After removal of all US evidence of breast masses with a VAB device, there was a substantial probability that residual lesion that was not visualized during the procedure would later be found at surgery or follow-up imaging. A palpable mass (< or =1.2 cm in mean diameter) was eliminated in 88% of cases, and patient tolerance and perceptions of the procedure were favorable.

Women undergoing stereotactic core breast biopsy received no significant benefit from therapeutic touch administered during the procedure. Therapeutic touch cannot be routinely recommended for patients in this setting.

Following a series of successful role-emerging placements for occupational therapy students at the University of the West of England (UWE), a Bristol emergency accommodation provider secured funding for two full-time occupational therapists to provide input to 11 of its hostels. Senior occupational therapy lecturers from UWE were engaged to provide professional supervision and to evaluate an Occupational Intervention Service (OTIS) (Fieldhouse et al 2011).Initial aims were to increase the percentage of vulnerable people progressing towards independent living from emergency accommodation and to improve service user involvement within hostels, focusing on those residents who were hardest to engage. Service users who were assessed using the Model of Human Occupation Screening Tool (MOHOST) (Parkinson et al 2006) demonstrated some improvement across a range of areas that included motivation for occupation, structuring time, life skills and engagement with their environment. Over 7 months OTIS provided an individual service for 16 residents and made a further 542 contacts through group work. Professional supervisionLong-arm (off-site) supervision was provided every 2 weeks by a UWE senior occupational therapy lecturer. Supporting this supervisory relationship, two additional senior lecturers acted as a reflecting team. This is a widely used method for adopting an observational, meta-position in relation to project work, which can help maintain an appreciative, or solution-focused approach (Hornstrup and Johansen 2009). This was felt to be essential in breaking new ground in using OTIS. Critical reflection on practiceThe efficacy of occupational therapy Certain features of occupational therapy were felt to be particularly advantageous in working with this service user group and were thus consciously

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