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  1. Today
  2. Jan V
    Jan V joined the community
  3. Content Article
    The debate about fairness of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care is gaining momentum. At present, the focus of the debate is on identifying unfair outcomes resulting from biased algorithmic decision making. This article in The Lancet Digital Health looks at the ethical principles guiding outcome fairness in AI algorithms.
  4. Content Article
    This Office for National Statistics (ONS) report provides in-depth analysis of Winter Coronavirus Infection Study (Winter CIS) data looking at trends in self-reported symptoms of Covid-19 including ongoing symptoms and associated risk factors. Winter CIS was a joint study with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), carried out between November 2023 and March 2024 for England and Scotland. The study was structured as a longitudinal panel survey, with each participant sent a questionnaire and asked to take a lateral flow device test every four weeks for the detection of Covid-19.
  5. Claire Hudson
    Claire Hudson joined the community
  6. News Article
    The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has published updated professional standards to support pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy teams in responding to patient safety incidents. Created in collaboration with the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK (APTUK) and the Pharmacy Forum Northern Ireland (PFNI), the Patient safety professional standards: responding to patient safety incidents are designed to support pharmacy professionals to meet regulatory standards. The standards, published on 24 April 2024, reflect new legislation and updated guidance from the General Pharmaceutical Council and NHS England, replacing the previous standards published in 2016. They also provide a framework for reflecting, reporting and recording incidents, and sharing learning, taking action and reviewing and evaluating incidents as part of a patient safety culture. Read full story Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal, 24 April 2024
  7. Angeline Rees
    Angeline Rees joined the community
  8. Content Article Comment
    Thank you for sharing & for your commitment many would be too tired/scared to continue. I am sure you will not be alone in your personal experience and the response that you got. It is a sad situation to find ourselves in & one could argue with the lack of transparency we have learnt nothing from Francis, Morecombe Bay & many more public/large enquiries. PSIRF has encouraged learning through different routes/methodologies and that includes through, and with our patients/families & staff. However, like your experience, it has not equipped those wanting to listen, learn & share with the 'negative' fall out of those more worried by their 'reputation.' My view is that 'reputations' will be very short-lived compared to the long term impact on patients, families & staff when they are harmed in NHS care. I just hope that the future leaders of the NHS can see the value of inclusion and learning rather than 'judging' and 'numbers'; sometimes you have to be brave & 'air your dirty laundry' in order to learn and move forward; that is how reputations will be remembered, not by what you choose to 'hide' or 'manipulate' for a good look.
  9. Content Article
    Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust's (SHSCFT's) Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework (PCREF) aims to help the Trust's staff and communities understand how to have sensitive conversations with patients and carers and to get better information from them. This will mean the Trust is more culturally aware and able to offer culturally appropriate care by understanding the barriers ethnic minority communities face in getting healthcare services for diagnosis and treatment. This video was produced by SHSCFT to help staff, service users and their families understand the importance of sharing information around their ethnicity and protected characteristics.
  10. stuart
    stuart joined the community
  11. Content Article
    These patient safety professional standards aim to support pharmacists when responding to patient safety incidents. They describe good practice and provide a broad framework for continually improving services, shaping future services and roles and delivering high-quality care across all settings and sectors. They have been developed by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK and Pharmacy Forum NI, with the support of an expert steering group and public consultation. Pharmacists, pharmacist prescribers, pharmacy technicians and the wider pharmacy team across the United Kingdom will find these standards useful. They may also be of interest to the public, to people who use pharmacy and healthcare services, other healthcare professionals working with pharmacy teams, regulators and commissioners of pharmacy services.
