scholarly journals A focused mapping review and synthesis of a priori risk factors associated with medical misconduct

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. e000538
Author(s):  
Edward Croft ◽  
Maria Tighe Clark ◽  
Nikolaos Efstathiou ◽  
Caroline Bradbury-Jones

BackgroundMedical misconduct is an international problem. It is judged according to whether a doctor has endangered the health of the public. Little is known about the risk factors associated with medical misconduct. To inform patient safety, we undertook a focused mapping review and synthesis (FMRS) of tribunal reports retrieved from the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS).MethodsA four-phase FMRS was undertaken: (1) identification and retrieval of 1-year tribunal transcripts from the MPTS (focus), (2) analysis of transcripts to identify patterns mapped to ‘a priori’ risk factors (mapping), (3) peer review of the data (calibration) and (4) creation of a risk profile (synthesis).ResultsOut of the 351 investigative tribunals, 249 (70.94%) resulted in a guilty verdict. 82.73% of all guilty verdicts led to the removal of the doctor from practice. Through the identification of four a priori risk factors, we developed a model of risk associated with medical misconduct: (1) being male, (2) primary medical qualification (PMQ) outside of the UK, (3) working within general practice and surgical specialties, and (4) having passed PMQ more than 20 years ago. Notable ‘unconfirmed’ factors, such as locum work, PMQ achieved outside of the European Union, increasing age and lack of clinical guidance are also relevant to what is deemed professional behaviour and what is not.ConclusionsThe findings can inform debates about patient safety and lay the groundwork for further research into medical misconduct. Prospective studies should focus on confirming the contributory factors and relationship between these four a priori risk factors for medical misconduct: being male, PMQ outside of the UK, increasing age and working in general practice or surgical settings.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Camilla Pegram ◽  
Carol Gray ◽  
Rowena M. A. Packer ◽  
Ysabelle Richards ◽  
David B. Church ◽  
...  

AbstractThe loss of a pet can be particularly distressing for owners, whether the method of death is euthanasia or is unassisted. Using primary-care clinical data, this study aimed to report the demographic and clinical factors associated with euthanasia, relative to unassisted death, in dogs. Method of death (euthanasia or unassisted) and clinical cause of death were extracted from a random sample of 29,865 dogs within the VetCompass Programme from a sampling frame of 905,544 dogs under UK veterinary care in 2016. Multivariable logistic regression modelling was used to evaluate associations between risk factors and method of death. Of the confirmed deaths, 26,676 (89.3%) were euthanased and 2,487 (8.3%) died unassisted. After accounting for confounding factors, 6 grouped-level disorders had higher odds in euthanased dogs (than dogs that died unassisted), using neoplasia as the baseline. The disorders with greatest odds included: poor quality of life (OR 16.28), undesirable behaviour (OR 11.36) and spinal cord disorder (OR 6.00). Breed, larger bodyweight and increasing age were additional risk factors for euthanasia. The results highlight that a large majority of owners will face euthanasia decisions and these findings can support veterinarians and owners to better prepare for such an eventuality.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olaolu T. Olufemi ◽  
Danjuma B. Dantala ◽  
Paul A. Shinggu ◽  
Umesi A. Dike ◽  
Gbeminiyi R. Otolorin ◽  
...  

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Wukari, Taraba state, Nigeria, to determine the prevalence of Brucella antibodies and the risk factors associated with brucellosis in indigenous breeds of goats. A total of 386 goats were sampled from three political wards: Puje, Avyi, and Hospital: harvested sera samples were subjected to Rose Bengal Plate Test (RBPT). GraphPad Prism version 7.03 for Windows (GraphPad Software, La Jolla California, USA) was used to analyse the association between seroprevalence of brucellosis and age, sex, breed, location, and management system by using Chi square and Fisher’s exact test as appropriate. Brucellosis was detected in all three wards: Puje; 15%, Avyi; 6.6%, and Hospital; 7.6%. A prevalence rate of 2.8%, 8%, 18.7%, and 1% was recorded for <20-month, 22-35-month, 36-45-month, and ≥46-55-month age categories, respectively (P < 0.05). Only 9.5% was observed for male animals while 9.8% was observed for female animals with no statistical difference between the males and females. Breed-specific seroprevalence yielded 7.4%, 5.4% 12%, 12.8%, and 11.6%, for Cross, West Africa Dwarf, Red Sokoto, Kano Brown, and Sahel breeds of goat, respectively. There is an evidence of brucellosis (9.6%) in Wukari L.G.A, Taraba State, and age is a risk factor for the disease in the study area. There is a need to enlighten the public on the zoonotic potentials and economic impacts of brucellosis.


UK Politics ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 171-191
Author(s):  
Andrew Blick

This chapter starts with a definition of the term ‘referendum’. A referendum is a means of involving the public in political decisions via voting on specific issues such as leaving the European Union. The chapter focuses on the use of referendums at the local level. It sets out the key features of a referendum. Who is allowed to vote in referendums? What sort of questions are put to voters? Under want circumstances should a referendum take place on specific issues? What are the risks associated with holding a referendum? The chapter also looks at regulations surrounding referendums in the UK. The theoretical considerations that the chapter examines are the fact that a referendum subject tends to be controversial, the relationship between referendums and direct democracy and the implications of the results.


