Fair’s Fare: Mickey Mouse Research?.
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Fair’s Fare: Mickey Mouse Research
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Daily Archives: September 22, 2011
RCN: NHS healthcare assistants training unacceptable
The NHS is too reliant on untrained healthcare assistants who are asked to pick up nursing skills as they go along, says the head of the Royal College of Nursing.
via BBC News – RCN: NHS healthcare assistants training unacceptable.
GP conflicts of interest could ‘badly undermine’ confidence in NHS
Source: GP conflicts of interest could ‘badly undermine’ confidence in NHS | News | Health Service Journal.
This article is solely the work of the HSJ. For a full copy of the article please contact the library.
Conflicts of interest under clinical commissioning could “badly undermine the confidence of regulators, providers, and patients” in the NHS, the NHS Confederation and Royal College of General Practice Centre for Commissioning have warned.
Supermarket Healthy Eating for Life (SHELf): protocol of a randomised controlled trial promoting healthy food and beverage consumption through price reduction and skill-building strategies
This article is available freely via Open Access. Please click on the above link to view it fully
Abstract (provisional)
Background
In the context of rising food prices, there is a need for evidence on the most effective approaches for promoting healthy eating. Individually-targeted behavioural interventions for increasing food-related skills show promise, but are unlikely to be effective in the absence of structural supports. Fiscal policies have been advocated as a means of promoting healthy eating and reducing obesity and nutrition-related disease, but there is little empirical evidence of their effectiveness. This paper describes the Supermarket Healthy Eating for LiFe (SHELf) study, a randomised controlled trial to investigate effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a tailored skill-building intervention and a price reduction intervention, separately and in combination, against a control condition for promoting purchase and consumption of healthy foods and beverages in women from high and low socioeconomic groups.
Methods
SHELf comprises a randomised controlled trial design, with participants randomised to receive either (1) a skill-building intervention; (2) price reductions on fruits, vegetables and low-joule soft drink beverages and water; (3) a combination of skill-building and price reductions; or (4) a control condition. Five hundred women from high and low socioeconomic areas will be recruited through a store loyalty card program and local media. Randomisation will occur on receipt of informed consent and baseline questionnaire. An economic evaluation from a societal perspective using a cost-consequences approach will compare the costs and outcomes between intervention and control groups.
Discussion
This study will build on a pivotal partnership with a major national supermarket chain and the Heart Foundation to investigate the effectiveness of intervention strategies aimed at increasing women’s purchasing and consumption of fruits and vegetables and decreased purchasing and consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. It will be among the first internationally to examine the effects of two promising approaches – skill-building and price reductions – on diet amongst women. Trial Registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN39432901
GP contract changes could standardise services and pay
Source: Exclusive: GP contract changes could standardise services and pay | News | Health Service Journal.
This article is solely the work of the HSJ. For a full copy of the article please contact the library.
General practices could be forced to provide a more specific and expanded set of services by a renegotiated GP contract, under proposals being considered by senior NHS managers
Process and outcome constructs for evaluating community-based participatory research projects: a matrix of existing measures
An NHS Athens account may be required to view this in full.
Abstract
Community-based participatory research (CBPR) has been widely used in public health research in the last decade as an approach to develop culturally centered interventions and collaborative research processes in which communities are directly involved in the construction and implementation of these interventions and in other application of findings. Little is known, however, about CBPR pathways of change and how these academic–community collaborations may contribute to successful outcomes. A new health CBPR conceptual model (Wallerstein N, Oetzel JG, Duran B et al. CBPR: What predicts outcomes? In: Minkler M, Wallerstein N (eds). Communication Based Participatory Research, 2nd edn. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Co., 2008) suggests that relationships between four components: context, group dynamics, the extent of community-centeredness in intervention and/or research design and the impact of these participatory processes on CBPR system change and health outcomes. This article seeks to identify instruments and measures in a comprehensive literature review that relates to these distinct components of the CBPR model and to present them in an organized and indexed format for researcher use. Specifically, 258 articles were identified in a review of CBPR (and related) literature from 2002 to 2008. Based on this review and from recommendations of a national advisory board, 46 CBPR instruments were identified and each was reviewed and coded using the CBPR logic model. The 46 instruments yielded 224 individual measures of characteristics in the CBPR model. While this study does not investigate the quality of the instruments, it does provide information about reliability and validity for specific measures. Group dynamics proved to have the largest number of identified measures, while context and CBPR system and health outcomes had the least. Consistent with other summaries of instruments, such as Granner and Sharpe’s inventory (Granner ML, Sharpe PA. Evaluating community coalition characteristics and functioning: a summary of measurement tools. Health Educ Res 2004; 19: 514–32), validity and reliability information were often lacking, and one or both were only available for 65 of the 224 measures. This summary of measures provides a place to start for new and continuing partnerships seeking to evaluate their progress.
CCGs will be liable for PCT redundancy costs
Source: CCGs will be liable for PCT redundancy costs | News | Health Service Journal.
