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Showing results for tags 'Knowledge issue'.
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Content ArticleThe purpose of this investigation by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) was to consider the management and care of preterm labour and birth of twins. Preterm birth—defined as babies born alive before the completion of 37 weeks of pregnancy—is one of the main causes of death, long-term conditions and disability in under-fives worldwide, and 60% of twin pregnancies result in premature birth. The reference event for this investigation was the case of Sarah, who was pregnant with twins and was overseen by an obstetrician during her pregnancy. Sarah was assessed as having a higher-risk pregnancy as she had had previous medical intervention on her cervix and was pregnant with twins. Shortly after having been discharged from a hospital with a specialist neonatal unit following suspected early labour, she went to her local maternity unit at 29+2 weeks with further episodes of abdominal tightening. Her labour did not progress as expected and a caesarean section was required to deliver the babies at 29+6 weeks. The twin girls were born well, but 23 days after their birth a scan revealed brain injury in both babies. The investigation identified several findings to explain the experience of the mother in the reference event, including the lack of scientific evidence or specific guidelines and the uncertainty associated with the clinical decision making in this scenario. This highlighted the need for further research into preterm labour as a recognised risk factor for twin pregnancies. As part of the investigation, HSIB identified that since 2019 a large volume of national work and research in the area of twin pregnancy and preterm birth has been undertaken. The investigation report sets out the work currently in progress and seeks to understand if it will address gaps in knowledge.
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Content ArticlePeter Lachman explains why safety must be embedded into what we do every day, not what we do only after harm has occurred, and why we need to constantly ask ourselves “what do we need to do to be safe?” His new book, Oxford University Press Handbook of Patient Safety, translates the complex patient safety theories into actions that frontline staff can take to be safe.
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Content ArticleThis study in JAMA Network Open aimed to investigate whether attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is over diagnosed in children and adolescents. The authors reviewed 334 published studies and found convincing evidence that ADHD is over diagnosed. They highlight that the harms associated with ADHD diagnosis may outweigh the benefits, particularly in children and young people with milder symptoms.
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Content ArticleThis book interrogates the assumption that evidence means the same thing to different constituencies and in different contexts by outlining a more nuanced and socially responsive approach to medical expertise that incorporates scientific and lay processes of making sense of the world and deciding how to act in it. In so doing, it provides a point of orientation for clinicians working at the coalface, whose experience is sometimes at odds with the type of rationality that underpins evidence-based medicine and that guides researchers conducting randomised controlled trials. The argument elaborated also has implications for policy makers in the healthcare system, who have to navigate similar pressures and contradictions between scientific and lay rationality to produce meaningful guidelines in the midst of a runaway pandemic. Debates within and beyond the medical establishment on the efficacy of measures such as mandatory face masks and lockdowns are examined in detail, as are various degrees of hesitancy towards vaccines and other pharmaceutical interventions. The authors demonstrate that it is ultimately through narratives that knowledge about medical and other phenomena is communicated to others, enters the public space, and provokes discussion and disagreements. Importantly, effective narratives can enhance the reception of that knowledge and reduce some of the sources of resistance and misunderstanding that continue to plague public communication about important medical issues such as pandemics. Access the introduction and excerpts from each chapter from the link below.
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Content ArticleIn this blog, a patient who experienced life-changing surgical complications describes the process of reconciliation between medical staff and patients when harm has occurred in healthcare. She highlights the need for both the patient and healthcare professional to be engaged and open in the process. She also looks at how different human factors can negatively impact on the duty of candour process, and why they need to be acknowledged. These factors include lack of communication, distraction, lack of resources, stress, complacency, lack of teamwork, pressure, lack of awareness, lack of knowledge, fatigue, lack of assertiveness and norms.
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Content ArticleThis blog calls for action on the careful review of established pain medication when a patient is admitted to hospital. Richard describes the experience of two elderly patients who suffered pain due to their long term medication being stopped when they were admitted to hospital. Pain control needs must not be ignored or undermined, there needs to be carer and patient involvement and their consent, and alternative pain control must be considered.
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Content ArticleIn my tweets and posts I have suggested that patients themselves need to take more responsibility for the medicines they are prescribed. But what about vulnerable groups who may depend on decisions being made for them, and in their best interests? Whilst there are circumstances where antipsychotic (psychotropic) medicines are an appropriate option for people with autism and learning disabilities, these occasions are limited. In all cases the patient matters most, and any decision to prescribe must be part of a team based, patient-led decision, which is regularly reviewed.
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- Learning disabilities
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Content ArticleThe NHS Knowledge Mobilisation Framework is designed to help individuals to develop and use skills to mobilise knowledge effectively in their organisations – to help them to learn before, during and after everything that they do so that pitfalls can be avoided and best practice replicated. It is a re-working of an original concept devised by what was the Department of Health Connecting for Health Knowledge Management Team and the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Library and Knowledge Services Team. The modules introduce eleven techniques to help plan, co-ordinate and implement knowledge mobilisation activities in your organisation. Accompanying the framework are a set of quick reference cards.
