Alerts
The latest important research summarised
Short summaries of the latest health research presented in plain English to promote use of research by all members of society.
Tranexamic acid should not be used for patients with severe gastrointestinal bleeding
A drug called tranexamic acid is used to control severe bleeding caused by injury or childbirth. Some doctors had also started using it to treat patients with severe gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, which is a common medical emergency. Evidence from small trials had suggested it could reduce deaths. The HALT-IT (Haemorrhage alleviation with tranexamic acid-Intestinal system) ...
With the right training, people with learning disabilities can become partners in research
A training course for students with learning disabilities succeeded in increasing their knowledge of research and their research skills. The course also increased their confidence and self-esteem. Several of the students went on to take up new work opportunities. The authors recommend that funding should be made available to help run more of these courses ...
Easy-read report: With the right training, people with learning disabilities can become partners in research
Easy-read report. The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is an organisation that funds others to do Health and Care research. In 2019 the National Institute for Health Research funded a training course for students with learning disabilities. The research taught students with learning disabilities how to research things and how to share what they ...
New research provides insights into the distress experienced by transgender adults
Transgender people have a mismatch between their sex assigned at birth and the gender they identify as. This can lead to sense of unease, dissatisfaction or distress (gender dysphoria) which can be intense. Social factors also cause negative feelings. Treatment at gender clinics is only available to those who have gender dysphoria. How gender dysphoria ...
More precise classification of risk in prostate cancer reveals a huge variation in treatment
A new study found a wide variation in how men with prostate cancer are managed in different hospitals. Current NICE guidelines recommend that prostate cancers are broadly classified into those at low, intermediate or high risk of spreading. A more precise system for classifying risk revealed that hospitals may have different approaches for managing men ...
Terminally ill patients and their families often need more help to manage their medicines
Terminally ill patients and their family caregivers often have to manage complex medication regimes in their homes. However, little is known about how healthcare professionals support them in this. This study examined healthcare professionals’ understanding of the experiences of patient and family caregivers when managing medicines in end of life care. The study suggests simple, ...
More health research should take place in the areas and populations with most disease
The numbers of patients who take part in health research varies across England. But overall, health research does not take place in areas where the burden of disease is highest. A new study found that areas with the highest burden of disease have the lowest numbers of patients taking part in research. This means that ...
Cultural and language barriers need to be addressed for British-Pakistani women to benefit fully from breast screening
British-Pakistani women may need help to overcome cultural and language barriers if they are to fully take part in the NHS breast screening programme. Breast screening uses an X-ray test called a mammogram to spot cancers when they are too small to see or feel. UK women aged 50 to 70 years receive an invitation ...
Community-based medicine collection improves access to lifesaving HIV treatment in South Africa
A programme in South Africa is successfully shifting the location of treatments for long term conditions from the clinic to the community. It is the largest programme of its kind in the world and a new study highlights the benefits to people living with HIV. The programme is called Centralised Chronic Medication Dispensing and Distribution ...
Parents-to-be need to be prepared for receiving uncertain results from genetic tests
Parents-to-be are offered a range of tests to predict whether their baby is likely to have certain health conditions. Many are keen to have these pre-natal tests for reassurance. But sometimes the results are unclear, leaving parents to deal with uncertainty. New types of genetic tests look in detail at the baby’s genetic material (the ...
NIHR is the nation's largest funder of health and care research and provides the people, facilities and technology that enables research to thrive. NIHR Evidence is managed by NIHR with a funding contribution from Health and Care Research Wales, Welsh Government.
- Follow us