This article is solely the work of the HSJ. For a full copy of the article please contact the library.
Clinical commissioning groups will be liable for the cost of making primary care trust staff redundant if they use non-NHS suppliers of commissioning support, HSJ understands
Providing integrated care won’t be easier for CCGs, study suggests
Source: Providing integrated care won’t be easier for CCGs, study suggests | News | Health Service Journal.
This article is solely the work of the HSJ. For a full copy of the article please contact the library.
Clinical commissioning groups will find it no easier than primary care trusts to provide integrated care unless they are able to overcome perverse incentives, a report has found.
Hospitals ‘struggling with NHS mortgage repayments’
Paying off the “NHS mortgage” is putting so much pressure on the system in England that the future of some hospitals is at risk, ministers say.
via BBC News – Hospitals ‘struggling with NHS mortgage repayments’.
DH social enterprise scheme draws just three bids
Source: DH social enterprise scheme draws just three bids | News | Health Service Journal.
This article is solely the work of the HSJ. For a full copy of the article please contact the library.
There have been just three expressions of interest to set up social enterprises under the Department of Health’s “right to provide” scheme, none of which have been approved.
NHS to overhaul £11bn IT project
The board running an £11bn IT project for the NHS is to be scrapped, allowing hospitals to choose their own computer systems, the government is to announce
Poor NHS cost data will delay national pricing, Audit Commission warns
This article is solely the work of the HSJ. For a full copy of the article please contact the library.
Costing data in the NHS is too poor to establish fixed national prices for new acute and community services, an Audit Commission review has found
Designer drugs ‘cost NHS millions’
Source: BBC News – Designer drugs ‘cost NHS millions’.
Doctors have “wasted” millions on “designer” diabetes drugs when cheaper ones would have been just as effective, according to a report.
Bright light treatment is effective in treating older patients with non-seasonal major depression
An NHS Athens account may be required to view this in full.
Implications for practice and research
■ Major depression is common in older people, and treatment response is often inadequate.
■ Bright light treatment as an effective and well-tolerated treatment should be used more often in major depression in older people.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of ICU telemedicine reinforces the need for further controlled investigations to assess the impact of telemedicine on patient outcomes
An NHS Athens account may be required to view this in full.
Implications for practice and research
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▪ Telemedicine applications are becoming more common for the delivery of specialist care, patient monitoring, education and support, though the uptake has been slow and fragmented.
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▪ Telemedicine may have the potential to reduce mortality and length of stay (LOS) for patients in the intensive care unit (ICU).
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▪ More controlled studies
Open and honest discussions about kidney transplantation recommended for people undergoing haemodialysis
An NHS Athens account may be required to view this in full.
Implications for nursing practice and research
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▪ This small (n=16) qualitative study showed that people undergoing dialysis were focused on receiving a kidney transplant. Renal nurses should have open and honest discussions about kidney transplantation with patients who are receiving dialysis, as waiting time for a transplant can be lengthy with mixed outcomes.
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▪ Nurses should support people on dialysis by helping them to integrate dialysis into their lives rather than ‘being on hold’ while waiting for a transplant.
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▪ Information given about likely transplantation waiting times should be realistic and individualised. For example, people from ethnic …
Benefits of nurse-led cardiovascular prevention for patients with type 1 diabetes
An NHS Athens account may be required to view this in full.
Implications for practice and research
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▪ Nurse-led cardiovascular prevention for patients with type 1 diabetes is effective because of an increased use of medication.
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▪ Quality improvement of nurse-led prevention is needed to address unhealthy lifestyles.
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▪ Future studies need to pay attention to the impact on quality of life and cost-effectiveness.
Nurse-initiated analgesia improves patients’ pain experience: time for change?
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Implications for practice and research
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▪ With appropriate training and safeguards, nurse-initiated analgesia should be more broadly adopted for treatment of emergency department (ED) patients with abdominal pain. Further research is warranted investigating barriers to early analgesia administration in ED.
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▪ Research is warranted comparing different analgesia protocols for safety and effectiveness.
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▪ Research should investigate the safety and effectiveness of analgesia initiated at triage.
In older adults with chronic non-cancer pain, short-term use of opioids reduces pain and physical disability but does not benefit mental health, and 25% discontinue due to adverse effects
An NHS Athens account may be required to view this in full.
Implications for nursing practice
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■ Nurses are often hesitant to recommend opiate use for non-cancer pain.
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■ People aged 65 and above are as likely to benefit from opioids as younger people.
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■ In older people with no significant comorbidity, short-term use of opioids reduces pain and improves physical functioning.
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■ 25% of patients stop using opioids because of adverse events, including constipation.
Implications for nursing research
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■ Long-term safety, efficacy and abuse potential in older persons are yet to be determined.
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■ Older age is associated with a lower likelihood of abuse and misuse of opioids
‘Raid’ FT finances to protect DH budget, ministers were advised
Top civil servants advised government ministers that they could “raid” foundation trusts’ surpluses to prevent them from blowing the Department of Health’s budget, the Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust inquiry has learned.
