The Frantic Seeking of Credit during Poker Machine Problem Gambling: A Public Health Perspective.

(1) Background: Financial harms associated with problem gambling are substantial and result in suicidal ideation, depression, anxiety and relationship damage, causing distress for problem gamblers and their families. This paper examines Electronic Gaming Machine gamblers' frantic use of credit during episodes of gambling as a substantial public health burden. (2) Methods: This qualitative study comprised 29 participants purposefully selected who participated in either focus groups or in-depth interviews, which were analysed using thematic, textual analysis. (3) Results: Ready access to credit in the gambling venues enabled problem gamblers to engage in desperate credit transactions to continue to gamble. Many showed frantic, repeated patterns of e-credit withdrawal, which may be typical of gambling while "in the zone", when it is highly likely that the gamblers are not able to make informed decisions about the use of credit. This pattern of the electronic withdrawal of cash may well be recognisable electronically by financial institutions in real-time, as part of a duty of care potentially owed by banks to their customers. It would provide an opportunity for the identification of people at financial risk due to gambling and systemic intervention to limit the financial harm at a time when financial decision-making is impaired. (4) Conclusions: Although this finding needs further confirmation, there are significant implications for harm minimisation and early intervention for affected PGs. It also raises the issue of the 'duty of care' owed to PG customers by financial institutions.

Antibiogram of bacteria isolated from automated teller machines in Hamadan, West Iran.

Aim: Bacteria are ubiquitous in the environment. In keeping with the continued expansion of urbanization and the growing population, an increasing number of people use automated banking, i.e. automated teller machines (ATMs). The aim of this study was to investigate the bacterial contamination and its antibiotic sensitivity on computer keyboards located at ATMs in Hamadan province, Iran. Method: Out of 360 ATMs at four locations in Hamadan, 96 were randomly selected for this study. The antibiotic susceptibility pattern of all isolates was determined by the agar disk diffusion method using gentamicin (10 µg), vancomycin (30 µg), trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (25 µg), amikacin (30 µg), tobramycin (10 µg), cephalotin (30 µg), norfloxacin (5 µg), and ceftizoxim (30 µg) disks. Results: Melli and Saderat Banks had the most frequently contaminated ATMS, with 18 (27.7%) and 12 (18.5%), respectively. The most frequently isolated bacteria were Staphylococcus epidermidis in 12 (18.5%) ATMs, Pseudomonas aeruginosa in 12 (18.5%), Bacillus subtilis in 11 (16.9%), Escherichia coli in 6 (9.2%), Klebsiella spp. in 8 (12.3%), Enterobacter spp. in 2 (3.1%), Bacillus cereus in 6 (9.2%), Staphylococcus aureus in 3 (4.6%), and Micrococcaceae spp. in 5 (7.69%) cases. All isolated bacteria were susceptible to gentamicin, cephalotin, tobramycin, amikacin, norfloxacin, and vancomycin. The S. aureus resistance rate to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole was 50%. Conclusion: All tested ATM keyboards were contaminated with at least one species of bacteria. Based on these findings, it is recommendable to disinfect the hands after entering one's own apartment, work area or a hospital, in order to hinder the spread of critical pathogens in the personal environment or in the hospital.

Contribuições para uma atenção adequada às pessoas idosas nos serviços de caixa bancário de auto-atendimento / Contributions toward appropriate assistance for elderly users of automatic teller machines

O trabalho foca alguns aspectos relativos à usabilidade e acessibilidade de caixas bancários de auto-atendimento (CAA), aspectos esses que ficam evidenciados como sendo problemas quando os usuários são pessoas idosas e, como tais, podem ter implicações sobre a saúde e os estados de saúde dos mesmos. A pesquisa foi conduzida tendo como objeto de análise os CAA instalados em agências de dois bancos estatais, tendo sido a interação dos usuários avaliada utilizando-se metodologia de análise quantitativa, através de uma amostra constituída por 70 clientes idosos. A pesquisa de campo demonstrou que, nas situações de interação com os CAA, prevalecem os estados de intranqüilidade entre os usuários idosos, e que esses usuários estão expostos a uma grande carga psíquica. O estudo discrimina tanto algumas das características negativas que foram observadas nesses ambientes, bem como adverte porque essas características são desfavoráveis para as pessoas idosas. Além disso, assinala para a necessidade de aperfeiçoamentos nesses serviços, bem como para o desenvolvimento de pesquisas que avaliem o impacto dessa carga psíquica sobre a saúde das pessoas idosas.

This study focuses on some aspects related to the usability and accessibility of automated teller machines (ATM), identified as problematic for elderly users. Some of these problems can interfere with the health and the health status of these users. This study was carried out in two ATMs installed in agencies of two public bank institutions. The interaction of the users with the ATMs was evaluated by quantitative analysis, using a sample of 70 aged customers. The results demonstrated that the elderly felt uneasy using the ATMs, suffering great psychic pressure. This study not only rejects some of the negative characteristics observed in these environments but also alerts to their unfavorable impacts upon the health of the elderly. Moreover, it points to the need for improving these services and for investigations evaluating the impact of the psychic pressure upon the health of elderly people.