Mental health Reform: Promoting improved mental health Services

Mental health Reform in Ireland: Hello and welcome to our last newsletter of 2013. Here's a quick round-up of our news and events:

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Athlone Institute of technology: Health Science Library, Xmas Opening hours

Thursday 19th December:    9.30am - 1.30pm
Friday 20th December         9.30am - 1.30pm
Saturday 21th Dec - Tuesday 7th Jan '14 Library closed
Tuesday 7th January:           9.30am - 1pm
Thursday 9th January:          9.30am - 1pm

Normal term opening resumes on Monday 13th January 2014

Historic deal on clinical trial transparency - 2013-12-16

Pharmaceutical companies and academic researchers will be obliged to upload the results of all their European clinical trials to a publicly accessible database, if a deal reached this week is approved.
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Which medical research caught the public imagination in 2013?

Altmetric take a look back at 2013, with a review of the medical matters papers that received the most attention online - and the conversations that happened around them.

Diet and obesity were the most popular themes amongst medical papers this year. The most popular paper was one that reported the benefits of the "Mediterranean Diet". The success of this paper also carried over to another that reported on the virtues of eating nuts (which, incidentally, are part of the Mediterranean Diet).

View List and further links

Butterfly Injections - from allnurses.com

Does anyone actively practice this or come across this in their ERs?

A couple weeks ago I had a treat and release patient who didn't need a line... the doctor ordered IV toradol and I clarified the order with him. "He doesn't have a line, I can start one. Did you want it IV or IM?"
His reply, "You can just butterfly it in or give it IM if you want." 

I was completely confused because I had never even heard of this... 

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Depression's Tipping Point

Someday, a smart phone app that asks what you’re feeling 10 times a day may be able to tell you if you’re edging closer to depression—and recommend that you seek preventive therapy or drugs. Scientists have discovered that how quickly someone bounces back from negative feelings, over hours or days, can predict whether that person is at risk of an episode of major depressive disorder.

“The holy grail of depression epidemiology is that we want to intervene early to prevent people from having depressive episodes,” says social scientist Stephen Gilman of Harvard University, who was not involved in the study. “Where this work is headed is making an advance in that direction, toward early detection and therefore early intervention.”

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Health Research Board Annual Report 2012

The Annual Report and extracts from the HRB Financial Statements 2012.

Contents

• Chief Executive Overview.
• Health Research - Aligned to national priorities.
• Delivering on our strategic business plan.
• Measuring the impact of HRB health research investment.
• Corporate operations.

More and Download

Belly fat could prevent cancer killing cells doing their job

Carrying excess fat on the waistline could prevent cancer killing cells from doing their job, according to a new Health Research Board (HRB) funded study. This fat can become inflamed in obesity and it has been linked with increased risk of several cancers including one called oesophageal adenocarcinoma. The findings are described in the latest edition of the HRB’s Picture of Health 2013 which is published today.

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Naturally good health; Ireland

Naturally Good Health is Ireland’s premier health magazine.
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Welcome to The Healthier Life.... where good health comes naturally

Welcome to the web's leading natural and alternative health resource! Our pioneering experts report the latest breakthroughs in natural medicine often years before you'll ever hear about them in the mainstream media.

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Mediterranean diet without breakfast best choice for diabetics

For patients with diabetes, it is better to eat a single large meal than several smaller meals throughout the day. This is the result of a current dietary study.

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Lets talk about cancer

Three years ago at this time I was lying on the couch, watching St. Elmo's Fire with Friend Pens The Lotion Slut, feeling rather giddy from a combination of red wine and Vicodin. I had just had the majority of my hard palate and all of my soft palate removed due to a case of oral cancer
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Geriatric / Long Term Care Nursing

Geriatric / long term care nursing is a specialty that involves caring for patients who require an extended level of care due to chronic disease processes and long term disabilities. Long term care nurses manage patient care, perform various nursing skills, address changes in condition, provide interventions, and bestow physical and psychosocial support upon clients and their families
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OECD report: Health at a Glance 2013

The OECD has just published the report Health at a Glance 2013.
According to the study total health spending has fallen in one of three OECD countries between 2009 and 2011, with those hardest hit by the crisis most affected.

The report says that this makes it all the more important that countries make their healthcare systems more productive, efficient and affordable. Spending per capita fell in 11 of 33 OECD countries between 2009 and 2011, notably by 11.1% in Greece and 6.6% in Ireland. Growth also slowed significantly in others, including Canada (0.8%) and the United States (1.3%).

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The Electricity of Touch: Detection and Measurement of Cardiac Energy Exchange Between People

The idea that an energy exchange of some type occurs between individuals is a central theme in many healing techniques. This concept has often been disputed by Western science due to the lack of a plausible mechanism to explain the nature of this energy or how it could affect or facilitate the healing process. The fact that the heart generates the strongest electromagnetic field produced by the body, coupled with the recent discovery that this field becomes more coherent as the individual shifts to a sincerely loving or caring state prompted us to investigate the possibility that the field generated by the heart may significantly contribute to this energy exchange

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Full text article

The first time: Being a real-life nurse

No matter how good your training is, and even if you are starting your nursing career on a ward where you’ve had a placement, everyone experiences that wave of anxiety when they feel the weight of The Keys in their hand for the first time.

