Kent Public Health Observatory Health and Social Care Bulletin 19th November 2015

Your guide to what's new in public health and social care locally and nationally.  Produced by the Kent Public Health Observatory.

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NICE Eyes on Evidence - Issue 78 November 2015

This month in Eyes on Evidence

Using antipsychotics in pregnancy
A Canadian observational study found no significant difference in maternal and short-term perinatal outcomes in pregnant women prescribed antipsychotics compared with matched pregnant women not prescribed antipsychotics.

Effects of lithium on kidney, thyroid and parathyroid function
A retrospective cohort study of UK laboratory data found that lithium use for a median of 3 years was associated with an increased risk of kidney disease, hypothyroidism and hyperparathyroidism.

Life expectancy in people with type 1 diabetes
A prospective cohort study in Scotland reported that men aged 20 years with type 1 diabetes had a life expectancy 11 years shorter than unaffected men in the general population, and women with type 1 diabetes could expect to live 13 years less.

Length of hospital stay and mortality after hip fracture
A Swedish population cohort study found that staying in hospital for 10 days or less after hip fracture was associated with a small increase in the risk of death within 30 days of discharge among older people.

Barriers to implementing case management for people with dementia
A qualitative analysis found that insufficient skills and resources, lack of clarity over the nature of case management, variable investment in the approach from case managers and general practices, and limited reflection and feedback on the case manager role were barriers to implementing case management for people with dementia in primary care in England.

Evidence summaries from NICE’s Medicines and Prescribing Programme
NICE has recently published summaries on:

• Orthostatic hypotension due to autonomic dysfunction: midodrine
• Factors associated with adherence to diabetes medicines
• Medicines adherence: meta-analysis of interventions for heart failure patients
•  Asthma: new review of prescribing data highlights safety concerns
• Non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes: antiplatelets
• Severe infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: co-trimoxazole compared with vancomycin