Depression in older people is commonly under diagnosed and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Because older people currently occupy 65% of acute hospital beds, it is crucial for them to be properly assessed for depression to optimise their medical care. The aim of this study was to identify potential risk factors for depression in the medically ill in order to improve their inpatient care. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - www.sssft.nhs.uk/library
Starting on 15 February, the BBC will be showcasing a series of programmes to raise awareness and reduce the stigma of mental illness. [Includes programmes on postpartum psychosis, suicide, bipolar, mental health in A&E and young people's mental health issues]
delirium and dementia co-exist commonly in hospital. Older people with delirium have high rates of undiagnosed dementia, but delirium affects the use of cognitive testing in dementia diagnosis. Novel methods to detect dementia in delirium are needed. The purpose of the study was to investigate the diagnostic test accuracy of informant tools to detect dementia in hospitalised older people with delirium. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
delirium is under-recognised in comparison to other common and serious acute disorders. A 2006 survey of UK junior doctors (not undertaking specialist training) identified poor knowledge of the diagnostic criteria and treatment of delirium. We hypothesised that increased prominence accorded to delirium in the form of national initiatives and guidelines may have had an impact on understanding among junior doctors. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
depression is common in people with poor physical health, particularly within the acute medical in-patient setting. Co-morbid depression contributes to poor outcomes, and screening for depression in acute medical in-patients has been advocated. The Edinburgh Depression Scale (EDS) has been validated in a variety of general hospital patient groups, but not previously in older acute medical in-patients. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
To understand issues around carer roles that affect carer involvement for people with intellectual disabilities in acute hospitals. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
In the last of our series of blogs about the Mental Health Implementation Plan launched earlier this week, nurse consultant Kate Chartres discusses how the model of liaison at Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust supports patients through specialist clinics for people with co-morbid physical and mental health conditions
At Wishaw General Hospital in Lanarkshire the Emergency Admissions team decided how to use the Carers Welcome principle to improve the care the offered to patients with dementia.
Tracy Dodd, senior charge nurse and Jacqueline Young, nurse team leader, describe their approach to keeping patients together with their carers and also proactively seeking information from the carers whether they are present at the hospital or not.
Commentary on Cochrane corner article. ‘Collaborative care’ (involving a case manager) and ‘primary care liaison’ or ‘consultation liaison’ (with no case manager) are models of liaison psychiatry in primary care. Here, I briefly consider the evidence for collaborative care, discuss Gillies et al’s Cochrane review on consultation liaison, and suggest avenues for future study and development of liaison psychiatry in primary care. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - www.sssft.nhs.uk/library
Cochrane corner. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - request a copy of the article from the library - www.sssft.nhs.uk/library
Idea To create a carer’s passport that provides details of the main carer and gives them greater access to assist in providing care. The carer’s passport opens up hospital wards to carers of patients living with Alzheimer’s or one of the other forms of dementia and has been adopted successfully at other hospitals.
Karin Neufield and colleagues explore this question in their paper published this year (Neufield et al, 2016). This is a systematic review and meta-analysis looking at whether antipsychotics are any good in the treatment and prevention of delirium.
There is evidence for collaboration between police officers and mental health teams when responding to people in mental health crises. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you requesting.
QTc prolongation creates an electrophysiological environment that confers an increased risk for development of ventricular arrhythmias, in particular torsades de pointes (TdP), a form of polymorphic ventricular tachycardia. This may result in syncope or sudden cardiac death.1–5 In addition, prolonged QTc at admission has been associated with worse outcomes independent of malignant ventricular rhythms.6 Numerous studies have demonstrated a high prevalence of QTc prolongation among patients admitted to the hospital in a wide variety of settings including the intensive care unit and acute psychiatric units. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
The facility is located alongside the acute hospital’s A&E department and will support up to four people at a time. The unit will provide a short term safe therapeutic environment where people in crisis can be assessed and then referred on to the appropriate service, or be discharged into the community. The unit will be accessible for people 24 hours a day and will provide an alternative pathway for people requiring urgent mental health on-going assessment and suffering with mental health difficulties in crisis. Staff will support people to develop coping strategies to help manage their mental health in the futu
screening for cognitive impairment in Emergency Department (ED) requires short, reliable tools.. To read the full article, log in using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
North Cumbria University Hospitals Trust has launched a scheme which will ensure carers can be with dementia patients outside of visiting hours to help improve their wellbeing.
The ‘Carer’s Pass’, which is being launched from November 2016, is part of the national John’s Campaign, which was set up to encourage carer involvement for people with Dementia while they are in hospital. The campaign was set up the family by Dr John Gerrard, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and felt that that the lack of people he knew to tend and comfort him contributed to this deterioration.
The Carer’s Pass gives carers the opportunity to remain with the person they care for if they wish outside of visiting hours. Carer’s with a Carer’s Pass will be a key part of a team with the health professionals on the ward. Staff will liaise with the carer to ensure a staff member takes over full responsibility for the person they care for if they want to leave, including agreeing break time.