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Showing results for tags 'Patient'.
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Content ArticleDementia can have a significant impact on a person’s daily life, including how well they function within their home. Memory issues or problems recognising and interpreting the objects around them can cause the person frustration or create safety issues. Dementia UK have produced a leaflet with tips and guidance on how to make the home more safe for someone with dementia.
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Content ArticleThis article, published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, looks at how outsourcing in health care has become increasingly common as health system administrators seek to enhance profitability and efficiency while maintaining clinical excellence. However, outsourcing clinical services often results in lower quality patient care, including patient harm, and compromises the values of the organisation.
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Content Article
Cervical cancer symptoms (Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Women's health
Cervical cancer symptoms include vaginal bleeding that is unusual for you, changes to vaginal discharge, discomfort during sex and pain in your lower back or pelvis. If you have symptoms, you should contact your GP. -
Content ArticleIn October 2014, the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh launched a UK-wide education campaign to get patients moving in the run-up to surgery. Addressing this costly and avoidable matter, the campaign asks patients to speak with their surgeon or GP to work out an exercise plan that suits their condition and the type of operation they will undergo.
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Content ArticleThe Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) has partnered with the anti-smoking charity ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) to support surgeons in encouraging patients to improve their survival chances by quitting smoking ahead of surgery. Fewer postoperative complications, shorter hospital stays and better long-term outcomes are some of the evidence-based benefits the College’s members are being asked to highlight to patients. The campaign urges all surgeons to view patient consultations as ‘teachable moments’, during which patients may be more receptive to intervention and more motivated to quit. As part of the discussion of risks associated with a procedure, surgeons should outline the reduction in risk associated with smoking cessation, with the recommendation to stop at least two months before the operation.
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Content ArticleDr John Gerrard was a doctor and a business man, and diagnosed with Alzheimers in his mid seventies. It was a slow decline, that sped up when he was ill or upset, for ten years. Then, at the start of February 2014, he went into hospital. He had infected leg ulcers which weren’t responding to antibiotics. The hospital had a norovirus outbreak which meant visitors weren’t allowed at all. He was there for five weeks. John went in strong, mobile, smiling, able to tell stories about his past, to work in his garden and help with things round the house. He was able to feed himself, to keep clean, to have a good kind of daily life. He came out skeletal, immobile, incoherent, requiring 24-hour care and barely knowing those around him. His family are sure that if he had not spent that time alone, without them, he would not have descended into such a state of deep delirium. Having someone with you - someone who you love, who you know, whose face you know (be they your carer, your family, your friend, your lover) - helps keep you tied to reality, to life, to sanity. John died in November 2014. His story, however, is still repeated. Far too many people die cut off from the people who care for them. Far too many places have dangerously over-restrictive policies (both predating and during the present pandemic) preventing people from being with people who need them. In the wake of his death, John’s daughter, Nicci Gerrard, cofounded John’s Campaign with Julia Jones, whose mother, June, also lived well with dementia (both Alzheimer’s and vascular) for many years before her death in 2018. John’s Campaign is June’s Campaign, is Everyone’s Campaign, for none of us should be blocked from our best, most special friends, family or carers.
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Content ArticlePatients are increasingly encouraged to be active participants in managing their own health. New technologies, cultural shifts, trends in healthcare delivery and policies have brought the patients’ role in healthcare to the forefront. This session from the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (CIEHF) reviews and advances the emerging discipline of Patient Ergonomics. It focuses on patients and their performance. It presents practical recommendations and case studies useful for researchers and practitioners and covers diverse healthcare settings outside hospitals and clinics, providing a combination of foundational content and specific applications.
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Content ArticleDalila, who lives in Cardiff, was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus during childhood. In this blog for Lupus Awareness Month she talks about her experiences with the condition and the differences in the care she’s received between England and Wales. The experience of people like Dalila is why the Rare Autoimmune Rheumatic Disease Alliance are calling for change in how people with rare autoimmune rheumatic diseases are cared for in Wales. They are calling for: A properly commissioned specialised centre for rare autoimmune rheumatic diseases in Wales. A network, where this specialised centre can support local hospitals to deliver better care. Urgent action to resolve workforce issues in rheumatology in Wales.
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Content ArticleThis paper, published in the Journal of Health Services Research & Policy, examines the potential of combining insights from patient complaints and staff incident reports for a more comprehensive understanding of the causes and severity of harm. In their conclusion, the authors state that this study demonstrates the value of using patient complaints to supplement, test and challenge staff reports, including to provide greater insight on the many potential factors that may cause unsafe care.
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Content ArticleLindsey's doctor was so focused on the 52 pounds she'd gained during her third trimester, she missed a pregnancy disorder that could have killed Lindsey and her unborn child. Watch Lindsey's video where she talks about her experience and why it is important to find a doctor who respects you and who you can trust.
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Content ArticlePatient safety incidents are any unintended or unexpected incident which could have, or did, lead to harm for one or more patients receiving healthcare. Reporting them supports the NHS to learn from mistakes and to take action to keep patients safe. Both healthcare staff and the general public are encouraged to report any incidents, whether they result in harm or not, to the National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS). You can find out how to do this from the link below.
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Content ArticleFailure to rescue (FTR) denotes mortality from post-operative complications after surgery with curative intent. High-volume, low-mortality units have similar complication rates to others, but have lower FTR rates. Effective response to the deteriorating post-operative patient is therefore critical to reducing surgical mortality. Resilience Engineering might afford a useful perspective for studying how the management of deterioration usually succeeds and how resilience can be strengthened.
