The case of the disappearing teaspoons: longitudinal cohort study of the displacement of teaspoons in an Australian research institute

BMJ. 2005 Dec 24;331(7531):1498-500
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.331.7531.1498
(Published 22 December 2005)

Megan S C Lim, research assistant
Margaret E Hellard, director
Campbell K Aitken, senior research officer

Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health Research, Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health, GPO box 2284, Melbourne, Victoria, 3001, Australia

OBJECTIVES:

To determine the overall rate of loss of workplace teaspoons and whether attrition and displacement are correlated with the relative value of the teaspoons or type of tearoom.
DESIGN:

Longitudinal cohort study.

SETTING:

Research institute employing about 140 people.

SUBJECTS:

70 discreetly numbered teaspoons placed in tearooms around the institute and observed weekly over five months.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:

Incidence of teaspoon loss per 100 teaspoon years and teaspoon half life.

RESULTS:

56 (80%) of the 70 teaspoons disappeared during the study. The half life of the teaspoons was 81 days. The half life of teaspoons in communal tearooms (42 days) was significantly shorter than for those in rooms associated with particular research groups (77 days). The rate of loss was not influenced by the teaspoons' value. The incidence of teaspoon loss over the period of observation was 360.62 per 100 teaspoon years. At this rate, an estimated 250 teaspoons would need to be purchased annually to maintain a practical institute-wide population of 70 teaspoons.

CONCLUSIONS:

The loss of workplace teaspoons was rapid, showing that their availability, and hence office culture in general, is constantly threatened.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1326984/


Comment in

BMJ. Jan 14, 2006; 332(7533): 121

Katherine Darton, information officer
Mind, London E15 4BQ

Disappearing teaspoons: teaspoons may reappear

Editor—The paper by Lim et al has not taken account of the fact that teaspoons may reappear.1 What steps were taken in this study to identify individuals? It is our experience in this institution that teaspoons regularly go on awaydays, when there are, of course, no teaspoons available in the office at all, but they then return, and a full cohort may be available and ready for use in a couple of days' time. Clearly, if teaspoons are replaced during the short absence of an awayday, they will feel under no obligation to return. This may invalidate the findings of this paper on number needed to keep an institution supplied.

Competing interests: None declared.

http://www.bmj.com/content/332/7533/121.4


BMJ. Jan 14, 2006; 332(7533): 121

Trevor Watts, consultant in periodontology
King's College London Dental Institute at Guy's, King's and St Thomas's Hospitals, London SE1 9RTSpoon solutions

Editor—To solve the problem of disappearing spoons reported by Lee et al,1 I would like to introduce the authors to the recently developed chaotic randomly uniform muddled botch-up system (CRUMBS), by which it is predicted that immobilisation and non-provision are the two possible ways of dealing with the matter.
The first solution, immobilisation, may be achieved by using chained teaspoons (analogous to the chained bibles of the Middle Ages), where a large chain with thick links attaches the spoon to a strongly mounted wall bracket. Non-provision solves the problem by not supplying teaspoons, forcing staff to bring their own, which they are more likely to protect than institutional spoons.

I hope this is helpful.

Competing interests: TW keeps his teaspoon in a locked drawer in his office. He is thinking of starting a business in the supply of chained teaspoons.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1326985/


BMJ. Jan 14, 2006; 332(7533): 121

Alan A Woodall, specialist registrar public health medicine
Telford Primary Care Trust, Somerfield House, Telford TF1 5RY
Teabags and forks are confounding factors

Editor—The valuable piece of research by Lim et al will be circulated as urgent reading around my primary care trust, where institutional attrition of teaspoons may be a factor in the ongoing financial crisis for the NHS.1

However, I suggest that the research team consider using a parallel supply of marked “forks” as well as teaspoons and monitor attritional loss again in a more in-depth study across a range of healthcare institutions. In England, where tea drinking often exceeds use of instant coffee in institutions, in the absence of available teaspoons (or clean spoons) tea drinkers will often use a fork to remove the teabag from their cup during the preparation of the beverage. This obviously is not an option available to coffee drinkers; one would therefore suspect that tearooms where coffee drinkers predominate would experience a higher rate of spoon loss. Therefore, a potential confounding factor in the study is the ratio of instant coffee drinkers to tea drinkers in each room. Including a parallel cohort of marked forks would allow this phenomenon to be monitored. Of course, any consumption of birthday cake during the monitoring period may lead to a rapid loss of forks, so birthday celebrations, etc will need to be adjusted for.