  12. Event
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    The future of health and care lies at the intersection of prevention and precision. It’s a paradigm shift that requires vision, leadership, change management and the critical need to be radical. At Radical Health Festival Helsinki 2024, we’re not just thinking about the future of healthcare; we’re redefining it. Imagine a world where health is a lifelong journey, where risks are identified before they turn into crises, and care is personalised for every citizen. Is this just a pipe dream? No, it’s the radical shift we need now more than ever! This year, we deep dive into the intersection of prevention and precision. It’s a bold move and a paradigm shift requiring bold leadership. But it´s the only way forward. The 2024 programme explores the three pillars and key questions that will enable this deployment at scale: PEOPLE: Can we shift our focus from technology to people and place humans at the heart of digital transformation efforts? INNOVATION: Can we re-think innovation frameworks to accelerate the adoption and integration of cutting-edge technologies in clinical pathways? DATA: How do we turn data into insights for prevention, precision, and equity? We may not have all the answers. But Radical Health Festival Helsinki is where radical ideas take flight. Find out more about the festival
  13. News Article
    Use of antipsychotic medications in patients with dementia is linked with a much wider range of serious harms than previously thought, say UK researchers. Although there have been safety warnings on use of the antipsychotics from regulators about increased risk of stroke and death, a large study has now found increased risks for pneumonia, venous thromboembolism, heart attack, heart failure, fracture, and acute kidney injury. Reporting the findings in the BMJ, researchers from the University of Manchester said it underscores the need for increased caution when prescribing. The analysis showed that antipsychotic use was associated with increased risks for all outcomes looked at with the exception of ventricular arrhythmia. Over the first six months of treatment, it was estimated that antipsychotic use was linked with one additional case of pneumonia for every nine patients treated, and one additional heart attack for every 167 patients treated. Professor Charles Marshall, professor of clinical neurology at Queen Mary University of London, said the study findings should prompt renewed efforts to reduce the prescribing of antipsychotics to people living with dementia. "There are rare circumstances where antipsychotics are genuinely required, and the benefits outweigh these risks, but for the majority of patients with behavioural symptoms that might lead to them being prescribed anti-psychotics, we should be focussing on much safer behavioural management approaches." Read full story Source: Pulse, 24 April 2024
  14. News Article
    The Biden administration set a first-ever minimum staffing rule for nursing homes Monday, making good on the president’s promise more than two years ago to seek improvements in care for the nation’s 1.2 million nursing home residents. The final rule, proposed in September, requires a registered nurse to be on-site in every skilled nursing facility for 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It mandates enough staff to provide every resident with at least 3.48 hours of care each day. And it beefs up rules for assessing the care needs of every resident, which will boost staff numbers above the minimum to care for sicker residents. For a facility with 100 residents, it translates to a minimum of two or three registered nurses and at least 10 or 11 nurse aides per shift, as well as two additional staffers who could be nurses or aides per shift, according to the administration’s interpretation of its new formula. Set to phase in over the next few years, the mandate will replace the current vague standard that gives operators wide latitude on how to staff their facilities. While the administration has said the rule will improve care, industry lobbyists have said it’s unworkable, with staffing goals that will be impossible to achieve because of a shortage of workers. The administration received 47,000 public comments on the rule since it was proposed last September. They included observations of people lying in their own filth for hours, not being fed appropriately and being left on the floor too long after falling, Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra said in an interview Monday. Read full story Source: Washington Post, 22 April 2024
  15. News Article
    Female survivors of breast cancer living in the most deprived areas have a 35% higher risk of developing second, unrelated cancers, compared with those from the most affluent areas, research shows. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK, with about 56,000 people being told they have it each year. Improved diagnosis and treatments mean that five-year survival rates are now 86% in England. People who survive breast cancer have a greater likelihood of second primary (unrelated) cancer, but until now the exact risk has not been clear. A team of researchers led by the University of Cambridge analysed NHS data from almost 600,000 patients in England and found, compared with the general female population, women who had survived breast cancer had an increased risk of developing 12 other primary cancers. Compared with the most affluent, the least well-off female survivors of breast cancer had a 166% greater chance of developing lung cancer, a 78% higher risk of stomach cancer, more than 50% increased risk of bladder and oesophagus cancers, 48% higher risk of head and neck cancer and 43% increased risk of kidney cancer. Read full story Source: Guardian, 24 April 2024
