An approach to biomedical language processing is to apply existing natural language processing (NLP) solutions to biomedical texts. Often, existing NLP solutions are less successful in the biomedical domain relative to their non-biomedical domain performance (e.g., relative to newspaper text). Biomedical NLP is likely best served by methods, information and tools that account for its particular challenges. In this thesis, I describe an NLP system specifically engineered for sentinel event extraction from clinical documents. The NLP system's design accounts for several biomedical NLP challenges. The specific contributions are as follows. - Biomedical tokenizers differ, lack consensus over output tokens and are difficult to extend. I developed an extensible tokenizer, providing a tokenizer design pattern and implementation guidelines. It evaluated as equivalent to a leading biomedical tokenizer (MedPost). - Biomedical part-of-speech (POS) taggers are often trained on non-biomedical corpora and applied to biomedical corpora. This results in a decrease in tagging accuracy. I built a token centric POS tagger, TcT, that is more accurate than three existing POS taggers (mxpost, TnT and Brill) when trained on a non-biomedical corpus and evaluated on biomedical corpora. TcT achieves this increase in tagging accuracy by ignoring previously assigned POS tags and restricting the tagger's scope to the current token, previous token and following token. - Two parsers, MST and Malt, have been evaluated using perfect POS tag input. Given that perfect input is unlikely in biomedical NLP tasks, I evaluated these two parsers on imperfect POS tag input and compared their results. MST was most affected by imperfectly POS tagged biomedical text. I attributed MST's drop in performance to verbs and adjectives where MST had more potential for performance loss than Malt. I attributed Malt's resilience to POS tagging errors to its use of a rich feature set and a local scope in decision making. - Previous automated clinical coding (ACC) research focuses on mapping narrative phrases to terminological descriptions (e.g., concept descriptions). These methods make little or no use of the additional semantic information available through topology. I developed a token-based ACC approach that encodes tokens and manipulates token-level encodings by mapping linguistic structures to topological operations in SNOMED CT. My ACC method recalled most concepts given their descriptions and performed significantly better than MetaMap. I extended my contributions for the purpose of sentinel event extraction from clinical letters. The extensions account for negation in text, use medication brand names during ACC and model (coarse) temporal information. My software system's performance is similar to state-of-the-art results. Given all of the above, my thesis is a blueprint for building a biomedical NLP system. Furthermore, my contributions likely apply to NLP systems in general. / Graduate

Every year, millions of medical errors are committed, costing not only patient health and satisfaction, but thousands of lives and billions of dollars. Errors occur in many areas of the healthcare environment, including the profession of nursing. Nurses provide and delegate patient care and consequently, standard nursing responsibilities such as medication administration, charting, patient education, and basic life support protocol may be incorrect, inadequate, or omitted. Although there is much literature about errors among the general nurse population and there is indication that new nurses commit more errors than experienced nurses, not much literature asks the following question: What are the factors contributing to the commission of errors, including the omission of standard nursing care, among new nurses? Ten studies (quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-mode) were examined to identify these factors. From the 10 studies, the researcher identified the three themes of lack of experience, stressful working conditions, and interpersonal and intrapersonal factors. New nurses may not have had enough clinical time, may develop poor habits, may not turn to more experienced nurses and other professionals, may be fatigued from working too many hours with not enough staffing, may not be able to concentrate at work, and may not give or receive adequate communication. Based on these findings and discussion, suggested implications for nursing practice include extended clinical experience, skills practice, adherence to the nursing process, adherence to medications standards such as the five rights and independent double verification, shorter working hours, adequate staffing, no-interruption and no-phone zones, creating a culture of support, electronically entered orders, translation phones, read-backs, and standardized handoff reports.

No description available.

