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The SPRAINED model may improve prediction of people who are at risk of delayed recovery from ankle sprain. This model was developed in the UK using clinical information from 584 adults with ankle injuries. The model was validated using observational data from 682 people with ankle sprains across 10 different UK emergency departments. Delayed recovery ...

The Low Emission Zone covering much of Greater London was introduced between 2008 and 2012 to improve air quality. Some measures of air pollution have slightly reduced over that time, but measures of children’s respiratory health and lung development have not significantly improved. This NIHR funded study assessed over 2,000 primary school children during the ...

Antidepressants are likely to provide more than a placebo effect for those with symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Antidepressants improve symptoms in about 60% of those taking them, but two-thirds of that effect may be due to placebo. Psychological therapies, such as talking therapies also appear effective in about half of those offered them but ...

Opening blood donation centres on weekday evenings and at weekends is a cost-effective way of increasing the blood supply used by hospitals in the UK. Allowing donors to give blood more often could increase supplies in the short term, but it isn’t clear if it would be cost-effective in the long-term. This NIHR-funded modelling study ...

For women having their first baby with an epidural and/or spinal anaesthetic for pain-relief, the timing of pushing after full dilatation of the cervix does not affect the numbers that achieve normal vaginal delivery. The best management for the second stage of labour is still debated. In the UK epidurals are by far the most ...

The antidepressant fluoxetine works no better than placebo to reduce disability after a stroke, lowering hopes that had been raised by other smaller studies. After a six month trial including more than 3,000 adult stroke patients recruited at 103 UK hospitals, researchers concluded that fluoxetine should not be used to promote recovery from stroke-related disability, ...

For adults with psychosis, such as schizophrenia, who are taking antipsychotic medication, a carefully designed 12-month group diet and exercise programme did not lead to clinically important weight loss after 12 months. The programme was compared with those receiving usual care including written lifestyle advice. Intervention and usual care groups each lost half a kilo ...

Decontamination strategies to remove potentially harmful bacteria from the mouth, throat and gut of critically ill patients don’t reduce the risk of intensive care unit-acquired bloodstream infections or deaths from bacteria that were resistant to antibiotics. The study was carried out in 13 intensive care units across Europe, including the UK, with moderate to high ...

A five-day educational course showed potential to reduce work-based stress and burnout among nurses working in intensive care units in France. The study conducted in multiple adult intensive care units aimed to identify the effects of an intensive, continuing medical education program on occupational stress. The course focussed on nursing theory, role-play and debriefing sessions. ...

Regular participation in structured organisation-wide forums, known as Schwartz Center Rounds®, helps support healthcare staff. The forums are linked with increased empathy and compassion for colleagues and patients, and they facilitate practice change. Levels of poor psychological well-being decrease in forum attendees compared with non-attendees. Originating in the US, these forums provide the opportunity for ...