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Showing results for tags 'Womens health'.
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News Article
Are women the fitter sex?
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
In a Channel 4 documentary, emergency doctor Dr Ronx asks why more men die of COVID-19? Cancer and HIV too. They also challenge many dangerous gender assumptions in medicine impacting on women's health. View documentary (6 days left) -
Content Article
Endometriosis UK: Pain and symptoms diary for patients
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Women's health
Keeping a record of your pain and symptoms can help you and your doctor to manage your symptoms, could help with a diagnosis and also could be used when submitting information for evidence e.g. when claiming for benefits, for work or for school/university. Endometriosis UK has produced a handy pain and symptoms diary you can use. -
Content Article
Endometriosis: Laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Women's health
This leaflet covers laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis. It provides information for women who have been offered or are considering laparoscopic surgery for the treatment of endometriosis. -
Content ArticleThis information is for you if you wish to know more about endometriosis. It may also be helpful if you are the partner or relative of someone with endometriosis.
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EventThe Professional Records Standard Body (PRSB) are holding a workshop on 4 March to help us develop a shared decision-making standard, so that individuals can be more involved in the decisions that affect their health, care and wellbeing. The online workshop will bring together health and care professionals, patients and system vendors to focus on different topics including diabetes and other long-term conditions, mental health, child health, gynaecology, colorectal cancer, genetic conditions, multi-medications and orthopaedics. We will be asking questions about the way information about treatment and care options are discussed and decisions recorded. This would include consent for treatment, when it is agreed, and any pre-operative assessments and requirements. By standardising the process, it will ensure that information can be shared consistently using any digital systems. If you’re interested in getting involved in the project, please contact info@theprsb.org
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Content ArticleThis is a video recording of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for First Do No Harm meeting with Nadine Dorries MP, the Minister for Patient Safety, Suicide Prevention and Mental Health. The meeting took place on 26 January 2021 and is chaired by Baroness Cumberlege who is the Co-Chair of the APPG. The APPG was set up to raise awareness of and build support for the recommendations in 'First Do No Harm', the report of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review, and to ensure the implementation of the recommendations by the UK government and others.
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News ArticleNearly 500 women had to have their cervical smear tests redone after it emerged the nurse who carried them out was not qualified. 'Dishonest' Alison Watts failed to tell her bosses at an NHS surgery that she failed her course and continued screening women for almost two and a half years. When it was discovered Watts had not passed the qualification, 461 women had to be recalled to have the cervix test again so they could have 'quality assured' tests. Now Watts has been struck off for the shocking breach of trust, with a tribunal ruling that she put patients at 'significant risk of harm'. A Nursing and Midwifery Council [NMC] report said: 'This was not a single instance of misconduct but involved 461 patients over a two year period. There is evidence of sustained dishonesty and deep-seated attitudinal issues.' Read full story Source: Daily Mail, 26 January 2021
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Content Article
Through the hysteroscope: Reflections of a gynaecologist
SairaS posted an article in Women's health
At Patient Safety Learning, we’ve been working with others to understand the issues surrounding painful hysteroscopies. In this interview, we talk to Obstetrics and Gynaecology consultant, Saira Sundar, about the process. She offers her clinical insight and highlights some of the challenges involved when it comes to managing pain during hysteroscopies. Saira also offers advice to colleagues and patients seeking to reduce anxiety and improve the patient experience.- Posted
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News ArticleSmear-test delays during lockdown have prompted calls for home-screening kits. Cervical cancer screening has restarted across the UK - but some women say they will not attend their appointments for fear of catching Covid. Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust is urging "faster action" on home tests for HPV, which causes 99% of cervical cancers. An NHS official said GP practices should continue screening throughout lockdown, and "anyone invited for a cervical smear test should attend". Cancer Research UK said it was not yet known how effective and accurate self-sampling could be in cervical screening. A survey by gynaecological cancer charity the Eve Appeal indicates nearly one in three missed smear tests are the result of people being "put off" by coronavirus. And a Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust survey during the pandemic suggests the same proportion would prefer to take their own human-papillomavirus (HPV) test rather than go to a GP. Acting chief executive Rebecca Shoosmith said coronavirus had added "more barriers" to going for a smear test. "Sadly those who found it difficult before are likely to be no closer to getting tested," she said. "Self-sampling would be a game-changer." Both charities emphasise smear tests are for "women and anyone with a cervix" and transgender and non-binary people may have additional barriers to going. Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust said DIY tests could also help people who had been sexually assaulted and those with disabilities or from backgrounds where smear tests were taboo. Read full story Source: BBC News, 21 January 2021
