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Raising Awareness (raising + awareness)
Selected AbstractsRaising awareness about fecal incontinence,,NEUROUROLOGY AND URODYNAMICS, Issue 4 2010Donna Z. Bliss Abstract There is a lack of awareness about fecal incontinence despite its prevalence and adverse impact on quality of life. Inadequate knowledge about fecal incontinence deters help-seeking, therapeutic consultation, and clinical research about effective prevention and management strategies. A systematic, evidenced-based approach to raise awareness of fecal incontinence is essential to forward progress and overcome multiple barriers. In this manuscript, strategies of this approach are prioritized and focus on increasing continence literacy and communication, emphasizing prevention and screening, disseminating evidenced-based management interventions, and promoting larger scale impact through effective partnerships. Neurourol. Urodynam. 29:612,615, 2010. Copyright © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Raising awareness is key to effective management of diabetes and renal diseasePRACTICAL DIABETES INTERNATIONAL (INCORPORATING CARDIABETES), Issue 1 2006Natasha McIntyre Consultant Renal Nurse No abstract is available for this article. [source] Raising awareness of blindness as another smoking-related condition: a public health role for optometrists?CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL OPTOMETRY, Issue 1 2009Diana LS Loo No abstract is available for this article. [source] Description and evaluation of an education and communication skills training course in HIV and AIDS for dental consultantsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION, Issue 2 2000D. A. Lewis A 2-day course was organised for dental hospital consultants as part of a project on raising awareness of dental staff about HIV and AIDS. The course comprised an information update, practical experience in the diagnosis of oral conditions and a ,hands-on' exercise in infection control. The 2nd day of the course consisted of experiential communication skills training using rôle-play with actors and video feedback. Evaluation of the course showed that the consultants perceived the course to be valuable. There was a general improvement in dentists' confidence in their knowledge, ability to communicate with HIV-positive patients and in talking to staff who are unwilling to provide treatment. These changes are statistically significant and these skills are still being utilized and maintained 2 years later. Information and training packs prepared by multidisciplinary groups using a variety of teaching methods should be made available to those involved in training dental staff. [source] Using human rights-based approaches to conceptualise lesbian and bisexual women's health inequalitiesHEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 4 2010Julie Fish PhD, Social Sciences Abstract This article makes a contribution to current debates in human rights-based approaches to lesbian and bisexual (LB) women's health. With reference to concepts embodied in the Yogyakarta Principles, it is proposed that the right to health includes access to health information, participation, equity, equality and non-discrimination. Specifically, the article examines how LB women's health can be considered as a health inequality and discusses international developments to reduce disparities. Drawing on qualitative data collected in an online survey, the article reports on sexual minority women's experiences of health-care. Participants were recruited via a purposive sampling strategy; questionnaires were completed by 6490 respondents of whom 5909 met the study criteria of residence in the UK, sexual orientation and completing the survey once. Analysis revealed four broad themes: heteronormativity in health-care; improving attitudes among healthcare professionals; equality in access; raising awareness and informed communities. The accounts highlight the centrality of human rights principles: fairness, respect, equality, dignity and autonomy. The implications for healthcare policy and practice are discussed including ways to empower staff and service users with knowledge and skills and ensuring non-discrimination in health service delivery. [source] Brand orientation in charity organisations: qualitative research into key charity sectorsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NONPROFIT & VOLUNTARY SECTOR MARKETING, Issue 3 2000Philippa Hankinson The study explores, through qualitative research, levels of brand orientation in large, medium and small-sized charity organisations where brand orientation refers to the extent to which the organisation regards itself as a brand. The results indicate that charity managers are largely endorsing the conversion from charity organisation to charity brand. Brand status was seen to offer a shorthand communication of what the charity organisation did, its cause, and what it represented, its values. Significantly, it was also seen to fulfil organisational objectives such as raising awareness, building trust, fundraising and parliamentary lobbying, with a more focused and more consistent communication of what the organisation stood for. Strategically, however, charity organisations were not making the best use of their brands. It was suggested, for instance, that more sophisticated targeting of key donor segments with research-based, tailored messages, might help reverse the trend of declining donor numbers. Overall, however, the study provides much evidence of brand orientation in the charity sector with most charity managers clearly wedded to the concept of putting the brand at the heart of the organisation. The charities that enjoyed a full commitment to the branding process from all their stakeholders were best placed to reap the benefits of charity brand status. Copyright © 2000 Henry Stewart Publications. [source] Developing a theory-based taxonomy of methods for implementing change in practiceJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 2 2007Jennifer Leeman Abstract Title. Developing a theory-based taxonomy of methods for implementing change in practice Aim., In this paper we present a theory-based taxonomy of the methods used to implement change in practice. Background., Implementation research is characterized by inconsistent terminology for the methods employed and inattention to differences in the relevance of methods across different disciplines. Studies of the effectiveness of implementation have yielded mixed results. Positive effects shown have been small. The limited success of many efforts to implement change in practice may be due, in part, to the absence of a framework to guide the use of implementation methods. Method., A provisional taxonomy of implementation methods, derived from theory and existing taxonomies, was used to content analyse a convenience sample of 43 reports of empirical studies of the implementation of one or more research-based practice changes involving nurses that had been published between 1995 and 2005. This taxonomy was revised throughout the course of analysis to capture