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Showing results for tags 'Treatment'.
Found 456 results
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Content ArticleNICE will speed up patients’ access to the latest and most effective treatments, and dynamic guideline recommendations will be put in the hands of healthcare professionals more quickly under plans unveiled by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in its 5-year strategy.
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Content ArticleDr Helen Simpson, Lisa Shepherd and Dr Steve Kell summarise the guidance and implementation of the steroid emergency card in primary care.
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Content ArticleIn this BMJ article, Brenda Denzler describes how earlier traumatic experiences of medical treatment continue to have an impact on her to this day and how medical professionals can make patients feel empowered and in control.
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Content ArticleHeavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) affects one in four women of reproductive age. It is a condition that impairs the quality of life of many women who are otherwise healthy. Every year in England and Wales, an estimated 50000 women with HMB are referred to secondary care in the NHS. This constitutes approximately 20% of referrals to specialist gynaecology services, and approximately 28000 women undergo surgical treatment. In the majority of women, the cause of their HMB is not known. Medical treatments for HMB include (oral) medication and the levonorgestrel -releasing intrauterine system(LNG-IUS). Surgical treatment, including endometrial ablation (EA) and hysterectomy, is an option if medical treatment is ineffective or undesirable. In this paper, Geary et al. investigate the factors that determine whether women who have been referred to secondary care for HMB get surgical treatment. The study explores the impact that symptom severity, treatment received in primary care and patient characteristics including age, ethnicity and socioeconomic deprivation have on the chance that women receive surgical treatment in the first year after their referral to secondary care.
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Content ArticleThe use of graded exercise therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome has attracted considerable controversy. This controversy relates not only to the disputed evidence for treatment efficacy but also to widespread reports from patients that graded exercise therapy, in particular, has caused them harm. The authors of this study surveyed the NHS–affiliated myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome specialist clinics in England to assess how harms following treatment are detected and to examine how patients are warned about the potential for harms. The study found that clinics were highly inconsistent in their approaches to the issue of treatment-related harm. They placed little or no focus on the potential for treatment-related harm in their written information for patients and for staff. Furthermore, no clinic reported any cases of treatment-related harm, despite acknowledging that many patients dropped out of treatment. The authors recommend that clinics develop standardised protocols for anticipating, recording, and remedying harms, and that these protocols allow for therapies to be discontinued immediately whenever harm is identified.
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Content ArticleIn this article in the Pharmaceutical Journal, Carolyn Wickware asks if liquid morphine should be reclassified. She cites research that Oramorph or oral morphine sulphate solution was directly linked to the cause of death in 13 reports since 2013.
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Content ArticleAnyone with the signs and symptoms of sarcoma needs to be seen as early as possible and referred to services that can quickly and accurately confirm the diagnosis. Doing this can save lives. Sarcoma UK are calling on policy makers to make faster and more accurate diagnosis a reality for the sarcoma community. They recommend that: A sarcoma education programme for healthcare professionals should be rolled out, placing importance on the individual impact of sarcoma and how it is important to rule it out, not rule it in. Awareness of sarcoma and its symptoms needs to improve. Sarcoma can occur anywhere in the body and it is vital that the public are aware of this. Ensure that there are clear and efficient referral pathways that allow primary healthcare professionals to access the optimum route for all their patients. Access their reports and policy documents by following the link below.
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Content ArticleThis article discusses endometriosis and how the common treatment of performing laparoscopic surgery to remove damaged tissue may not be as effective as once thought. Lucia Osborne-Crowley writes about how experts have found that women who have the surgery don't always get better and if they do, it only lasts a short while. The article also describes what endometriosis is and how it is important not to continue encouraging women to undergo repeat surgeries as it may not improve the condition.
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In this opinion piece, Becky Tatum discusses how genetic profiling of patient's tumours can lead to more personalised cancer therapy/treatment options with better outcomes. -
Content ArticleA recording of the recent webinar, moderated by Dr Charlotte Tai, discussing the lessons learnt and advances in practice in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia. This is available for everyone to watch but you will need to provide an email address to request access.
