Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to L Y Kung.
A variety of intravenous securement devices now offer alternatives to the use of gauze and tape. Home health nurses must recognize these devices and be able to choose among the available options in making product recommendations to support enhanced patient outcomes specific to infusion therapy.
An image capture and communication system for emergency computed tomography (CT) is presented. The system, named ICCS, integrates CT scanners, personal computers (PC), network systems, an IBM API gateway and an IBM mainframe platform. The ICCS was implemented in the emergency unit in the Taichung Veterans General Hospital (TCVGH) and has received considerable support from the doctors, nurses and staff of the TCVGH emergency unit who have shown great interest in ICCS. This is because ICCS allows physicians in the emergency unit to examine patients' images on image viewing stations immediately after the patients are CT scanned. It also makes remote consultation possible for doctors who can stay where they are and consult with radiologists through the system and a hot line without leaving the emergency unit. This advantage greatly reduces the consultation time and saves many unnecessary trips between the emergency unit and the Department of Radiology.
In this paper, a hierarchical model for Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (HPACS) is presented and implemented at Taichung Veterans General Hospital (TCVGH) in Taiwan. Despite the fact that the HPACS is built on the architecture of the second generation PACS, it offers many improved features and has advantages over the second generation PACS, such as the user security control, fast resource dispatch and efficient resource management. This HPACS can be used as a reference model for a hospital with any scale-size. The real implementation of HPACS is currently undertaken in the Taichung Veterans General Hospital (TCVGH), Taiwan, Republic of China and consists of four phases with the first two phases already completed. It is the first pilot system ever to be implemented successfully in a large-scale hospital in Taiwan. The experiences have illustrated the great promise of the HPACS in the future.
Since 1995 several studies have addressed whether needleless intravenous systems increase patient risk of bloodstream infection (BSI). At this time, conclusive evidence is lacking and all studies point to the need for additional research. Current studies indicate that there is no evidence that needleless systems increase patient risk of BSI when the products are used correctly and in conjunction with rigorous aseptic technique. However, these studies also identify variables not directly associated with the product or device that may contribute to an increased risk of BSI to the patient.