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Showing results for tags 'Health inequalities'.
Found 1,218 results
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Content ArticleIn this interview for Woman's Hour, Dr Nisreen Alwan, Associate Professor in Public Health at the University of Southampton, discusses the impact of Long Covid on her own life with presenter Emma Barnett. She also shares insights from research that suggests women, people of working age, people from areas of high social deprivation and frontline health and education workers are more likely to be affected by Long Covid. Dr Alwan talks about the need to manage Long Covid alongside daily activities and highlights new research that demonstrates that vaccines may reduce the incidence of the condition. The interview can be heard at 17:23-25:20 in the recording.
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Content ArticleMany asylum seekers struggle to access healthcare when they come to the UK due to the extensive paperwork needed to register with primary care and other services. Many new arrivals have complex health needs for which current NHS healthcare systems struggle to offer appropriate care, exacerbating the trauma already experienced by many of these vulnerable people and families. In this article for The BMJ, the authors look at how how a model response to this issue was developed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Content ArticleIn the 1983 film Yentl, Barbra Streisand plays a young Jewish woman in Poland who pretends to be a man in order to receive an education. The film’s premise has made its way into medical lore as “Yentl syndrome,” which describes the phenomenon whereby women are misdiagnosed and poorly treated unless their symptoms or diseases conform to that of men. Sometimes, Yentl syndrome can prove fatal. The science of medicine is based on male bodies, but researchers are beginning to realise how vastly the symptoms of disease differ between the sexes. Caroline Criado Perez explores why women are continually being let down by the medical establishment.
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Content ArticleIn this interview Kathryn Marszalek, Senior Analytical Manager at the Health Foundation and Dr Jessica Butler from the Institute of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Aberdeen, discuss the Health Foundation's Networked Data Lab (NDL). They describe how linking data across the whole health and care system improves care and safety outcomes for patients, and how the programme has been used so far to identify clinically extremely vulnerable patients during the Covid-19 pandemic. They talk about what's next for the NDL and describe key success factors in achieving the the programme's fundamental goal of improving health inequalities in the population.
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Content ArticleThis population-based cohort study in JAMA Surgery aims to determine the association of surgeon and patient sex concordance with postoperative outcomes. The authors found that worse outcomes, including death and complications, were more likely among female patients treated by male surgeons. The authors highlight the need for further research to understand the underlying mechanisms causing this trend.
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Content ArticleIn this article in Becker's Hospital Review, Mackenzie Bean highlights five of the most pressing safety issues for healthcare systems and hospitals to address in 2022:Foundational safety workSupporting the healthcare workforceIntegrating equity into safety workDiagnostic harmHealthcare-associated infections
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Content ArticleThe Royal College of Physicians has published a position paper setting out why we need an explicit cross-government strategy to reduce health inequalities to improve population health and address avoidable differences in health access and outcomes between certain groups. Health inequality was a problem before COVID-19 – with a gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest areas of around 19 years – but the pandemic has tragically demonstrated how these inequalities can have an impact in just a matter of weeks.
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Content Article
Is the FDA Failing Women? (September 2021)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Women's health
Many devices in current use were marketed before the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began regulating devices in 1976. Thus, manufacturers of these devices were not required to demonstrate safety and effectiveness, which presents both clinical and ethical problem for patients, especially for women, as some of the most dangerous devices—such as implanted contraceptive devices— are used only in women. This article from Madris Kinard and Rita F. Redberg investigates whether and to what extent devices for women receive less rigorous scrutiny than devices for men. This article also suggests how the FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health could more effectively ensure safety and effectiveness of devices that were marketed prior to 1976. -
Content ArticleRacially and ethnically minoritised healthcare staff groups disproportionately experience and witness workplace discrimination from patients, colleagues and managers. This is visible in their under-representation at senior levels and over-representation in disciplinary proceedings and is associated with adversities such as greater depression, anxiety, somatic symptoms, low job satisfaction and sickness absence. In the UK, little progress has been made despite the implementation of measures to tackle racialised inequities in the health services. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 48 healthcare staff in London (UK), Woodhead et al. identified how micro-level bullying, prejudice, discrimination and harassment behaviours, independently and in combination, exploit and maintain meso-level racialised hierarchies.