  16. News Article
    A bereaved father whose vulnerable son died after managing to escape from the Priory has called for a criminal inquiry into the mental health care group after the deaths of four more patients. Richard Caseby, who lost his son Matthew, has campaigned for three years against the privately run group after an inquest found his son’s death was contributed to by neglect. The 23-year-old was able to abscond from the hospital over a fence which had previously been identified as a risk. He was hit by a train just hours later. Now the Priory, one of the UK’s largest mental health providers, faces new scrutiny as coroners are set to examine the death of 20-year-old Amina Ismail, who died while at the Cheadle Royal Hospital in Stockport. Ms Ismail died in September 2023, a year after three other young women died at the same unit - Beth Matthews, 26, Lauren Bridges, aged 20, and 30-year-old Deseree Fitzpatrick. Mr Caseby, a former newspaper editor, told The Independent: “The Priory is a fundamentally dangerous company, one that persistently refuses to learn from its mistakes and neglect. The roll call of death and disgrace at its hospitals just gets longer.” Read full story Source: Independent, 25 April 2024
  17. Content Article
    Clive Treacey, who had a learning disability, epilepsy and complex mental health needs, died in 2017 aged 47, having spent his adult life in residential social care and inpatient settings. In 1993, he was placed by Staffordshire County Council into the David Lewis Centre in the borough of Cheshire East, where it is alleged he was sexually abused by a member of staff. Cheshire East Safeguarding Adults Board (CESAB) and Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Adults Safeguarding Partnership Board (SSASPB) jointly commissioned a Discretionary Safeguarding Adults Review (D-SAR) to look at Clive's case. Authored by Professor Michael Preston-Shoot, the review relates to historical incidents of abuse and examines what is now in place to protect adults at risk since adult safeguarding became a statutory duty under the Care Act in 2014. The SAR makes 14 recommendations to the boards.
  18. Content Article
    This toolkit is a practical guide for system leaders that will help to inform future spending on health inequalities and support implementation of high-impact changes within integrated care boards (ICBs) to address health inequalities. It aims to build system leaders’ confidence in their ability to tackle inequalities in their organisations and is accompanied by a research report that looks at the approaches systems took to spending health inequalities money. It is structured in line with the four main stages of quality improvement methods:  Culture, leadership and governance Understanding the problem Developing the best solution Evaluating success
  19. Francine Freeman
    Francine Freeman joined the community
  20. Rhianne
    Rhianne joined the community
  21. Content Article
    Appreciative inquiry is one of the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) tools that can be use to learn from patient safety incidents. Katy Fisher, Senior Nurse Quality & Improvement at NHS Professionals, shares how she designed and introduced an appreciative inquiry tool at her hospital.
  22. Yesterday
  23. Chantal Yu
    Chantal Yu joined the community
  24. SarahB
    SarahB joined the community
  25. Content Article
    This report is a continuation of the landmark Institute of Medicine reports To Err Is Human (2000) and Crossing the Quality Chasm (2001). It finds that diagnosis, and in particular the occurrence of diagnostic errors, has been largely unappreciated in efforts to improve the quality and safety of healthcare. Without a dedicated focus on improving diagnosis, diagnostic errors will likely worsen as the delivery of health care and the diagnostic process continue to increase in complexity. Just as the diagnostic process is a collaborative activity, improving diagnosis will require collaboration and a widespread commitment to change among health care professionals, healthcare organisations, patients and their families, researchers and policy makers. The report's recommendations contribute to the growing momentum for change in this crucial area of healthcare quality and safety.
  26. Content Article
    Healthcare services improvisation relies heavily on collaborating with patients and caregivers by acknowledging their feedback to enhance quality and safety. The 2023 World Patient Safety Day underscores the significance of co-production with patients in safety strategies. In accordance with this, a crucial tool that involves patients and caregivers is the “Patient-reported experience measures (PREMs)” that help in assessing healthcare delivery in terms of quality, safety and performance. These tools for various healthcare processes offer valuable insights into treatment effectiveness and areas needing improvement. PREMs are surveys used to assess patients' care experiences objectively, aiding in pinpointing the areas for improvement. Unlike patient satisfaction measures, which reflect only subjective evaluations, PREMs offer an objective view of care encounters. In view of the importance of a standardised tool for Indian health care organisations, CAHO in collaboration with various stakeholders and patients unveil the White paper on Patient-Reported Experience Measures (PREMs) tool development process. This white paper was released by the honourable governor of West Bengal, Dr C.V Ananda Bose at the recently concluded CAHOCON 2024 at Biswa Bangla, Kolkata.
