Recommendations for dental preventive strategies and treatment planning were originally developed through consensus meetings by the Scottish Oral Health Group for Medically Compromised Patients and published in 2003 as a Guideline. The United Kingdom Haemophilia Centre Doctors' Organisation (UKHCDO) Dental Working Party has updated these recommendations following the AGREE II approach (www.agreetrust.org), involving a literature search, a review of national and international guidelines and after seeking the opinions of haemophilia treaters in the United Kingdom by an online survey. Where possible, evidence from the literature is graded according to the 'GRADE' system (www.bcshguidelines.com/bsch_process/evidence_levels_and_grades_of_recommendations/43_grade.html); however, overall there is a lack of robust data and most studies have methodological limitations. The objective of this guidance, which is largely consensus-based, is to assist dental practitioners in primary and secondary care to provide routine dental care for patients of all ages with congenital bleeding diatheses in order to improve overall access to dental care. The guidance may not be appropriate in all cases and individual patient circumstances may dictate an alternative approach. Date for guideline review: May 2016.

ObjectivesHomeless people lack a secure, stable place to live and experience higher rates of serious illness than the housed population. Studies, mainly from the USA, have reported increased use of unscheduled healthcare by homeless individuals.We sought to compare the use of unscheduled emergency department (ED) and inpatient care between housed and homeless hospital patients in a high-income European setting in Dublin, Ireland.SettingA large university teaching hospital serving the south inner city in Dublin, Ireland. Patient data are collected on an electronic patient record within the hospital.ParticipantsWe carried out an observational cross-sectional study using data on all ED visits (n=47 174) and all unscheduled admissions under the general medical take (n=7031) in 2015.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe address field of the hospital’s electronic patient record was used to identify patients living in emergency accommodation or rough sleeping (hereafter referred to as homeless). Data on demographic details, length of stay and diagnoses were extracted.ResultsIn comparison with housed individuals in the hospital catchment area, homeless individuals had higher rates of ED attendance (0.16 attendances per person/annum vs 3.0 attendances per person/annum, respectively) and inpatient bed days (0.3 vs 4.4 bed days/person/annum). The rate of leaving ED before assessment was higher in homeless individuals (40% of ED attendances vs 15% of ED attendances in housed individuals). The mean age of homeless medical inpatients was 44.19 years (95% CI 42.98 to 45.40), whereas that of housed patients was 61.20 years (95% CI 60.72 to 61.68). Homeless patients were more likely to terminate an inpatient admission against medical advice (15% of admissions vs 2% of admissions in homeless individuals).ConclusionHomeless patients represent a significant proportion of ED attendees and medical inpatients. In contrast to housed patients, the bulk of usage of unscheduled care by homeless people occurs in individuals aged 25–65 years.

The relationship between serum potassium levels and mortality in acute medical admissions is uncertain. In particular, the relevance of minor abnormalities in potassium level or variations within the normal range remains to be determined. We performed a retrospective cohort study of all emergency medical admissions to St James's Hospital (Dublin, Ireland) between 2002 and 2012. We used a stepwise logistic regression model to predict in-hospital mortality, adjusting risk estimates for major predictor variables. There were 67,585 admissions in 37,828 patients over 11 years. After removing long-stay patients, 60,864 admissions in 35,168 patients were included in the study. Hypokalaemia was present in 14.5% and hyperkalaemia in 4.9%. In-hospital mortality was 3.9, 5.0, and 18.1% in the normokalaemic, hypokalaemic and hyperkalaemic groups respectively. Hypokalaemic patients had a univariate odds ratio (OR) of 1.29 for in-hospital mortality (95% confi dence interval (CI) 1.16-1.43; p<0.001). Hyperkalaemic patients had a univariate OR for in-hospital mortality of 5.2 (95% CI 4.7-5.7; p<0.001). The ORs for an in-hospital death for potassium between 4.3 and 4.7 mmol/l, and 4.7 and 5.2 mmol/l, were 1.73 (95% CI 1.51-1.99) and 2.97 (95% CI 2.53-3.50) respectively. Hyperkalaemia and hypokalaemia are associated with increased mortality.

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IntroductionHealth systems worldwide have had to prepare for a surge in volume in both the outpatient and inpatient settings since the emergence of COVID-19. Early international healthcare experiences showed approximately 80% of patients with COVID-19 had mild disease and therfore could be managed as outpatients. However, SARS-CoV-2 can cause a biphasic illness with those affected experiencing a clinical deterioration usually seen after day 4 of illness.ObjectiveWe created an online tool with the primary objective of allowing for virtual disease triage among the increasing number of outpatients diagnosed with COVID-19 at our hospital. Secondary aims included COVID-19 education and the promotion of official COVID-19 information among these outpatients, and analysis of reported symptomatology.MethodsOutpatients with acute COVID-19 disease received text messages from the hospital containing a link to an online symptom check-in tool which they were invited to complete.Results296 unique participants (72%) from 413 contacted by text completed the online check-in tool at least once, generating 831 responses from 1324 texts sent. 83% of text recipients and 91% of unique participants were healthcare workers. 7% of responses to the tool were from participants who admitted to a slight worsening of their symptoms during follow-up. Fatigue was the most commonly reported symptom overall (79%), followed by headache (72%). Fatigue, headache and myalgia were the most frequently reported symptoms in the first 3 days of illness. 8% of responses generated in the first 7 days of illness did not report any of the cardinal symptoms (fever, cough, dyspnoea, taste/smell disturbance) of COVID-19. Participants found the tool to be useful and easy to use, describing it as ‘helpful’ and ‘reassuring’ in a follow-up feedback survey (n=140). 93% said they would use such a tool in the future. 39% reported ongoing fatigue, 16% reported ongoing smell disturbance and 14% reported ongoing dyspnoea after 6 months.ConclusionThe online symptom check-in tool was found to be acceptable to participants and saw high levels of engagement and satisfaction. Symptomatology findings highlight the variety and persistence of symptoms experienced by those with confirmed COVID-19 disease

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There appear to be cost advantages to care delivered by certified consultants of >20 years in clinical practice.