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Content ArticleThis study in the British Journal of General Practice aims to identify and understand the unintended consequences of online consultations in primary care. The authors interviewed 19 patients and 18 general practice staff at eight general practices using online consultation tools in South West and North West England between February 2019 and January 2020. The study found the following unintended consequences of online consultation: Creation of difficulties for some patients in communicating effectively with a GP. The system disadvantaged digitally-excluded patients. Patient uncertainty about how their queries were dealt with, and whether practices used online consultations as their preferred method for patients to contact the practice. Creation of additional work for some staff. Isolation and dissatisfaction for some staff.
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Content Article
Webinar - Inequalities in maternity care (8 December 2021)
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Maternity
This is the recording of a webinar about inequalities in maternity care hosted by the National Maternity and Perinatal Audit (NMPA). The webinar features presentations on a Lancet article 'Adverse pregnancy outcomes attributable to socioeconomic and ethnic inequalities in England: a national cohort study' and on the NMPA report 'Ethnic and socio-economic inequalities in NHS maternity and perinatal care for women and their babies'. The Q&A panel features: Professor Eddie Morris Clo and Tinuke, Five X more Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP Professor Jacqui Dunkley-Bent Professor Marian Knight Professor Asma Khalil -
Content ArticleThis report provides an update on cross-government work to address the disparities highlighted by the Public Health England report 'COVID-19: review of disparities in risks and outcomes', published in June 2020. It sets out how the Government's understanding of and response to the pandemic changed over the lifecycle of this work. The report also includes a summary of progress against recommendations from previous reports, lessons learned from this work and an action plan for addressing some of the longer-term issues identified.
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Content ArticleIn this blog Dr Peter Green, CVDPREVENT Workstream Clinical Lead for the NHS Benchmarking Network, looks at the importance of understanding how demographic factors impact the risk of cardiovascular disease, which is a leading risk factor for premature death. He discusses how the CVDPREVENT audit will help primary care healthcare professionals work with their patients to achieve better outcomes for all.
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Content ArticleThe Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Audit (CVDPREVENT) is a national primary care audit that automatically extracts routinely held GP data. This tool provides open access to the data, with clear, actionable insights for those tasked with improving cardiovascular health in England.
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Content ArticleIn this blog, David Buck and Toby Lewis of the King's Fund describe NHS England and NHS Improvement's new 'Core20plus5' approach to tackling health inequalities. They identify risks to the effectiveness of the strategy and highlight the importance of a partnership approach to tackling health inequalities.
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Content ArticleThe purpose of this investigation by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) is to help improve patient safety in relation to recognition of the acutely ill infant and child, recognising the difficulty in distinguishing between simple viral illnesses and life-threatening bacterial infections in very young patients. This Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch investigation reviewed the case of Mohammad, a baby who had become unwell and was taken to an emergency department by ambulance following a call to NHS 111. He arrived at 8.04pm and was considered to have a mild viral illness, subsequently being transferred to a paediatric observational ward, and discharged at 11.45pm with a diagnosis of likely bronchiolitis. At approximately 3.40am his mother contacted the ward as his condition worsened, which resulted in a 999 call. The ambulance crew did not consider that Mohammad was seriously ill so did not conduct a ‘blue light’ emergency transfer to hospital. Mohammad was admitted to the emergency department at approximately 4.40am and suffered a respiratory and then cardiac arrest at 5:28am, with attempts to resuscitate unsuccessful and stopped at 6:10am. Mohammad died of septicaemia caused by meningococcus (serogroup B) bacteria.
