Introduction The complexity of the care provided for critically ill patients frequently leads to medical errors with potential harm. To improve standards of care, each incident should be recorded, reported and discussed within the team. The reporting system highlights where errors were made and what lessons can be learnt from such incidents. These are commonly reported as “critical incidents” o...

GREAT BRITAIN Year Men Women Total 1901 ... 1,071,519 ... 1,336,907 ... 2,408,426 1939 ... 2,511,200 ... 3,197,400 ... 5,708,60

SUMMARY A consecutive series of 106 upper gastrointestinal endos-copies on a general surgical firm is reviewed. Early endoscopy provided a diagnosis in 86% of patients with Gl bleeds. In patients with a firm radiological diagnosis of duodenal ulcer or gastro-oesophageal reflux, endos

A questionnaire was distributed to staff members of a 28-bed general hospital psychiatry unit to determine and compare staff perceptions of the value of psychotherapies and the role of the disciplines in conducting treatments. Marked interdisciplinary differences were reported in attitudes toward the use of psychopharmacologic agents, the importance of diagnostic evaluation, the value of psycho...

BACKGROUND Emergency medical admissions to UK hospitals have been increasing steadily over the past few decades and there are likely to be a proportion of these admissions that are avoidable. This evaluation aims to demonstrate whether a general practitioner support unit (GPSU) reduces general practitioner (GP) referred emergency medical admissions to an acute hospital. METHODS The GPSU compr...

The Susan Britton Wills Unit at the Bristol General Hospital is a small and busy multidisciplinary psychiatric unit, providing a wide range of in-patient, out-patient and day-patient services for the residents of Bristol Health District.