Children best placed to explain facts of surgery to patients, say experts

Medical Devices & Surgical Technology Week; Atlanta [Atlanta]31 Dec 2017: 90.
Research shows that patients who are given clear information about their test, operation or care are less anxious and more satisfied with their care.

Patient information leaflets are a popular way to support verbal discussion with a health professional, particularly where consent is needed. However, the average reading age in the UK is 9 years, and some studies indicate that the average readability (a measure of how easy a piece of text is to read) needed for patient information leaflets is beyond 9 years.

So Dr Catrin Wigley at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust and colleagues assessed the average readability of six NHS patient information leaflets for hip replacement surgery (total hip arthroplasty) and found an average readability score of 17 - well above a reading age of 9 years.

They then recruited 57 school children aged 8-10 at a local primary school to help revise the content.

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) in pregnancy and newborn babies

This RCOG patient information leaflet provides advice for women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant about Group B Streptococcus (GBS) infection in newborn babies.

Santa's little helpers: a novel approach to developing patient information leaflets

BMJ (Clinical research ed.) Vol. 359,  (December 13, 2017): j5565. 

Obtaining valid consent before any intervention is a legal and ethical principle that underpins patient autonomy. For consent to be valid, the patient must have received sufficient information and understood the nature and purpose of the procedure. Emphasis is placed on providing information in a variety of formats that is comprehensible and free from technical jargon, which the average patient cannot reasonably be expected to understand.

One solution to increasing patient understanding and capacity for self determination is using patient information leaflets. Time constraints on clinicians and the growing importance of providing patient information have made patient leaflets a popular adjunct to verbal communication, particularly where consent is required. Studies have shown that patient satisfaction correlates strongly with the amount of information received

UHCW Research: Catrin Wigley

New materials on prevention and diagnosis of FASD

The National Organisation for Foetal Alcohol Syndrome-UK (NOFAS-UK) has launched new materials designed to increase awareness about the risk of prenatal exposure to alcohol. The new materials include posters and a pre-release version of a booklet, which explains how to identify possible cases of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD).

Accessible Information Standard – Overview 2017/2018

This document from NHS England provides an overview of the Accessible Information Standard for patients, service users, carers and parents.

Sexual Orientation Monitoring: Full Specification

This Standard provides the mechanism for recording the sexual orientation of all patients/service users aged 16 years and over across all health services and Local Authorities with responsibilities for Adult social care in England in all service areas where it may be relevant to record this data.

CSP launches video to demonstrate six simple exercises to stop falls

A new CSP animated video demonstrates how six simple exercises can keep people mobile and independent as they age.

The animation shows how the six exercises – widely used by physiotherapists – can reverse this trend, strengthen muscles and improve balance. While the animation is targeted at the general public, particularly those aged 55 and over, it is also designed to be used by physiotherapists and other health professionals working with older patients.

How specialised services are transforming care

NHS England has launched a new animation about its specialised services.

The animation aims to build a greater understanding with patients and the public, clinicians and other stakeholders about the specialised services that NHS England commissions. The animation is supported by a brochure which explains in more detail about how specialised services are delivering cutting-edge car

College of Optometrists launches videos for National Eye Health Week

As part of National Eye Health Week (18-24 September), the College of Optometrists has launched a series of educational videos that explain some of the most common eye conditions experienced by patients.

The videos detail the signs to look out for and treatments for a range of conditions including glaucoma, cataract, amblyopia and dry eye.

Asthma action plans for HCPs working with non-English speakers

Asthma UK has responded to requests for non-English asthma action plans from healthcare professionals, pointing to the need for more health information in translation to help patients from ethnic minority populations to manage their asthma more effectively.

Action needed to prevent confusion over medicines

Only about a third (37%) of the public trust evidence from medical research, compared to approximately two-thirds (65%) who trust the experiences of their friends and family, according to the Enhancing the use of scientific evidence report launched by the Academy of Medical Sciences.