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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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News ArticleWhen pharmacist Ifeoma Onwuka, known to her friends as Laura, went into hospital to have her daughter, she and her husband hoped the delivery would go smoothly, and that they would soon be able to take their new arrival home to meet her siblings. Onwuka's labor was induced at James Paget University Hospital in Great Yarmouth in late April 2018. Things progressed quickly and there were soon signs that her baby was in distress, causing staff to begin preparations for an emergency Caesarian section, but Onwuka's daughter was born in the recovery room. Shortly after the birth, Onwuka's condition began to deteriorate. According to the family's lawyer, Tim Deeming, she began to bleed heavily, and was taken into surgery where attempts were made to stem the loss of blood. Hours later, and only after a second consultant had been called in, she was given an emergency hysterectomy. The mother-of-three died three days later. The coroner, Yvonne Blake, said an expert had told Onwuka's inquest that the delay to surgery contributed to her death, since acting early could have controlled the bleeding. Black mothers have worse outcomes during pregnancy or childbirth than any other ethnic group in England. According to the latest confidential inquiry into maternal deaths (MBRRACE-UK). Black people in England are four times more likely to die in pregnancy or within the first six weeks of childbirth than their White counterparts. Read full story Source: CNN. 14 January 2021
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News ArticleIn July last year, the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review – chaired by Baroness Cumberlege— published its landmark report, First Do No Harm. It followed a two-year review of harrowing patient testimony and a large volume of other evidence concerning three medical interventions: Primodos, sodium valproate and pelvic mesh. Yesterday, in a written statement to Parliament, the Minister for Patient Safety, Suicide Prevention and Mental Health, Nadine Dorries, gave an update on the government’s response to the recommendations of the Cumberlege Review. In an article in The Times today, Baroness Cumberlege welcomes that the government has now accepted the need for a patient safety commissioner for England and the amendment to the Medicines and Medical Devices Bill, which is being considered in the House of Lords today, which she hopes "will swiftly become law". However, she also states that "... a full response to the review's is still outstanding 6 months after publication. Action is urgently needed to ensure we help those who have already suffered and reduce the risk of harm to patients in future". Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 12 January 2021
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News ArticleThousands of women have had abortions after falling pregnant while having difficulties accessing contraception during the pandemic, healthcare providers have warned. Sexual health clinics have been forced to shut or run reduced services while staff are transferred to work with Covid patients or have to self-isolate – with the profound disruption leaving many women unable to access their usual methods of contraception. Many women are struggling to get the most effective long-acting contraceptive choices of a coil or an implant due to these requiring face-to-face appointments which have largely been suspended as consultations are carried out remotely via phone or video call to curb the spread of COVID-19. British Pregnancy Advisory Service, the UK's largest abortion provider, told The Independent they provided the progestogen-only contraceptive pill to almost 10,000 women undergoing an abortion between May and October last year. Katherine O’Brien, a spokesperson for the service, said: “Many of these women will have fallen pregnant after struggling to access contraception, so there really is a huge unmet need for contraceptive services which will only worsen as lockdown and Covid continues. “We routinely hear from women during the pandemic who simply can’t access their regular method of contraception because of clinics closing or staff being deployed elsewhere or staff self-isolating.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 9 January 2021
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Content ArticleIn this written statement to Parliament, the Minister for Patient Safety, Suicide Prevention and Mental Health, Nadine Dorries, gives an update on the government’s response to the recommendations of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety (IMMDS) Review, sometimes referred to as the Cumberlege Review. Nadine Dorries concludes: "The report of the IMMDS Review powerfully demonstrates the importance of hearing the patient voice in patient safety matters. The actions outlined here demonstrate the government’s commitment to learning from this report, and will support vital work already underway to hear the voice of the patient as part of the NHS Patient Safety Strategy. We currently plan to respond further to the report of the IMMDS Review during 2021."
