AIM To determine the reliability of international normalised ratio (INR) measurement in primary care by practice nurses using near patient testing (NPT), in comparison with results obtained within hospital laboratories by varied methods. METHODS As part of an MRC funded study into primary care oral anticoagulation management, INR measurements obtained in general practice were validated agains...

OBJECTIVE To develop a tool for evaluating the appropriateness of acute hospital admissions in Hong Kong and test its reliability. DESIGN The tool was based on the Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol and consensus of local Emergency Medicine specialists. Reliability was tested through retrospective chart review. SETTING Tertiary teaching hospital, Hong Kong. PATIENTS Seventy-five randomly...

This article provides an overview of the development of forensic psychiatry in the Netherlands from the late nineteenth to the early twenty-first century. The first part addresses the ways forensic psychiatry established itself in the period 1870-1925 and focuses on its interrelatedness with forensic practice, psychiatry's professionalization, the role of the government, the influence of the so...

BACKGROUND Teaching of medication prescribing is a specific challenge in general practice curriculum. The aim of this study was to identify and rank the competencies required for prescribing medication for general practice residents in France. METHODS Qualitative consensus study using the nominal group technique. We invited different stakeholders of the general practice curriculum and medicat...

OBJECTIVES We aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a day visit in changing attitudes towards a high-security forensic psychiatric hospital, with regard to the current recruitment difficulties in psychiatry. METHODS Broadmoor Hospital, a UK high-security psychiatric hospital, runs day visits for medical students, led by doctors. At the beginning and the end of the day students wrote their...

Under the UK fundholding scheme, general practices could elect to hold a budget to meet the costs of some types of elective surgery (chargeable admissions) for their patients. It was alleged that patients of fundholding practices had shorter waits for elective surgery than the patients of non-fundholders. Comparison of waiting times between fundholding and non-fundholding practices are potentia...

UNLABELLED This article is based on a talk given at the Japanese Society for Tropical medicine Annual Meeting in 2014. The severe febrile illness study was established in 2005. The aim of the project was to define the aetiology of febrile disease in children admitted to a hospital in Tanzania. Challenges arose in many areas: STUDY DESIGN An initial plan to recruit only the severely ill was re...

A lack of consistency in the management of alcohol withdrawal was identified at the trust. A multidisciplinary working group was set up to review the existing policies, and evaluate the evidence available. A trust-wide policy was introduced and the Clinical Institute Withdrawal from Alcohol score was used to manage alcohol withdrawal. Three main wards were identified for audit and education – e...

This article focuses on the bundling of products with promised contributions to charity. Two lab experiments and one field study are conducted that compare the effectiveness of promised donations to charity in promoting ‘‘practical necessities’’ (e.g., a box of laundry detergent) to their effectiveness in promoting ‘‘frivolous luxuries’’ (e.g., a hot fudge sundae). The results suggest that char...

BACKGROUND End-of-life planning means decision making with patients, formulating and recording decisions regarding their end-of-life care. Although clearly linked with benefits including improved quality of life, reduced hospital admissions, and less aggressive medical care, it is still infrequently undertaken and is regarded as challenging by healthcare professionals. AIM To ascertain the fe...