Nutritional needs, resources, and barriers among unhoused adults cared for by a street medicine organization in Chicago, Illinois: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Those experiencing houselessness rely on obtaining food from community organizers and donations. Simultaneously, the houseless face disproportionally high rates of medical conditions that may be affected by diet including diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. There is limited literature on the resources and barriers of the houseless community regarding optimal nutrition from an actionable perspective. Further, less data is available on how street medicine organizations may best impact the nutrition of the unhoused they serve. Elucidating this information will inform how organizational efforts may best support the nutrition of the houseless community. METHODS: In partnership with the medical student-run organization, Chicago Street Medicine, at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, twenty adults experiencing houselessness in Chicago, Illinois participated in the cross-sectional study. A 10-item survey was verbally administered to characterize the participants' daily food intake, food sources, barriers, resources, and nutritional preferences and needs. All data was directly transcribed into REDCap. Descriptive statistics were generated. RESULTS: Individuals consumed a median of 2 snacks and meals per day (IQR: 1-3). No participant consumed adequate servings of every food group, with only one participant meeting the dietary intake requirements for one food group. Participants most often received their food from donations (n = 15), purchasing themselves (n = 11), food pantries (n = 4), and shelters (n = 3). Eleven of nineteen participants endorsed dental concerns as a major barrier to consuming certain foods. Twelve participants had access to a can opener and twelve could heat their meals on a stove or microwave. Seven had access to kitchen facilities where they may prepare a meal. Approximately half of participants had been counseled by a physician to maintain a particular diet, with most related to reducing sugar intake. CONCLUSION: Most houseless participants were unable to acquire a balanced diet and often relied on organizational efforts to eat. Organizations should consider the chronic health conditions, dentition needs, and physical resources and barriers to optimal nutrition when obtaining food to distribute to the unhoused.

Reducing the environmental impact of mask inductions in children: A quality improvement report.

BACKGROUND: Inhalational anesthetic agents are potent greenhouse gases with global warming potential that far exceed that of carbon dioxide. Traditionally, pediatric inhalation inductions are achieved with a volatile anesthetic delivered to the patient in oxygen and nitrous oxide at high fresh gas flows. While contemporary volatile anesthetics and anesthesia machines allow for a more environmentally conscious induction, practice has not changed. We aimed to reduce the environmental impact of our inhalation inductions by decreasing the use of nitrous oxide and fresh gas flows. METHODS: Through a series of four plan-do-study-act cycles, the improvement team used content experts to demonstrate the environmental impact of the current inductions and to provide practical ways to reduce this, by focusing on nitrous oxide use and fresh gas flows, with visual reminders introduced at point of delivery. The primary measures were the percentage of inhalation inductions that used nitrous oxide and the maximum fresh gas flows/kg during the induction period. Statistical process control charts were used to measure improvement over time. RESULTS: 33 285 inhalation inductions were included over a 20-month period. nitrous oxide use decreased from 80% to <20% and maximum fresh gas flows/kg decreased from a rate of 0.53 L/min/kg to 0.38 L/min/kg, an overall reduction of 28%. Reduction in fresh gas flows was greatest in the lightest weight groups. Induction times and behaviors remained unchanged over the duration of this project. CONCLUSIONS: Our quality improvement group decreased the environmental impact of inhalation inductions and created cultural change within our department to sustain change and foster the pursuit of future environmental efforts.