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The relationship between resilience and personality traits in doctors: implications for enhancing well being

 The health and well being of medical doctors is vital to their longevity and safe practice. The concept of resilience is recognised as a key component of well being and is an important factor in medical training to help doctors learn to cope with challenge, stress, and adversity. This study examined the relationship of resilience to personality traits and resilience in doctors in order to identify the key traits that promote or impair resilience.

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(UK) Nurse leaders divided over minimum staffing levels

Three of the most senior nurses in the NHS have warned the government against introducing minimum

staffing levels, as the profession becomes increasingly divided over the issue ahead of the government’s response to the Francis report.

In a letter published in the Times the three hospital directors of nursing say they “do not support Whitehall second-guessing what nursing levels should be for each hospital”.

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NMBI Code Consultation Registration Session Flyer

NMBI is holding information sessions around the country during November & December to meet with

nurses, midwives, students, and members of the public about our draft Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Nurses and Registered Midwives.

Go to Bord Altranais site 

News Update No. 51 - Haddington Road Agreement - Ongoing Implementation 05-11-13

INMO has sought clarification on the ongoing implementation of certain aspects of the Haddington Road Agreement from the HSE.  In this regard I am asking that you would note the following:

1.         Double Time/Overtime

The INMO is pleased to confirm that the arguments that have been made by the Organisation, have been accepted and DOUBLE TIME OVERTIME will continue AFTER MIDNIGHT as heretofore

2.         Senior Staff Nurse/Midwife

(i)  It is has now been confirmed that Senior Staff Nurses/Midwives, when requested to act up under the new regime, that any acting will only apply to their ward area.

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INMO Launches Fundraising Campaign for the Philippines

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) wishes to convey
our heartfelt sorrow and sympathy to the people of the Philippines.
This follows typhoon Haiyan which swept through the central Philippines,
killing an estimated 10,000 people and displacing more than 600,000,
where many have no access to food, water or medicine. 

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A tablet a day can keep breast cancer at bay

Summary: Women who stop taking their prescribed hormone tablets after surgery to treat breast cancer are almost three times more likely to have their cancer reoccur than those who stick with the treatment and take their medication every day, according to new research funded by the Health Research Board. The findings from Trinity College Dublin have just been published in the British Journal of Cancer. 
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Synopsis of data from HSE NPIRS

• National Bulletin Ireland 2012: This bulletin is a synopsis of data from the National Psychiatric In-patient Reporting System (NPIRS) for 2012, which is reported in the Activities of Irish Psychiatric Units and Hospitals 2012
• This bulletin is a synopsis of data for HSE Dublin Mid-Leinster from the NPIRS for 2012 and that reported in the Activities of Irish Psychiatric Units and Hospitals 2012
• This bulletin is a synopsis of data for HSE Dublin North-East from the NPIRS for 2012 and that reported in the Activities of Irish Psychiatric Units and Hospitals 2012
• This bulletin is a synopsis of data for HSE Southfrom the NPIRS for 2012 and that reported in the Activities of Irish Psychiatric Units and Hospitals 2012
• This bulletin is a synopsis of data for HSE West from the NPIRS for 2012 and that reported in the Activities of Irish Psychiatric Units and Hospitals 2012

HRB to invest €12 million in research projects for better health

Release Date: Thursday 22 August 2013

Summary:Are current increases in suicide rates linked to the recession? Does our blood group determine our risk of heart attack? How do we improve outcomes for young adults with diabetes?

Full Story:These questions, and many more, will be examined through a €12.3 million investment by the Health Research Board (HRB).

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How we've helped: nursing services

Our Night Nursing Service allows ill patients to receive end-of-life care at home, surrounded by their families and supported by the home care nursing team. This is the only free, out-of-hours nursing service available to cancer patients in Ireland.

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Waiting list for nursing homes set to double

More than 2,000 patients will be waiting for a nursing home place by the end of the year, over double the current number, internal Department of Health documents reveal..
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Safe Staffing Levels

Arising from a motion, on safe staffing levels, at the INMO’s 2012 Annual Delegate Conference the Organisation is currently completing a comparative staffing project, with the UK, with provisional figures indicating, that staffing levels in Ireland, on medical, surgical and elderly care wards, are significantly below that of comparable wards in the United Kingdom

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The International Nurses Association

The International Nurses Association was founded on the idea that professional achievement is deserving of recognition, exposure and reward. As a meeting place for the top minds in nursing, INA offers unlimited opportunities to further your success and embrace your role as a vital member of the medical community

Visit the website

Eating a Big Breakfast Fights Obesity and Disease

Whether you hope to lose weight or just stay healthy, what you eat is a crucial factor. The right nutrients can not only trim your waistline, but also provide energy, improve your mood, and stave off disease. Now a Tel Aviv University researcher has found that it’s not just what you eat — but when.
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What Motivates me in Nursing (interview)

I recently conducted two interviews for occupations in nursing and teaching and what keeps them motivated in their job and how to get experience in this certain field. Here are the interviews:
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Raise A Voice Against Psychological Abuse In The Nursing Homes

A number of nursing home residents tend to face acute psychological abuse on a day to day basis. Surprised? If you’re faced with the same dilemma, what kind of thoughts would run through your mind?

