Efficacité a court et moyen termes des traitements d'urgence-crise pour couples et families: résultats et perspectives [Short and medium-term effectiveness of the emergency-crisis treatments for couples and families: results and perspectives].

From 2007 to 2010, the emergency-crisis unit of the Couple and Family Consultation Unit -UCCF (West Psychiatric Service, Prangins Psychiatric Hospital, Psychiatric Department of CHUV) has carried out a research about the relevance and usefulness of emergency-crisis, systemic-oriented treatments, for deeply distressed couples and families. Besides epidemiologic data, we present results demonstrating the efficiency of those treatments, both at short-term and at a one year's range. The global impact of such treatments in terms of public health, but also economical issues, make us believe that they should be fully included in the new trend of psychiatric ambulatory care, into the social net.

Re: Cost effectiveness of strategies to combat cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and tobacco use in sub-Saharan Africa and South East Asia: mathematical modelling study.

Rapid response to: Ortegón M, Lim S, Chisholm D, Mendis S. Cost effectiveness of strategies to combat cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and tobacco use in sub-Saharan Africa and South East Asia: mathematical modelling study. BMJ. 2012 Mar 2;344:e607. doi: 10.1136/bmj.e607. PMID: 22389337.

Teacher training in "multicultural" Sweden

This paper builds on the experience of the on-going, mainly ethnographic, research project called Teacher training in’ multicultural’ Sweden. Class, gender and ethnicity. In this multi-disciplinary project a number of scholars conduct research through participant observation in, and through the study and analysis of documents from, a number of teacher training colleges in Sweden. In this paper I will use empirical material gathered from two teacher training colleges to discuss this basic issue. One college is situated in a suburb outside Stockholm and it consciously portrays itself as a college for ‘multicultural’ students who will later teach in ‘multicultural’ suburbs. The other college is situated in a small town and although ‘multiculturalism’ is seen as important in the educational system students with mainly ‘Swedish’ background are recruited. In the first college ‘differences’ are lauded and students are encouraged to ponder upon and develop their ethnic profile. In the second ‘similarities’ are more taken for granted. I will argue, however, that within these colleges ‘differences’ and ’similarities’ are not only discussed but actually created against a backdrop of macro-constraints which are not much scrutinized within these colleges.

Effectiveness Evaluation: Health and Social Care

Effectiveness Evaluation: Health and Social Care

Young and Old - Teacher's Guide: Promoting a Positive Attitude to Ageing and Older People

Young and Old has been specifically designed for use in the context of the new Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) curriculum. It covers seven different themes on ageing and older people at each of the four levels in primary school and includes different strategies for active learning which are used to explore facts, figures, and attitudes. There are also exercises designed to stimulate classroom discussion and activities to encourage contact and communication between children and older people Download the Report here

Review of the effectiveness of caps on indemnity cover for doctors in private practice

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Value for Money Report - The Efficiency and Effectiveness of Long-Stay Residential Care for Adults within the Mental Health Services

Value for Money Report – The Efficiency and Effectiveness of Long-Stay Residential Care for Adults within the Mental Health Services Executive Summary and Contents PDF 164kb Chapters 1 and 2 – Introduction and Service Objectives PDF 504kb Chapter 3 plus annexes – Service Effectiveness and Efficiency PDF 3.7mb Chapter 4 – Service Resources PDF 2.4mb Chapters 5, 6 and 7 – Future Funding and Alternative Approaches, Key Performance Indicators, Conclusions and Recommendations PDF 2.4mb Appendices 1 to 6

Report On Public Consultation: Efficiency And Effectiveness Of Disability Services In Ireland

Report On Public Consultation: Efficiency And Effectiveness Of Disability Services In Ireland Click here to download PDF 1.67MB Other Relevant Documents: Click here to download Appendix A PDF 1.06MB Click here to download Summary of Key Proposals from The Review of Disability Policy PDF 250KB

National Clinical Effectiveness Committee (NCEC) Annual Report 2013

This first Annual Report of the NCEC outlines the activity of NCEC and provides information on the development for the first time in Ireland processes for prioritisation and quality assurance of National Clinical Guidelines. The Annual Report sets the agenda for NCEC going forward in line with its terms of reference. Of note two National Clinical Guidelines were quality assured by NCEC and endorsed by the Minister for Health in 2013. These are National Clinical Guideline No. 1 – National Early Warning Score and National Clinical Guideline No. 2 – Prevention and Control Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The implementation of National Clinical Guidelines is a significant patient quality and safety initiative and will improve health outcomes for patients, reduce variation in practice and improve the quality of clinical decisions. Quality assured National Clinical Guidelines will help to further improve the quality, safety and cost effectiveness of healthcare across Ireland. Download the Report  

Assessing The Effectiveness of HACCP Implementation and Maintenance

The primary objective of the study was to assess the effectiveness with which HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) has been implemented and maintained in food manufacturing plants in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Where inadequacies in implementation or maintenance of the HACCP system were highlighted the study sought to identify the contributory factors, with a view to making specific recommendations to overcome these limitations.