Source: ‘Raid’ FT finances to protect DH budget, ministers were advised | News | Health Service Journal.
This article is solely the work of the HSJ. For a full copy of the article please contact the library.
Use of sleep care guidelines in a surgical intensive care unit reduces noise levels and improves patient-reported sleep quality
An NHS Athens account may be required to view this in full.
Implications for practice and research
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▪ Nurses need to be aware of the impact that care delivery has on sleep quality and the importance of sleep for recuperation.
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▪ Changes to routine care may have a positive impact on sleep quality from the perception of the patient.
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▪ Further studies to examine patients’ perception of sleep quality throughout a hospital stay are required.
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▪ Observational studies are needed to observe how staffs apply guidelines in practice to reduce noise and light to promote patients’ sleep during a hospital stay.
An intervention to improve compliance with guidelines for prevention of venous thromboembolism improves the proportion of hospitalised patients receiving appropriate prophylaxis
This article is available freely via Open Access. Please click on the above link to view it fully.
Implications for practice and research
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▪ Addressing the specific barriers to evidence-based practice can have a significant effect on key performance indicators.
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▪ In prevention of blood clots, four barriers were found: motivation, support, knowledge and evidence.
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▪ Four strategies were used to address deficits: audit, decision support, education and policy development.
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▪ The evidence is not enough: overcoming barriers helps, but there is still room for improvement. Nursing researchers need to build and evaluate methods to achieve much higher proportions of patients receiving risk assessment thereby to increase the number receiving prophylaxis against coagulation.
CCP to investigate attempts to close walk-in centre
Source: CCP to investigate attempts to close walk-in centre | News | Health Service Journal.
This article is solely the work of the HSJ. For a full copy of the article please contact the library.
The Cooperation and Competition Panel is to investigate a complaint that NHS Peterborough has breached competition rules in attempting to close a primary care access centre.
Social care funding set to divide coalition ministers
Source: Social care funding set to divide coalition ministers | News | Health Service Journal.
This article is solely the work of the HSJ. For a full copy of the article please contact the library.
Senior Liberal Democrats are preparing to clash with the Treasury and their Conservative partners over increased funding for long term care.
A music-based multitask exercise programme is a promising intervention for improving gait, balance and fall risk in older adults
An NHS Athens account may be required to view this in full.
Implications for nursing practice and research
▪ A music-based multitask exercise programme can improve gait, balance and risk of falling among community living older adults.
▪ A music-based exercise programme may be effective in encouraging adherence to an exercise intervention.
▪ Adding music to a multitask exercise programme does not interfere with programme efficacy.
Further research is required to provide evidence of the effectiveness and feasibility of the nurse-led, case management approach to the care of older adults with chronic comorbid conditions
An NHS Athens account may be required to view this in full.
Implications for practice
▪ There is evidence that a nurse-led, case management approach is acceptable to patients with chronic comorbid conditions.
▪ There is no evidence from robust clinical trials that a nurse-led, case management approach results in more effective or more cost effective care.
Implications for research
▪ More robust studies, focusing on the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and acceptability of different models of health service delivery, including nurse-led models, need to be undertaken to inform future health service provision for the growing number of older adults with chronic, comorbid conditions.
In older adults with chronic non-cancer pain, short-term use of opioids reduces pain and physical disability but does not benefit mental health, and 25% discontinue due to adverse effects
An NHS Athens account may be required to view this in full.
Implications for nursing practice
■ Nurses are often hesitant to recommend opiate use for non-cancer pain.
■ People aged 65 and above are as likely to benefit from opioids as younger people.
■ In older people with no significant comorbidity, short-term use of opioids reduces pain and improves physical functioning.
■ 25% of patients stop using opioids because of adverse events, including constipation.
Implications for nursing research
■ Long-term safety, efficacy and abuse potential in older persons are yet to be determined.
■ Older age is associated with a lower likelihood of abuse and misuse of opioids.
What is a randomised controlled trial?
What is a randomised controlled trial? — Nelson 14 (4): 97 — Evidence-Based Nursing.
An NHS Athens account may be required to view this in full.
Introduction
Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) answer questions about the effectiveness of different care options: ‘what effect does using treatment A or treatment B have on outcomes?’ RCTs are important to nursing as they are the best study design for answering the question ‘should I do this or that?…
Depression recovery varying wildly across the country
Source: Depression recovery varying wildly across the country | News | Health Service Journal.
This article is solely the work of the HSJ. For a full copy of the article please contact the library.
Recovery rates for depression and anxiety cases depend on where in the country the patient happens to be, with a huge variation from one region to another, a report has revealed.
New talks in public sector pension row
Source: New talks in public sector pension row | News | Health Service Journal.
An NHS Athens account may be required to view this in full.
Fresh talks will be held today in an attempt to avert a wave of strikes by public sector workers in the continuing row over pensions.