A medicina de viagem (MV) surgiu em resposta ao crescente deslocamento populacional, com o objetivo de prevenir os agravos à saúde relacionados às viagens. No Brasil teve inicio no final da década de 90, momento em que reformas socioeconômicas levaram a melhorias das condições de vida dos brasileiros. O Núcleo de Medicina do Viajante (NMV), do Instituto de Infectologia Emilio Ribas (IIER), foi o primeiro serviço de atenção à saúde do viajante criado na cidade de São Paulo, em maio de 2000. O presente estudo visa: descrever a população de viajantes que procuraram orientação pré-viagem no Núcleo de Medicina do Viajante (NMV) do Instituto de Infectologia Emilio Ribas (IIER) no período de janeiro de 2006 a dezembro de 2010; descrever as medidas de prevenção recomendadas em relação às doenças infecciosas; descrever as atividades de ensino realizadas e a participação do serviço na discussão de diretrizes em políticas públicas em medicina de viagem. No período estudado, 2744 viajantes procuraram orientação pré-viagem no NMV do IIER. Foram realizados 2836 atendimentos de orientação pré-viagem, 92 viajantes procuraram o serviço mais de uma vez. A faixa etária entre 18 e 34 anos (54,2%), o sexo feminino (51,1%) e grau de educação superior (75,5%) foram as principais características demográficas desses viajantes. Os destinos mais procurados foram: África (24,5%), Europa (21,2%), Ásia (16,6%) e Brasil (19,2%). O turismo (35,7%) e o trabalho (35,7%) foram os motivos de viagem mais referidos. O tempo de permanência menor ou igual a 30 dias foi referido pelos viajantes em que o objetivo de viagem foi o turismo, enquanto os viajantes que referiram o trabalho ou estudo apresentaram maior tempo de permanência (p < 0,001). O meio de transporte mais referido foi o aéreo (62,8%). Os viajantes relataram durante a consulta pré-viagem dificuldade de acesso ao serviço. As fontes de informação mais referidas foram: informação a partir de amigos, indicação por profissional da saúde e mídia eletrônica. As medidas de prevenção recomendadas variaram conforme o destino. O tratamento autoadministrado para diarreia foi mais recomendado aos viajantes com destino à Ásia. As vacinas de febre amarela, poliomielite e antimeningocócica A e C foram mais recomendadas aos viajantes com destino à África, assim como a quimioprofilaxia para malária, que foi recomendada para 26,4% dos viajantes para esse destino. A quimioprofilaxia (QPX) para malária foi recomendada em 10,3% de todas as orientações. Houve diferença com significância estatística na recomendação segundo a finalidade (p < 0,30), o destino (p < 0,001) e a duração da viagem (p < 0,001). Das 422 orientações realizadas aos viajantes com destino ao Brasil, a QPX foi recomendada somente para 30 (7,1%). Dos 2744 viajantes atendidos, 664 (24,2%) relataram pelo menos uma morbidade prévia; 66 (2,4%) eram menores de 10 anos de idade; e 157 (5,7%) tinham 60 anos ou mais. Em relação às atividades de ensino, no período do estudo, 83 médicos residentes estagiaram no NMV e foram orientadas onze monografias de conclusão de residência médica. O NMV participou de 12 reuniões para discussão de diretrizes sobre a saúde do viajante e de iniciativas como a Carta de São Paulo (documento em defesa da saúde do viajante elaborado por acadêmicos e profissionais de saúde participantes do SUS). Da criação da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina de Viagem e da criação do Comitê Estadual de Saúde do Viajante, pela Secretaria de Estado da Saúde de São Paulo. Essas atividades foram passos decisivos para corroborar a implementação de políticas públicas em saúde do viajante no Brasil / Travel medicine (TM) arose in response to the growing population displacement and its objective is the prevention of health problems related to travel. Began in Brazil in the in the late 1990s, at which socioeconomic reforms have led to improvements in of life of Brazilians. Travel Medicine Center (TMC) at \"Instituto de Infectologia Emilio Ribas\" (IIER) was the first health of traveler service created in São Paulo city in May 2000. The present study aims: to describe the traveler population who sought pre-travel guidance in TMC at IIER from January 2006 to December 2010; to describe the recommended preventive measures to travelers concerned with infectious diseases; to describe the teaching activities performed and the service involvement in debating guidelines about public policies in travel medicine. In the time period studied, a total of 2744 travelers sought pre-travel guidance