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Content Article
Pfizer: Medicine safety tips for patients
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Medication
Medication errors can happen in clinics and hospitals, pharmacies, and at home. Patients and healthcare providers, however, can work together to help prevent these errors. See Pfizer's tips for patients. -
Content Article
The 12 days of digital patient safety
Clive Flashman posted an article in Digital health and care service provision
A couple of weeks ago, I presented some of the ideas I’ve had around digital clinical safety. This was seasonally branded, ‘The 12 days of Digital Patient Safety’. The 12 issues that were on my list comprised: AI – regulation, ethics and testing. Patient safety not built into the innovation process (co-design and co-production with patients is required). Patient safety (in use) not effectively built into the digital health compliance systems. Poor user experience (design). The safety of medical devices, e.g. remote hacking. Privacy and consent around data. Fragmentation of patient records and data. Lack of interoperability. Cybersecurity. Patient digital and health literacy. Clinician attitudes and knowledge of digital technologies. The barriers to EHR integration (and poor use of patient-generated data). There was only time on the webinar to cover points 2, 3, 6 and 10; I hope that we can have further session in 2022 where we can discuss the others. -
Content Article
NHS England: Variation in use of cardiac telemetry
Becky T posted an article in Medical devices (existing)
This article discusses the use of wireless heart monitoring in hospitals - telemetry - and the safety standards that need to be met. -
Content ArticleThis decision aid is for women who have complications caused by pelvic mesh that was used to treat their stress urinary incontinence. Pelvic mesh has also been called ‘tape’, ‘net’ or a ‘sling’. Stress urinary incontinence is when you leak urine accidentally, especially during exercise or when you cough, laugh or sneeze. This decision aid has been written for women who have been referred to a specialist centre to treat complications from mesh used for stress urinary incontinence.
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Content ArticleThe Covid-19 pandemic exposed the need to harness and leverage digital tools and technology for remote patient monitoring (RPM). This article explores the benefits of RPM for clinicians as well as how it can be changed to improve outcomes.
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Content ArticlePatient leaders have a valuable role to play in tackling the problems facing health and social care at a national and local level. Amidst the chaos of reform and unprecedented challenges to improving health, the biggest asset we have - people who live with health problems and use services - remains untapped. Instead, patients are a problem to be solved, not the solution. But we need to improve the development of and access to learning opportunities in order to grow this pool of talent properly, says David Gilbert.
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Content ArticleThe tinnitus decision aid is designed to help clinicians and patients work together to choose the right treatment option for each individual. People with tinnitus vary in their preferences, for example, some like to use sound, others prefer a talking therapy approach. The decision aid provides information on key points that patients need to know to make a decision. The decision aid was developed through a systematic process of reviewing evidence, gathering key questions from patients and refining the information to be readable and useable. All the approaches listed are available everywhere but may require some travel or cost to access them. This should be discussed in consultations.
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Content ArticleIn this study, 156 participants were recruited and randomised to placebo (n=83) or ketamine (n=73), stratified by centre and diagnosis: bipolar, depressive, or other disorders. Two 40-minute intravenous infusions of ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) or placebo (saline) were administered at baseline and 24 hours, in addition to usual treatment. The primary outcome was the rate of patients in full suicidal remission at day 3, according to the scale for suicidal ideation total score ≤3. Analyses were conducted on an intention-to-treat basis. The findings indicate that ketamine is rapid, safe in the short term, and has persistent benefits for acute care in suicidal patients. Comorbid mental disorders appear to be important moderators. An analgesic effect on mental pain might explain the anti-suicidal effects of ketamine. There are also some useful and thought-provoking comments on this research, and a helpful visual aid.
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Content ArticleThis article, published in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, explores the impact and effectiveness of patient-facing mobile health technology on patient outcomes. It concludes that these technologies can empower patients to play a more active and meaningful role in improving their outcomes, but that there is a need for better understanding of the interactions between patients, technology and health care providers.
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Content ArticleThis study from West et al. explore the relationships between leader support, staff influence over decisions, work pressure and patient satisfaction. The results provide evidence that leader support influences patient satisfaction through shaping staff experience, particularly staff influence over decisions and work pressure. Patients’ care is dependent on the health, well-being, and effectiveness of the NHS workforce. That, in turn, is determined by the extent to which leaders are supportive in ensuring that work environments are managed in a way which protects the well-being of staff.
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Content Article
Visiting restrictions and the impact on patients and their families: a relative's perspective
Anonymous posted an article in By patients and public
The pandemic has shone a stark spotlight on so many inequities and inconsistencies in access to health and social care. Unfortunately, many of these inequities were already there and so, in some respects, its nothing new. In this blog, I want to draw attention to how visiting restrictions can result in worse outcomes for patients and their families. I will focus mainly on the needs of older adults in hospital or care, and those with dementia, because that has been my own experience. But these restrictive practices have affected so many groups: among them, those with mental health conditions and those with learning and behavioural difficulties. -
Content ArticleMedical expertise is fundamental to the practice of medicine. But other skills and knowledge are important too. Doctor Informed gives the inside story on the evidence about giving the best care and having positive relationships with patients and colleagues.
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Event
NHS Confederation: Health beyond the hospital conference
Sam posted an event in Community Calendar
untilNHS Confederation are bringing together organisations working to treat people closer to home. This conference will offer an opportunity for senior leaders across health and care to come together and explore health beyond the hospital. Health beyond the hospital is a chance to come together with others working in this space to explore how we can work collaboratively to support people in their homes and the community. It will focus on three key themes: people with health conditions (older people; people with multiple and complex conditions; and children and young people); data and digital; and innovation. This will be a key opportunity for members and non-members to network with peers, to share knowledge and experience, as well as listen to experts from across healthcare. By focusing on what we can do together and uniting around patients we can shift the conversation to focus on treating people where they live and keeping them well at home. Register
