Intrathecal Baclofen Therapy (IBT) is used in the management of severe spasticity in the body which cannot be adequately treated by oral means. The treatment is administered through an implantable infusion system, introduced into the space under the arachnoid membrane of the brain or spinal cord. This study set out to explore the impact of [read the full story…]
This Canadian review set out to update guidelines related to primary care of people with learning disabilities. The terms developmental disabilities is used in Canada but is equivalent to the use of the term learning disabilities in the UK. Estimates of the prevalence of learning disabilities in Canada vary from 1% to 3% of Canadians. [read the full story…]
People with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) are some of the most excluded in society. The recent guidance from the Department of Health (Raising our sights) suggested that services could do much better in involving people with PMLD in decision making. The Involve Me project (a partnership between the Renton Foundation, Mencap and BILD) [read the full story…]
David Flory, Deputy NHS Chief Executive, issued a letter today which provides information on plans for Payment by Results (PbR) in 2012-13. These plans include an expansion in the scope of PbR into areas such as adult mental health, and a further increase in the coverage of best practice tariffs. He also highlights the publication [read the full story…]
Around 1% of the population have autism. There are a number of treatments available for the condition, including learning and development techniques, as well as medical interventions. However, there is little consensus about which drug treatments are most effective. A team of researchers from Nashville have recently published two systematic reviews in the Pediatrics journal, [read the full story…]
The Department of Health has commissioned the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) to produce two reports on adult safeguarding: 1. Governance of adult safeguarding The research for this report explored the governance arrangements for safeguarding adults. Drawing on a systematic review of the literature, workshops attended by safeguarding specialists, a survey of Safeguarding Adults [read the full story…]
Whilst there is a developing literature relating to attitudes to sexuality in people with learning disabilities, there is very little in the published literature about their reproductive health. The researchers in this study set out to look at the attitudes of caregivers and to look in more detail at what things determine gynaecological health in [read the full story…]
There continue to be difficulties in agreeing on the numbers of people with learning disabilities in the offender population. Estimates range from 2% to 10%. The author of this review set out to look at recent research in the field which includes work on prevalence, developments in appropriate assessments and investigations into the effectiveness of [read the full story…]
The latest critical summary from the ADA Centre for Evidence-based dentistry looks at a systematic review and meta-analysis of obstetric outcomes after periodontal treatment that was first published in 2010 in the British Medical Journal. A number of studies have associated periodontal disease with adverse obstetric outcomes ( pre term, low birth weight,etc) The aim [read the full story…]
This week’s British Medical Journal features a review of depression in later life. The authors bring together recent systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and randomised controlled trials to summarise best current knowledge about the diagnosis and management of patients who develop depression in later life. The review addresses the following questions: What is late life depression and [read the full story…]
