Irish medical journal
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The use of mobile phones by drivers has been shown to be associated with an increased risk of motor vehicle crashes. The aim of this study was to identify the use of hand held mobiles phones by drivers in Ireland. Their use was investigated by a direct observation survey of drivers. ⋯ This rate is high compared to other studies. Van drivers were three times more likely than other drivers to use a mobile phone whilst driving. Legislation needs to be introduced to ban their use and thereby reduce the risk of crashes.
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Irish medical journal · Oct 2005
Comparative StudyA comparative study on attitudes, towards the provision of out-of-hours care, of the spouses of general practitioners participating, or not, in a rural out-of-hours co-op.
Qualitative research has suggested that the stress of general practice, and that of out-of-hours care in particular, has an impact on general practitioners' (GPs') spouses. The effects on the families of practitioners, of the introduction of out-of-hours co-operatives has not been extensively studied. Our objective was to compare, between the spouses of GPs participating or not in a rural co-op, the effects of out-of-hours commitments on personal and family life. ⋯ The general provision of out-of-hours care has a significant impact on the spouses and families of GPs participating, or not, in a rural co-op. Spouses of participants in co-ops had significantly less interruptions to their home life from patients and worried less about the safety of their spouse. The implications of these findings on the recruitment and retention of rural practitioners merits further discussion.
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There are as yet few well developed systems for comparing the quality of care in Irish hospitals with other hospitals either nationally or internationally. The best known are the perinatal mortality rates of the Dublin maternity hospitals. ⋯ The method of stratifying for severity of illness is by use of the APACHE II scoring system. In 2003 the standardised mortality ratio for Beaumont Hospital ICU was 0.87 with a mean APACHE II admission score of 17.5 which compares favourably with similar data produced from UK units.