SimMed School in Galway

Transition Year students experience life as a junior doctor at the Saolta Simulation Centre

After the success of the inaugural SIMMed School in 2014, over 30 transition year (TY) students from across the West of Ireland attended the Saolta Simulation Centre at University Hospital Galway on Monday 23th March 2015 to experience what it is like to be a junior doctor.

SIMMed School is a programme developed at Saolta University Health Care Group for transition year students with an interest in pursuing a career in medicine. It is designed to immerse the student into the world of a junior doctor, managing acute medical emergency scenarios, performing procedures, communicating with relatives and staff, while working as part of a multidisciplinary team in a simulated environment.

The students perform technical skills using high tech simulators that lookS and feels like any human being. The skills demonstrated and taughtinclude taking blood, connecting drips, passing a urinary catheter, applying a plaster cast and learning to suture wounds.

SiMMed School is the brainchild of Dr. Dara Byrne, the Director of Simulation and Intern Co-ordinator for the Saolta Hospital Group. Speaking at the event, she said  "This is a first of its kind programme for transition year students in the West of Ireland.  It is a fully immersive experience for students with an interest in a career in medicine. They experience first-hand what it is like to work as a junior doctor. They embrace the challenge and learn the importance of being both technically skilled and a good communicator.”

View more on Saolta here

Customised Management of IBD

Prof Walter Reinisch, an international expert in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), travelled to Ireland last week to share his expertise with the specialist gastroenterology team in University Hospital Galway and at the GUT club in Dublin.

Prof Reinisch’s presentation, titled ‘Optimising the use of current treatment options in moderate to severe ulcerative colitis (UC)’, offered a valuable opportunity to gain insights from the substantial progress that he and his colleagues have made in treating and managing this condition.

In an interview with Irish Medical Times, Prof Reinisch outlined how the development of three key optimisation procedures had been central to his success in improving UC outcomes.

These treatment techniques, in tandem with major advancements in the development of anti-inflammatory drugs, have had life-changing consequences for some UC patients.  “In terms of treatment, the major breakthrough was the development of the biologics and the availability of the monoclonal antibodies, particularly the anti-TNF-alpha agents — currently we have at least three of them on the market,” he said.

In seeking to improve patient outcomes, identifying the severity and type of treatment required in a newly diagnosed patient was equally important to early diagnosis, Prof Reinisch maintained. His most recent paper, published in May of this year entitled Factors associated with poor outcomes in adults with newly diagnosed ulcerative colitis (DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cgh.2014.03.037), reviews prognostic factors for adults with newly diagnosed UC and discusses which patients might benefit from rapid and progressive therapy.

View full article on Irish Medical Times 

Gold Medal Launched to Honour Leading West of Ireland Cardiologist!

Dr Jim Crowley, Consultant Cardiologist & Medical Director of Croi, Neil Johnson, CEO Croi; Dr Gerard Flaherty, Programme Director MSc in Preventive Cardiology, NUIG; Jenni Jones, Croi Director of Programmes and Prof Kieran Daly, Consultant Cardiologist Galway University Hospitals.

A gold medal which will be awarded each year to the most outstanding student on the Masters in Preventive Cardiology programme at NUI Galway was inaugurated this week at a special ceremony in the Croí Heart and Stroke Centre, Galway

The Kieran Daly Medal was inaugurated to honour the immeasurable contribution which Dr. Kieran Daly, Honorary Clinical Professor in Medicine at NUI Galway and Consultant Cardiologist at Galway University Hospitals, has made to education and training in Cardiology over a long and distinguished career. Additionally, the medal honours the leadership Dr Daly has shown over many years , firstly as Research & Medical Director of Croí and for the past five years as Chairperson of the organisations Board of Directors, a position which he retired from earlier this month.

The first group of students on the Masters in Preventive Cardiology programme at NUI Galway are due to graduate in November this year. This unique programme is delivered over a 12-month period as a full-time Level 9 degree programme, with most of the didactic and much of the clinical instruction delivered in the state-of-the-art Croí Heart and Stroke Centre in Galway. In addition, students have access to e-learning resources developed by the multiprofessional teaching faculty at Croí and NUI Galway. Places on the programme for 2014/15 are filling fast and any interested applicant should apply at www.pac.ie/nuigalway.