A physiotherapist has produced a competition-winning YouTube video, which explains the findings of a review of research on using exercise for depression.

Cynthia Srikesavan, a post-doctoral research assistant in physiotherapy at the University of Oxford, created the video in response to a contest run by Cochrane UK, a not-for-profit organisation that produces independent and accessible health information.

The competition challenged health professionals to create a resource that could share the findings a Cochrane review, relevant to their practice, with their peers and colleagues.

Dr Srikesavan told Frontline: ‘I chose a 2013 review on exercise for depression, because I think it’s a very relevant topic for physiotherapists.

The video highlights the review’s conclusion that there is no high quality evidence to recommend exercise as a standalone intervention or one that can replace anti-depressants or psychological therapies for adults with depression.

Perfect Patient Information Journey

The Patient Information Forum has published Perfect patient information journey: phase 1 summary report. This is the report from phase one of a project aimed at creating a model pathway to support the ‘perfect patient information journey’ for people with long-term conditions. This phase involved conducting research on previous efforts to embed information into patient pathways, as well as talking to patients, healthcare professionals and commissioners, to identify key themes related to the provision of high quality information.

Do medical images aid understanding and recall of medical information? An experimental study comparing the experience of viewing no image, a 2D medical image and a 3D medical image alongside a diagnosis

Patient Education & Counseling (PATIENT EDUC COUNS), Jun2017; 100(6): 1120-1127. (8p)

This study compared the experience of viewing 3D medical images, 2D medical images and no image presented alongside a diagnosis.

When presented alongside a diagnosis, medical images may aid patient understanding, recall and trust in medical information.Practical Considerations: Medical images may be a powerful resource for patients that could be utilised by clinicians during consultations.

UHCW Research: Wellings, Richard, Hutchinson, Charles

Confidentiality: good practice in handling patient information

This guidance sets out the principles of confidentiality and respect for patients’ privacy that all doctors are expected to understand and follow. It also sets out the responsibilities of doctors for managing and protecting patient information.

• Guidance

NHS to notify heart surgery patients of small risk of infection caused by heater cooler units

The NHS is taking the precautionary step of writing to patients who have had certain types of open heart surgery to inform them that they may have a low risk of having contracted an infection caused by Mycobacterium chimaera (M. chimaera).

Enhanced patient education improves bowel preparation before colonoscopy

People who are given extra information about preparing for their colonoscopy are likely to have clearer bowels before the procedure, meaning it is more likely to be successful. About a quarter of people currently having colonoscopy are poorly prepared and this prevents a good view of the whole bowel. Better preparation allows more accurate diagnoses, shorter procedures and fewer repeat procedures. This could lower costs.

From the NIHR Dissemination Centre

Contraception, autism and breast cancer

Answer to the question, What would be the best contraception to advise a 15 year old autistic girl with a strong family history of breast cancer to use?, posted to the RCOG Query Bank.

Group education linked to a lower chance of diabetes, for those who stick with the course

People at high risk of type 2 diabetes, who attend all three sessions of a diabetes prevention programme, are about 88% less likely to get diabetes than those who received leaflets only. But the people at highest risk may also be those least likely to start or complete the programme. If confirmed in practice, the programme could delay diabetes in about 4% of those who attend all sessions.

From the NIHR Dissemination Centre

Have your say on the Accessible Information Standard review

As the Accessible Information Standard review is launched, NHS England calls on people to share their experiences:

Since 1 August 2016, all organisations that provide NHS care and / or publicly-funded adult social care must follow the Accessible Information Standard in full.

This means that patients, service users and carers should receive information in a format they can access and understand, for example in braille, easy read, audio or via email, and communication support if they need it – for example, a British Sign Language interpreter at appointments.

Now that the deadline for compliance with the Standard has passed, NHS England is undertaking a review of it, to assess the impact and to ensure that it is ‘fit for purpose’.