scholarly journals The Glioma Elephant in The Room

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (Supplement_4) ◽  
pp. iv16-iv17
Author(s):  
Charles Davis

Abstract Radiotherapy is the most effective treatment of glioblastoma, radical surgery and chemotherapy will help some patients. Tumour Treating Fields (TTF) is used in many countries in the developed world. Thousands of patients have been treated. Methods A survey at a neuro-oncology meeting of clinicians, scientists and charity members asking them about TTF. Results 1. 7 out of 8 clinicians did not discuss TTF with patients.: 2. The reasons being “not available”, “very expensive”, “don’t know enough”.: 3. Out of 17 non clinicians, 14 stated that TTF should be discussed with all patients.: 4. Out of 22 clinicians and non clinicians, 16 said they would consider trying to raise £200.000 for treatment from crowd funding. Discussion The report of the chief scientific officer of the department of health on brain tumours, the report of the Tessa Jowell funding, BNOS, do not discuss TTF.?why. NICE guidelines for NHS patients state “Do not offer TTF” but do not say “Do not discuss”. Conclusion Sadly, clinicians are not telling the patients about options for treatment. TTF is controversial and expensive and is now being used in several cancer treatments. The UK is one of the few developed countries that is not researching or discussing this treatment.

Author(s):  
Kingsley Oturu ◽  
WL Ijomah ◽  
Alexander Broeksmit ◽  
Daniel Hernandez Reig ◽  
Matthew Millar ◽  
...  

AbstractWith the lack of access to medical equipment clear to see throughout the developing world in comparison to the developed world, solutions to bridge the gap are key to reducing the inequality of healthcare between the two. It has been identified that healthcare systems in developed countries have a rapid turnover of medical imaging equipment (X-ray, MRI, CT scanners, etc.) due to the high rate of technological advancement. There is therefore a stockpile of used medical equipment that could still be of use in developing countries thanks to remanufacturing. The aim of this paper is to investigate the applicability of remanufacturing medical equipment with the intent of supplying said equipment to the countries that need it. This investigation provides a clearer picture of the feasibility of using remanufacture to supply developing countries with the medical imaging devices they require. This is done through studying current remanufacturing processes carried out in developed countries, whether that be directly through OEMs or third parties, and assessing how the methods used could be applied to developing countries. It is identified that remanufacturing practices could benefit developing countries not only by increasing access to diagnostic equipment, but also society as a whole by creating jobs for instance. A key remanufacturing stage that should initially be focused on is inspection as it helps to filter and select the medical devices that are most suited for the remanufacturing process.


1996 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 211-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. W. M. Johnstone ◽  
N. J. Horan

From the middle ages until the early part of the nineteenth century the streets of European cities were foul with excrement and filth to the extent that aristocrats often held a clove-studded orange to their nostrils in order to tolerate the atmosphere. The introduction in about 1800 of water-carriage systems of sewage disposal merely transferred the filth from the streets to the rivers. The problem was intensified in Britain by the coming of the Industrial Revolution and establishment of factories on the banks of the rivers where water was freely available for power, process manufacturing and the disposal of effluents. As a consequence the quality of most rivers deteriorated to the extent that they were unable to support fish life and in many cases were little more than open sewers. This was followed by a period of slow recovery, such that today most of these rivers have been cleaned with many having good fish stocks and some even supporting salmon. This recovery has not been easy nor has it been cheap. It has been based on the application of good engineering supported by the passing and enforcement of necessary legislation and the development of suitable institutional capacity to finance, design, construct, maintain and operate the required sewerage and sewage treatment systems. Such institutional and technical systems not only include the disposal of domestic sewage but also provisions for the treatment and disposal of industrial wastewaters and for the integrated management of river systems. Over the years a number of institutional arrangements and models have been tried, some successful other less so. Although there is no universally applicable approach to improving the aquatic environment, many of the experiences encountered by the so-called developed world can be learned by developing nations currently attempting to rectify their own aquatic pollution problems. Some of these lessons have already been discussed by the authors including some dangers of copying standards from the developed world. The objective of this paper is to trace the steps taken over many years in the UK to develop methods and systems to protect and preserve the aquatic environment and from the lessons learned to highlight what is considered to be an appropriate and sustainable approach for industrialising nations. Such an approach involves setting of realistic and attainable standards, providing appropriate and affordable treatment to meet these standards, establishment of the necessary regulatory framework to ensure enforcement of the standards and provision of the necessary financial capabilities to guarantee successful and continued operation of treatment facilities.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. e044622
Author(s):  
Catherine Heeney ◽  
Stephen Malden ◽  
Aziz Sheikh

IntroductionElectronic prescribing (ePrescribing) is a key area of development and investment in the UK and across the developed world. ePrescribing is widely understood as a vehicle for tackling medication-related safety concerns, improving care quality and making more efficient use of health resources. Nevertheless, implementation of an electronic health record does not itself ensure benefits for prescribing are maximised. We examine the process of optimisation of ePrescribing systems using case studies to provide policy recommendations based on the experiences of digitally mature hospital sites.Methods and analysisQualitative interviews within six digitally mature sites will be carried out. The aim is to capture successful optimisation of electronic prescribing (ePrescribing) in particular health systems and hospitals. We have identified hospital sites in the UK and in three other developed countries. We used a combination of literature reviews and advice from experts at Optimising ePrescribing in Hospitals (eP Opt) Project round-table events. Sites were purposively selected based on geographical area, innovative work in ePrescribing/electronic health (eHealth) and potential transferability of practices to the UK setting. Interviews will be recorded and transcribed and transcripts coded thematically using NVivo software. Relevant policy and governance documents will be analysed, where available. Planned site visits were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Ethics and disseminationThe Usher Research Ethics Group granted approval for this study. Results will be disseminated via peer-reviewed journals in medical informatics and expert round-table events, lay member meetings and the ePrescribing Toolkit (http://www.eprescribingtoolkit.com/)—an online resource supporting National Health Service (NHS) hospitals through the ePrescribing process.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. e000756
Author(s):  
Yu Zhen Lau ◽  
Kate Widdows ◽  
Stephen A Roberts ◽  
Sheher Khizar ◽  
Gillian L Stephen ◽  
...  