more completely the information in each report. Findings., Following the analysis, nine of the 11 methods in the provisional taxonomy were retained, two were removed and five new methods were identified. The final taxonomy includes 14 implementation methods organized into five categories: (a) increasing coordination; (b) raising awareness; (c) persuasion via interpersonal channels; (d) persuasion via reinforcing belief that behaviour will lead to desirable results and (e) increasing behavioural control. Conclusions., The taxonomy presented here differs from prior taxonomies by focusing on nursing and by providing a clear and mutually exclusive guide to implementation methods. By deriving the initial coding strategy from theory, the taxonomy links the methods to theoretical constructs that may inform the selection of methods across different practice changes and settings. [source] Latest news and product developmentsPRESCRIBER, Issue 3 2008Article first published online: 26 FEB 200 Higher risk of CV events in aspirin resistance More than one in four patients may have aspirin resistance, a new metaanalysis shows, and they face a four-to sixfold increased risk of a major cardiovascular event or death compared with aspirin-sensitive patients taking low-dose aspirin (BMJ online: 17 Jan 2008; doi:10. 1136/bmj.39430.529549.BE). The analysis included 20 studies involving a total of 2930 patients with cardiovascular disease. Of these, 28 per cent were defined as having aspirin resistance (according to the various definitions in each study). Compared with aspirin-sensitive patients, the odds ratio of any cardiovascular event or acute coronary syndrome was about 4 and the odds ratio of death was 6. Aspirin-resistant patients did not benefit from other antiplatelet treatment. ADOPT: rosiglitazone fracture risk in women A new analysis of the ADOPT trial (N Engl J Med 2006;355: 2427-43) has found that the risk of fractures during treatment with rosiglitazone (Avandia) is approximately twice as high as with metformin or glibenclamide, but mainly in women (Diabetes Care online: 25 Jan 2008; doi: 10.2337/dc07-2270). The study found a significant difference in risk between the drugs only for women, with a cumulative incidence of 15.1 per cent with rosiglitazone, 7.3 per cent with metformin and 7.7 per cent with glibenclamide after five years. No risk factors were identified although the incidence of fractures was higher among postmenopausal than premenopausal women. New from NICE Infliximab for the treatment of adults with psoriasis. Technology Appraisal Guidance No. 134, Jan 2008 Infliximab (Remicade), a monoclonal antibody against TNF-alpha, should be an option for treating very severe plaque psoriasis in adults, NICE recommends. Using its fast-track single technology appraisal procedure, NICE concluded that infliximab should be considered when standard therapies,methotrexate or ciclosporin (Neoral), or PUVA , have failed or are unsuitable. The criteria for disease severity are defined by the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) score (,20) and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) score (>18). Treatment response is also defined by these measures and infliximab should be continued for longer than 10 weeks only when predefined thresholds are met. Infliximab costs an average of £11 750 annually. In 2006, NICE recommended etanercept (Enbrel) and efalizumab (Raptiva) for patients with severe psoriasis (PASI ,10 and DLQI >10). Commons committee wants tougher targets Most GPs get full QOF points for medicines management even though there is inexplicably large variation in good prescribing practice between PCTs, the Public Accounts Select Committee points out in its latest report, Prescribing Costs in Primary Care. The Committee wants to see tougher QOF targets among several initiatives to reduce prescribing costs. Although most publicity centred on its endorsement of the National Audit Office claim that GPs could save £200 million by prescribing lower-cost drugs, the report contains some more far-reaching proposals. GPs should prescribe generic alternatives within a therapeutic category, so when a brand is not available generically, eg Lipitor, a different drug that is, eg simvastatin, should be used when clinically appropriate. Further, this form of substitution should be rewarded via QOF targets. There should be greater uniformity in the appearance, labelling and packaging of generic and branded equivalents. The Department of Health should consider raising awareness of the value of medicines by printing the cost on packaging, and to reduce the £100 million wasted annually in dumped medicines, it should investigate which drugs aren't used and why patients won't take them. Strategic health authorities should work with the National Prescribing Centre to develop more prescribing indicators with which to measure PCT performance and support PCTs to promulgate best practice. They should also collaborate on promoting joint primary-secondary care formularies and increase the consistency of prescribing, not only between hospital specialists and GPs but also between PCTs. To monitor the influence of the pharmaceutical industry, PCTs should keep a record of gifts and hospitality and publish a register. Questions to ask about mental health treatment The Department of Health has published a booklet designed to raise awareness of medicines management issues affecting people using mental health services and their carers, and professionals in the health and social services. Although one aim of Medicines Management: Everybody's Business is to empower people with mental health problems to ask about their medication, its formal style is better suited to staff who need to improve their person-centred approach to care. It covers what information people should expect and what questions to ask when drug treatment is being considered, what to expect at review and issues to consider when contemplating stopping treatment. Copies can be downloaded at www.dh.gov.uk. Consider statins for all patients with diabetes Treatment with a statin should be considered for all patients with diabetes unless their risk is low, say the authors of a new study (Lancet 2008;371:117-25). Their meta-analysis of 14 randomised trials involving 18 686 people with diabetes and an average follow-up of 4.3 years found that statins reduced vascular events and vascular mortality as much as in nondiabetic populations. The overall benefit was 42 fewer major events per 1000 people treated for five years. This was independent of a history of vascular disease or other baseline characteristics. No evidence for OTC cough medicines There is no evidence that over-the-counter cough medicines for adults and children are effective in relieving acute cough, a new Cochrane review has concluded (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2008, Issue 1). The review of 17 randomised trials involving 2876 adults and eight involving 616 children reported conflicting findings of uncertain clinical relevance. The trials were heterogeneous and of low quality. Copyright © 2008 Wiley Interface Ltd [source] |