BackgroundIranian traditional primary health care (PHC) system, although proven to be successful in some areas in rural populations, suffers major pitfalls in providing PHC services in urban areas especially the slum urban areas. The new government of Iran announced a health reform movement including the health reform in PHC system of Iran. The Health Complex Model (HCM) was chosen as the preferred health reform model for this purpose.MethodsThis paper aims to report a detailed research protocol for the assessment of the effectiveness of the HCM in Iran. An adaptive controlled design is being used in this research. The study is planned to measure multiple endpoints at the baseline and 2 years after the intervention. The assessments will be done both in a population covered by the HCM, as intervention area, and in control populations covered by the traditional health care system as the control area.DiscussionAssessing the effectiveness of the HCM, as the Iranian PHC reform initiative, could help health system policy makers for future decisions on its continuation or modification.
Purpose -Clinical governance (CG) was used as a driver to improve safety and quality of healthcare. CG implementing is a change in health system and all the stakeholders must be participating. The purpose of this paper is to study nurses' experience about CG movement in Tabriz hospitals. Design/methodology/approach -A qualitative study using Focus Group Discussions (FGD) was done. Purposeful Sampling was used to select the objectives including 65 participants. Actually seven FGD's were held. Content analysis was used to extract the meaningful themes. Findings -It is revealed that nurses are the focal point in CG implementation in hospitals. Low commitment of managers and lack of physicians' contribution was experienced by nurses. However, personnel education and development and patient safety have got more attention. Blame culture and increased work stress was reported as challenges. Originality/value -CG as a change in healthcare system, especially in low-and middle-income countries, is faced by several challenges and its implementation would have different experiences. Nursing staff, the major group in hospitals, would be having interesting experiences through CG. Their practical opinions could guide the policy makers to employ proper plans to effectively implement CG. Considering the result of this study in practice would lead to improve CG implementation.
Intractable chronic headaches are a major challenge for both patients and healthcare professionals. Over the last two decades, implantable electrical neuromodulators, previously established to manage other forms of chronic pain, have been used increasingly for intractable primary and secondary headache disorders. We review the current approaches to the management of refractory headaches using neuromodulation. Indications, operative considerations and complications are discussed based on our experience and a review of the literature. The field of neuromodulation has been rapidly advancing, with many new targets being discovered and novel devices being developed for treating craniofacial pain. We discuss some of these targets, detailing the latest advances in the area of neuromodulation for intractable headaches.
Objective. Our current practice of screening for latent TB infection (LTBI) using universal T-SPOT assays is not in line with British Thoracic Society (BTS) recommendations. We set out to determine the clinical benefit and cost effectiveness of blanket TSPOT.TB (T-SPOT) testing as a screening tool for patients awaiting anti-TNF-α therapy. Methods. 130 consecutive rheumatology patients were investigated for LTBI before commencing anti-TNFα therapy at Gartnavel General Hospital, Glasgow, an area of low TB prevalence and high BCG vaccination. Chest radiograph and clinical interview were used to identify risk factors for LTBI. The annual risk of TB was calculated using tables from BTS recommendations and then compared to the risk of drug-induced hepatitis. All patients were given a T-SPOT according to current local policy. Indeterminate T-SPOTs were recorded and repeated. Results. For 130 patients, a total of 160 tests were required resulting in a cost of £24,000. 99 (76%) patients had no TB risk factors and a total of 22 repeat tests were required before returning negative results. This equates 121 T-SPOTs and potential cost savings of £18,150. Conclusion. In the absence of risk factors for TB and an abnormal chest radiograph, the use of T-SPOT as a first line test for LTBI may result in unnecessary risk of TB chemoprophylaxis-induced hepatitis, increased costs, and a delay in early anti-TNFα therapy.
BACKGROUNDIn current clinical practice, the consensus diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI) depends on the detection of an acute rise in serum creatinine and/or oliguria.1 Recognition of AKI in the community is important, as it is relatively common and associated with excess mortality and morbidity.1 In a primarycare-based cohort of around 61 000 patients, 7% had an episode of AKI over a 6-month period.2 However, detection is difficult on clinical grounds alone. In a populationbased study among patients retrospectively diagnosed with AKI from laboratory samples using the NHS England AKI algorithm, those who were managed at home by GPs had a higher risk of death than those admitted to hospital.3 Improving the recognition of AKI in the community is a national priority, but the optimal strategy to achieve this is unclear. This horizon scanning article explores the potential for neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) to detect AKI and how this could translate to community settings.
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