim...

BACKGROUND Poor physical access to health facilities has been identified as an important contributor to reduced uptake of preventive health services and is likely to be most critical in low-income settings. However, the relation among physical access, travel behavior, and the uptake of healthcare is difficult to quantify. METHODS Using anonymized mobile phone data from 2008 to 2009, we analyz...

EPI 5126 Introduction to Healthcare Epidemiology (3 units) Applications of epidemiologic and statistical methods within the healthcare setting; issues specific to infection control; roles and administration of infection control, risk management and quality assurance within healthcare facilities; surveillance mechanisms for nosocomial infections; outbreak investigation methods; infection risks i...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS To apply Lean Sigma, a quality-improvement strategy supported by tactical tools to eliminate waste and reduce variation, to improve efficiency of patient flow in a large tertiary otolaryngology clinic. The project goals were to decrease overall lead time from patient arrival to start of interaction with care provider, improve on-time starts of patient visits, and decrease ...