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News Article
World will face a mental health crisis after coronavirus pandemic, experts warn
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The world is likely to face a global crisis in poor mental health after the coronavirus pandemic has passed, experts have warned. Two dozen mental health scientists including neuroscientists, psychiatrists, psychologists, and public health experts have warned of the long-term impact of the virus on people’s mental health and demanded governments prioritise research to come up with evidence-based treatments. They also called for real-time monitoring of mental health in the UK and across the world in order to gauge the severity of the expected increase in poor mental wellbeing. Their warning, in the journal Lancet Psychiatry, comes as a new Ipsos Mori survey carried out at the end of March revealed people’s mental health was already being affected by the UK lockdown and self-isolation policy. Read full story Source: The Independent, 16 April 2020 -
News Article
We face a pandemic of mental health
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Currently we have a frightening, deadly viral pandemic, but there will another plague, one we are not hearing nearly enough about from our leaders, which will arrive in a wave just behind it, reports Paul Daley in the Guardian. There will be a pandemic of severe depression and anxiety that will sweep over the world as the unemployment rate pushes into previously unseen digits, families who’d prefer to be socially distant are thrust together and young people are denied the certainty and structure of school. We will need to support – medically, financially, emotionally and psychiatrically – those who are going to do it hardest. Psychiatric support services will need to be dramatically bolstered to fight this mental health pandemic Read full story Source: The Guardian, 24 March 2020 -
News ArticleThe toxicity of a commonly prescribed beta blocker needs better recognition across the NHS to prevent deaths from overdose, a new report warns today. The Healthcare and Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) report focuses on propranolol, a cardiac drug that is now predominately used to treat migraine and anxiety symptoms. It is highly toxic when taken in large quantities and patients deteriorate quickly, making it difficult to treat. The investigation highlighted that these risks aren’t known widely enough by medical staff across the health service, whether issuing prescriptions to at risk patients, responding to overdose calls or carrying out emergency treatment. Dr Stephen Drage, ICU consultant and HSIB’s Director of Investigations, said: “Propranolol is a powerful and safe drug, benefitting patients across the country. However, what our investigation has highlighted is just how potent it can be in overdose. This safety risk spans every area of healthcare – from the GPs that initially prescribe the drug, to ambulance staff who respond to those urgent calls and the clinicians that administer emergency treatment." The report also emphasises that there is a link between anxiety, depression and migraine, and that more research is needed to understand the interactions between antidepressants and propranolol in overdose. Read full story Source: HSIB, 6 February 2020
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Content ArticleThis study in the British Journal of General Practice aimed to examine trends in prescribing for anxiety in UK primary care between 2003 and 2018. Anxiolytic drugs are a group of medications used to relieve anxiety. The authors analysed data from 2.5 million adults to determine prevalence, incidence rates and treatment duration for prescriptions of any anxiolytic, and also for each drug class. The authors found that, between 2003 and 2018: prevalence of any anxiolytic prescription increased, driven by increases in those starting treatment, rather than more long-term use. incident beta-blocker prescribing increased over the 16 years, whereas incident benzodiazepine prescriptions decreased. long-term prescribing of benzodiazepines declined, yet 44% of prescriptions in 2017 were longer than the recommended four weeks. incident prescriptions in each drug class have risen substantially in young adults in recent years. They conclude that increases in incident prescribing may reflect better detection of anxiety or increasing acceptability of medication. However, they also caution that prescribing approaches may cause unintended harm, as some prescribing is not based on robust evidence of effectiveness and may contradict guidelines. They highlight that there is limited evidence on the overall impact of taking antidepressants long term.
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Content ArticleHealthcare workers have had the longest and most direct exposure to COVID-19 and consequently may suffer from poor mental health. Quintana-Domeque et al. conducted one of the first repeated multi-country analysis of the mental wellbeing of medical doctors at two timepoints during the COVID-19 pandemic to understand the prevalence of anxiety and depression, as well as associated risk factors. Rates of anxiety and depression were highest in Italy (24.6% and 20.1%, June 2020), second highest in Catalonia (15.9% and 17.4%, June 2020), and lowest in the UK (11.7% and 13.7%, June 2020). Across all countries, higher risk of anxiety and depression symptoms were found among women, individuals below 60 years old, those feeling vulnerable/exposed at work, and those reporting normal/below-normal health.
