Asthma is still a 'killer,' report warns
Health news today is dominated by the news that, as The Daily Telegraph reports, two in three asthma deaths "could have been prevented". The Daily Mail says that half of those who died were given the wrong medication.
The headlines follow the publication of a confidential enquiry report by the Royal College of Physicians into the public health impact of asthma. Currently, deaths in the UK caused by asthma are reported to be among the highest in Europe.
This review looks at 195 asthma deaths that occurred in the UK over the course of one year to try to identify avoidable factors and make recommendations for imp...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 6, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Medical practice QA articles Source Type: news
Non-smokers shunning e-cigarettes
“E-cigarette users have tripled to 2 million since 2012,” The Guardian reports. This is just one of the findings from a survey by anti-tobacco public health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH). It also showed there is little evidence that non-smokers are using e-cigarettes, although this could change in the future.
These headlines are triggered by a new factsheet on the usage of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) published by ASH.
The research has found that non-smokers are not taking up the e-cig habit, although it is too early to be complacent. The data only spans the 2010 to 2014 period, meaning that lon...
Source: NHS News Feed - April 28, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer QA articles Source Type: news
RPS and RCP encourage the use of a national prescription chart in hospitals
Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) President, Martin Astbury has co-signed a letter about best practice and hospital prescription charts with Sir Richard Thompson, the President of the Royal College of Physicians (RCP). Sir Richard has sent a copy of this letter to all members of the RCP. As Pres (Source: Royal Pharmaceutical Society News)
Source: Royal Pharmaceutical Society News - April 27, 2014 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: news
RCP elects new president
The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has elected a new president, Professor Jane Dacre
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Source: Management in Practice - April 18, 2014 Category: Practice Management Authors: lspringer Tags: *** Editor ' s Pick Latest News Source Type: news
New fast track drug scheme to help severely ill
"'Early access' drugs scheme launched for severely ill," BBC News reports. The government has launched the Early Access to Medicines Scheme designed to help patients with life threatening or debilitating conditions get access to unlicensed medications that could potentially be of benefit.
How are drugs currently regulated?
In the UK, drugs need to gain a marketing authorisation, sometimes called a licence, before they can be used to treat patients. This licence specifies what condition(s) the drugs can be used for. To get this licence, the manufacturers must provide evidence that their drug has been shown t...
Source: NHS News Feed - March 14, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medication QA articles Source Type: news
VIDEO: 'I've lost 4 inches in height'
The Royal College of Physicians claims better screening for osteoporosis would reduce the risk of further injury as well as cost to the NHS. (Source: BBC News | Health | UK Edition)
Source: BBC News | Health | UK Edition - March 7, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
National training scheme for the use of radioiodine in benign thyroid disease
The Royal College of Physicians are running a one day course surrounding the new national training scheme aiming to allow application for ARSAC certification for iodine-131 administration for the treatment of benign thyroid disease. The programme will comprise sessions on medical physics, radiation protection and clinical case scenarios and will give an overview of the RCP National guidelines on the use of radioiodine in the management of benign thyroid disease.
The training programme will be hosted at Birmingham Research Park, Edgbaston, on Tuesday 25 November 2014.
For further information, please visit the Royal Colleg...
Source: Society for Endocrinology - February 14, 2014 Category: Endocrinology Source Type: news
Healthcare social media #HCSM - top articles
Here are my suggestions for some of the top articles related to healthcare social media (#HCSM) in the past 2-4 weeks:"Is Google accidentally killing Wikipedia?" with "Knowledge Graph" snippets http://buff.ly/1hiuwNx - page views fell by 12% in 2013.Patient with cancer tweets about her diease - Guardian and NYTimes columnists misinterpret her tweets - outcome: http://buff.ly/1hvnOntBloggers have the same First Amendment rights as professional journalists (US federal court decision) http://buff.ly/1eSCJHWSocial Media Workshop for Emergency Medicine Physicians http://buff.ly/1f5hByf - Great basic info for a quick start.The m...
