AIM To evaluate the long-term utilisation of strategic communication as a factor of importance when changing work practices among primary care staff. BACKGROUND In many health care organisations, there is a gap between theory and practice. This gap hinders the provision of optimal evidence-based practice and, in the long term, is unfavourable for patient care. One way of overcoming this barri...

Low back pain is a major physical and socioeconomic problem. A significant percentage is attributable to internal disc disruption (IDD). The management of IDD has been limited to conservative treatment or to operative treatment. Intradiscal electrothermal therapy (IDET) is a new minimal-invasive therapy. In carefully selected patients, it could be an effective treatment alternative. Further stu...

ABSTRACT: Rock support is the basis of any underground mine and many open cut operations. Ground support methods have evolved over the years with the current trend to use bolts, mesh and shotcrete. Thin spray-on liners may be the next step replacing mesh and shotcrete, however being a relatively new product is not well understood and no standard testing procedures exist to determine the strengt...

Despite increases in nondaily smoking among young adults, no prior research has aimed to develop and test an intervention targeting this group. Thus, we aimed to develop and test the feasibility, acceptability, and potential effectiveness of an online intervention targeting college student nondaily smokers. We conducted a one-arm feasibility and acceptability trial of a four-week online interve...

AIMS A survey was undertaken to assess the effectiveness of an integrated approach to the provision of low visual aids (LVAs) in south Devon over a 2 year follow up period. This integrated approach includes the assessment of patient needs by low vision therapists, followed by the provision of suitable LVAs, with particular emphasis on training in their use. METHODS A total of 125 patients wer...

The ability to consolidate procedural memories declines with increasing age. Prior knowledge enhances learning and memory consolidation of novel but related information in various domains. Here, we present evidence that prior motor experience-in our case piano skills-increases procedural learning and has a protective effect against age-related decline for the consolidation of novel but related ...

AIMS To identify any association between sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) and maltreatment within local families. METHODS Retrospective enquiry and subsequent follow up of all siblings and later births within the families. Full investigation of the circumstances of all unexpected deaths. SETTING Scarborough and Bridlington Health Districts and Trusts, North and East Yorkshire. SU...

INTRODUCTION This study is part of a longitudinal cohort undertaken in both women and men to describe live birth outcome after undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment in a clinical setting. Another objective was to follow women and men living with children from other alternatives after ART, such as adoption. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 439 (80.5%) women and 423 (77.6%)...

OBJECTIVE To analyse the relative risk (RR) of mortality for people who reported poor health or had low educational level. SETTING Sweden. DESIGN A random sample of 39156 people was interviewed face to face by Statistics Sweden from 1979-85. The dependent variable was total mortality. Independent variables were sex, age, marital status, and socioeconomic position, defined as educational lev...

SETTING Thyolo District Hospital, rural Malawi. OBJECTIVES In a prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) programme, to determine: the acceptability of offering 'opt-out' voluntary counselling and HIV-testing (VCT); the progressive loss to follow up of HIV-positive mothers during the antenatal period, at delivery and to the 6-month postnatal visit; and the proportion of missed de...