Competing interests: AAW had a hoard of three teaspoons and two mugs on his desk on 23 December 2005.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1326982/


BMJ. Jan 14, 2006; 332(7533): 121

Bertrand Herer, physician
Centre de Forcilles, 77150 Férolles-Attilly, France

French data indicate global phenomenon

Editor—I read with interest the longitudinal cohort study of the displacement of teaspoons in an Australian research institute reported by Lim et al.1

In France, the tea ritual is not as widespread as in English speaking countries, but spoons are also used during conventional meals. Unpublished data obtained in our hospital located near Paris show that in the first five months of 2001, some 1800 spoons disappeared during lunchtime from the workplace cafeteria, which is attended by about 550 employees. These disappearances occurred despite (or because) of the fact that 6000 spoons had been purchased the previous year.

Lim et al may be right when they postulate that spoon disappearance may implicate the whole planet. Measures against the loss of (tea)spoons may be not only a national but a global priority.

Competing interests: None declared.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1326950/


BMJ. Jan 14, 2006; 332(7533): 121

David A Silver, fellow in cardiothoracic and intensive care anaesthesia
Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA

Method of spoon surveillance was not adequate

Editor—I am not convinced that the method of spoon surveillance used by Lim et al (scanning desktops and other immediately visible surfaces) is entirely adequate.1

Not unlike the errant single socks cited by multiple other respondents on bmj.com,2 teaspoons are unlikely to remain on immediately visible surfaces. Inevitable entropy aside, the teaspoon is a uniquely versatile implement (a search on www.google.com of “teaspoon” (30 December 2005, 1746 eastern standard time (EST)) yielded 7.2 million results; a search of “use a teaspoon” (quotes included) 15 700 (30 December 2005, 1748 hrs EST)).

Teaspoons in my own department are used to prop open doors, pry open file cabinets, and strategically position mousetraps in that annoyingly narrow space between the refrigerator and the wall. Scanning only visible surfaces may well result in undercounting of remaining spoons, or in counting only those utensils still used for stirring.

As it is unclear what exactly constitutes a teaspoon,3 can we be certain the authors started with teaspoons at all?

Competing interests: DAS pours coffee into a cup already containing milk, which obviates the need for stirring.

References
1. Lim MSC, Hellard ME, Aitken CK. The case of the disappearing teaspoons: longitudinal cohort study of the displacement of teaspoons in an Australian research institute. BMJ 2005;331: 1498-500. (24-31 December.)
2. Electronic responses. The case of the disappearing teaspoons. http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/eletters/331/7531/1498(accessed 6 Jan 2006).
3. Deodands. Turing, Fibonacci phyllotaxis, neutron teaspoons and me. The nonneutron teaspoon. www.swintons.net/deodands/archives/000077.html(accessed 30 December 2005, 1741 EST).

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1326983/

Harry Potter casts a spell on accident prone children

BMJ 2005;331:1505
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.331.7531.1505
(Published 22 December 2005)

Stephen Gwilym, specialist registrar
Dominic P J Howard, senior house officer
Nev Davies, specialist registrar
Keith Willett, consultant

Department of Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU

Abstract

In the infancy of this millennium two things are certain: children injure themselves on the latest “craze” and children will (probably) read the Harry Potter books. Previous reports have highlighted the impact of emerging crazes such as inline skating and microscooters, with attention being drawn to potential accident prevention and emerging patterns of injury.

One modern craze is the Harry Potter series of books and films. In the United Kingdom sales ofthe latest Harry Potter book, The Half-Blood Prince, are estimated to reach fourmillion, with around three million volumes being sold in the first week.

Given the lack of horizontal velocity, height, wheels, or sharp edges associated with this particular craze we were interested to investigate the impact the Harry Potter books had on children's traumatic injuries during the peak of their use.

http://www.bmj.com/content/331/7531/1505

Recent rapid responses

Marilyn J Cox
Medical Secretary, NHS Professionals
Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust

Harry Potter - Hidden Dangers
5 January 2006

I read with great interest the findings of your study. However, although it has demonstrated that the initial reading of the books reduces the incidence of accidents, further research should address the potential increase in head trauma, fractures and other musculoskeletal injuries resulting from children throwing themselves at railway station walls in an attempt to reach Platform 9¾.

Competing interests: Author sustained slight bruising to toe after dropping 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' on foot.

You Bastard: A Narrative Exploration of the Experience of Indignation within Organizations

Organization Studies
November 2005 vol. 26 no. 11 1625-1640

David Sims
Cass Business School, London, UK

Abstract

Our patience with forming interpretations and reinterpretations of others' behaviour is not unlimited. The time comes when we lose interest in trying to understand, and conclude that another person is behaving in a way that is simply unacceptable. This paper explores the narratives that go with immoderate indignation, even for those best versed in the idea that they should attempt to understand the perspective of the other. The paper offers a reflexive comment on the difficulty of analysing such a topic, on the grounds that the phenomenon under discussion can debilitate analytic writing. Three narratives are discussed in which one person was seen as behaving in a despicable way by others. The description and analysis of the narratives are used to offer a narrative understanding of the process by which some people become indignant with others. It suggests a narrative construction of how sense is made of indignation, particularly in cases where two narratives come up against each other. It concludes by considering how the process of being indignant can produce conflicting emotions of joy and guilt for those involved.

http://oss.sagepub.com/content/26/11/1625

Are patient falls in the hospital associated with lunar cycles? A retrospective observational study

BMC Nursing 2005, 4:5
doi:10.1186/1472-6955-4-5

Schwendimann R, Joos F, De Geest S, Milisen K.