IntroductionThe UK Department of Health have targeted a reduction in stillbirth by 50% by 2025; to achieve this, the first version of the Saving Babies’ Lives Care Bundle (SBLCB) was developed by NHS England in 2016 to improve four key areas of antenatal and intrapartum care. Clinical practice guidelines are a key means by which quality improvement initiatives are disseminated to front-line staff.MethodsSeventy-five clinical practice guidelines covering the four areas of antenatal and intrapartum care in the first version of SBLCB were obtained from 19 maternity providers. The content and quality of guidelines were evaluated using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE II) tool. Maternity health professionals in participating organisations were invited to participate in an anonymous survey to determine perceptions toward and experiences of the use of clinical practice guidelines using a series of Likert scales.ResultsUnit guidelines showed considerable variation in quality with median scores of 50%–58%. Only 4 (5.6%) guidelines were recommended for use in clinical practice without modifications, 54 (75.0%) were recommended for use subject to modifications and 12 (16.7%) were not recommended for use. The lowest scoring domains were ‘rigour of development’, ‘stakeholder involvement’ and ‘applicability’. A significant minority of unit guidelines omitted recommendations from national guidelines. The majority of staff believed that clinical practice guidelines standardised and improved the quality of care but over 30% had insufficient time to use them and 24% stated they were unable to implement recommendations.ConclusionTo successfully implement initiatives such as the SBLCB change is needed to local clinical practice guidelines to reduce variation in quality and to ensure they are consistent with national recommendations . In addition, to improve clinical practice, adequate time and resources need to be in place to deliver and evaluate care recommended in the SBLCB.


1994 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-98
Author(s):  
Richard D. Lamm

The single greatest challenge facing managers in the developed countries of the world is to raise the productivity of knowledge and service workers. This challenge, which will dominate the management agenda for the next several decades, will ultimately determine the competitive performance of companies. Even more important, it will determine the very fabric of society and the quality of life of every industrialized nation. … Unless this challenge is met, the developed world will face increasing social tensions, increasing polarization, increasing radicalization, possibly even class war.


2003 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 666-670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerome A Singh ◽  
Busi Nkala ◽  
Eric Amuah ◽  
Nalin Mehta ◽  
Aasim Ahmad

Recruiting nurses from other countries is a long-standing practice. In recent years many countries in the developed world have more frequently recruited nurses from the developing world, causing an imbalance in the health services in often already impoverished countries. Despite guidelines and promises by developed countries that the practice should cease, it has largely failed to do so. A consortium of authors from countries that have experienced significant nurse poaching consider the ethical aspects behind this continuing practice.


Author(s):  
Geoffrey Meen ◽  
Christine Whitehead

Affordability is, perhaps, the greatest housing problem facing households today, both in the UK and internationally. Even though most households are now well housed, hardship is disproportionately concentrated among low-income and younger households. Our failure to deal with their problems is what makes housing so frustrating. But, to improve outcomes, we have to understand the complex economic and political forces which underlie their continued prevalence. There are no costless solutions, but there are new policy directions that can be explored in addition to those that have dominated in recent years. The first, analytic, part of the book considers the factors that determine house prices and rents, household formation and tenure, housing construction and the roles played by housing finance and taxation. The second part turns to examine the impact of past policy and the possibilities for improvement - discussing supply and the impact of planning regulation, supply subsidies, subsidies to low-income tenants and attempts to increase home ownership. Rather than advocating a particular set of policies, the aim is to consider the balance of policies; the constraints under which housing policy operates; what can realistically be achieved; the structural changes that would need to occur; and the significant sacrifices that would have to be made by some groups if there are to be improvements for others. Our emphasis is on the UK but throughout the book we also draw on international experience and our conclusions have relevance to analysts and policy makers across the developed world.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-100
Author(s):  
Serhii Tsymbaliuk

The purpose of the article is to study the experience of developed countries in the regulation of sports and health in order to stimulate its development and adaptation to new challenges and threats. In the course of the research the methods of theoretical and comparative analysis were used to reveal the peculiarities of the American and European models of sports and health man-agement; statistical and graphical - to determine the economic role and trends in the sports and health industry in the world, the impact of the pandemic on income from sports. The article develops organizational and economic approaches to intensify the development of sports and recreation. Certain features of organizational models of management, sports legislation, financ-ing, possible tools to stimulate the development of sports and health in the developed world form a scientific basis for substantiating ways to intensify this area.


2009 ◽  
Vol 91 (8) ◽  
pp. 283-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Wilson

The National Advice Centre for Postgraduate Dental Education (NACPDE) was founded in 1978 and is based in the Faculty of Dental Surgery of The Royal College of Surgeons of England and funded by the Department of Health. The UK has traditionally played an important part in providing clinical training and postgraduate education for dentists from all parts of the world. But it is equally important to recognise the contribution oversea-strained dentists have made to the NHS.


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