Irish journal of medical science
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The aim of this retrospective review was to analyse the frequency of patients presenting with flashes and/or floaters (F/F) on bright versus dark days to the eye emergency department of a tertiary referral hospital (the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital) over a 3-year period. The diagnostic and clinical outcomes of F/F presentations were also analysed. ⋯ This study established that F/F presentations were more likely to present during bright days when compared with dark days. The diagnosis of PVD was more common during bright days, and RDs were diagnosed significantly more frequently on dark days. Although incident solar radiation was correlated with greater floaters/PVD presentation, causation is unlikely, and the duration of PVD may have been longer in patients presenting on bright days (i.e. pseudo-sudden symptoms).
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Preoperative anxiety is a challenging problem in the preoperative care of patients. Identifying risk factors helps nurses provide psychological support during the pre-operative visit so that stress can be reduced. ⋯ The importance of surgical anxiety for the health system, which affects two out of every three hospitalized patients, should not be underestimated. Therefore, national and global plans should be made to prevent and manage surgical anxiety.
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International doctors make up nearly half of the physicians working in Ireland and are an integral part of the health service. The COVID-19 pandemic declared in March 2020 led to a global healthcare emergency. Resulting national lockdowns precluded travel at a time of need for family support. ⋯ The COVID-19 pandemic has had a multifactorial negative impact on non-national doctors working in Ireland. More must be done to offer multidimensional support to this cohort who are a crucial part of the underserviced Irish healthcare system.
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In the present study, we aimed to validate the Behçet's syndrome Overall Damage Index (BODI) and compare its performance with that of vasculitis damage index (VDI) in Iranian patients with BD. ⋯ The BODI demonstrated acceptable validity and reliability in assessing BD-related damage in Iranian patients with BD.