Psychiatrists' attitudes and knowledge about antipsychotic long-acting injections (LAIs) are important given the increasing emphasis on patient choice in treatment and the availability of second-generation antipsychotic (SGA) LAIs. A cross-sectional study of consultant psychiatrists' attitudes and knowledge in North West England was carried out. A pre-existing questionnaire on clinicians' attitudes and knowledge regarding LAIs was updated. Of 102 participants, 50% reported a decrease in their use of LAIs. LAI prescribing was evenly split between first-generation antipsychotic (FGA) and SGA-LAIs. Most regarded LAIs as associated with better adherence (89%) than tablets. A substantial proportion believed that LAIs could not be used in first-episode psychosis (38%) and that patients always preferred tablets (33%). Compared with a previous sample, the current participants scored more favourably on a patient-centred attitude subscale (60.4% vs 63.5%, P = 0.034) and significantly fewer regarded LAIs as being stigmatising and old-fashioned. Reported LAI prescribing rates have decreased in the last 5 years despite an SGA-LAI becoming available and most clinicians regarding LAIs as effective. Most attitudes and knowledge have remained stable although concerns about stigma with LAI use have decreased. Concerns about patient acceptance continue as do negative views about some aspects of LAI use; these may compromise medication choices offered to patients.

This paper reports on human factors research concerning the advancement of new technology facilitating seniors leading fulfilling, meaningful and independent lives, with dignity in the community. Specifically, this paper provides a roadmap for the specification of new technology for use in residential homeswhich seeks to establish the appropriate balance between enabling the independence and well-being of residents (including supporting their privacy) and protecting residents from potential hazards. This research adopts a stakeholder evaluation/participatory approach to requirements elicitation and user interface design. The technology is defined from the perspective of addressing specific end user and stakeholder needs, and achieving relevant states/benefits associated with wellbeing, successful ageing, and relationship centred care. This research is being undertaken as an industry/academia collaboration involving Trinity College Dublin (TCD) Ireland and Oneview Healthcare.

monthly e-newsletter. A free online design and publishing platform was utilised to allow for input from multiple editors and contributors. It was coordinated by a senior registrar with supervision from a consultant. The broad sections included:. Learning from casesthe case-mix ranged from common paediatric presentations to tertiary-level retrieval cases. Content included examples of excellent clinical practice, current guidelines, theoretical knowledge, practical skills refreshers and MRCPCH exam tips.. Public Health informationfeaturing a 'Health Promotion Post-it'.. Self-care and resilienceuseful tips to thrive and enjoy work.. Positivity and team celebrationscompliments were published directly from the 'Gold Star' board, a positivity board where any staff member's everyday achievements can be highlighted. Departmental events and socials were advertised.

Context This improvement work was done in the Paediatric Emergency Care Centre (PECC) of a busy district general hospital, which sees about 20,000 children every year. The work involved a collaboration of the nursing and medical staff in the PECC. Problem When a child attends the PECC, a set of notes is generated which includes a Safeguarding Checklist on the second page. It is the responsibility of the clerking doctor to complete this for every child they see. It contains ten questions aimed at identifying children who could have experienced non-accidental injury (NAI). An audit showed that this checklist was only being completed 20% of the time. This was unacceptable as it put children at risk and contravened a basic trust policy. Assessment of problem and analysis of its causes To establish why checklist completion was poor, a random sample of non-consultant emergency doctors was given an anonymous questionnaire. The questionnaire, consisting of 5 multiple choice questions and a final open question, aimed to establish the barriers facing staff completing the checklist. A process map outlining a child’s journey through the emergency floor and the above audit made it clear that the checklist was a barrier. Feedback indicated that the checklist itself was busy, unclear and difficult to use. As a result, I set about redesigning the checklist. Intervention The Safeguarding Checklist now consists of 9 questions with the option to tick “yes”, “no” or “not applicable” for each of them. Once they have been completed, there are instructions on how to categorise your findings into “green”, “yellow” or “red”, indicating the level of risk. Following this, there are bullet point directions of the next steps to take for each category. Strategy for change The redesigned checklist was integrated in to the new PECC notes, replacing the previous version. The clerking clinicians complete the checklist but nursing staff assist in prompting them to do so. The questionnaire results were presented at a departmental meeting. Once the first draft of the redesigned checklist was completed, it was shown to PECC staff for feedback, which was incorporated in the final version. Measurement of improvement Following the introduction of the new checklist, the notes of all children under five were audited five days a week to measure how often the checklist was being completed. Results after five months show it is being completed on average 65.6% of the time. Although this is an increase from 20%, it still does not meet our aim of 100%. Effects of changes There is clearly an improvement in completion of the checklist but we aim to improve further. By increasing the use of the checklist, we hope to avoid further serious case reviews and promote a safeguarding culture within PECC. It was difficult to bring together feedback from different sources to produce the final checklist. It was also challenging to create something that was simple and clear but still included all the important information. Lessons learnt I learnt staff engagem...

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