BACKGROUND The prevalence of tobacco smoking among homeless people can reach more than 90%, with related morbidity and mortality being high. However, research in this area is scarce. This study aims to explore smoking and quitting related behaviours, experiences and knowledge in homeless smokers in the context of other substance abuse. METHODS Face-to-face interviews were conducted with homel...

BACKGROUND Patient-provider communication is a major challenge in resource-limited settings with large catchment areas. Though mobile phone usership increased 20-fold in Africa over the past decade, little is known about acceptability of, perceptions about disclosure and confidentiality, and preferences for cell phone communication of health information in the region. METHODS We performed str...

SUMMARY Teamwork and collaboration between all health professionals results in high quality clinical care, and increased job satisfaction for staff. Encouraging inter-professional learning (IPL) may be advantageous in developing more effective teams. There is little rigorous research in this area, but many small uncontrolled studies do demonstrate positive results. IPL involves structured learn...

Empowerment is a process whereby people achieve mastery over their lives, acquiring knowledge to make decisions about their health. Chronic diseases are increasingly common in the health service, requiring the attention of health professionals and empowering those affected by them. The scope of this study was to analyze the perceptions of users with chronic diseases and monitored by the Family ...

The publication of Charles Murray’s (1984) book Losing Ground has rekindled interest in the role ofgovernment in promoting economic equality using redistributive tax and expenditure programs. Murray concludes that spending on poverty programs may well have increased the number of poor people and that eliminating many of these programs might be a better antipoverty strategy. These conclusions re...

Many individuals with stroke experience difficulty resuming their pre-injury lifestyle, that which may lead to feelings of discouragement, shame, and self-criticism. Self-criticism has been associated with heightened risk of depression and anxiety. Therefore, managing self-criticism may be a key component in psychotherapeutic interventions; however, this is yet to be evaluated in the context of...

European governments are struggling with the biggest refugee crisis since World War II, but there exists little evidence regarding how the management of the asylum process affects the subsequent integration of refugees in the host country. We provide new causal evidence about how one central policy parameter, the length of time that refugees wait in limbo for a decision on their asylum claim, a...

PURPOSE To assess the impact of social factors on the quality of life of Bulgarian patients with refractory epilepsy. CASE REPORT We have studied 70 patients with refractory epilepsy (RE) and 70 patients with pharmacosensitive epilepsy. All of them were between 18 and 65 years of age, without cognitive decline, progressive somatic or neurological disease or recent seizures. All participants w...

Most of the Western World banned the cultivation of Cannabis sativa in the early 20th century because biotypes high in ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the principal intoxicant cannabinoid) are the source of marijuana. Nevertheless, since 1990, dozens of countries have authorized the licensed growth and processing of “industrial hemp” (cultivars with quite low levels of THC). Canada has concentrat...

PURPOSE To determine why, despite growing evidence that radiologists and referring physicians prefer structured reporting (SR) to free text (FT) reporting, SR has not been widely adopted in most radiology departments. METHODS A focus group was formed consisting of 11 radiology professionals from eight countries. Eight topics were submitted for discussion. The meeting was videotaped, transcrib...