Clinical medicine (London, England)
-
Proactive, shared decision making between key professionals and sensitive communication with patients, and those important to them, can never be overestimated. Projected annual deaths in England and Wales are set to rise, highlighting the increasing need for high quality palliative and end-of-life care. The Royal College of General Practitioners and Marie Curie have worked in partnership to develop the Daffodil Standards, an evidenced-based, structured approach for practices using quality improvement methodology to help improve care for patients at an advanced stage of serious illness or approaching end of life.
-
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia. Recent studies have assessed the possibility of using statins as treatment for AD. However, their efficacy is not clear. ⋯ Of the 304 articles identified, 13 complied with the inclusion criteria. The scientific quality of studies was high and their results indicated that there were no significant differences in the main efficacy variables between statins and placebo treatment for AD. Therefore, according to the available scientific evidence, statins have not shown an improvement in cognition and do not appear to offer significant benefits to patients with AD.
-
We report a case of myocarditis complicating gastroenteritis caused by Campylobacter jejuni The patient had an uncomplicated course and made a full recovery. Cardiac MRI was useful in securing an early diagnosis and establishing baseline heart function. Myocarditis should be considered in younger patients presenting with chest pain and elevations in serum troponin. The occurrence of myocarditis complicating Campylobacter jejuni gastroenteritis is reviewed.
-
Compassionate communities as part of the public health approach to end-of-life care (EoLC) offers the possibility of solving the inequity of the difference in provision of care for those people with incurable cancer and those with non-cancer terminal illnesses. The naturally occurring supportive network surrounding the patient is the starting point for EoLC. ⋯ Healthcare professionals can build much stronger partnerships with these supportive networks and transform EoLC at home. Further possibilities of support can be developed through communities, with implementation of the Compassionate City Charter.