FEATURE ARTICLES

SUZANNE CALLANDER reports on the findings and recommendations of a recent report which looked at variability across the UK in the process of care surrounding bariatric surgery, from both the NHS and private practice.

The need to improve surgical site infection (SSI) surveillance, across Trusts, as well as understand the impact of SSIs on patients’ lives, were among the key issues raised at the Infection Prevention Society’s annual conference. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.

Expert clinical opinion is vital to the medical technology industry to understand unmet needs and ensure new products are fit for purpose. To facilitate these interactions, Health Enterprise East, the NHS partner organisation for innovation, has recently launched Clinical Insight – a network of NHS stakeholders – to help shape the future of medical technology.

Research shows that addressing the issue of inadvertent hypothermia can have a significant impact – reducing mortality and morbidity in patients with trauma, as well as those undergoing surgery. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.

Taking place in Düsseldorf, Germany, (14-17 November) MEDICA features 4,500 exhibitors from 60 countries, usually attracting over 134,000 visitors from healthcare providers and companies across the globe. The Clinical Services Journal provides an insight into the event’s key attractions and this year’s hot topics.

Leading experts in the field of decontamination sciences will be discussing key issues facing sterile services staff, at the IDSc annual conference – from the implementation of regulation and standards, to the drive to achieve savings and effic

The NHS faces major changes and unprecedented challenges ahead, but there are also opportunities to deliver improvement. At AfPP 2012, the Chief Nursing Officer for Wales discussed the impact of these changes, on perioperative practitioners, and highlighted their role in ensuring quality and safety. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.

CRAIG FOREBACK and GARY DOWTHWAITE review alternative ways to diagnose and monitor ketoacidosis using assays for the major ketone body, 3-ß-Hydroxybutyrate, which have been available on automated analysers since 1987.

The British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition is calling on the Government to develop a National Nutritional Strategy, following its latest screening survey which finds that malnutrition continues to affect one-in-four adults on admission to hospitals.

MELISSA ROCHON BSc Hons (Nursing) examines areas covered in root cause analysis of surgical site infection (SSI), and promotes the use of a multidisciplinary group to review elevated rates and themes arising from such analysis against the Trust’s quality and safety agenda.

Millions of interactions take place every day between patients and healthcare professionals, without any problems. However, when there are problems do we have the correct systems in place to meet the expectations of the public, the hopes of the patient and the frameworks in place to learn ‘how do to better next time’? KATE WOODHEAD RGN DMS reports.

The NHS has seen a significant increase in the use of impregnated wipes for cleaning and disinfecting surfaces.

KATE WOODHEAD RGN DMS provides an overview of the reforms that are taking place in the NHS.

Medical researchers, politicians and decision makers recently gathered in London to discuss innovative solutions to the world’s major health problems. High on the agenda was the challenge of balancing access with affordability. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.

The Global Health Policy Summit was established to address the common challenges of health policy and to develop innovative ways for delivering healthcare across the world.

Group B Streptococcus (a potentially life-threatening infection) is on the increase in newborn babies in the UK – yet countries with national screening programmes have seen incidence fall by as much as 86%.

JONATHAN BAILLIE reports on some of the key advances in large capital equipment for the operating theatre.

The annual European Society of Cardiology Congress took place in Munich at the end of August. The Clinical Services Journal reports on some of the highlights from the event.

SUZANNE CALLANDER looks at the findings of a report which examines the cost of kidney disease to the NHS in England and another which identifies variations in care across the country and suggests ways that this can be tackled to reduce unwarranted variation, with the aim of increasing value and improving the quality of care for people with kidney disease.

As NHS Trusts look to achieve further reductions in infection rates, antimicrobial copper touch surfaces are being adopted in many hospitals as an additional infection control measure.