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News ArticleIn a Letter to the Editor published in The Times yesterday, the All Party Parliamentary Group on First Do No Harm Co-Chair Baroness Julia Cumberlege argues in favour of the work of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety (IMMDS) Review and its report 'First Do No Harm'. "Inquiries are only as good as the change for the better that results from their work." Read full letter (paywalled) Source: The Times, 5 January 2021
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Content ArticleWith the UK's official COVID-19 death toll exceeding 60 000, and data from the Office for National Statistics indicating excess deaths of more than 70 000, the succession of grim milestones in 2020 has shown little sign of abating, despite optimism around COVID-19 vaccination. Every single COVID-19 death is a family devastated by loss. The Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, a group of over 2000 people who have lost a loved one to COVID-19 in the UK, share their stories in this Lancet commentary, and are campaigning for lessons to be learned as quickly as possible to save lives as the pandemic continues and ahead of the wide-scale roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines across the UK. They call for an immediate public inquiry with a rapid review phase.
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Content ArticleA network of endometriosis experts from 16 Italian academic departments and teaching hospitals distributed all over the country made a critical appraisal of the available evidence and definition of 10 suggestions regarding measures to be de-implemented. Strong suggestions were made only when high-quality evidence was available. The aim was to select 10 low-value medical interventions, characterized by an unfavorable balance between potential benefits, potential harms, and costs, which should be discouraged in women with endometriosis.
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News ArticleWomen are undergoing “painful and distressing” diagnostic tests as doctors use the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse not to offer them their choice of pain relief, HSJ has been told. At least 70 women who have had hysteroscopies this year in English NHS hospitals said they were left in extreme pain following the procedures, with many suffering trauma for several days, according to a survey by the Campaign Against Painful Hysteroscopies group. Some women claimed doctors used COVID-19 as an “excuse” not to offer sedation or general anaesthetic. Others said they were offered an inpatient appointment with general anaesthetic, but were also told it would be a long wait and would likely be cancelled due to covid pressures. Women also said they were told an outpatient procedure would reduce the time spent in hospital and consequently reduce the risk of contracting covid. The only pain relief on offer was often just ibuprofen and some women said facilities like recovery rooms were unavailable. The vast majority of the women surveyed — more than 90% — said they were traumatised for a day or longer by the pain from the procedure, A RCOG spokeswoman said: “We are concerned to hear that women are going through painful and distressing hysteroscopy procedures and that they feel COVID-19 is being used as an excuse not to offer a choice of anaesthetic." “The covid-19 pandemic has put incredible strain on the health services, and the risk of transmission of the virus has meant they’ve had to adapt their procedures. Whilst all women should be offered a choice of anaesthesia and treatment settings for hysteroscopic procedures, an outpatient setting avoids hospital admission and reduces the risk of exposure to the virus." “The RCOG guidance on this is very clear — all pain relief options should be discussed with women, as well as the risks and benefits of each. Women should be given the choice of a local or general anaesthetic. If the procedure is still too painful, no matter what anaesthetic options are chosen, it must be stopped and a further discussion of pain relief options should then take place. It’s vital that women are listened to and their choice is fully supported.” Read full story Source: HSJ, 21 December 2020
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Content ArticleWe’ve come to the final instalment of our 2020 blog series, where we’ve reflected on key patient safety issues we’ve seen this year and our work in those areas. First, our Chief Executive, Helen Hughes, introduced the series, giving an overview of the year. We then looked at: The impact of the COVID19 pandemic on patient safety Advice and support for people living with Long COVID Painful hysteroscopies Staff safety. Lastly, we turn our attention to one of the most significant reports we’ve responded to this year, First Do No Harm – also known as the Cumberlege Review – by the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review.
