Irish journal of medical science
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Although atrial fibrillation (AF) causes one-third of strokes in Ireland, studies have shown that public awareness and knowledge of AF are poor. The Irish Heart Foundation conducted a national AF awareness campaign in 2013. ⋯ Our study shows that overall public knowledge of AF in Ireland is generally poor. While this pilot national awareness campaign had no positive impact on awareness levels, there are several possible reasons for this including the limited funding allocation to the campaign. A further AF awareness campaign is planned for next year.
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Application of evidence-based guidelines in the management of cellulitis is poorly studied in Ireland and it is observed that current admission and prescription practices in this country vary widely from internationally accepted standards of care. We aimed to examine the management of cellulitis with regard to hospital admission and initial antibiotic therapy. ⋯ There is a significant discrepancy between current clinical practice and international guidelines for the management of cellulitis in Ireland; local guidelines are not in keeping with newer evidence and there is a lack of national guidelines for this common condition. Closer adherence to international guidelines would significantly reduce costs by reducing unnecessary admissions and initial monotherapy would improve antibiotic stewardship. This study shows a clear need for local institutions to re-examine antibiotic guidelines to ensure the HSE provides effective evidence-based treatment in the correct setting.
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There is a paucity of published data on the clinical experience with trans-catheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in the Republic of Ireland. We sought to examine the clinical outcomes of patients with medium-term follow-up treated with TAVI at our institution. ⋯ This study documents low complication rates and favourable rates of survival following TAVI in a consecutive series of patients undergoing TAVI at a tertiary referral centre in the Republic of Ireland. These data support the application of this therapy in the Irish context.
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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common comorbidity of childhood epilepsy. ADHD symptoms in children with epilepsy have been studied since 1970s in western countries. However, relative studies are still rather limited in China. ⋯ Children with epilepsy have more attention problems as compared with healthy controls. ADHD in childhood epilepsy is associated with male sex, younger age, early first onset age, high frequency of epileptic seizures, and multiple AEDs.
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This study provides an accurate awareness of the present situation of health research in Irish hospitals both public and private. We aimed to analyze factors that may influence it and provide recommendations for active steps to improve the current situation of Irish health research based on our findings. ⋯ Our findings may serve as a useful approach to benchmark scientific output from hospitals and guide the future allocation of research spending.