BACKGROUND In 2001 a report on the provision of clinical ethics support in UK healthcare institutions identified 20 clinical ethics committees. Since then there has been no systematic evaluation or documentation of their work at a national level. Recent national surveys of clinical ethics services in other countries have identified wide variation in practice and scope of activities. OBJECTIVE...

Introduction Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is common and currently in UK there are an estimated 50 000 new cases of MPE per year. Talc pleurodesis remains one of the most popular methods for fluid control. The value of thoracic ultrasound (TUS) imaging, before and after pleurodesis, in improving the quality and efficacy of care for patients with MPE remains unknown. Additionally, biomarkers ...

INTRODUCTION Compliance with hand hygiene recommendations in hospital is typically less than 50%. Such low compliance inevitably contributes to hospital-acquired infections that negatively affect patients' well-being and hospitals' finances. The design of the present study is predicated on the assumption that most people who fail to clean their hands are not doing so intentionally, they just fo...

Traditionally, ethics consultations are conducted one case at a time. This typical approach addresses immediate needs pertinent to the case, but seldom looks toward preventing recurrences. The underlying problem is that clinical ethics and organizational ethics are still often regarded as separate areas with separate concerns. When it comes to ethics in health care, nothing helps clarify ideas ...

The emergence of the ethics consultation as a means to resolve moral crises in clinical medicine has revealed the need for a worksheet that would facilitate intake and analysis. The author developed the "Bioethics Consultation Form" as an attempt to remedy this need. The form is arranged in an outline format and is a useful asset to ethics committee discussions and record keeping. The first sec...

In a 2016 paper published in the British Journal of Medicine and Medical Research, investigators led by Maduike Ezeibe (Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Nigeria) reported that they had found, in effect, a cure for HIV/AIDS. They wrote that ten patients went from testing positive for HIV to testing negative within months of starting treatment with medicinal synthetic aluminium–...

INTRODUCTION Shoulder pain is a highly prevalent condition. Psychological factors could play an essential role in the prognosis of chronic shoulder pain (CSP). The aims of the study will be to analyse the level of association between psychological factors and pain-disability at baseline and prospectively to assess their prognostic role; to evaluate the association of pain catastrophising and ki...

INTRODUCTION Older people experience greater morbidity with a corresponding increase in medication use resulting in a potentially higher risk of adverse drug reactions (ADRs). The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and characteristics of ADR-related hospital admissions among older patients (≥65 years) and their associated health and cost outcomes. METHODS AND ANALYSIS The propos...

BACKGROUND Ethics consultation is used regularly by some doctors, whereas others are reluctant to use these services. AIM To determine factors that may influence doctors to request or not request ethics consultation. METHODS A survey questionnaire was distributed to doctors on staff at the University Community Hospital in Tampa, Florida, USA. The responses to the questions on the survey wer...

INTRODUCTION Malignant pleural effusion can complicate most cancers. It causes breathlessness and requires hospitalisation for invasive pleural drainages. Malignant effusions often herald advanced cancers and limited prognosis. Minimising time spent in hospital is of high priority to patients and their families. Various treatment strategies exist for the management of malignant effusions, thoug...