The updated guidance gives recommendations on preventing and managing PTSD. Adults who are at risk of PTSD should be offered individualised cognitive-behavioural therapy within a month of experiencing a stressful event. Children can be considered for group therapy after shared trauma to reduce the risk of developing PTSD, the guidance says.
Professor Steve Field, Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care, said: “Our review of health and social care services in the county found that older people had varied experiences of health and social care services. There were variations in what was available to them depending on where they lived, which meant that people’s experiences of care and the support they received were inconsistent.
MHRA advice on valproate: In April 2018, we added warnings that valproate must not be used in pregnancy, and only used in girls and women when there is no alternative and a pregnancy prevention plan is in place. This is because of the risk of malformations and developmental abnormalities in the baby. See update information for details.
Letter. We were delighted to read the recent Postgraduate Medical Journal article by Gillen et al 1 describing their explorative findings in relation to Kate Granger’s #hellomynameis campaign.2 Introducing oneself by name, along with an explanation of one’s role, is key to a positive introduction by healthcare professionals to patients, but this is often omitted.2 The ‘#hellomynameis…’ campaign was founded by Dr Kate Granger, following her experiences as a patient. She found that healthcare professionals rarely introduced themselves to her, leading Kate to feel that this missing ‘basic step in communication’ was ‘incredibly wrong’.2 Gillen and his colleagues in Ireland1 point out that there has been little research to examine how doctors (or other healthcare professionals) introduce themselves to patients. Our approach was slightly different: volunteer medical students ….... To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Mandie Esp, Ward Manager, said: “By removing non-productive time we now have so much more time in the day to do what is important. The ward is now a calmer environment, so that our patients have commented on the positive changes.
“The atmosphere in the department is also much better as everyone feels more empowered. We spend more time delivering direct patient care, while staff are now able to finish their shifts on time.”