I did not post last week because of a Chemistry EMPA practical and plan to not post this week either for similar reasons!
With the increased workload at this time of year and the upcoming crucial A Level exams I plan to end my blog (most probably permanently) after over a year of posts!
Good luck to anyone else attempting to get into medical school, I hope the exams go well and results day is a good day!
Tuesday, 23 April 2013
Tuesday, 9 April 2013
The 'five-second rule'
A light hearted post this week which loosely relates to health! Have you ever asked yourself is the 'five-second rule' really true? Surely it can't be true...
For those of you that don't know the theory is this: any food that is dropped on the floor is safe to eat as long as it is picked up within five-seconds.
Three specimens were collected, each was then imprinted individually on a culture plate and then incubated for several days.
The results were as follows;
1.) Pizza dropped on the kitchen floor - culture plate covered in bacteria, even some fecal bacteria present.
2.) Apple dropped on the street - Again lots of bacteria present on the culture plate.
3.) Buttered toast dropped on the carpet - Most bacteria of all the specimens!
Furthermore similar results were also recorded for food that touched surfaces for effectively zero seconds.
The conclusion of the experiment as you may have expected was this, (regardless of how long you drop it for) 'if you drop it, chuck it!'
A short video clip, which includes images of the bacteria samples can be found here.
For those of you that don't know the theory is this: any food that is dropped on the floor is safe to eat as long as it is picked up within five-seconds.
Three specimens were collected, each was then imprinted individually on a culture plate and then incubated for several days.
The results were as follows;
1.) Pizza dropped on the kitchen floor - culture plate covered in bacteria, even some fecal bacteria present.
2.) Apple dropped on the street - Again lots of bacteria present on the culture plate.
3.) Buttered toast dropped on the carpet - Most bacteria of all the specimens!
Furthermore similar results were also recorded for food that touched surfaces for effectively zero seconds.
The conclusion of the experiment as you may have expected was this, (regardless of how long you drop it for) 'if you drop it, chuck it!'
A short video clip, which includes images of the bacteria samples can be found here.
Tuesday, 2 April 2013
April Fools
Yesterday marked the first day of the new NHS structures, GP-led groups (clinical commissioning groups) have taken control of local budgets and a new board, NHS England, has started overseeing the day-day running of services.
The NHS is facing a crucial period, for example, it needs to rebuild public confidence after the recent report into the Stafford Hospital scandal.
Bringing clinical expertise to the forefront of decision making will help however structural changes alone will not suffice.
Savings still need to be made and targets met but this must not get in the way of the delivery of 'compassionate care' which has been mentioned so often in recent weeks.
Finally not everyone agrees with the changes, in particular there are fears surrounding the increased role of the private sector. Will this not lead to fragmented patient care and miscommunication rather than better, compassionate care?
The NHS is facing a crucial period, for example, it needs to rebuild public confidence after the recent report into the Stafford Hospital scandal.
Bringing clinical expertise to the forefront of decision making will help however structural changes alone will not suffice.
Savings still need to be made and targets met but this must not get in the way of the delivery of 'compassionate care' which has been mentioned so often in recent weeks.
Finally not everyone agrees with the changes, in particular there are fears surrounding the increased role of the private sector. Will this not lead to fragmented patient care and miscommunication rather than better, compassionate care?
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