View full Press Release here

Midwives Week at UHG 2014

New Self Harm service for Galway

Across Ireland there are on average 12,000 self harm presentations to Emergency Departments (ED) annually, with approximately 500 presenting to the ED in Galway University Hospital (National Suicide Research Foundation, 2012).   Galway Roscommon Mental Health Services has introduced a new Self Harm Service to provide a new and specific service to people who self harm.

Alan Costello is the first HSE Self Harm Nurse to be appointed in the HSE West area and is based in the Emergency Department at Galway University Hospital.  Alan takes direct referrals from the Emergency Department and from the Psychiatric Liaison Team (in GUH). 

 Alan says, “My primary role is to engage with the person following a self harm episode, carrying out a detailed mental health assessment and risk assessment. This involves an in-depth biopsychosocial assessment, identifying the causes of the crisis, the context of the self harm, the current level of risk and the primary stressors and triggers.  I develop a management and safety plan and may see the person for structured sessions to begin educative and therapeutic work around reduction and management of self harm behaviours.  If it becomes clear that the person has a more serious mental health concern, I can arrange for a hospital admission for assessment and treatment or arrange an outpatient appointment for the person to see a psychiatrist.”
View more on HSE website here

Project to build a new Paediatric Outpatient Unit for Patients with Cystic Fibrosis underway at Galway University Hospitals

Work on a new Outpatient unit for children with cystic fibrosis at Galway University Hospitals commenced today when the first sod was turned on the new build.

The new unit will cost approximately €590k with €250k being funded by the Cystic Fibrosis Association and the balance by the hospital and the HSE. The new unit will include four examination rooms, a treatment room for procedures and a gym for assessment and physiotherapy and it will be located behind the existing Paediatric Outpatient Department on the grounds of University Hospital Galway.

Bill Maher, CEO, West /North West Hospitals Group said “Cystic Fibrosis is Ireland’s most common genetically inherited fatal disease. In Ireland approx 1 in 19 carry the CF gene, compared with 1 in 25 in UK. We currently have 32 paediatric patients with CF under the care of the hospital (and 37 adults). The new unit will be a dedicated specialist facility for day care and outpatient services and will allow us to treat children in an optimal physical environment to reduce the risk of infection which can have a serious impact for patients with CF.”

See full article here

NUI Galway HPV and Head and Neck Cancer Symposium Commended at the Irish Healthcare Awards.

L-R: Professor Ivan Keogh Academic Department of Otolaryngology, NUI Galway & Galway University Hospitals, Diarmuid Coughlan, Economics of Cancer Research Group, Department of Economics NUI Galway, Mr. Tony O’Connor, Academic Department of Otolaryngology, NUI Galway & Bon Secours Hospital Galway

An NUI Galway symposium jointly organised by the Department of Economics and the Academic Department of Otolaryngology was acknowledged in the “Best Educational Meeting” category at the annual Irish Healthcare Awards earlier this month. There were thirteen entries short-listed and the HPV and Head and Neck Cancer symposium , held on 17th May earlier this year, received a commendation from the expert judging panel at the recent award ceremony.

Professor Ivan Keogh, Director of the Academic Department of Otolaryngology at NUI Galway said “It is a real honour to have our symposium acknowledged at these prestigious awards. I am really very impressed by the extremely high standard of the activities which achieved short listing.”

View full article here

Galway University Hospitals’ Diabetes Team wins 2013 Healthcare Award

An initiative to introduce structured education programmes for people with diabetes by the Diabetes Education Team at Galway University Hospitals has won the “Patient Lifestyle Education Project” category at the Irish Medical Times 2013 Healthcare Awards.

(l-r) Bernadette McDonnell, Diabetes Nurse Specialist; Dr Sean Dinneen, Consultant Physician and Senior Lecturer, School of Medicine, NUI Galway; Mary Clare O’Hara, Diabetes Education Project Manager; Carmel Murphy, Senior Diabetes Dietitian 

The project involves providing structured training to people with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes so that they can develop the necessary skills and knowledge to successfully self manage their chronic illness.

The programme for people with type 1 diabetes is called DAFNE or Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating and the Diabetes Team delivers this course up to seven times per year. 