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More Consumers Turn to Social Media for Health Care Information

Turns out Facebook is more than just a tool to help keep in touch with old friends and keep everyone posted on your latest whereabouts. Increasingly people are using the social network to gather information about their health care, according to a study by National Research a health care research firm
.
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Providing information to patients improves outcomes and reduces costs

Providing information to patients and their carers improves outcomes, reduces costs and give people a better experience of care, according to a new research report.

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Getting Knowledgeable with the Wage of a Certified Nursing Assistan

CNAs (certified nursing assistants) are now in popular demand in the field of medical and healthcare. Study shows how the trend is anticipated to appear like in upcoming years bearing in mind many people are wishing to get into the career. 

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Clinical Nursing Skills Learned in Nursing School

Registered nurses (RN) must be able to perform a wide variety of nursing skills at their job. These nursing skills are usually learned while in nursing school. However, some more advanced nursing skills will be learned by the nurse while working at their nursing job. Nursing school teaches the nursing student basic nursing skills..                    
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The new old age: Two Blogs worth reading

This week, let me pass along some of the more absorbing blogs and Web sites I’ve come across recently, other corners of the online world where people are talking about aging and caregiving from very different perspectives. 

I find a blog called Watching the Lights Go Out particularly compelling. Much of what we read and hear about dementia comes from family members; a firsthand account of life with Alzheimer’s disease is much rarer....

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Easy steps limit antibiotic-resistant infections in hospitals

A low-tech approach that deters antibiotic-resistant bacteria from infesting hospital patients appears to prevent infection better than screening them for the troublesome microbes and isolating those patients, scientists report May 29 in the New England Journal of Medicine

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Nurses offered deal on premium pay rates

Working week would increase from 37.5 to 39 hours, with less pay for new nurses

Health service management have offered nurses a deal which would restore double-time premium rates for Sundays and public holidays in return for a longer working week. Under the deal the working week would increase from 37.5 to 39 hours.

New nurse graduates would be offered 85 per cent of the staff nurse pay rate in their first year and 90 per cent in the second year, under the proposal emerging from talks at the Labour Relations Commission. However, this would be on the basis of a 39-hour week.

Source: Irish Times 14th May 2013

Research Beyond Google: 119 Authoritative, Invisible, and Comprehensive Resources

Google, the largest search database on the planet, currently has around 50 billion web pages indexed. That’s a lot of information. But it’s nothing compared to what else is out there. Google can only index the visible web, or searchable web. But the invisible web, or deep web, is estimated to be 500 times bigger than the searchable web. The invisible web comprises databases and results of specialty search engines that the popular search engines simply are not able to index.

Link to resources

Discover biomedical research of interest to you

Biomedical literature search and recommendation tool: Pubchase 

As the user saves articles to his or her library, PubChase recommends newly-published articles that are relevant to the individual. This is a free service, available on the web, iOS, or Android devices.


The heart of PubChase is not simply a pretty mobile interface to the published literature. With over 100,000 biomedical articles published each month, our hope is to enable scientists to discover new research important to them, no matter where it is published (as opposed to simply scanning tables of contents of high-impact journals, as many of us commonly do now).

Check application

Gene Therapy Could Treat Cancer, Study Finds

A clinical trial using a patient's own immune system to produce remissions in adults with acute leukemia could be a major breakthrough in the fight against all different kinds of cancer.
The new study, published Wednesday in the journal Science Translational Medicine, took five patients with untreatable cancer, and using their own immune systems, injected genetic material into the patient's white cells to turn them into cancer fighters. The modified white cells then went out in the body and destroyed all the cancer cells, causing the patients to go into remission, according to the study
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Mental-health guide accused of overreach

Dispute grows over revisions to diagnostic handbook.

Psychologist David Elkins had modest ambitions for his petition. He and his colleagues were worried that proposed changes to an influential handbook of mental disorders could classify normal behaviours as psychological conditions, potentially leading to inappropriate treatments. So they laid out their concerns in an open letter, co-sponsored by five divisions of the American Psychological Association in Washington DC. "I thought, 'Well, maybe we'll get a couple or maybe 30 signatures'," says Elkins, an emeritus professor at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.

But the letter, posted online on 22 October (go.nature.com/uhmvqq), touched a nerve. Within 10 days more than 2,800 people had signed it, many identifying themselves as mental-health professionals
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http://www.nature.com/news/2011/111102/full/479014a.html?s=news_rss