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Content Article
Conscious sedation in dentistry (June 2017)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Dentist
This Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme guidance aims to promote good clinical practice through recommendations for the safe and effective provision of conscious sedation for dental care. -
Content Article
CQC. Dental mythbuster: Safe and effective conscious sedation
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Dentist
Conscious sedation can help a patient undergo dental treatment. There are several reasons why they may need sedation – anxiety, medical needs or complex treatment. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) outlines the regulations and standards of conscious sedation. -
Content Article
What Is conscious sedation? (14 September 2018)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Patient management
Conscious sedation helps reduce anxiety, discomfort, and pain during certain procedures. This is accomplished with medications and (sometimes) local anesthesia to induce relaxation. Conscious sedation is commonly used in dentistry for people who feel anxious or panicked during complex procedures like fillings, root canals, or routine cleanings. It’s also often used during endoscopies and minor surgical procedures to relax patients and minimise discomfort. Find out more about the procedure, the drugs used and the side effects. -
Content ArticleThe purpose of this study from Roberts et al. was to explore anxiety, worry, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in parents of children with food allergies, and to evaluate whether these three psychological outcomes could be predicted by allergy severity, intolerance of uncertainty, and food allergy self-efficacy. The study highlights the need for greater awareness of mental health in parents of children with food allergy.
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Content ArticleEverybody responds differently to the stresses and strains of modern life. We all need and, to a degree, thrive on pressure: it gives us energy, helps with performance and inspires confidence. But excessive pressure can lead to stress. Stress may become a problem when someone feels they don’t have the resources to cope with the demands placed upon them. Harmful levels of stress can lead to a mental health condition such as anxiety or depression. This booklet from the Devon Partnership NHS Trust aims to give you some very practical information and guidance – and provides spaces for you to make notes so you can make it work for you.
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Content ArticleTokophobia is an extreme fear of pregnancy and childbirth; it causes severe psychological distress and can have far reaching consequences. Despite this, tokophobia is under-researched and many healthcare professionals have never heard of it, explains Sarah-Jane Archibald in this BMJ Opinion article.
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Content ArticleIt will take years to unpack how badly the pandemic damaged our collective mental health. But what we know now is no one is immune. Healthcare providers, grocery store workers, executives, stay-at-home parents, food service workers: We’re all suffering in some way. In 2019, 10.8% of adults in the United States reported symptoms of anxiety or depression. By December 2020, that number had skyrocketed to 42.4%. Regina Hoffman, Director of Patient Safety Authority, talks about the importance of self-care and gives her top three tips.
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EventuntilThe past couple of years have placed enormous pressures on the mental health and wellbeing of the population. The current cost of living crisis is having a significant impact on people’s state of mind with millions feeling stressed about rising food and energy prices as we head into winter. Delivered by Maximus, the Access to Work Mental Health Support Service, funded by the Department for Work and Pensions, can help employees and employers during this difficult time with their mental health. Completely confidential, the service is available at no charge to anyone with depression, anxiety, stress or other mental health issues, affecting their work. Remploy already helped thousands of people across England, Scotland and Wales, to remain in, or return to work, so our expertise speaks for itself. Led by Bethany Kimberley and Kaylena Mushen, this webinar will introduce the service, covering facts and statistics around mental health. It also looks at the service’s aims, eligibility criteria and referral process, plus what support and workplace adjustments are available at home, in an office, or other place of work. The session will also introduce and additional service, offering virtual one-to-one support appointments for employees. Learn how to gain access to fully-funded expert advice and support for up to nine months, which includes – A well being plan to help employees stay in, or attend work. Ideas for suitable workplace adjustments. Tailored coping strategies. Facts and statistics around mental health. Aims of the service. Details of the eligibility criteria and referral process. The support and interventions available. Register
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Content ArticleDuring pregnancy, and up to one year after birth, one in five women will experience mental health issues, ranging from anxiety and depression to more severe illness. For those women experiencing mental ill-health, barriers often exist preventing them from accessing care, including variation in availability of service, care, and treatment. These are often worsened by cultural stigma, previous trauma, deprivation, and discrimination. This document by the Royal College of Midwives outlines recommendations to ensure that women are offered, and can access, the right support at the right time during their perinatal journey.