The programme for people with type 2 diabetes is called DESMOND orDiabetes Education and Self Management for Ongoing and Newly Diagnosed and this programme is delivered in the community by specially trained diabetes nurse specialists and dietitians.

Speaking of the achievement Dr Sean Dinneen said, “Through the dedication and commitment of busy healthcare professionals and with the support of senior management in the West / North West Hospitals Group, Galway Primary Community and Continuing Care (PCCC) and NUI Galway we have succeeded in changing the emphasis of our diabetes service from one that was very provider orientated to one that is now very patient centred.

View full article here

Galway University Hospitals to mark World COPD Day on 20 November

World COPD Awareness Day takes place on Wednesday 20 November and to support this event the Respiratory Services at Galway University Hospitals (GUH) are holding an information day from 10:00am to 4:00pm in the main foyer of University Hospital Galway. 

COPD is a general term for a number of chronic lung disorders including bronchitis, emphysema and chronic obstructive airway disease. It is estimated that 440,000 people in Ireland suffer from COPD and the most common cause of COPD is smoking. If COPD is detected early, treatments are available to prevent further deterioration of lung function.

The theme for this year’s World COPD Day is ‘It’s not too late'.  GUH Consultant Respiratory Physician Dr Rutherford says “Early detection and intervention is extremely important in order to improve symptoms and increase the patient’s quality of life and slow down the damage to the lungs".

Click here to view HSE press release

Roscommon Hospital in association with Galway University Hospitals wins 2013 Healthcare Award for the Rheumatology Telemedicine Service

The Rheumatology Telemedicine Service at Roscommon Hospital in association with Galway University Hospitals won the “Best use of Health Technology” award at the Irish Medical Times 2013 Healthcare Awards.

(l-r) Dr John Carey, Consultant Rheumatologist, Galway University Hospitals; Marie Doorly, Patient Services Manager, Roscommon Hospital; Pauline Conroy, IT Department, Roscommon Hospital; and Dr Robert Coughlan, Consultant Rheumatologist, Galway University Hospitals. 

The Rheumatology Telemedicine Service started in October 2011 and involves a computer link-up between patients in Roscommon Hospital and Dr Robert Coughlan and Dr John Carey, Consultant Rheumatologists in Merlin Park University Hospital, Galway who are able to discuss and review patients’ conditions with them and they no longer need to travel to Galway for their outpatient appointments.

Feedback from patients using the Rheumatology Telemedicine Service has been very positive with one patient commenting that the experience was similar to “skyping” her family, which she is familiar with, so therefore felt very comfortable about the whole experience.

Elaine Prendergast, General Manager, Roscommon County Hospital, said; “I am delighted for the staff involved in this project and for the patients that this initiative has been recognised at the IMT Healthcare Awards. The service makes it easier and quicker for patients from Roscommon to have access to Rheumatology outpatient services and it is an example where we have embraced change for the benefit of the hospital and all our patients”

Launch of New ‘Five Minute Foot Screen’ Tool for Healthcare Professionals

In the run up to World Diabetes Day, which takes place on Thursday 14 November, an information poster ‘The Five Minute Foot Screen’ has been developed by the HSE’s Podiatry Clinic Manager in Galway, Dr David Watterson, and is supported by Diabetes Ireland. 

Left to Right: Dr Sean Dineen, Consultant Endocrinologist, University Hospital Galway; Angela McKenna, MSD; Dr David Watterson, Podiatry Clinic Manager, Merlin Park University Hospital, Galway

This innovative and simple tool will provide GPs, practice nurses and other health professionals with a step-by-step guide to completing a foot screen, primarily for patients with Diabetes, in less than five minutes.

‘The Five Minute Foot Screen’ supports the National Footcare Model of care and has been designed to include pictures of the individual tests that are performed, as well as pictures of common foot problems associated with diabetes.

“This poster will reinforce the existing skills and knowledge that our doctors, nurses and health professionals have in Ireland, and ensure that they can apply those skills and knowledge to help prevent foot complications that are reaching epidemic proportions in Ireland,” said Dr Watterson.

The design of The Five Minute Foot Screen is based on a ‘wheel’ with the patient at the centre.  It gives examples of how patients can help themselves as well as what healthcare providers can do for them to improve their outcomes.

View full press release here