Estimates of the prevalence of co-morbid psychiatric problems in the learning disability population have varied greatly in the literature, often bedeviled by a lack of clarity around case definition. The Diagnostic Criteria for the identification of psychiatric disorders in people with learning disabilities (DC-LD) was developed by working groups of the Royal College of Psychiatry [read the full story…]
Have you ever had a painful shoulder? Did it get better on its own? I have a friend, not another Elf, who had bilateral frozen shoulders. It was a most functionally limiting and painful problem. Fortunately intra-articular steroid injections saved the day and made a huge difference to both pain and function. If you have [read the full story…]
Postnatal (or postpartum) depression is moderate to severe depression that affects women just after they have given birth. It’s a relatively common illness, affecting 7-15% of childbearing women. Suffering from depression in the first few weeks of motherhood can have a significant impact, not just on the health of the mother, but also on her [read the full story…]
Continuing with our London 2012 Olympic theme the British Institute of Radiology have produced an Olympic special feature looking at the impact and uses of imaging and radiology in sports medicine. The Olympic medical teams at London 2012 are involved in caring for elite athletes as they prepare for their chance at gold. The Musculoskeletal [read the full story…]
The Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment (SBU) systematic review of the Methods of Diagnosis and Treatment in Endodontics is now available in English, the original report in Swedish being published in 2010. The review aimed to address a number of specific questions:- How well can different diagnostic methods determine the condition of the pulp [read the full story…]
NICE has developed a series of case studies for GPs to help apply the recommendations from the Common mental health disorders guideline to practice. The case studies which are informed by clinical experience, include contributions from GPs, clinical psychologists and psychiatrists to help GPs when considering the range of treatments and approaches that are recommended [read the full story…]
More than 50% of dental practitioners are thought to use panoramic radiographs to screen their new adult patients. While the UK Faculty of General Dental Practitioners recommend the use of intra-oral radiographs for the assessment of the adult dentate patient for the presence of caries, periodontal bone loss and apical pathology. One of the aims [read the full story…]
The Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) payment framework enables commissioners to reward excellence by linking a proportion of providers’ income to the achievement of local quality improvement goals. The framework aims to embed quality within commissioner-provider discussions and to create a culture of continuous quality improvement, with stretching goals agreed in contracts on an [read the full story…]
Accurate diagnosis of the condition of the dental pulp has an important bearing on treatment planning. The aim of this review was to appraise the diagnostic accuracy of signs/symptoms and tests used to determine the condition of the pulp in teeth affected by deep caries, trauma or other types of injury. The authors searched PubMed, [read the full story…]
A multidisciplinary group of Dutch scientists have produced a guideline to help diagnose and treat medically unexplained physical symptoms (MUPS) and somatoform disorders (SD) in primary care, hospitals and occupational health settings. The guideline summarises the best available evidence and attempts to answer 4 key questions, for which the following findings are presented: 1. Preventive [read the full story…]
