Thursday 24 December 2015

Free Exam Resources for Junior Doctors

Free exam resources for junior doctors



·         Notes on topics covered in MRCP Part 1
·         130 MCQ questions
·         Bookmark questions
·         Choose questions by topic
·         Track statistics
·         Look back over wrong answers

·         Covers MRCP Parts 1 and 2
·         Over 5,000 MCQs arranged by topic
·         Free to sign up
·         Past papers going back to September 2010

·         Over 1,800 MCQs with detailed answers
·         Updated with new information every day
·         Covers MRCP, MRCGP and PLAB exams

·         Works like Wikipedia - put together by users but subject to quality control
·         Contains notes, mindmaps, flashcards and an OSCE checklist
·         Blogs from other junior doctors
·         Lots of notes on different topics

·         Notes on study skills, revision, history taking and clinical skills
·         Free – being created by a group of currently working junior doctors
·         Aims to cover material that is ‘hard-to-find’ in textbooks
·         You can download the entire web site as an app

·         Courses accredited by the Royal College of Radiologists
·         X-ray interpretation tutorials

·         A gallery of sample X-ray cases

This list was compiled and created by the JET Library and Mid Cheshire Hospital.

UpToDate Expert User Series - Patient Information



Friday 18 December 2015

Christmas Opening 2015



Christmas Opening


From 2pm 24th - 28th December 
Access via 24 hour card only

29th - 30th December 9am - 5pm

From 2pm 31st December to 3rd January 
24 hour card only.

4th January
Open as normal

NICE News December 2015

New guidance and standards


New guidelines for care of people in the last days of life

NICE has launched the first guidelines for the NHS on improving care for people who are in their last days of life. The guidelines aim to put the dying person at the heart of decisions about their care, so that they can be supported in their final days according to their wishes.
Read more

Ensure people with type 2 diabetes are involved in decisions about their care

Healthcare professionals should involve people with type 2 diabetes in decisions about their care such as in managing blood glucose levels, NICE says. Updated guidelines stress the need for individualising care for people with type 2 diabetes, and include new recommendations on managing blood glucose, effective drug treatments, and lifestyle interventions.
Read more

Make a single person responsible for discharging patients to avoid delays

Hospitals can avoid delays in discharge by making a single health or social care practitioner responsible for discharging patients, NICE says. The guidance recommends that a single health or social care practitioner should be made responsible for coordinating a person's discharge.
Read more

Improving IV fluid therapy for children and young people

New NICE guidance on intravenous fluid therapy aims to improve the safety and consistency of the treatment for children and young people. The guideline contains recommendations for the assessment and monitoring of fluid therapy, and includes a number of algorithms to help plan care.
Read more

News
Kadcyla too costly for use on the NHS

NICE has published final guidance on the use of Kadcyla (trastuzumab-emtansine) for HER-2 positive breast cancer, which says the drug is too high in price for routine use on the NHS.
Read more

Features

NICE guidance year in review - 2015

Take a look at the highest profile pieces of guidance and advice that we've published over the past year. 
Read more

Get involved 

NICE is reviewing the impact of our Medtech Innovation Briefings (MIBs). The MIBs are designed to support commissioners and staff who are considering using new devices and other medical or diagnostic technologies. Take part in a short survey, which will take no longer than 5 minutes to complete.
Take the survey
We are updating and improving our savings and productivity collection. Take part in a short survey to help us make sure that the content meets your needs.
Take the survey
We're looking for topic experts to help us develop guidance on venous thromboembolism (VTE). If you have experience and knowledge of VTE and using prophylaxis methods to reduce the risk of VTE in patients visiting hospital, then apply to join our committee.
The closing date for applications is 20 January 2016.
Apply now
Our quality standard for obesity - clinical assessment and management, is now open for consultation. The quality standard contains 8 statements to help improve the assessment and management of obesity in adults, young people and children. 
Closing date for submissions is Thursday 14 December 2016.

Friday 11 December 2015

NICE Eyes on Evidence - Issue 79 December 2015


This month in Eyes on Evidence

High-sensitivity cardiac troponin tests for diagnosis of heart attack
A meta-analysis and UK cohort study found that thresholds lower than those generally applied could be used with high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T or I tests to rule out myocardial infarction in people with chest pain.

First-line treatments for Helicobacter pylori
A systematic review and network meta-analysis of studies from more than 35 countries found differences in eradication rates for various Helicobacter pylori treatment regimens. However, differing levels of antibiotic resistance in the included studies may have influenced the efficacy of treatments.

Comprehensive care for older people after hip fracture
A randomised controlled trial in Norway of people aged 70 or over with hip fracture found that providing comprehensive geriatric assessment and care led to better mobility after surgery than standard orthopaedic care.

Experiences of carers for people with long-term conditions
A small UK qualitative study found that some carers of people with diabetes, kidney or heart disease did not consider their work legitimate caring and were reluctant to identify as a carer, which limited their ability to access support.

Personal financial incentives to change health-related behaviours
A meta-analysis reported that personal financial incentives helped people to achieve behavioural targets relating to smoking cessation or a healthy lifestyle, but any effects waned 3 months after the incentive stopped.