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Content ArticleThis briefing was commissioned by the Maternal Mental Health Alliance who are dedicated to ensuring all women, babies and their families across the UK have access to compassionate care and high-quality support for their mental health during pregnancy and after birth. One woman in five experiences a mental health problem during pregnancy or after they have given birth. Maternal mental health problems can have a devastating impact on the women affected and their families. NICE guidance states that perinatal mental health problems always require a speedy and effective response, including rapid access to psychological therapies when they are needed. Integrated care systems (ICSs) have a unique opportunity to ensure that all women who need support for their mental health during the perinatal period get the right level of help at the right time, close to home.
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News Article
Research confirms impact of COVID-19 on doctors’ mental health
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The COVID-19 crisis triggered high levels of anxiety and depression among doctors in the UK, Italy and Spain, a new study has found The research of 5,000 survey responses, across the three countries, found Italian doctors were most likely to have suffered during the crisis last year. The study, published in PLOS ONE, measured the mental wellbeing of doctors in Catalonia (Spain), Italy and the UK during June, November and December 2020. It found that around one in four medical doctors in Italy had experienced symptoms of anxiety in June and December 2020, with around one in five reporting symptoms of depression over the same period. In Catalonia around 16% of doctors reported anxiety and around 17% experienced depression. In the UK around 12% of doctors reported anxiety and around 14% had symptoms of depression. The study is among the first cross-country analysis of mental wellbeing among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and the first to focus on medical doctors. Across all countries, female doctors and doctors under 60 were more likely to have anxiety or depression. Professor Quintana-Domeque, professor of economics at the University of Exeter Business School, who carried out the study said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has been classified as a traumatic event, with healthcare workers arguably having the most direct and longest exposure to this disease." “The results of this study suggest that institutional support for healthcare workers, and in particular doctors, is important in protecting and promoting their mental health in the current and in future pandemics.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 3 November 2021 -
News ArticleTens of thousands of people avoided going to hospital for life-threatening illnesses such as heart attacks during Britain's coronavirus crisis, data has revealed. Shocking figures reveal that admissions for seven deadly non-coronavirus conditions between March and June fell by more than 173,000 on the previous year. Previous data for England shows there were nearly 6,000 fewer admissions for heart attacks in March and April compared with last year, and almost 137,000 fewer cancer admissions from March to June. Analysis by the Daily Mail found that the trends were alarmingly similar across the board for patients who suffered strokes, diabetes, dementia, mental health conditions and eating disorders. Health experts said the statistics were 'troubling' and warned that many patients may have died or suffered longterm harm as a result. Gbemi Babalola, senior analyst at the King's Fund think-tank said: "People with some of the most serious health concerns are going without the healthcare they desperately need. Compared with the height of the pandemic, the NHS is seeing an increase in the number of patients as services restart, and significant effort is going into new ways to treat and support patients." "But the fact remains that fewer people are being treated by NHS services." Read full story Source: Daily Mail, 13 September 2020
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News ArticleGood quality evidence is urgently needed to inform doctors on how to discontinue antidepressants safely and effectively, a Cochrane review has highlighted. An international team of researchers assessed randomised controlled trials comparing approaches to discontinuation and continuation of antidepressants in patients who had used them for depression or anxiety for at least six months. But the team reached no firm conclusions about the effects and safety of the approaches reviewed because of the low certainty of evidence from the existing studies. Read full story (paywalled) Source: BMJ, 22 April 2021
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News ArticlePregnant women and new mothers are three times as likely to suffer from poor mental health in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new study. The report, carried out by a coalition of leading maternal mental health organisations, suggested before that the public health crisis up to 20% of women developed a mental illness during pregnancy or within the first year after having a baby. But in lockdown, 6 in 10 mothers had substantial concerns around their mental health, according to researchers who polled more than 5,000 pregnant women and parents. The study warned women were more likely to suffer from anxiety, depression, loneliness and suicidal thoughts during the COVID-19 crisis. The Maternal Mental Health Alliance is one of the organisations behind the research. Luciana Berger, a former Labour MP who is now chair of the group, said: “Today’s report should serve as an ear-splitting warning siren about the dangers to women’s maternal mental health and potential risks to the wellbeing of their babies." Read full story Source: The Independent, 16 March 2021
