Search

INTRODUCTION: Arthroplasty is an effective, yet costly, surgical procedure for end-stage osteoarthritis. Shorter stays in hospital are being piloted in Australia. In some countries, short stay is established practice, associated with improving perioperative care and enhanced recovery after surgery practices. Exploring the acceptability to patients of a short stay care pathway in hospital postarthroplasty is important for informing health policy, adoption and potential scalability of this model of care. METHODS: Consecutive patients at one site, at least 3 months post total joint arthroplasty, were invited to participate in theory-informed semi-structured qualitative interviews. The Theoretical Framework of Acceptability (TFA) informed development of the interview guide. Interview data were analysed using the Framework Method. RESULTS: Eighteen patients were invited. Fifteen consented to be contacted and were interviewed. Short-stay post arthroplasty was highly acceptable to patients who had the supports necessary to recover safely at home. Key findings were as follows: flexibility of short-stay care pathway was essential and valued; prior beliefs and expectations informed acceptability; and the absence of out-of-pocket expenses had an incentivizing effect, but was not the primary reason for patients choosing this care pathway. Further themes analysed within the TFA constructs highlighted nuances of acceptability relating to this model of care. CONCLUSIONS: A short stay in hospital post arthroplasty appeared to be acceptable to patients who had experienced this care pathway. Our thematic findings identified aspects of the short-stay care pathway that enhanced acceptability and some aspects that limited acceptability. These findings can inform refinement of the short-stay care pathway. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Patients/people with lived experience were not involved in the study design or conduct of this preliminary work; as this short-stay model of care was rec

Food safety is a fundamental health concern for consumers and an ongoing challenge for food producers particularly in light of recent trends towards ‘clean label’ and minimally processed foods. Natural antimicrobial such as spice and herbs contain a variety of secondary metabolites such as phenolic acid, flavonoids, and terpenes compounds, which may be present in various parts of the plants possessing antimicrobial properties. These compounds have application in the preservation of foodstuffs, through inhibition of lipid oxidation, and inhibition of foodborne pathogens. The aim of the study was to investigate potential antimicrobial, anti-glycation and antioxidant properties of selected spices and herbs extracts obtained using ultrasound-assisted extraction in relation to their bioactive phenolic component. Thirty-five India herbs and spice extracts prepared using ultrasound-assisted extraction process were screened for their antimicrobial properties against Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, Kocuria rhizohilia, E.coli, Salmonella typhi, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Out of the 35 spices and herbs extracts, six spices that showed strong antimicrobial effectiveness, including ajwain, bay leaves, nutmeg, cumin, clove and Indian gooseberry were selected for further study. Antimicrobial properties were evaluated using Zone of Inhibition (ZoI), Minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) and Minimum bacterial concentration (MBC). Scanned electron microscopy (SEM) was used to evaluate the effect of spice extracts on the morphology and changes in cellular structure of the selected microorganisms. GasChromatography Mass-Spectrometry (GCMS) and High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to establish the bioactive phytochemical components responsible for antimicrobial properties of different ajwain varieties (which showed the highest antimicrobial effectiveness). The spice and herbs ethanolic extracts were also evaluated for their antiglycation and antioxidant prop