in TMC of IIER, but 2836 assistances were provided for pre-trip orientation since 92 travelers sought the service more than once. The age group between 18-34 years (54.2%), female (51.1%), and university level degree (75.5%) were the main demographic characteristics. The more popular destinations were: Africa (24.5%), Europe (21.2%), Asia (16.6%) and Brazil (19.2%). Tourism (35.7%) and work (35.7%) were the main purposes of trip for travelers. For tourism purpose travelers would stay 30 or less days, while for work or study they stayed for a longer time (p <0,001). Commercial air travel was the preferred alternative (62.8%). The main sources of information were friends, health professionals, and electronic media. The recommended preventive measures varied according to the destination. The self-treatment for diarrhea was more recommended for travelers to Asia. Vaccination against yellow fever, polio, and anti-meningococcal (A and C) was more recommended for travelers to Africa, as well as chemoprophylaxis (CP) of malaria was recommended for 26.4% of travelers to the same country. The CP of malaria was indicated for 10.3% of all assistances. There was statistically significant difference in the recommendation according to purpose (p < 030), destination (p < 0.001) and trip duration (p < 0.001). From 422 assistances to travelers to Brazil, CP was only recommended for 30 (7.1%) travelers. From the 2744 travelers assisted, 664 (24.2%) reported at least one previous morbidity; 66 (2.4%) were under age 10; and 157 (5.7%) were 60 years or older. During the research period and relating to study activities, 83 residents were interns in TMC, and eleven monographs for completion of the Medical Residency were supervised. TMC participated in 12 meetings to discuss guidelines in travel medicine, and participated in initiatives such as \"Carta de São Paulo\" (a document in defense of traveler health prepared by academics and health professionals participating in the Unified Health System); in the institution of the Brazilian Society of Travel Medicine, and of the São Paulo State Travel Medicine Committee by the Secretariat for Health of São Paulo State. These were decisive steps to support implementation of public policies in traveler health in Brazil

A medicina de viagem (MV) surgiu em resposta ao crescente deslocamento populacional, com o objetivo de prevenir os agravos à saúde relacionados às viagens. No Brasil teve inicio no final da década de 90, momento em que reformas socioeconômicas levaram a melhorias das condições de vida dos brasileiros. O Núcleo de Medicina do Viajante (NMV), do Instituto de Infectologia Emilio Ribas (IIER), foi o primeiro serviço de atenção à saúde do viajante criado na cidade de São Paulo, em maio de 2000. O presente estudo visa: descrever a população de viajantes que procuraram orientação pré-viagem no Núcleo de Medicina do Viajante (NMV) do Instituto de Infectologia Emilio Ribas (IIER) no período de janeiro de 2006 a dezembro de 2010; descrever as medidas de prevenção recomendadas em relação às doenças infecciosas; descrever as atividades de ensino realizadas e a participação do serviço na discussão de diretrizes em políticas públicas em medicina de viagem. No período estudado, 2744 viajantes procuraram orientação pré-viagem no NMV do IIER. Foram realizados 2836 atendimentos de orientação pré-viagem, 92 viajantes procuraram o serviço mais de uma vez. A faixa etária entre 18 e 34 anos (54,2%), o sexo feminino (51,1%) e grau de educação superior (75,5%) foram as principais características demográficas desses viajantes. Os destinos mais procurados foram: África (24,5%), Europa (21,2%), Ásia (16,6%) e Brasil (19,2%). O turismo (35,7%) e o trabalho (35,7%) foram os motivos de viagem mais referidos. O tempo de permanência menor ou igual a 30 dias foi referido pelos viajantes em que o objetivo de viagem foi o turismo, enquanto os viajantes que referiram o trabalho ou estudo apresentaram maior tempo de permanência (p < 0,001). O meio de transporte mais referido foi o aéreo (62,8%). Os viajantes relataram durante a consulta pré-viagem dificuldade de acesso ao serviço. As fontes de informação mais referidas foram: informação a partir de amigos, indicação por profissional da saúde e mídia eletrônica. As medidas de prevenção recomendadas variaram conforme o destino. O tratamento autoadministrado para diarreia foi mais recomendado aos viajantes com destino à Ásia. As vacinas de febre amarela, poliomielite e antimeningocócica A e C foram mais recomendadas aos