QJM : monthly journal of the Association of Physicians
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Patient safety and quality of care continue to improve in NHS North West following early implementation of the European Working Time Directive.
NHS North West aimed to fully implement the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) 1 year ahead of the August 2009 national deadline. Significant debate has taken place concerning the implications of the EWTD for patient safety. This study aims to directly address this issue by comparing parameters of patient safety in NHS North West to those nationally prior to EWTD implementation, and during 'North West-only' EWTD implementation. ⋯ The data presented in this study quantitatively demonstrates, for the first time, that implementation of the EWTD in NHS North West in August 2008 had no obvious adverse impact on key outcomes associated with patient safety and quality of care. Continued efforts will be required to address the challenge posed nationally by the restricted working hour's schedule.
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Review
TNF-α antagonists beyond approved indications: stories of success and prospects for the future.
Tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) is a key molecule of the inflammatory response and data derived from studies in experimental animal models and humans suggest that TNF-α may be implicated in the pathogenesis of various autoimmune and non-infectious inflammatory conditions. Over the past decade pharmaceutical agents directed against TNF-α (infliximab, adalimumab and etanercept) have been widely and successfully employed for the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, whereas two novel anti-TNF-α agents, golimumab and certolimumab pegol, recently entered the market for the treatment of RA, AS, Crohn's disease and psoriasis. ⋯ More specifically, according to well-documented clinical trials, anti-TNF-α agents exhibited favourable results in Behçet's disease, non-infectious ocular inflammation, pyoderma gangrenosum and hidradenitis suppurativa. In this review we discuss the successful outcomes as well as the prospects for the future from the off-label use of TNF-α antagonists.
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Anthropogenic climate change presents a major global health threat. However, the very provision of healthcare itself is associated with a significant environmental impact. Carbon footprinting techniques are increasingly used outside of the healthcare sector to assess greenhouse gas emissions and inform strategies to reduce them. ⋯ These results suggest that carbon-reduction strategies focusing upon supply chain emissions are likely to yield the greatest benefits. Sustainable waste management and strategies to reduce emissions associated with building energy use and travel will also be important. A transformation in the way that clinical care is delivered is required, such that lower carbon clinical pathways, treatments and technologies are embraced. The estimations of greenhouse gas emissions associated with outpatient appointments and inpatient stays calculated here may facilitate modelling of the emissions of alternative pathways of care.