Irish medical journal
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Irish medical journal · Apr 2013
LetterSmoking in vehicles is lower than mobile telephone use while driving, but is socially patterned.
Legislation is being considered which bans smoking in cars carrying children under the age of 16. This was an observational survey of smoking by drivers and passengers and mobile phone use by drivers in 2,230 cars over three time periods in two Dublin locations. The observed prevalence of mobile telephone use (2.56%) was higher than smoking (1.39%) (p < 0.01), but was low in both. ⋯ There was an inverse pattern according to car value for smoking drivers (p = 0.029). Eight adult passengers and just one child were observed as being exposed to a smoking adult driver. In conclusion, the public health importance of regulating passive smoke exposure is clear but the resources required to police such a ban in vehicles may be labour intensive for the yield in detection or prevention.
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Irish medical journal · Apr 2013
The World Health Organisation analgesic ladder: its place in modern Irish medical practice.
Pain is the single most common reason why patients seek medical care. Worldwide, there are 10 million new cases of cancer each year, with 6 million deaths annually. ⋯ This article describes the evolution and use of the WHO guidelines, as viewed from the global perspective of its 193 member nations. The WHO ladder still remains valid today in Ireland, even as we await the imminent publication of new evidence-based national cancer pain guidelines this year.