Institute of Nursing Science, University of Basel, Bernoullistrasse 28, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.

BACKGROUND:

Falls and associated negative outcomes in hospitalized patients are of significant concerns. The etiology of hospital inpatient falls is multifactorial, including both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Anecdotes from clinical practice exist in which health care professionals express the idea that the number of patient falls increases during times of full moon. The aim of this study was to examine in-hospital patient fall rates and their associations with days of the week, months, seasons and lunar cycles.

METHODS:

3,842 fall incident reports of adult in-patients who fell while hospitalized in a 300-bed urban public hospital in Zurich, Switzerland were included. Adjusted fall rates per 1'000 patient days were compared with days of the week, months, and 62 complete lunar cycles from 1999 to 2003.

RESULTS:

The fall rate per 1000 patient days fluctuated slightly over the entire observation time, ranging from 8.4 falls to 9.7 falls per month (P = 0.757), and from 8.3 falls on Mondays to 9.3 falls on Saturdays (P = 0.587). The fall rate per 1000 patient days within the lunar days ranged from 7.2 falls on lunar day 17 to 10.6 falls on lunar day 20 (P = 0.575).

CONCLUSION:

The inpatient fall rates in this hospital were neither associated with days of the week, months, or seasons nor with lunar cycles such as full moon or new moon. Preventive strategies should be focused on patients' modifiable fall risk factors and the provision of organizational conditions which support a safe hospital environment.

http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6955/4/5

Homosexual sex as harmful as drug abuse, prostitution, or smoking

Psychological Reports
Volume 96 Issue 3 Pt 2 pp. 915-961 2005 Jun

Paul Cameron, Thomas Landess, Kirk Cameron

Family Research Institute, P.O. Box 62640, Colorado Springs, CO 80962, USA

In 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court said same-sex sexual activity could not be prohibited by law. Analyzing data from the 1996 National Household Survey of Drug Abuse (N= 12,381) and comparing those who engaged in four recreational activities-homosexual sex, illegal drug use, participation in prostitution, and smoking --against those who abstained, participants (1) were more frequently disruptive (e.g., more frequently criminal, drove under the influence of drugs or alcohol, used illegal drugs, took sexual risks), (2) were less frequently productive (e.g., less frequently had children in marriage, more frequently missed work), and (3) generated excessive costs (e.g., more promiscuous, higher consumers of medical services). Major sexuality surveys have reported similar findings for homosexuals. Societal discrimination inadequately accounts for these differences since parallel comparisons of black and white subsamples produced a pattern unlike the differences found between homosexuals and nonhomosexuals.

http://www.amsciepub.com/doi/abs/10.2466/pr0.96.3c.915-961?journalCode=pr0

Family Research Institute is a non-profit scientific and educational corporation that believes the strength of our society depends on preserving America's historic moral framework and the traditional family. FRI is working to produce sound, scientific data on pressing social issues — especially homosexuality — in an effort to promote traditional policies. We welcome all who would join in the fight to restore a world where marriage is upheld and honored, where children are nurtured and protected, and where homosexuality is not taught and accepted, but instead is discouraged and rejected at every level.

www.familyresearchinst.org/about/

Monkeys Pay Per View: Adaptive Valuation of Social Images by Rhesus Macaques

Current Biology
Volume 15, Issue 6, 29 March 2005, Pages 543–548

Robert O. Deaner [1], Amit V. Khera [1], Michael L. Platt [1,2,3]

[1] Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710
[2] Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710
[3] Department of Biological Anthropology and Anatomy, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710

Summary

Individuals value information that improves decision making. When social interactions complicate the decision process, acquiring information about others should be particularly valuable. In primate societies, kinship, dominance, and reproductive status regulate social interactions and should therefore systematically influence the value of social information, but this has never been demonstrated. Here, we show that monkeys differentially value the opportunity to acquire visual information about particular classes of social images. Male rhesus macaques sacrificed fluid for the opportunity to view female perinea and the faces of high-status monkeys but required fluid overpayment to view the faces of low-status monkeys. Social value was highly consistent across subjects, independent of particular images displayed, and only partially predictive of how long subjects chose to view each image. These data demonstrate that visual orienting decisions reflect the specific social content of visual information and provide the first experimental evidence that monkeys spontaneously discriminate images of others based on social status.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096098220500093X