Journal of public health
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Journal of public health · Jun 2005
Comparative StudyEvaluation of an independent, radiographer-led community diagnostic ultrasound service provided to general practitioners.
Health care services traditionally offered in a secondary setting are increasingly being offered in a primary setting. There has been little assessment of quality and efficiency of diagnostic services such as ultrasound delivered in primary settings and no studies have looked at independently provided services. ⋯ The community diagnostic ultrasound service offers reduced waiting times compared to the NHS Trust service, and is of comparable quality. This benefit, together with high patient and GP satisfaction levels, may justify the possible reduced cost-effectiveness of the service compared to the NHS Trust service.
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Journal of public health · Mar 2005
Comparative StudyImpact of paracetamol pack size restrictions on poisoning from paracetamol in England and Wales: an observational study.
About 500 drug poisoning deaths involving paracetamol (acetaminophen) occur every year in England and Wales. To reduce the number of deaths, regulations were introduced in 1998 to restrict the sale of paracetamol. In this paper, we evaluate the impact of these regulations. ⋯ Between 1993 and 2002, mortality rates and hospital admissions due to paracetamol poisoning declined. However, the contribution of the 1998 regulations to this decline is not clear. Paracetamol poisoning continues to be an important public health issue in England and Wales and represents significant workload for the NHS in England.
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Journal of public health · Mar 2005
High rates of primary care and emergency department use among injection drug users in Vancouver.
Frequent use of emergency rooms by injection drug users (IDUs) has been attributed to a lack of access to primary care and barriers to health services. Using a community-based sample of IDUs, we examined rates of primary care and emergency room use among IDUs and identified correlates of frequent emergency department use. ⋯ high rates of ER use were observed among IDUs, despite high rates of primary care use among this same population. ER use was due primarily to preventable injection-related complications that are less amenable to primary care interventions, and therefore educational and prevention efforts that encourage and enable sterile injection practices should be promoted.
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Journal of public health · Mar 2005
Case ReportsTetanus in an unvaccinated child in the United Kingdom: case report.
Tetanus is a serious infectious disease that is associated with high morbidity and mortality. It is uncommon in developed countries like the United Kingdom due to widespread immunization. ⋯ He presented with trismus and muscle spasms needing ventilation in Paediatric Intensive Care for 3 weeks. The case highlights the importance of vaccinating newly arrived children.