  27. Content Article
    Computerised provider order entry (CPOE) prompts can provide patient-specific risk estimates for multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs). This JAMA Network study aimed to find out whether CPOE prompts could reduce empiric extended-spectrum antibiotic use in patients admitted with pneumonia. The authors found that prompts promoting standard-spectrum antibiotics for patients at low risk of infection with MDROs reduced extended-spectrum antibiotic use by 28.4%, without increasing intensive care unit transfers or length of stay for patients with pneumonia.
  28. News Article
    Women have been told to avoid using weight-loss drugs to help them get pregnant, as doctors report a rise in surprise “Ozempic babies”. Some women struggling with infertility have unexpectedly become pregnant after being prescribed semaglutide, which is used to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes under the brand names Wegovy and Ozempic. However, scientists have now issued a warning that the weight-loss injections may cause birth defects and should not be used by anyone hoping to become pregnant. Professor Tricia Tan, from the department of metabolism, digestion and reproduction at Imperial College London, said: “Women need to know that these drugs should not be used during pregnancy. You can also see that most of the clinical trials have not included women who are intending to become pregnant. Animal studies did show that the animal babies born to animals who were given these medications had problems.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 23 April 2024
  29. Event
    WHO/Europe, the Austrian National Public Health Institute—a WHO-Collaborating Center for Health Promotion in Hospitals and Healthcare— EACH: International Association for Communication in Healthcare, and the University of Iowa have joined forces to deliver a unique series of webinars that will examine the critical role of effective communication in building trust within healthcare settings and the challenges healthcare professionals face in effectively communicating with each other and patients. This series also aims to inform future WHO guidance and recommendations on establishing national communication skills training programs in hospitals, drawing on insights and lessons from such programs in various countries. The first webinar provides a comprehensive overview of WHO/Europe's focus on trust and the foundational role of effective communication in hospitals. Experts will delve into the importance of patient-centred communication and how this approach improves patient outcomes, strengthens the patient-healthcare provider relationship, and builds trust. Experts will also discuss the role of transparent and empathetic communication in fostering trust when navigating adverse situations. Participants will hear about the advantages of establishing large-scale structured communication training programs and a case study illustrating the successful implementation of a mandatory Provider Communication Program across a hospital system, demonstrating practical applications of effective communication strategies. Speakers: Natasha Azzopardi Muscat, Director the Division of Country Health Policies and Systems at the WHO Regional Office for Europe Marlene Sator, a Senior Health Expert at the Austrian Public Health Institute and WHO Collaborating Centre for Health Promotion in Hospitals and Healthcare Joao Breda, Head of the WHO Office for Quality of Care and Patient Safety in Athens Marcy Rosenbaum, Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Iowa, past-president of EACH, and former Co-chair of EACH Theresa Brennan, Chief Medical Officer at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and Professor of Internal Medicine Register
  30. Content Article
    At a recent meeting of the 'Safer Healthcare Biosafety Network' (SHBN), members learned of a new initiative designed to improve the safety of healthcare workers in the event of a future pandemic. It should also greatly reduce nosocomial (healthcare acquired) infection. David Osborn explained that the intention is to shift the focus for respiratory protective equipment (RPE) away from FFP3 respirators more towards powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs). Although FFP3s provide efficient protection, they have several disadvantages for use in the healthcare sector, particularly when providing prolonged care of infectious patients. At the height of the pandemic, given the shortage of respirators, a new type of PAPR was developed at Southampton University and used to great effect. Staff reported that, whilst previously they had been coming to work in fear of infection, they now felt safe and secure in the knowledge that they were well protected. David is supporting Professor Kevin Bampton (Chief Executive, British Occupational Hygiene Society) and Professor Paul Elkington (Director, Institute for Medical Innovation, Southampton University). Following the SHBN, David prepared a briefing note (attached below) providing more details of the project.