viajantes com destino à África, assim como a quimioprofilaxia para malária, que foi recomendada para 26,4% dos viajantes para esse destino. A quimioprofilaxia (QPX) para malária foi recomendada em 10,3% de todas as orientações. Houve diferença com significância estatística na recomendação segundo a finalidade (p < 0,30), o destino (p < 0,001) e a duração da viagem (p < 0,001). Das 422 orientações realizadas aos viajantes com destino ao Brasil, a QPX foi recomendada somente para 30 (7,1%). Dos 2744 viajantes atendidos, 664 (24,2%) relataram pelo menos uma morbidade prévia; 66 (2,4%) eram menores de 10 anos de idade; e 157 (5,7%) tinham 60 anos ou mais. Em relação às atividades de ensino, no período do estudo, 83 médicos residentes estagiaram no NMV e foram orientadas onze monografias de conclusão de residência médica. O NMV participou de 12 reuniões para discussão de diretrizes sobre a saúde do viajante e de iniciativas como a Carta de São Paulo (documento em defesa da saúde do viajante elaborado por acadêmicos e profissionais de saúde participantes do SUS). Da criação da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina de Viagem e da criação do Comitê Estadual de Saúde do Viajante, pela Secretaria de Estado da Saúde de São Paulo. Essas atividades foram passos decisivos para corroborar a implementação de políticas públicas em saúde do viajante no Brasil / Travel medicine (TM) arose in response to the growing population displacement and its objective is the prevention of health problems related to travel. Began in Brazil in the in the late 1990s, at which socioeconomic reforms have led to improvements in of life of Brazilians. Travel Medicine Center (TMC) at \"Instituto de Infectologia Emilio Ribas\" (IIER) was the first health of traveler service created in São Paulo city in May 2000. The present study aims: to describe the traveler population who sought pre-travel guidance in TMC at IIER from January 2006 to December 2010; to describe the recommended preventive measures to travelers concerned with infectious diseases; to describe the teaching activities performed and the service involvement in debating guidelines about public policies in travel medicine. In the time period studied, a total of 2744 travelers sought pre-travel guidance in TMC of IIER, but 2836 assistances were provided for pre-trip orientation since 92 travelers sought the service more than once. The age group between 18-34 years (54.2%), female (51.1%), and university level degree (75.5%) were the main demographic characteristics. The more popular destinations were: Africa (24.5%), Europe (21.2%), Asia (16.6%) and Brazil (19.2%). Tourism (35.7%) and work (35.7%) were the main purposes of trip for travelers. For tourism purpose travelers would stay 30 or less days, while for work or study they stayed for a longer time (p <0,001). Commercial air travel was the preferred alternative (62.8%). The main sources of information were friends, health professionals, and electronic media. The recommended preventive measures varied according to the destination. The self-treatment for diarrhea was more recommended for travelers to Asia. Vaccination against yellow fever, polio, and anti-meningococcal (A and C) was more recommended for travelers to Africa, as well as chemoprophylaxis (CP) of malaria was recommended for 26.4% of travelers to the same country. The CP of malaria was indicated for 10.3% of all assistances. There was statistically significant difference in the recommendation according to purpose (p < 030), destination (p < 0.001) and trip duration (p < 0.001). From 422 assistances to travelers to Brazil, CP was only recommended for 30 (7.1%) travelers. From the 2744 travelers assisted, 664 (24.2%) reported at least one previous morbidity; 66 (2.4%) were under age 10; and 157 (5.7%) were 60 years or older. During the research period and relating to study activities, 83 residents were interns in TMC, and eleven monographs for completion of the Medical Residency were supervised. TMC participated in 12 meetings to discuss guidelines in travel medicine, and participated in initiatives such as \"Carta de São Paulo\" (a document in defense of traveler health prepared by academics and health professionals participating in the Unified Health System); in the institution of the Brazilian Society of Travel Medicine, and of the São Paulo State Travel Medicine Committee by the Secretariat for Health of São Paulo State. These were decisive steps to support implementation of public policies in traveler health in Brazil