Source: Clinical Cases and Images - February 12, 2014 Category: Journals (General) Tags: #HCSM Facebook Social Media Twitter Source Type: news
Now doctors say e-cigarettes do help you quit smoking, so why ban in public places?
The Royal College of Physicians now backs e-cigarettes as a safer alternative to smoking. Yet legislators have been less than welcoming. (Source: the Mail online | Health)
Source: the Mail online | Health - January 11, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Prolonged disorders of consciousness - new RCP guidance to help healthcare staff and families
The Royal College of Physicians has launched new guidelines on the diagnosis and management of people with prolonged disorders of consciousness. They should help healthcare staff, families, carers, friends and others understand the clinical, ethical and legal issues surrounding the care of these patients.Prolonged disorders of consciousness is a term covering patients remaining in coma, vegetative state (VS), and minimally conscious state (MCS) after a brain injury. The guidelines replace the RCP's 2003 working party report The vegetative state. (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)
Source: Health News from Medical News Today - December 12, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Neurology / Neuroscience Source Type: news
Andrew Semple obituary
Pioneering doctor and medical health officer in Liverpool who battled against infectious disease, slum conditions and pollutionFrom 1948 until 1974, Andrew Semple's patient was the city of Liverpool. Semple, who has died aged 101, was one of Britain's great 20th-century city medical officers of health. Under his guidance Liverpool tackled some of the persistent problems of infectious diseases, slum housing and air pollution that were a result of its rapid and often unplanned 19th-century growth. His ability to see the city as a living being, in which the health of residents was implicitly bound up with the declining fortun...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - December 11, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Sally Sheard Tags: theguardian.com Tuberculosis Obituaries Infectious diseases Health Society Housing Local government Second world war NHS World Health Organisation Liverpool Pollution Royal Navy Source Type: news
Doctors do it best
Word reaches End Game of an opulent evening out hosted by the Royal College of Physicians.The “Harveian Oration and dinner” is an annual feast to celebrate the memory of the college’s 17th century benefactor Dr William Harvey. Guests are treated to a look inside the RCP’s cubist-influenced headquarters, and a lecture from someone clever about something important.Star attraction though was the five-course menu, which read like a Nigel Slater dish reimagined by Edgar Al (Source: HSJ)
Source: HSJ - October 25, 2013 Category: UK Health Source Type: news
Despite recent FAST awareness campaign, only a minority of stroke victims seen by doctors within recommended timeframe
In a study, published online in the journal Age and Ageing, of over 270 patients newly diagnosed with minor strokes or transient ischaemic attack (TIA), only a minority sought medical help within the timeframe recommended by the Royal College of Physicians. This is despite the high profile FAST campaign, which was taking place at the time that the study was conducted. Rapid assessment and treatment of patients with TIA or minor stroke reduces the risk of early recurrent stroke... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)
Source: Health News from Medical News Today - October 16, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Stroke Source Type: news
Dr Joanne Liu new international president of MSF
Today, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) welcomes Dr Joanne Liu as the new International President of the medical humanitarian organisation. Dr Liu was elected President during MSF’s International General Assembly in June 2013.
"Today’s challenges in MSF are many,” says Dr Liu. “With contexts continually evolving, how do we deliver lifesaving medical care to people suffering in conflict situations such as Afghanistan, Somalia or Syria? How can we keep patients and aid workers as safe as possible? We need to keep our patients’ needs at the core as we face these challenges.”
Ethiopia © MSFJoanne Liu at wo...
Source: MSF News - October 1, 2013 Category: Global & Universal Tags: NEWS Press Release Frontpage Source Type: news
College urges reconfiguration to support seven-days-a-week care
Hospitals must be reorganised so patients do not have to move beds or wards unless medically necessary, the Royal College of Physicians has urged. (Source: HSJ)
Source: HSJ - September 12, 2013 Category: UK Health Source Type: news