Author(s):  
Armağan Gözkaman

The European Community/Union has always been a controversial issue in the UK. At present, the probability of an in-or-out referendum makes it all the more divisive. Eurosceptics see a brighter future for their country outside the union both in political and economic terms. Pro-Europeans, on the other hand, maintain that British membership brings up benefits that outweigh the costs. Both sides have their arguments. The former seek success through social mobilizations and debates. The latter believe that the anti-EU stance may be costly in economic and political terms. Hence, the public must be convinced before the referendum – if it ever takes place.


2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anatol Stefanowitsch

Abstract There is widespread agreement that the so-called ‘Brexit’ – the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union – is a fundamentally populist project. However, the language of the public face of this project, Prime Minister Theresa May, has not, so far, been studied with respect to populist speech patterns. This paper presents a series of quantitative case studies aimed at closing this research gap. The first study attempts to identify evidence of populist speech patterns by means of a keyword analysis, the second study looks at the phrase the (British) people, the third study at the phrase the will of the people, and the fourth at references to the past and the future. While these are based on a priori hypotheses about populist speech patterns, a fifth case study looks at the verb deliver and the noun deal, which are inductively identified as typical of May’s statements concerning Brexit, and shows how they allow May to construct a populist discourse without taking the role of the populist. All case studies are based on a dedicated corpus of almost 270,000 tokens consisting of speeches and other spoken and written statements by Theresa May.


2009 ◽  
Vol 2009 ◽  
pp. 95-95
Author(s):  
S Potterton ◽  
M Green ◽  
J Harris ◽  
K Millar ◽  
H Whay ◽  
...  

The term hock lesion describes incidences of hair loss, thickened skin, wounds, scabs, and swellings occurring over the tarsal joint. Hock lesions in dairy cattle are a widespread problem around the world. In the UK, a recent study found approximately 99% of examined cows had at least some callused area over a hock (Haskell et al., 2006). The presence of hock lesions is correlated with injuries of the teat, carpal joints and skin, as well as increases in mobility score, high somatic cell counts, a greater incidence of clinical mastitis, and higher culling and annual death rates. Differences in the prevalence and severity of hock lesions according to the lying surface and cubicle design have been identified. Cow-related factors and management variables have also been postulated as possible risk factors. Recognition of the condition and practical solutions aimed at resolving it have however, been limited. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of hock lesions in lactating cattle on dairy farms in the East Midlands of the UK, and the significance of potential risk factors in the development of the lesions.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bente Glintborg ◽  
Ulrik Hesse ◽  
Thomas Houe ◽  
Jensen Claus Munk ◽  
Jan Pødenphant ◽  
...  

We aimed to determine whether the Emergency Department (ED) is a suitable entrance point for osteoporosis screening among fallers without concomitant fracture compared to referral from general practice. Furthermore, to identify factors associated with osteoporosis among fallers.Methods. Patients aged 50–80 years sustaining a low-energy fall without fracture were identified from an ED (n=199). Patients answered a questionnaire on risk factors and underwent osteodensitometry. Data was compared to a group of patients routinely referred to osteodensitometry from general practice (n=201).Results. Among the 199 included fallers, 41 (21%) had osteoporosis. Among these, 35 (85%) reported either previous fracture or reduced body height (>3 cm). These two risk factors were more frequent among fallers with osteoporosis compared to fallers with normal bone mineral density or osteopenia (previous fractureP=.044, height reductionP=.0016). The osteoporosis frequency among fallers from ED did not differ from a similarly aged patient-group referred from general practice (P=.34).Conclusion. Osteodensitometry should be considered among fallers without fracture presenting in the ED, especially if the patient has a prior fracture or declined body height. Since fallers generally have higher fracture risk, the ED might serve as an additional entrance to osteodensitometry compared to referral from primary care.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
M. K. Saeed ◽  
J. Shah ◽  
R. Damani ◽  
F. Rahman ◽  
P. Patel ◽  
...  

Background. Statin-associated muscle symptoms (SAMS) are the major side effects reported for statins. Data from previous studies suggest that 7–29% of patients on statin had associated muscle symptoms. In the UK, there is a lack of corresponding data on SAMS and factors associated with the development of SAMS. Objective. This analysis is aimed at establishing the prevalence of SAMS and identifying major contributory risk factors in patients attending a lipid clinic. Methods. Clinical records of 535 consecutive patients, who visited the lipid clinic in the University Hospitals of Leicester, were studied retrospectively between 2009 and 2012. SAMS were defined by the presence of muscle symptoms with two or more different statins. Patients who reported muscle symptoms to statin with one or no rechallenge were excluded. The association of SAMS with clinical characteristics such as age and BMI, sex, smoking, excess alcohol, comorbidities, and medications was tested for statistical significance. A binomial logistic regression model was applied to adjust for risk factors significantly associated with SAMS. Results. The prevalence of SAMS was found to be 11%. On unadjusted analysis, the mean age of patients who had SAMS was significantly higher than those without SAMS ( 59.4 ± 10.5 years vs. 50.3 ± 13.4 years, respectively, P < 0.001 ). Nonsmokers were more likely to develop SAMS in comparison to active smokers ( P = 0.037 ). Patients taking antihypertensive medications were more likely to develop SAMS ( P = 0.010 ). In binomial logistic regression analysis, only age was positively and significantly associated with SAMS after adjusting for other risk factors ( β = 0.054 , P = 0.001 ). Conclusion. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the largest cohort of patients with SAMS in the United Kingdom. Our data suggest that the prevalence of SAMS is 11% and increased age is a risk factor associated with the development of SAMS in our cohort of patients.


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