AimsTo establish Safety Huddles (SH) on an acute general adult psychiatric ward, exploring links to restrictive practice. Additionally, to obtain multidisciplinary staff feedback on SH's impact on their workload/wellbeing and on patient care, and to identify barriers in implementation.Background: A SH is a multidisciplinary daily briefing focused on patients most at risk, held at a fixed time and place, lasting max 5-10 minutes. Effective SH involve agreed actions, are informed by multidisciplinary staff feedback of data and provide the opportunity to appreciate and celebrate success in reducing harm. SH are a valuable team building activity, promoting situational awareness and helping with prioritising daily tasks.MethodSH were introduced on September 2020. Templates were developed to prompt staff how to facilitate. Staff were encouraged to identify key goals and reflect on issues in the last and next 24 hours. Each participant was allocated a role, e.g. record keeping or dissemination of information. In December 2020, records of incidence of restrictive practice (numbers of restraints, seclusions and rapid tranquilisations) were obtained for the periods June-August 2020 and September-November 2020. Additionally, staff feedback was obtained through a short anonymous Survey Monkey questionnaire. It explored whether SH had an effect on patient care and staff's workload/wellbeing, and possible barriers to implementation.ResultComparing the two 3-month periods before and after SH implementation, restraint episodes were reduced from 47 to 21, seclusion episodes from 19 to 2, and rapid tranquilisation episodes from 10 to 3. Nine staff members responded to the feedback questionnaire. All believed SH had a positive impact on patient care, or had the potential to do so. Staff reported SH gave them insight into incidents, made them feel safer and prepared for the day, played a part in reducing restrictive practice, and empowered staff from all professional backgrounds by giving them a voice. Low or late participation, cancellation of SH because of clinical activity, and vague questions in the meeting template were identified as barriers in implementation.ConclusionAcute psychiatric wards regularly face challenges of high clinical activity, low staffing levels, bed pressures, and high-risk patient cohorts. SH contributed to reducing restrictive practice and creating a safer and more positive work environment. It is important to ensure SH are taking place daily, using an appropriate template to guide staff who may be new to facilitating. Accordingly, the impact on restrictive practice, patient care and staff wellbeing can be sustained long-term.
AimsTo suggest a link between sertraline and urinary side effects in a Sheffield Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service population.BackgroundEvidence suggests that Serotonin has an important role in bladder control through central and peripheral neurological pathways. Increased serotonergic activity leads to parasympathetic inhibition, which results in urine retention. It is through this mechanism of action and their effect on pre-synaptic serotonin 1A and peripheral 5-HT3 receptors that SSRIs were observed to have anti-enuretic effect. At low 5-HT concentrations, micturition is inhibited whereas at high levels, an excitatory effect is achieved. This may suggest a dose-dependent relationship between Sertraline and urinary side effects.MethodInclusion criteria:Under 18 years of ageOn SertralineReported urinary side effectsExclusion criteria:Above 18 yearsNot on SertralineAssociated urinary problemsDid not report urinary side effectsClinical records of eligible patients were accessed to gauge temporal relationship between initiation of sertraline and reported urinary side effects.ResultThree cases were identified in the authors’ clinical practice at Sheffield CAMHS that were suggestive of a link between sertraline and urinary side effects.ConclusionIt's important for clinicians to bear in mind the genitourinary side effects of SSRIs, which may be debilitating for patients in the CAMHS population. It's equally important for us as clinicians to educate young people and their parents about these potential side effects and how they can be managed. It has also been observed that higher doses of Sertraline have shown a possible link between onset of urinary side effects.
AimsThe following project explores where Wathwood Hospital stands in provision of services to its elderly patients.BackgroundThe only dedicated forensic medium secure unit for elderly offenders in England is the St. Andrews medium secure unit in Northampton with only 17 beds. Due to the limited beds, other units must accommodate elderly patients, which raises the question whether these units can provide the appropriate services for this very vulnerable population.MethodInclusion Criteria:Male>55 years of ageAdmitted from 2012 onwards (from when database was maintained)Data were gathered using patient electronic records including index offence, mental disorder, physical health comorbidities and discharge destinations. Patient identifiable data were anonymized to protect their identities.A staff survey was also conducted to find their perspective on managing elderly patients and whether Wathwood Hospital had the appropriate resources for elderly offenders in their area of work.ResultA total of 220 referrals were searched with only 9 patients >55 years. Index offenses, mental disorder diagnoses, physical comorbidities including cognitive assessments in the form of memory tests and brain imaging were also collated for identified patients from electronic patient records.Index offences included violence against person, arson, homicide, robbery, threatening behaviour and dangerous driving and affray. Diagnoses included learning disability, delusional disorder, paranoid schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder, alcohol dependence, personality disorder and depressive disorder.Patients had multiple comorbidities such as diabetes, COPD, hypertension, coronary artery disease and musculoskeletal problems. Out of the nine admitted patients, only six had an ACE with an average score of 70.83. Five patients had brain imaging, with two normal results and the others showing some degree of atrophy and ischemic changes.Discharge destinations included medium secure units, low secure unit and prison. One patient unfortunately died during admission and four are still inpatients.A staff survey conducted showed their perspective on the challenges in managing elderly patients and whether Wathwood Hospital had the appropriate resources for them to work with elderly offenders in their area of work. All results will be explained through tables and graphs.ConclusionIt's evident that there are challenges in managing elderly patients in units not specifically designed to manage them. This is also due to the lack of geriatric training and resources available to allied health care professionals to carry out their respective work. It's therefore crucial we formulate more inclusive strategies to address these challenges.
Multifocal tuberculosis is characterized by the presence of large multifocal tuberculosis areas in the same or different adjacent or distant organs. Primary lesions are usually in the lungs in the majority of patients. Difficulty in confirming multifocal tuberculosis and consideration of other diseases may lead to a delay in diagnosis and thus in initiating treatment. Bone and joint involvement in tuberculosis is uncommon. While osteoarticular tuberculosis most commonly occurs in the vertebral column, less frequently affected sites are hip, knee, and sacroiliac joints. The following is a fascinating case of open pulmonary tuberculosis associated with extensive extra-pulmonary multifocal tuberculosis.
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