Short summaries of the latest health research presented in plain English to promote use of research by all members of society.
Common misconceptions about eczema can get in the way of effective treatment. People with eczema are often worried about using treatment creams prescribed by their doctor, particularly those containing corticosteroids. Young people may not view their condition as long term, which can lead to disappointment if it does not disappear when they get older. Researchers ...
Many care homes are struggling to implement a tool designed to help them better meet the needs of people with dementia. New research suggests that care home managers need to be supported, trained and engaged when such tools are introduced into care homes. The tool, called Dementia Care Mapping (DCM), aims to improve practices in ...
A common surgical approach used for hip replacements carries higher risks of worse outcomes and should not be routinely adopted by trainee surgeons, a new analysis suggests. The study found significantly worse outcomes associated with so-called lateral procedures to the hip joint, in which surgeons access the hip by detaching muscle from the side of ...
People with dementia from ethnic minority backgrounds face inequalities in diagnosis and access to care, compared with White British patients. A large study in South East London found that at the time of diagnosis, overall, they are more likely to be on multiple medications, but less likely to be taking antidepressants. Some groups face problems ...
Children with an aggressive cancer of the lymphatic system may benefit from a new treatment regime. New findings from an international trial show that adding a drug called rituximab to standard doses of chemotherapy significantly improves young people’s survival. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a cancer that develops in the lymphatic system, a network of vessels and ...
Stroke is a medical emergency that often results in serious disability. A drug treatment called thrombolysis improves the chance of recovery in some patients but can only be given in hospital in the first few hours after a stroke. A coordinated emergency response involving ambulance and hospital services is needed to identify the patients who ...
An evidence-based programme for care home residents living with dementia improved their quality of life and reduced agitation and other symptoms of dementia. A major study across the UK found that the Well-being and Health for People Living with Dementia (WHELD) programme was effective and cost less to deliver than usual care. The WHELD programme ...
Falls among residents in UK care homes are commonplace. A new study examined whether multiple medications and drugs that act on the brain may contribute to the risk. The research, which included 84 UK care homes, found that residents taking multiple medicines had an increased risk of falling. Risk was also increased with a regular ...
Young adult carers are more likely to be unemployed, to have lower earnings from paid work, and to have worse physical and mental health than other young people. A major study found that these negative effects on young carers aged 16-25 years, also cost the UK economy one billion pounds every year. The study is ...
Being prescribed many medicines places a huge, often hidden, burden on older people in the community and on their families or carers. This affects whether older people take medicines incorrectly or not at all, which puts them at risk of harm and wastes medicine. The MEMORABLE (Medication Management in Older people: Realist Approaches Based on ...