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Content ArticleThe emergence of the omicron variant has raised concerns that the pandemic is not yet over. In this BMJ opinion piece, William et al. outline four key lessons that governments need to learn from to protect against future pandemics
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Content Article
This is the third of a short series of blogs in which we take a look back at our work in five areas of patient safety during 2021. In this blog we look at how we’ve been highlighting patient safety concerns relating to health inequalities. Through our work, Patient Safety Learning seeks to harness the knowledge, insights, enthusiasm and commitment of health and social care organisations, professionals and patients for system-wide change and the reduction of avoidable harm. We believe patient safety is not just another priority; it is a core purpose of health and social care. Patient safety should not be negotiable. -
Content ArticleIn this opinion piece for the BMJ, David Oliver, a consultant in geriatrics and acute general medicine, draws lessons from the Grenfell Tower disaster and subsequent public inquiry. 72 people lost their lives in the fire that destroyed Grenfell Tower in 2017. Evidence to the public inquiry has shown that several residents had raised concerns about the building's safety over many years, and that architects, building contractors, and providers and fitters of cladding material had also expressed concerns about the safety of the exterior cladding used on Grenfell Tower. David Oliver highlights that had these concerns been listened to and acted on, the disaster could have been avoided and many lives saved. He draws parallels with concerns being raised by patients about the safety of the healthcare system and highlights the role of staff in repeatedly raising and keeping a record of concerns. He states that NHS leaders must create a culture where no one is afraid to speak out and act to mitigate safety issues. Leaders must expect to be held accountable for their response - or lack of response - to safety issues raised.
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Content ArticleThis is the first National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) report into how sex, ethnicity, disability and age affect how the organisation awards health research funding. Using their new Equality and Data Reporting system, the NIHR has been able to collect data on equality diversity and inclusion (EDI) for the first time. The information in this report is a benchmark for further reporting and will form the basis of the NIHR's new EDI strategy.
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Content ArticleThis training documentary by the South East Perinatal Mental Health team explores race inequalities within the NHS maternity system. It uncovers the stories behind the MBRRACE report figures and looks for answers from leading race and diversity health professionals and campaigners. In the film, midwives and mothers talk frankly about the issues and how individuals can make a difference to create a positive impact on race inequality outcomes for mothers and within maternity teams.
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Content ArticleIn this article for the Maternity & Midwifery Forum, Kirstin Webster, NMPA Neonatal Clinical Fellow, describes the role of the National Maternity and Perinatal Audit. She presents results from research using the audit’s data on births during the major period of the pandemic, and the recent audit report of the effects of ethnicity and socio-economic deprivation on maternity and perinatal care. She highlights inequalities in outcomes and joins the call to investigate the causes of these disparities.
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Content Article
The Health Literacy Place toolkit
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Health inequalities
It is easy to underestimate people’s health literacy needs, because those needs can be hidden or people can be reluctant to admit that they haven’t understood the information they have been given. This toolkit by The Health Literacy Place contains a range of resources to help healthcare professionals better understand and meet the health literacy needs of their patients. -
Content ArticleThe NHS Race & Health Observatory (RHO) has published a rapid review into ethnic health inequalities across a range of areas. This report is the first of its kind to analyse the overwhelming evidence of ethnic health inequality through the lens of racism. The NHS has longstanding problems with ethnic inequalities in terms of access to, experiences of, and outcomes of healthcare. These issues are rooted in experiences of structural, institutional and interpersonal racism. The review focussed on priorities set by the RHO relating to ethnic inequalities in: mental healthcare maternal and neonatal healthcare digital access to healthcare genetic testing and genomic medicine the NHS workforce.
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Content ArticleThis report was commissioned by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, with research led by Leeds Beckett University in collaboration with the University of Sheffield and the University of Oxford. It aims to inform those involved in the care of pregnant women in the UK about the relationship between social determinants of health and the risk of maternal death.