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Content Article
HSJ Roundtable: Ensuring safe vascular access
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Patient management
Ensuring safe vascular access is a fundamental part of the care of many hospital patients with up to 90% of inpatients requiring intravenous access for delivery of fluids and medication or blood sampling. Historically vascular access has been carried out by anaesthetists, radiologists and medical consultants. But an HSJ roundtable heard that introducing specialist teams to assess patients for vascular access, and then insert, care and maintain devices has many advantages from both an organisational perspective and that of the patient. -
Content Article
BMJ: Raining in Los Angeles (14 January 2022)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Blogs
Amid climbing covid case numbers and with scarce resources, Tara Vijayan describes what it has been like in the US to triage treatments that aim to prevent patients being hospitalised with COVID-19 -
Content Article
The less survivable cancers: symptoms and key facts
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Cancers
Today, 11 January 2022, the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce (LSCT) launches its first ever Less Survivable Cancers Awareness Day, to raise the profile of these cancers and to highlight the critical importance of early diagnosis in improving survival. -
Content ArticleUniversity Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust has published a guide to help parents and carers know what to do when young children fall ill. It gives advice on when and where to seek treatment for children suffering from common illnesses or injuries. The guidance, written by doctors, focuses on coughs, minor head injuries, vomiting and fever. The trust said it hoped to help families avoid long waits in A&E departments. Advice in the guide aims to help people decide whether to seek help from their GP, call 111, visit A&E or treat children at home.
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Content ArticleThis study in Pain Research and Management reviewed available literature about gender bias in the treatment of pain and gendered norms towards patients with chronic pain. The authors found that gendered norms about men and women with pain are present in research from different scientific fields. They highlight that awareness of the issue can help counteract gender bias in healthcare and support healthcare professionals to provide more equitable care.
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Content ArticleCOVID-19 has meant people have died the ultimate medicalised deaths, often alone in hospitals with little communication with their families. But in other settings, including in some lower income countries, many people remain undertreated, dying of preventable conditions and without access to basic pain relief. The unbalanced and contradictory picture of death and dying is the basis for the Lancet Commission on the Value of Death. Drawing on multidisciplinary perspectives from around the globe, the Commissioners argue that death and life are bound together: without death there would be no life. The Commission proposes a new vision for death and dying, with greater community involvement alongside health and social care services, and increased bereavement support.
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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 ArticleThis article, published in BMC Health Services Research, discusses the effectiveness of using checklists as training and operational tools to assist in improving the skills of general ward staff on the rescue of patients with abnormal physiology.
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EventuntilNHS England & Improvement has asked all Integrated Care Systems to extend, or introduce for the first time, the Virtual Ward model. The guidance starts a two-year funded transformation programme to support the development of Virtual Wards, including Hospital at Home. In this free webinar an expert panel will discuss how Virtual Wards can support elective recovery and improve patient flow during the critical Winter period. Our panel will also focus on the practicalities of setting up, rolling out and managing Virtual Wards across multiple treatments and care pathways. Headline discussion points: NHS winter pressures and tools to support delivery. Setting up, rolling out and managing Virtual Wards. Impact of Virtual Wards on the Healthcare system. Hospital at home & community based care models. What attendees will learn: What is a virtual ward and what needs to be in place to make virtual wards work. Innovation and initiatives that have been used previously to support delivery. How virtual wards can be rolled out across a system and new treatments/pathways introduced within a virtual ward. Register
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EventThis Westminster Health Forum policy conference will examine the key priorities for the future of cancer prevention, diagnosis, care and treatment as the Government develops a 10-year Cancer Plan for England. Delegates will discuss priorities for the next stage of the elective care backlog delivery plan, including meeting demand as waiting times for new referrals increase, and what can be learned from success in clearing the longest waiting times for patients. With questions about the future of the National Insurance increase and social care funding, it will be an opportunity to discuss priorities for the Government under a new prime minister. Overall, areas for discussion include: the pandemic - assessing its impact on cancer services and patient care - the future for personalised care in England reducing cancer waiting times - options for increasing capacity - priorities for diagnostics, infrastructure and the use of digital technology - building workforce resilience and retention the 10-year Cancer Plan for England - stakeholder perspectives on next steps in its development screening programmes - progress in recovering services and options for future delivery - developing public awareness health outcomes - improving early diagnosis and access to innovation - use of data and developing prevention programmes to meet local need - addressing accessibility and health inequalities personalised care - the future for patient engagement and involvement in their own care plans - how this should look within cancer care in England. Agenda Register
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Community Post
Should patients be actively involved in following up their referrals?