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News Article
NHS staff face 'dread and anxiety' as virus cases surge again
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
A frontline respiratory consultant has said, “Healthcare professionals are deeply anxious about the impact of relaxing restrictions further given the current surge in Covid cases. To do away with risk-mitigating measures like social distancing and wearing of masks is incomprehensible to many of us. I feel anxious and frustrated". Hospitals in Yorkshire and North of England may also be experiencing a fourth wave. Dr Nick Scriven has told The Guardian, “Us up north are experiencing a fourth wave in community cases, with an uptick in hospital cases. Although numbers are not massive it’s both frightening and upsetting for staff as ICU cases are rising with unvaccinated people, either as they are young or by choice or both. There is to me a growing feeling that vaccination makes this almost preventable.” Read full story. Source. The Guardian, 9 July 2021 -
EventuntilWith more than 70,000 excess deaths during the 2003 heatwave in Europe, the acceleration of certain vector-borne diseases, poor air quality and increasing levels of climate anxiety, climate change is already having adverse health impacts on people’s physical and mental health. This report comprehensively addresses some of the most threatening health impacts of climate change. Each of the chapters within the report analyses the relation between climate change and the consequential health impacts and, through a series of case studies, showcases best practise on how we can tackle this. The report serves not just to highlight the extent of the link between climate change and health but also demonstrates that solutions are in our grasp to prevent and mitigate the health consequences of climate change. The webinar ‘The climate crisis and its health impacts‘ will centre around three themes: How climate change impacts human health What can be done to prevent or mitigate such impacts Why it’s important to prioritise public health in the climate debate and methods to achieve this Speakers Elaine Mulcahy, Director UK Health Alliance on Climate Change Dr Marina Romanello, Executive Director, Lancet Countdown Dr Claus Runge, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs & Sustainability at Bayer How to attend To attend this report launch webinar on Zoom please register for your joining link.
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Content ArticleThis opinion piece by GP educator and writer John Launer looks at the current delays and cancellations to routine appointments facing patients with long term conditions. He describes his personal experience of waiting three years with no face-to-face of phone appointment to review his condition, when this should happen every six months. John outlines the fact that routine outpatient care in some hospitals is unravelling, but with no monitoring of the situation and without publicity. He highlights the risks for patients who are not receiving the regular contact with healthcare professionals that they need, including medical complications, emergency admissions and even preventable deaths. There is particularly risk to patients who do not feel able to contact their consultant or specialist. When speaking to the hospital department about how the risks were being mitigated, John was concerned to discover that there were no screening procedures in place for clinicians to determine which patients were at highest risk; no prioritisation as going on and there was no system in place to monitor the consequences of this.
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Content ArticleInformation to help people make the right decisions about their general health and treatment against perceived risk of COVID-19 infection has been a key concern of Patient Information Forum (PIF) members throughout the pandemic. The Covid Choices survey was developed with a collaborative group of expert patients and other partners. More than 800 people responded to the survey and made more than 1000 detailed free text comments expressing their concerns. The vast majority of people had a health condition or cared for someone who did. Around 60% said their long-term condition put them at risk of infection and just under half were shielding. Responses represented people with a wide range of health conditions.
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Content ArticleStress, depression and anxiety account for a significant portion of work related ill-health cases. With many of those still employed now working remotely as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, this trend seems set to continue, with an always-on-culture that has now entered our homes.In this paper, published with Autonomy and 4 Day Week, Nic Murray looks at the clear overlap between over work and mental ill-health, how this disproportionately affects women and the potential options for reducing our working time and preventing work practices that harm mental health, including a 4 day week.
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Content ArticleLockdown has been a seismic shock for every family and community. Sadly, the voices of the hardest hit have been heard the least. This report sets about to change this by exploring pandemic and lockdown reflections from a diverse group of expectant and new parents during the critical first months and years of their babies’ development. Charities Best Beginnings, Home-Start UK and Parent-Infant Foundation were alarmed that the voices of parents with new babies have been absent from key pandemic responses. As a result, they worked with Critical Research to survey 5,000 new and expectant parents on their lockdown experiences and found a mixed picture, shining a light on huge disparities between different families and communities.
