Irish journal of medical science
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The purpose of this study is to introduce peer teaching of communication skills to first-year anaesthesia trainees in Ireland and to evaluate their perception of this teaching modality. ⋯ This study highlights the positive attitudes of first-year anaesthesia trainees towards a novel peer teaching programme in communication skills. This author recommends that peer teaching is further developed within postgraduate medical programmes to maximise learning for trainees in the student and teacher roles and to redistribute the teaching burden within clinical departments.
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Review Meta Analysis
Association of NUDT15 c.415C>T allele and thiopurine-induced leukocytopenia in Asians: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Thiopurines, commonly used to treat autoimmune conditions and cancer, can be limited by life-threatening leucopenia. However, whether NUDT15 (nucleoside diphosphate-linked moiety X-type motif 15) is associated with thiopurine-induced leucopenia in Asians is controversial. ⋯ The results of this meta-analysis confirm that NUDT15 c.415C>T may be an important predictor of thiopurine-induced leukocytopenia in Asians. Genotype targeting of NUDT15 c.415C>T before initiating thiopurine treatment may be useful to limit leukocytopenia.
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Review
Economics of Early Warning Scores for identifying clinical deterioration-a systematic review.
In 2013, a National Early Warning System (EWS) was implemented in Ireland. Whilst evidence exists to support the clinical effectiveness of EWS in the acute health care setting, there is a paucity of information on their cost and cost effectiveness. The objective of this systematic literature review was to critically evaluate the economic literature on the use of EWS in adult patients in acute health care settings for the timely detection of physiological deterioration. ⋯ The economic evidence on the use of EWS amongst adult patients in acute health care settings for the timely detection of physiological deterioration is limited. Further research is required to investigate the cost effectiveness of EWS, and the appropriateness of using standard methods to do so. The recent implementation of a national EWS in Ireland offers a unique opportunity to bridge this gap in the literature to examine the costs and cost effectiveness of a nationally implemented EWS system.
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Multiple studies have suggested an association between weekend hospital admissions and mortality. These have been limited by potential residual confounders and a lack of explanation of causation. ⋯ No increase in 30-day in-hospital mortality for weekend admissions was found in this study. There has been a substantial reduction in mortality for both weekday and weekend admissions over time.