Steve Turner posted a topic in Improving patient safety
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I've been posting advice to patients advising them to personally follow up on referrals. Good advice I believe, which could save lives. I'm interested in people's views on this. This is the message I'm sharing: **Important message for patients relating to clinical referrals in England** We need a specific effort to ensure ALL referrals are followed up. Some are getting 'lost'. I urge all patients to check your referral has been received, ensure your GP and the clinical team you have been referred to have the referral. Make sure you have a copy yourself too. Things are difficult and we accept there are waits. Having information on the progress of your referral, and an assurance that is is being clinically prioritised is vital. If patients are fully informed and assured of the progress of their referrals in real-time it could save time and effort in fielding enquiries and prevent them going missing or 'falling into a black hole', which is a reality for some people. It would also prevent clinical priorities being missed. Maybe this is happening, and patients are being kept fully informed in real-time of the progress of their referrals. It would be good to hear examples of best practice. -
Content Article
With addiction treatment programs, ensuring the safety of patients undergoing recovery is paramount. However, addressing medication safety within these programs can be a complex endeavour. As addiction treatment evolves to meet the needs of individuals on their path to recovery, it's crucial to adopt strategies that prioritise both the efficacy and safety of medications. In this blog, Dr Alexandre Kirk, Medical Director at Bright Futures Treatment Center in Florida, examines the various facets of medication safety challenges in addiction treatment programs and explores practical solutions to overcome them. -
Content ArticleIn this blog post, Diana Jones, an addiction treatment expert from Archstone Behavioral Health, addresses the topic of stigma and discrimination in addiction treatment. The post explores the importance of creating safe and inclusive environments for individuals seeking recovery. It offers practical strategies such as education, empathy, cultural sensitivity, bias recognition, and shared decision-making to promote positive change in addiction treatment practices. By challenging societal misconceptions and fostering compassionate care, healthcare professionals can help individuals overcome barriers and receive the support they need for successful recovery.
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Content ArticleThis article from Sarcoma UK was written by Dermot’s family to develop their reflections and recommendations on the recent publication of the Healthcare Safety Investigation (HSIB) report, Variations in the delivery of palliative care services to adults.
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Content ArticleMyalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) was recognised as a neurological disease by the World Health Organization in 1969. However, in the 1970s some researchers labelled it as hysteria, leading to the US Centers for Disease Control to rename it as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). The name was changed to ME in 2015 to help legitimise the symptoms and experiences of patients. Still, the medical stigma persists. Conditions such as ME disproportionately affect women, whose symptoms and concerns are often ignored by doctors. Many patients with Long Covid face similar challenges. Since 2020, an estimated 1.8 million people in the UK have developed Long Covid after a Covid-19 infection. The debilitating condition is known to cause more than 200 symptoms. Coincidentally, Long Covid shares many symptoms with ME/CFS, including chronic pain, exhaustion, brain fog and exercise intolerance. Many patients with complex chronic illnesses are dismissed by doctors who don’t believe in their symptoms or disease even when it leaves patients bedridden. Now, people with complex illnesses such as ME and Long Covid are taking the hunt for treatments into their own hands
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