Miami Valley Hospital School of Nursing - Lamp Yearbook (Dayton, OH)

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Communicable Disease Department ANY s'rEPs FORWARD have been taken in the care of com- municable diseases over the scheme of things a number of years ago, when the pest-house was the official recipient of cases of this type. Present philosophy indicates that rather than denying full hospital privileges for patients suffering from a communicable disease with other complications, it is most desirable to give attention to the medical or surgical complications existent in the patient under a method of treatment and nursing care wherein the danger of cross infection is reduced to a minimum. Hospitals, generally, still continue the practice of not accepting a majority of the cases falling into the communicable disease classifica- tion, unless the patient needs medical or surgical care beyond that indicated by the communicable disease itself. The function of this department. constantly operating under the shadow of cross infection, demands perfected techniques in the giving of rapid, thorough and complete treatment and care to the patients hospitalized. Concentration of communicable diseases in one department has no doubt been a contributing factor, although not the most important, in the reduction of the mortality rate in cases such as meningitis, diphtheria and the like. Because of its importance, all students receive four weeks experience in the communicable disease division. Since many of the patients with communicable diseases are children, the students are routinely given sixteen weeks experience in the children's department before being taught communi- cable disease nursing. Formal teaching in communicable disease nursing consists of a fifty hour course taught by various members of the medical and nursing instructional staff. The most recent major development in the car of communicable disease cases and one which has caught the public fancy is the invention of the 'espirator, commonly called the Iron Lung, which is used in cases where normal breathing of the patient has temporarily ceased. The precision with which such a unit puts into practical use certain scientific theories to reconstruct in a mechanical way the individual's physical method of breathing is extremely dramatic. H 'Gr

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Wagga: fs M: i., i agile'-. A iw 1 MW .,-- -W7 i iizifilgr 12. . . . . P ' , 1 xxanaw-ss---Q 17 .ii X-favax., - . , :.1 f A1 'J' , 2657 1 as s sw - , W K- --'si - sax .. .. ,,,M. V . . f W M M 1 , 54... E oqsfai--8, ,gig - . ,WW a-is K assi? 15 X Maternity Rocknss ! The following article leads one over the road of progress which has been tred by our Obstetrical division in the last ten years. In 1931 the Booby Hatchu was taken over by the Isolation Department as a room and the stair- way leading to it was closed. In 1932 the 10-bed ward on Maternity III was remodeled into smaller wards: a four-bed ward, two three-bed wards and one two-bed ward, These wards have proved to be very popular and the white screened unit of the large ward is gone. During this same year, there was only a 41.296 occu- pancy, proof that the depression had also affected the obstetrical division. In 1935 radio reception was made available to all the private .rooms and private wards. This innovation afforded great pleasure to the patients. Seven rooms on Maternity III and the two end rooms on both floors, which were completely redecorated in soft pastel shades with matching drapes, are most attractive. In 1936 the work of refinishing and redecorating the rooms of the Maternity department was completed. H Later the Infant Respirator was purchased and has proved valuable, Air-conditioning facilities for the nursery in summer were installed. - 1938 brought the untimely death of Dr, G. C. Gilfellin, who was a friend in the truest sense. In the last year a type of violet ray light has been installed in both nurseries for the purpose of lessening the possibility of infection. These burn day and night. ' The general trend has been toward the hospitalization of the obstetrical patient. This brings the daily census average up to approximately 8521 occupancy for 1940. This is also shown by the follow- ing increase of births: 1900, 28 births, 1910, 118 birthsg 1920, 725,births3 1930, 1,325 births, 1940, 1,410 births. r 50 are

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tx-'ET ii-MI-af, M... 12 :L- ff 'i'f,-fd ' QXZFWKE V EB. .f i 555,221 tg me K 53355 I flftifkiiii 5.555 Drug Room ITH THE development in medicine, an ever increasing importance has become attached to the existence within the modern hospital of a well staffed and a well supplied drug room. Services of the drug department are available to all patients in the hospital. One of the most intensive stocks of drugs of any hospital this size is carried in the drug room in the interest of expected drug service. At the present time the drug department likewise manufactures a number of the preparations and medications used throughout the institution. Its present personnel includes four pharmacists and two general assistants. Drug orders are routinely filled once each day and the services of the pharmacists are available the rest of the day for special orders. Emergency service is likewise available for the hours when the drug room is not oflicially open. A+ 52 n