Clin Med
-
Morbidity and mortality for any physical illness treated in hospital and complicated by dementia is increased. Length of stay is also prolonged for any physical illness and dementia. ⋯ Enhanced communication with patients and carers, more attention to hydration and nutrition and improved environmental factors within the hospital would be a start. All NHS staff require an increased insight and training about the consequences of physical illness complicated with dementia.
-
Typhoid fever should be considered in the diagnosis of any patient with a fever from the Asian community even in the absence of a travel history to an endemic region. Blood cultures taken prior to antibiotics are the best way of making the diagnosis early and preventing the complications that arise from a prolonged bacteraemia.
-
Over half a century ago, a Canadian judge defined a profession in a way that resonates still today, not only for lawyers and doctors, but for the current wide variety of professions and professionals. This article is a reflection on this definition. It briefly considers the historical context within which the knowledge base that characterises a profession evolved and what the various component parts of the judge's definition entail. A final consideration goes beyond the terms of the definition proposed--that of our ethical responsibility as professionals to stand up and be counted and, in the context of the disorder around us, to speak out.