Oxford Care Manuals

The Medical Library holds a number of practical manuals from the series -
Oxford Care Manuals

Two from that series:

1. Diabetes Care - Rowan Hilson
is located at the Medical Library, CSI - 616.46206 HIL

2. Dementia Care - Jonathan Waite
is located at the Medical Library, CSI - 362.19683 DEM

'Late starters' still have much to gain by exercising

Taking up exercise in your 60s will still help stave off major ill health and dementia, research suggests.

The study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine followed 3,500 healthy people at or around retirement age.

Those who took up exercise were three times more likely to remain healthy over the next eight years than their sedentary peers.

Exercise cut the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and depression.

After eight years of follow-up, a fifth of the participants were defined as healthy - not suffering from any major chronic mental or physical illness.

In the study, those who had regularly indulged in moderate or vigorous physical activity at least once a week were three to four times more likely to be healthy agers than those who had remained inactive, even after taking into account factors such as smoking.

Dr Hamer says physical activity does not necessarily mean going to the gym or going for a run - gardening or walking to the shops also counts.

Click on the title below to access the full text of the article published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine 25th November 2013

Taking up physical activity in later life and healthy ageing: the English longitudinal study of ageing.

Click here to view link to news article

'A Tobacco Free Future' Report Launched

The number of children taking up smoking and women who smoke during pregnancy has declined over the past decade, a new report has found.

However, disadvantaged children remain at particular risk of exposure to second-hand smoke.

The findings are contained within A Tobacco-Free Future, an all-island report on tobacco, inequalities and childhood published this week by the Institute of Public Health inIreland (IPH) and the TobaccoFree Research Institute Ireland.

The World Health Organisation said there are three key “windows of exposure” in terms of tobacco-related harm in childhood; in the womb, directly through children taking up smoking and through exposure to second hand smoke.

It found smoking rates during pregnancy fell by around a third in the Republic of Ireland between 1997/1998 and 2007/2008.

Click here to read more

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

NUI Galway Launch Free Advice Booklet for First Year Students

 ‘Risky Bizzness: Student Wellbeing for Successful Students’, was commissioned by the Health Promotion Service, part of NUI Galway Student Services, which aims to assist students to reach their full potential by providing non-judgemental and up-to-date information to help students make informed decisions.

‘Risky Bizzness: Student Wellbeing for Successful Students’ is based on the popular blog riskybizzness.blogspot.ie which mixes facts and humour to encourage students to look after their health and wellbeing and boost their resilience. 

Like the blog, the new booklet provides information on relationships, study tips, nutrition, budgeting and much more. There are facts, ideas, contact details and also plenty of online links to articles and video clips.

The booklet was written Rab Fulton, the editor of the riskybizzness blog, with Cindy Dring, Health Promotion Coordinator, NUI Galway student services.

For more on Health Promotion in NUI Galway visit http://www.nuigalway.ie/student_services/health_promotion/

click here to view full article

Amazon workers face 'increased risk of mental illness'

A BBC investigation into a UK-based Amazon warehouse has found conditions that a stress expert said could cause "mental and physical illness".

Professor Michael Marmot was shown secret filming of night shifts involving up to 11 miles of walking - where an undercover worker was expected to collect orders every 33 seconds.

It comes as the company employs 15,000 extra staff to cater for Christmas

Amazon said the safety of its workers was its "number one priority."

Undercover reporter Adam Littler, 23, got an agency job at Amazon's Swansea warehouse. He took a hidden camera inside for BBC Panorama to record what happened on his shifts.

Professor Marmot said: "The characteristics of this type of job, the evidence shows increased risk of mental illness and physical illness."

"There are always going to be menial jobs, but we can make them better or worse. And it seems to me the demands of efficiency at the cost of individual's health and wellbeing - it's got to be balanced."

See Panorama: The Truth Behind The Click, BBC One, Monday 25 November at 20:30 GMT and then available in the UK on the BBC iPlayer.

View article on BBC News here

Fewer hospital admissions for alcohol-related liver disease

Hospital admissions for alcohol-related liver disease have begun to drop, according to a new study. The research by doctors from St Vincent's Hospital and the Mater Hospital in Dublin show that 14,000 people were admitted to hospital for the treatment of alcohol dependence in 2011.That was a 17% decrease on 2010.

However, it follows a trebling of people being treated for liver damage from the mid-90s until 2010.

Professor Aidan McCormick at St. Vincent's Hospital, said while the reduction in hospital admissions was good news, a corresponding decrease in liver disease is not yet apparent. He said the findings could point to a different pattern of drinking among Irish people. 

Click here to view article in  RTE Health

Law for standardised cigarette packs moves closer

The Government has this week approved the General Scheme for legislation to provide for much larger health warnings on cigarette packets. The Cabinet has approved the Heads of the Bill that will make it mandatory for tobacco to be sold in Standardised Packaging which will greatly increase the health warnings and reduce the ability of tobacco manufacturers to promote their brand.

The Public Health (Standardised Packaging of Tobacco) Bill 2013 will outlaw forms of branding such as trademarks and logos on cigarette packs and on roll-your-own packs and will determine the size and positioning of the warnings.

 Ireland’s standardised packaging will have graphic warnings and text selected from a library of graphic images and warnings developed by the European Commission for Member States

There is strong evidence that standardised packaging will increase the effectiveness of health warnings, reduce false health beliefs about cigarettes and reduce brand appeal particularly among youth and young adults.

Click here to view full DOH press release

View also in Irish Times

Involving patients in their nurses’ shift change reduces errors and improves patient satisfaction

At shift change, incoming and outgoing nurses transfer accountability by exchanging information about the patients under their charge. Called bedside handover, this process empowers patients and allows them to become active partners in their own care.  

New research published shows that performing this transfer at the patient’s bedside can also reduce potential errors. 

The findings, published in the Journal of Nursing Care Quality, comprised of qualitative interviews with 45 patients, this research builds on Dr. Jeffs’ ongoing study of transitions across the health care system. Study participants described bedside handover as engaging, personal and informative but indicated the importance of recognizing and being sensitive to patients’ preferences – which can change over time and from patient to patient.

“Most patients felt safer, more satisfied and better informed of their care plan,” said Dr. Jeffs, “But some long-term patients did not want to participate in the twice-daily routine because their conditions had not changed from day to day.”

View press release here

Journal Reference:

Lianne Jeffs, Susan Beswick, Ashley Acott, Elisa Simpson, Roberta Cardoso, Heather Campbell, Terri Irwin. Patientsʼ Views on Bedside Nursing Handover. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 2013; : 1 DOI:10.1097/NCQ.0000000000000035

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