There is scope to increase attendance and reduce non-attendance at outpatient appointments but initiatives should be piloted in conjunction with robust evaluative frameworks.
BackgroundRates of suicide and undetermined death increased rapidly in Scotland in the 1980's and 1990's. The largest increases were in men, with a marked increase in rates in younger age groups. This was associated with an increase in hanging as a method of suicide. National suicide prevention work has identified young men as a priority group. Routinely collected national information suggested a decrease in suicide rates in younger men at the beginning of the 21st century. This study tested whether this was a significant change in trend, and whether it was associated with any change in hanging rates in young men.MethodsJoinpoint regression was used to estimate annual percentage changes in age-specific rates of suicide and undetermined intent death, and to identify times when the trends changed significantly. Rates of deaths by method in 15 – 29 year old males and females were also examined to assess whether there had been any significant changes in method use in this age group.ResultsThere was a 42% reduction in rates in 15 – 29 year old men, from 42.5/100,000 in 2000 to 24.5/100,000 in 2004. A joinpoint analysis confirmed that this was a significant change. There was also a significant change in trend in hanging in men in this age group, with a reduction in rates after 2000. No other male age group showed a significant change in trend over the period 1980 – 2004. There was a smaller reduction in suicide rates in women in the 15 – 29 year old age group, with a reduction in hanging from 2002.ConclusionThere has been a reduction in suicide rates in men aged 15 – 29 years, and this is associated with a significant reduction in deaths by hanging in this age group. It is not clear whether this is related to a change in method preference, or an overall reduction in suicidal behaviour, and review of self-harm data will be required to investigate this further.
Background: It is believed that total reported suicide rates tend to decrease during wartime. However, analysis of suicide rates during recent conflicts suggests a more complex picture, with increases in some age groups and changes in method choice. As few age and gender specific analyses of more distant conflicts have been conducted, it is not clear if these findings reflect a change in the epidemiology of suicide in wartime. Therefore, we examined suicide rates in Scotland before, during and after the Second World War to see if similar features were present.
Introduction Dental professionals have been encouraged to maintain their neutral postures throughout their workday in order to maintain a healthy musculoskeletal system. However, with 4‐handed dentistry, maintaining neutral postures becomes more challenging when the dentist and dental assistant work concurrently alongside the patient to complete dental procedures. Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine whether relationships exist between the postures of dentists and dental assistants. Methods Upon institutional review board approval, this study used a cross‐sectional research design of a convenience sample of 31 unique pairings of dentists and dental assistants. The Modified‐Dental Operator Posture Assessment Instrument (M‐DOPAI) and Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) were used to assess ergonomic scores and ergonomic risks of captured photographs of dentists and dental assistants performing 4‐handed dentistry. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlational analysis. Results The dentists and dental assistants demonstrated higher ergonomic scores for the trunk, head, and arm positions and higher ergonomic risk scores for the neck/trunk/leg positions. The head position of dental assistants was positive correlated with hip position of dentists. The shoulder position of dental assistants was negatively correlated with the head position of dentists. Conclusion Ergonomic risks scores indicated further investigations and potential changes in postures to reduce ergonomic risks. Multiple postural components of the dentists and dental assistants were related. Ergonomic training should include consideration of dentists and dental assisting working concurrently in 4‐handed dentistry. More ergonomic training is needed with 4‐handed dentistry among dental and dental assisting students and faculty members.
BackgroundScotland has disproportionately high rates of suicide compared with England. An analysis of trends may help reveal whether rates appear driven more by birth cohort, period or age. A ‘birth cohort effect’ for England & Wales has been previously reported by Gunnell et al. (B J Psych 182:164-70, 2003). This study replicates this analysis for Scotland, makes comparisons between the countries, and provides information on ‘vulnerable’ cohorts.MethodsSuicide and corresponding general population data were obtained from the National Records of Scotland, 1950 to 2014. Age and gender specific mortality rates were estimated. Age, period and cohort patterns were explored graphically by trend analysis.ResultsA pattern was found whereby successive male birth cohorts born after 1940 experienced higher suicide rates, in increasingly younger age groups, echoing findings reported for England & Wales.Young men (aged 20-39) were found to have a marked and statistically significant increase in suicide between those in the 1960 and 1965 birth cohorts. The 1965 cohort peaked in suicide rate aged 35-39, and the subsequent 1970 cohort peaked even younger, aged 25-29; it is possible that these 1965 and 1970 cohorts are at greater mass vulnerability to suicide than earlier cohorts. This was reflected in data for England & Wales, but to a lesser extent.Suicide rates associated with male birth cohorts subsequent to 1975 were less severe, and not statistically significantly different from earlier cohorts, suggestive of an amelioration of any possible influential ‘cohort’ effect.Scottish female suicide rates for all age groups converged and stabilised over time. Women have not been as affected as men, with less variation in patterns by different birth cohorts and with a much less convincing corresponding pattern suggestive of a ‘cohort’ effect.ConclusionsTrend analysis is useful in identifying ‘vulnerable’ cohorts, providing opportunities to develop suicide prevention strategies addressing these cohorts as they age.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-017-4956-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.