100,000 Avoidable death

The results of a 1980s clinical trial on heart drug Lorcainide were never published. Doctors didn’t know that more people died in the trial who were given Lorcainide than who were taking the placebo. It has been estimated that over 100,000 people died avoidably because they were prescribed drugs in the same class.

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A Doctor prescribed the antidepressant Reboxetine for a patient but says he was “misled.” Results from trials which showed it was worse than other drugs were withheld, while the smaller number of trials which showed it worked better were published.

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The UK Government has spent £424 million stockpiling Tamiflu, an anti-flu treatment, but we still don’t know if this treatment works any better than placebo. Regulators weren’t given information from all the clinical trials done on Tamiflu. The manufacturers of Tamiflu didn’t break any laws by withholding the information

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Negotiations on hospital consultants’ deal break down

Talks between the Government and the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) on a new pay and career structure deal for new hospital consultants have broken down.

Proposals drawn up as part of the talks would have seen pay for newly-appointed consultants working exclusively in the public hospital system increase from a scale of €116,000 - €121,000 at present to between €127,000 and €175,000 over time.

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Schools of Nursing in Ireland

Schools of Nursing in the IOT sector Ireland:
Athlone Institute of Technology,
Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology
Waterford Instute of Technology
Letterkenny Institute of Technology
Dundalk Institute of Technology
Tralee Institute of Technology

Other Nursing programs are also run in the following third level Institutions in Irleand.
Dublin City University
National University of Ireland Galway
University College Cork
University of Limerick
Trinity College Dublin

The Value of Library and Information Services in Nursing and Patient Care

Libraries are a primary resource for evidence-based practice. This study, using a critical incident survey administered to 6,788 nurses at 118 hospitals, sought to explore the influence of nurses’ use of library resources on both nursing and patient outcomes...The authors discuss the study limitations and conclude that the availability and use of library and information resources and services had a positive impact on nursing and patient outcomes, and that nurse managers play an important role both by encouraging nurses to use evidence-based library resources and services and by supporting the availability of these resources in healthcare settings.
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The Final Stretch

Well, it’s finally happened. I'm on the final stretch. In just under five months time, I should be qualified. Put another way, I have one semester, one assignment, and one placement before ditching the lacklustre white for those symbolic ‘blues
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Should patients in A&E who are drunk or have taken drugs be charged for treatment?

The #NScomment chat from Thursday August 14

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A new vaccine that will make a big difference to the people of Africa – and practice nurses in the UK

Ebola is in the headlines and scare stories abound. The virus is transmitted through contact with the bodily fluid of an infected person.  But what transforms it into such a devastating problem are social and economic conditions – and the panic that surrounds it. And though my work-related fundraising efforts at the moment are entirely focussed on supporting colleagues through the current ebola crisis, it would be easy to forget that this is not West Africa’s biggest killer; that dubious honour goes to malaria.
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My Health Experience: ‘Get checked up: health can change in the blink of an eye’

Gerry Quinlan has always been fairly fit and during his 52 years has completed 10 marathons. But two years ago the Dubliner, who is married to Louise and has three grown-up children, was shocked to discover he had major heart problems. This was followed by a stroke and a diagnosis of severe osteoporosis
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WeNurses blog

Do you have something to say, something to share, some value to add to the tweeting community of nurses?
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I’ts okay not to feel okay. And it’s okay to talk about it

We all have our dark times. Times when we feel as if even our shadow has abandoned us. But these moments define who we are as human beings and it is at moments that we must decide whether we will let life make or break us.
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Breastfeeding mothers less likely to suffer depression, study finds

Breastfeeding is beneficial not only to babies but also to their mothers’ wellbeing, according to a new UK study. It found that mothers who had planned, and went on, to breastfeed were half as likely to become depressed following birth as those who had planned not to, and did not, breastfeed
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Mental Health Reform Ireland

Established in 2006, Mental Health Reform is the national coalition promoting improved mental health services and social inclusion of people with mental health conditions.  We work towards achieving a system of good health and social care that is available to everyone no matter where they live or what their income is.

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