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Content ArticleThis month, we’ve been looking back over 2020 and highlighting some of the key areas of health and care that Patient Safety Learning has worked in this year. First, Chief Executive, Helen Hughes, gave an overview, detailing some of the main ways we’ve been achieving our aims as an organisation. Following that, we looked at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patient safety, and, earlier this week, we focused on advice and support for people living with Long COVID. In this blog, Patient Safety Learning reflect on the work we’ve been doing to highlight serious patient safety concerns relating to hysteroscopy procedures in the NHS and how we’ve been making the case for change.
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News Article
Women in psychiatric unit ‘feared for sexual safety’
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Women in a newly opened psychiatric intensive care unit (PICU) had concerns for their sexual safety, a Care Quality Commission (CQC) report has revealed. Inspectors found women in the PICU at Cygnet Health Care’s Godden Green Hospital, in Kent, were afraid to shower because male staff did not always knock before entering bedrooms and staff entered bathrooms without permission. Patients were often looked after by male staff despite having asked for a female staff member and, in some cases, had an all-male care team. Most patients the inspectors spoke to had concerns about their sexual safety. The CQC carried out an unannounced inspection of the PICU in October, following concerns raised by members of the public and to check concerns identified in an earlier inspection of the hospital’s child and adolescent mental health services were not organisational. The PICU opened in November 2019. Since the summer, Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust has commissioned some of the beds, but HSJ understands it stopped admissions for a time to review the care being provided. Inspectors found records referred to PICU patients as “difficult” and “troublemakers” and warned a ”culture of negativity towards patients had developed among some staff”. Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 4 December 2020 -
Content ArticleLaura Anne Jones MS (Member of the Senedd) tabled a formal written question concerning the implementation of the findings of the Cumberlege Review in Wales. This is the formal response from the Minister for Health and Social Services, Vaughan Gething MS.
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Content Article
The normalisation of women’s pain
LiSaRa posted an article in Women's health
In this wonderfully personal reflection, Junior Doctor and Clinical Fellow, Lisa Rampersad, argues that women are taught to apologise for their pain from an early age. Lisa draws on her own experiences, including those as a patient herself, to highlight a need for a better understanding of the female anatomy. She concludes by sharing her own approach as a clinician, encouraging others to listen and believe their patients when they talk about pain.- Posted
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EventuntilThe institution of medicine has always excluded women. From ancient beliefs that the womb wandered through the body causing 'humours' to 19th century Freudian hysteria, female bodies have been marked as unruly, defective, and lesser. We are still feeling the effects of these beliefs today. In 2008, a study of over 16,000 images in anatomy textbooks found that the white, heterosexual male was presented as the ‘universal model’ of a human being. We see this play out in medical research, when it isn't considered necessary to include women's experiences: approximately 70% of people who experience chronic pain are women, and yet 80% of pain study participants are men or male rats. We also see these beliefs inform clinical decisions. When experiencing pain, women are more likely to be given sedatives than painkillers, in a nod to the stereotype that women are more emotional and are therefore probably exaggerating the nature of their pain. This phenomenon is known as the gender pain gap, which describes the disparities in medical care that men and women receive purely due to their gender. But while awareness has risen over the last few years, how close are we to really closing the gender pain gap? Join The Femedic and Hysterical Women in discussion with Dr Omon Imohi, Dr Hannah Short, and research charity Wellbeing of Women as we consider how far medicine has come and how far we still have to go. Register
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News Article
England set to open specialist surgical mesh removal centres in April
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A network of specialist surgical mesh removal centres is to be set up around England, with a launch planned for April 2021. The move implements a recommendation of the review, chaired by the Conservative peer and former health minister Julia Cumberlege, into three treatments which caused avoidable harm. These included the use of transvaginal tape and pelvic mesh to treat pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence. The review, which published its report in July, heard “harrowing” stories about women left with serious complications. The mesh is hard to remove and only a few surgeons in the UK are able to carry out the procedure. Read full story (paywalled) Source: BMJ, 25 November 2020