Evidence summaries from NICE’s Medicines and Prescribing Programme

NICE has recently published summaries on:

  • Type 1 diabetes mellitus in adults: high-strength insulin glargine 300 units/ml (Toujeo)
  • Coronary revascularisation: cangrelor
  • Atrial fibrillation and chronic heart failure: systematic review suggests digoxin is not associated with increased mortality
  • Type 2 diabetes: study finds empagliflozin reduces adverse cardiovascular outcomes
  • Contraception: reduced risk of endometrial cancer associated with combined oral contraceptives

Friday 4 December 2015

Kent Public Health Observatory Health and Social Care Bulletin 27th November 2015

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

>>> Click here to view the latest bulletin

NICE News November 2015

New guidance and standards


Early birth guideline will be "instrumental" in improving outcomes for mothers and babies

Latest guidelines on preventing early birth will be "instrumental" in improving outcomes for babies born prematurely and their mothers, a leading charity says. The guideline identifies ways to prevent preterm birth, to diagnose and manage preterm labour, and reduce the associated risks to the baby.
Read more

Women with symptoms of menopause should not suffer in silence

Women whose lives are being affected by the symptoms of menopause should not feel they have to suffer in silence, says NICE. In its first guideline on menopause, NICE recommends that help and information is available for women with menopause, and that a range of treatment options such as HRT can help.
Read more

Reduce waste by carrying out blood transfusions only when necessary

Blood transfusions should only be carried out when necessary to help avoid waste in the NHS and prevent risk to patients, according to new guidance. The guideline on blood transfusion makes a number of recommendations to help reduce variation in practice, increase patient safety, and prevent needless use of resources.
Read more

Integrated care "critically important" for older people with social care needs and multiple long-term conditions

Health and social care services should work more closely together to ensure older people with social care needs and multiple long-term conditions receive effective care, says NICE. The social care guideline calls for care to be integrated so that better, more person-centred care can be provided for the growing number of older people with social care needs and multiple long-term conditions.
Read more

New guideline on children's attachment

NICE has published a new guideline on attachment in children and young people who are adopted from care, in care or at high risk of going into care. The guideline covers the identification, assessment and treatment of attachment difficulties in children and young people up to age 18 who are adopted from care, in special guardianship, looked after by local authorities in foster homes, residential unites and other accommodation, or on the edge of care.
Read more

News

Consultation open on plans to reform Cancer Drug Fund
 

NHS England and NICE have begun a consultation on plans for a new Cancer Drugs Fund. The proposals are aimed at providing patients with access to promising new medicines while the evidence is still emerging, in a financially stable way.
Have your say

Helping people with AF make informed choices about their treatment

NICE has endorsed a new decision support tool that aims to help healthcare professionals and people with atrial fibrillation make informed decisions about the most appropriate treatments.

Read more

Into practice

Adoption support resources for nalmefene and UroLift

NICE has published an adoption support resource for guidance on nalmefene for reducing alcohol consumption in people with alcohol dependence. The resource is aimed at both clinical and non-clinical staff when implementing the guidance at a local level, and may be of particular interest to Health and Wellbeing Boards.

An adoption support resource has also been produced for guidance on UroLift for treating lower urinary tract symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia. 

New support for dementia and medicines optimisation

NICE has published shared learning examples on dementia and medicines optimisation. The dementia example outlines how brief interventions carried out by health and social care professionals led them to evaluate their own lifestyles.

The medicines optimisation example highlights how Guys & St Thomas Foundation Trust developed an innovative community based role to lead medicines optimisation within various health and social care teams.
Read more

Get involved 

NICE is looking for suggestions for areas of improvement in contraceptive services. We are interested in hearing from stakeholders as to what they consider would have the greatest potential to improve the quality of care. Your suggestions will help NICE develop a quality standard on contraceptive services. Register as a stakeholder to let us know your thoughts.
Read more
Do you or your organisation have an interest in smoking cessation interventions and services? We're looking for comments from stakeholders to help develop the scope for our guideline on the topic. Register as a stakeholder and submit comments by 9 December 2015.
Read more
NICE is recruiting health, public health and social care commissioners, clinicians and finance professionals to join its Adoption and Impact Programme Reference Panel.

The external panel is made up of experts from health, public health and social care sectors, and meets 'virtually' through communicating with each other via phone and email. Panel members will support the development of NICE implementation tools to help commissioners and providers implement NICE guidance and standards. Using their experience with NHS and social care experience, panel members provide consultation comments on draft tools and feedback on published tools for evaluation purposes.
Apply now
Our Diagnostics Assessment Programme has vacancies for committee members in the following categories:
  • NHS management
  • Pathology, acute medicine or diagnostic scientist
  • Industry representative
The closing date for applications is 03 December 2015.
Apply now
Our Medical Technology Advisory Programme has vacancies for committee members in the following categories:
  • NHS Senior Manager or Commissioner
  • Senior Medical Device Company Representative
  • Secondary care clinician with an interest in innovative technologies - applications are particularly invited from surgeons of any sub-specialty
The closing date for applications is 01 December 2015.
Apply now