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Community PostWe should all strive to keep antibiotics working for our NHS surgeons and future generations, by decreasing antibiotic use in medicine. It is mums themselves who could dramatically decrease antibiotic use, in the only medical specialty where this is possible - in obstetrics - by keeping skin intact; by being informed of the 10cm diameter that 'Aniball' and 'Epi-no Delphine Plus' birth facilitating devices, the mechanical version of Antenatal Perineal Massage, achieve by skin expansion (much like by 'earlobe skin expanders') prior to birth, for back of baby's head. This enables a normal birth for many more babies by shortening birth, with no cutting (episiotomies) or tearing, and much fewer Caesarean sections, as each Caesarean section requires antibiotics to be injected into mum, to kill any bacteria, which might have invaded a skin cell, from being implanted with that skin cell, deep into the wall of the uterus, by the surgeon's knife. There are around 750,000 births in the UK alone and three-quarters of mums are damaged during birth and at risk of developing infection; so a dramatic decrease in antibiotic use is possible. Empowering mums with knowledge; that both the skin and the coats of the pelvic floor muscles, which form the floor of the lower tummy, can be stretched painlessly, in preparation of birth, from the 26th week of pregnancy, so a gentler, kinder birth for both baby and mum becomes possible by decreasing risky obstetric interventions. Muscle can be stretched to 3 times its original length, if stretched painlessly over 6 or more occasions, and still retains its ability to recoil back, contracting to its original length. So there is no damage to mum. Baby's delicate head is not used to achieve this 'birth canal widening', because Antenatal Perineal Massage or Aniball or Epi-no Delphine Plus have already achieved this prior to the start of birth. In birth this stretching is rushed within the last 2 hours of birth, with risk of avulsion of pelvic floor muscle fibres from the pubic bone and risk of skin tearing or the need for episiotomy. The overlying skin will likewise stretch without tearing if done over 6 or more occasions. The maximal opening in the outlet or lower part of the pelvis is 10cm diameter, so 10cm diameter is the goal of the birth aiding devices and 'Antenatal Perineal Massage' or 'Birth Canal Widening' - opening doors for baby maximally. The mother reviews on 'Aniball' and 'Epi-no Delphine Plus' are impressive: Wanda Klaman, a first time mum, gives birth at nearly 42 weeks to a 4.4kg baby, with no need for episiotomy or forceps; Sophie of London, avoids episiotomy, when forceps are used to aid delivery for her baby who lays across her tummy - transverse lay, because the skin at this opening is so stretchy thanks to the birth facilitating devices. Cochrane Collaborate Report on Antenatal Massage https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23633325/ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7450045/Fears-infections-pandemic-grow-NINETEEN-new-superbugs-discovered-UK.html https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/mistakes-maternity-wards-setting-nhs-22702909
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Content ArticleThis study from Morris et al. aimed to review the literature describing and quantifying time lags in the health research translation process. Papers were included in the review if they quantified time lags in the development of health interventions. The study identified 23 papers. Few were comparable as different studies use different measures, of different things, at different time points.
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News Article
'Alarming' one in five deaths due to sepsis
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
One in five deaths around the world is caused by sepsis, also known as blood poisoning, shows the most comprehensive analysis of the condition. The report estimates 11 million people a year are dying from sepsis - more than are killed by cancer. The researchers at the University of Washington said the "alarming" figures were double previous estimates. Most cases were in poor and middle income countries, but even wealthier nations are dealing with sepsis. There has been a big push within the health service to identify the signs of sepsis more quickly and to begin treatment. The challenge is to get better at identifying patients with sepsis in order to treat them before it is too late. Early treatment with antibiotics or anti-virals to clear an infection can make a massive difference. Prof Mohsen Naghavi said: "We are alarmed to find sepsis deaths are much higher than previously estimated, especially as the condition is both preventable and treatable. We need renewed focus on sepsis prevention among newborns and on tackling antimicrobial resistance, an important driver of the condition." Read full story Source: BBC News, 17 January 2020 -
Content ArticleFor over three decades, patients, consultants and perioperative staff have been exposed to diathermy tissue smoke in all operating hospital theatres. This smoke is called plaque and, when inhaled, is the same as smoking cigarettes. Research shows that inhalation of smoke from one gram of cauterised tissue is equal to smoking six cigarettes. This smoke is also cancerous and can mutate to other organs of the body just like cigarettes. Read my personal view of the harmful effects of diathermy smoke published in the Journal of Perioperative Practice, and also watch the short video kindly made for me by Knowlex UK.
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- Operating theatre / recovery
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Content ArticleThe successful implementation of clinical practice guidelines should improve quality of care by decreasing inappropriate variation and expediting the application of effective advances to practice. However, despite wide promulgation, practice guidelines have had limited effect on changing physician behavior. Cabana et al. conducted a systematic review of the barriers to physician adherence to clinical practice guidelines, practice parameters, clinical policies or national consensus statements. They found that physician adherence is dependent on physician awareness (31 examples), agreement (68 examples), self-efficacy (13 examples), outcome expectancy (12 examples), motivation (3 examples), and the absence of external barriers to perform guideline recommendations (62 examples). The findings suggest that studies describing interventions to improve physician adherence may not be generalisable, since barriers in one setting may not be present in another. Using this analysis, the authors propose a framework which describes the barriers that must be overcome to improve physician adherence. This framework can be used (1) as a method to profile barriers or sources of poor adherence and thus (2) as a diagnostic tool to standardise and select appropriate interventions to improve adherence. The selection of interventions to change physician behaviour has been haphazard in the past. This analysis offers a more rational approach towards improving physician adherence to practice guidelines as well as a framework for further research.
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Content ArticleIn this series 'e-Patient Dave' deBronkart shares what we all need to know to get the best medical care without going broke or getting killed in the process. An 'e-patient' is someone who is empowered, engaged, equipped, and able, who never expected the system to do everything but thinks and acts like a responsible independent person.
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- Patient
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