  31. Event
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    This virtual launch event celebrates the ARMA report Act Now: MSK Health inequalities and deprivation. • Hear about the findings of the report and what they mean for health services and healthcare professionals. • How does deprivation relate to MSK health? • What are the 5 steps to addressing health inequalities and what do they look like in practice? • What are the particular issues for children and young people? • What can you do to create change if you act now? Join the discussion with the panel: • Anthony Gilbert, Postdoctoral Clinical Research Physiotherapist, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust • Shabir Aziz, Lived Experience Partner • Lesley Kay, National Clinical Director for MSK, NHS England • Jacqui Clinch, Consultant Paediatric Rheumatologist Register for the event
  32. Content Article
    Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust's (SHSCFT's) Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework (PCREF) aims to help the Trust's staff and communities understand how to have sensitive conversations with patients and carers and to get better information from them. This will mean the Trust is more culturally aware and able to offer culturally appropriate care by understanding the barriers ethnic minority communities face in getting healthcare services for diagnosis and treatment. This video was produced by SHSCFT to guide staff in having conversations about collecting information on ethnicity from patients and carers.
  33. News Article
    Urgent government action is needed to stop preventable asthma deaths, a leading charity has said. More than 12,000 people in the UK have died from asthma attacks since 2014, according to Asthma and Lung UK. It said the figures meant "shockingly little" had changed since a major report a decade ago which found two thirds of asthma deaths could have been avoided with better care. People with asthma should get an annual condition review, a written action plan and inhaler technique checks. But the charity said people with asthma were being "failed", with seven out of 10 not receiving basic care, partly because healthcare workers were over-stretched. Asthma and Lung UK said 31% of asthmatics were "disengaged" with managing their condition, putting them at higher risk, according to its research. Ministers in England and Wales said they were trying to improve services. Read full story Source: BBC News, 24 April 2024
  34. News Article
    Patients needing urgent treatment for life-threatening illness such as strokes or heart attacks waited more than 24 hours for an ambulance response, new figures show. New data shows the crisis facing NHS ambulance services resulted in every region missing vital NHS targets to respond to some of the most critically unwell patients last year. Despite improvements compared to 2022, figures obtained by the Liberal Democrat party show ambulance services continued to struggle with response times to category two patients, which may include those who have suffered a stroke or heart attack and should receive a response within 18 minutes. In two cases patients needing this level of response, in Warrington and Staffordshire, waited more than 25 hours for an ambulance. Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive at NHS Providers, which represents all NHS trusts, called for “urgent” investment and warned that “rising demand, limited resources and vast staff shortages are piling pressure on an already-stretched service, further driving up ambulance waiting times.” He said NHS hospital and ambulance leaders are working to reduce delays and responses at a time “when demand has never been higher.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 23 April 2024
  35. News Article
    Ethnic minorities and young people require more visits than other people to the GP before being diagnosed with cancer, according to new analysis. On average, one in five people across England require three or more GP interactions before being diagnosed with cancer. But for people from ethnic minority backgrounds, the figure rises to one in three, according to analysis of the NHS cancer patient experience 2022 survey by QualityWatch, a joint programme from the Nuffield Trust and the Health Foundation. For young people aged between 16 and 24, about half needed at least three GP visits before being diagnosed, with 20% needing at least five visits. Despite this, young people were still more likely to be diagnosed at an early stage in their cancer. Prof Kamila Hawthorne, the chair of the Royal College of GPs, said that identifying cancer symptoms in young people could be challenging as the risk for the group was generally much smaller. Hawthorne said: “Ensuring patients receive timely and appropriate referrals for suspected cancers is a priority for GPs – and to this end, they are doing a good job, making more urgent referrals and ensuring more cancers are being diagnosed at an early stage than ever. “Whilst GPs are highly trained to identify cancers, this remains challenging in primary care, not least and particularly with some cancers, because the symptoms are often vague and typical of other, more common conditions.” Dr Liz Fisher, senior fellow at the Nuffield Trust, said: “Delays to a cancer diagnosis pose real risks for people and an early diagnosis plays a pivotal role in determining the treatments available to people and determining outcomes. “The NHS has set an ambitious goal to dramatically increase early detection of cancer, but performance in this area has stubbornly stalled in recent years. Everyone’s experience of cancer diagnosis is different but the risks to delays aren’t felt equally, with younger people and those from minority ethnic groups requiring more visits to health professionals to secure a diagnosis.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 24 April 2024
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