Rapid Diagnostic Test-Based Management of Malaria: An Effectiveness Study in Papua New Guinean Infants With Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax Malaria.

Background. In malaria-endemic areas it is recommended that febrile children be tested for malaria by rapid diagnostic test (RDT) or blood slide (BS) and receive effective malaria treatment only if results are positive. However, RDTs are known to perform less well for Plasmodium vivax. We evaluated the safety of withholding antimalarial drugs from young Papua New Guinean children with negative RDT results in areas with high levels of both Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax infections. Methods. longitudinal prospective study of children aged 3-27 months visiting outpatient clinics for fever. RDT was administered at first visit. RDT and microscopy were performed if children returned because of persistent symptoms. Outcomes were rates of reattendance and occurrence of severe illnesses. Results. Of 5670 febrile episodes, 3942 (70%) involved a negative RDT result. In 133 cases (3.4%), the children reattended the clinic within 7 days for fever, of whom 29 (0.7%) were parasitemic by RDT or microscopy. Of children who reattended, 24 (0.7%) presented with a severe illness: 2 had lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) with low-density P. vivax on BS; 2 received a diagnosis of P. vivax malaria on the basis of RDT but BSs were negative; 16 had LRTIs; 3 had alternative diagnoses. Of these 24, 22 were cured at day 28. Two children died of illnesses other than malaria and were RDT and BS negative at the initial and subsequent visits. Conclusion. Treatment for malaria based on RDT results is safe and feasible even in infants living in areas with moderate to high endemicity for both P. falciparum and P. vivax infections.

Effectiveness of brief alcohol interventions in primary care populations.

Excessive drinking contributes significantly to social problems, physical and psychological illness, injury and death. Hidden effects include increased levels of violence, accidents and suicide. Most alcohol-related harm is caused by excessive drinkers whose consumption exceeds recommended drinking levels, not the drinkers with severe alcohol dependency problems. One way to reduce consumption levels in a community may be to provide a brief intervention in primary care over one to four sessions. This is provided by healthcare workers such as general physicians, nurses or psychologists. In general practice, patients are routinely asked about alcohol consumption during registration, general health checks and as part of health screening (using a questionnaire). They tend not to be seeking help for alcohol problems when presenting. The intervention they are offered includes feedback on alcohol use and harms, identification of high risk situations for drinking and coping strategies, increased motivation and the development of a personal plan to reduce drinking. It takes place within the time-frame of a standard consultation, 5 to 15 minutes for a general physician, longer for a nurse.A total of 29 controlled trials from various countries were identified, in general practice (24 trials) or an emergency setting (five trials). Participants drank an average of 306 grams of alcohol (over 30 standard drinks) per week on entry to the trial. Over 7000 participants with a mean age of 43 years were randomised to receive a brief intervention or a control intervention, including assessment only. After one year or more, people who received the brief intervention drank less alcohol than people in the control group (average difference 38 grams/week, range 23 to 54 grams). For men (some 70% of participants), the benefit of brief intervention was a difference of 57 grams/week, range 25 to 89 grams (six trials). The benefit was not clear for women. The benefits of brief intervention were similar in the normal clinical setting and in research settings with greater resources. Longer counselling had little additional benefit.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

The effectiveness of brief alcohol interventions in primary care settings: A systematic review

Numerous studies have reported that brief interventions delivered in primary care are effective in reducing excessive drinking. However, much of this work has been criticised for being clinically unrepresentative. This review aimed to assess the effectiveness of brief interventions in primary care and determine if outcomes differ between efficacy and effectiveness trials. Approach. A pre-specified search strategy was used to search all relevant electronic databases up to 2006. The authors also hand-searched the reference lists of key articles and reviews. They included randomised controlled trials (RCT) involving patients in primary care who were not seeking alcohol treatment and who received brief intervention. Two authors independently abstracted data and assessed trial quality. Random effects meta-analyses, subgroup and sensitivity analyses and meta-regression were conducted.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

Low-income Groups and Behaviour Change Interventions: A review of intervention content and effectiveness

This is the second paper in a series, Kicking Bad Habits, on how people can be encouraged to adopt healthy behaviour. Looking at interventions targeted specifically at low-income groups, this paper asks which interventions are effective in getting people to quit smoking, eat healthily and exercise. It reveals that the most frequently used techniques are providing information and encouraging people to set goals, which can be particularly effective at changing behaviour in disadvantaged groups.