All Health Service Journal articles in 1999-01-28
View all stories from this issue.
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WEB WATCH
When New York University chemistry professor Nadrian Seeman announced earlier this month that he had come up with a way to make a 'gene machine' out of DNA, his discovery conjured up images from the film Fantastic Voyage in which a miniaturised submarine was injected into a human body.
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Strain of thought
The findings of a study on hernia operations come at a time when the DoH is keeping an eye on success rates as proposed high-level performance indicators. Jenny Bryan explains
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What is schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is the most common form of severe mental illness and affects one in 100 people at some point in their lives. There are about 250,000 diagnosed cases in Britain. The disease tends to begin in men in their late teens and in women a few years later.
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The operation
Hernia can be repaired under general or local anaesthetic but, in its 1993 guidelines, the RCS advised against local anaesthesia in obese, anxious or unco-operative patients. Inguinal hernias can be repaired in several different ways but the three main methods are:
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Unlicensed and off-label
Off-label means the drug is being prescribed outside the terms of its product licence. In Professor Choonara's study, the commonest reasons for off-label use were that the child was outside the specified age range, or that the drug was used for some purpose other than that referred to on the ...
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NEWS
A 16-year study has shown that early nutrition can significantly influence mental ability later in life in premature babies. Researchers at the Institute of Child Health in London found that infants fed standard formula instead of nutrient-enriched 'pre-term formula' had reduced verbal IQ at seven-and-a-half to eight years of age. ...
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Resistance movement
Last week a neighbour of mine went to his GP. After a consultation spent cajoling, begging and wheedling, he secured an antibiotic for his chest infection. So proud was he of his achievement that he felt compelled to tell the entire street.
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Monitor
Monitor is delighted to bring news, not so much from the cutting edge as the ready-sliced front line of hospital catering: NHS Supplies has signed the 'first ever national contract for prepared sandwiches'. The health service spends £8m to £10m a year on its bagels, baps and bread rolls, and ...
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Unfortunate Manor
Manor House Hospital's close union links allowed it to stay independent when the NHS was formed. Now it may close. Barbara Millar reports
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Loot is not the only route
'There is a risk that the case for pay increases will be accepted uncritically. What is needed is better management of human resources'
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Key points
Health authorities are likely to emerge as the poor relations in the current NHS reorganisation, just as they did following the 1990 reforms.
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Scary inaccuracy
In his frighteningly inaccurate portrayal of public health doctors, Steve Ainsworth refers to 'large numbers of full-time medics... so beloved by health authorities'. Authorities with that view no longer exist, if they ever did. Many have few, but very hard working, public health physicians providing effective medical and public health ...
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How is it treated?
Antipsychotic drugs have been used to treat schizophrenia since the 1950s. The older drugs, such as chlorpromazine and haloperidol, relieve the 'positive' symptoms but are less effective at controlling the 'negative' ones. Patients may become resistant to treatment and/or experience movement problems (extra-pyramidal effects). However, some can be injected as ...
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New smear test hope
Scientists have developed a smear test which could end the scandals that have plagued the cervical cancer screening programme.
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Home service
Winter pressure on hospital beds can be reduced by providing emergency care in patients' own homes. Bronwyn Croxson and colleagues explain
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What can go wrong?
Wound complications, post-operative pain and recurrence are the main problems associated with groin hernia repair. As with other laparoscopic surgery, there have been reports of major internal damage associated with keyhole hernia operations (eg: perforated intestine, haemorrhage and nerve damage).
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Panel games
The system of assessing people for long-term care homes is being subverted for financial reasons - and elderly people are suffering, says Tom Moody
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The workers' friend
Manor House Healthcare can trace its roots back to September 1914, when a hospital was established in northern France to care for soldiers injured in the First World War.