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ObjectivesOur large-scale cluster randomised controlled trial aimed to investigate the effects on health knowledge and enjoyment of an 11 week ‘health education through football’ programme for children aged 10–12 years old.Methods3127 Danish school children (49% girls) aged 10–12 years from a total of 154 schools located in 63% of the Danish municipalities (69 of 98) took part in the analysis. A 5:1 cluster randomisation was performed at school level for the intervention group (IG) or the control group (CG). The twice-weekly 45 min intervention was the ‘11 for Health in Denmark’ programme, which includes health education, football drills and small-sided games. The health education element focused on hygiene, nutrition, physical activity and well-being. Outcomes: The participants completed a 34-item multiple-choice computer-based health knowledge questionnaire preintervention and postintervention. IG also evaluated whether the programme was enjoyable.ResultsBetween-group differences (pConclusionHealth education through sport, using the ‘11 for Health’ model, was enjoyable for girls and boys aged 10–12 years old, and improved health knowledge related to hygiene, nutrition, physical activity and well-being.

Tourniquets are widely used to make the vein more visible prior to blood collection. Venepuncture tourniquets are however a non-sterile and potentially reusable equipment. Several studies have shown that they are colonised by a variety of pathogenic bacteria and consecutively use of the same tourniquet on multiple patients will increase the risk of a nosocomial infection. This matter is however only scarcely studied. The objective of this study was to investigate the nationwide use of disposable and non-disposable venepuncture tourniquets and the standardised procedures for cleaning the tourniquets. A questionnaire concerning use and cleaning of tourniquets was therefore sent to all major Danish clinical biochemistry laboratories (n = 12). All but one laboratory had a local procedure for usage and handling of tourniquets, including structured procedures for cleaning. Despite this, only 75% of laboratories had a guideline for cleaning the tourniquets and only 50% had a specified cleaning program. At the hospitals using non-disposable tourniquets the handling differed considerably and at two hospitals the tourniquets were only cleaned once a week, while one laboratory did not clean the tourniquet before it was visibly stained. Of note, five of the eight hospitals using disposable tourniquets only disposed the tourniquets on a daily basis. In conclusion, there is a lack of guidelines for handling tourniquets in 25-33% of the hospitals and a number of hospitals used both types (disposable and non-disposable), which could confuse the handling of the tourniquets. A national guideline for usage and cleaning of venepuncture tourniquets is therefore strongly recommended.

Intra-vascular access is an unavoidable tool in sophisticated modern medical practice, and catheter-related infection remains a leading cause of nosocomial infections, particularly in intensive care units where it is associated with significant patient morbidity, mortality, and additional hospital costs. The incidence of catheter-related bloodstream infection ranges from 2 to 14 episodes per 1000 catheter-days. On average, microbiologically documented, device-related bloodstream infections complicate the use of a central venous line in three to five per 100 cases. But this represents only the visible part of the iceberg and most episodes of clinical sepsis are nowadays considered to be catheter-related. We briefly review the pathophysiology of these infections, highlighting the importance of the skin insertion site and the intravenous line hub as principal sources of colonization and infection. Principles of therapy are briefly addressed. A large proportion of these infections are preventable and this has been the objective of creating precise guidelines. It was recently suggested that the situation may evolve with the introduction of antibiotic/antiseptic-coated devices, whose impact on the epidemiology of antibiotic resistance remains to be determined. Recently, educational programs and/or a global preventive strategy based on the strict application of specific preventive measures and careful control of all factors associated with infection proved to be even more effective than coated devices in reducing rates of infection. Practical aspects regarding educational approaches will help clinicians to adapt and incorporate educational programs into clinical practice.