Irish journal of medical science
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Healthcare workers are susceptible to burnout owing to the demanding nature of their profession. The sequela of this is an increased incidence of medical errors and decreased job satisfaction. ⋯ Ninety-three percent of responders demonstrated either moderate or high levels of burnout in this study. Work-related factors appeared to contribute more to occurrence of burnout rather than the patient-related or doctor-patient interactions.
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Urethral catheterisation (UC) is a frequently performed medical procedure and catheter-related injuries can lead to significant morbidity for patients. The aims of this study are to assess interns' exposure to UC and to design, implement and assess a structured UC skills workshop for hospital interns. ⋯ Interns have a lack of knowledge, experience and confidence with catheter insertion. Current training models are deficient. The introduction of a structured skills workshop may help to improve catheter insertion skills among interns.
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Historical Article
Establishment of a national surveillance system to monitor community HIV testing, Ireland, 2018.
HIV continues to be an important public health issue. Voluntary community-based HIV testing (VCBT) helps to reduce the undiagnosed population of HIV-positive individuals, enabling early diagnosis and treatment. Monitoring is essential to determine whether at-risk groups are being effectively reached. ⋯ Sustained national monitoring in community settings will help inform HIV testing guidelines and will enable assessment of the impact of local and regional community HIV testing strategies.
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We sought to determine the rate of emergency department (ED) attendance for complications after ureterorenoscopy (URS) for stone disease and to identify risk factors for ED attendance after URS. ⋯ Risk factors for ED attendance after URS include prolonged pre-stent dwell time, stone size ≥ 13 mm, treatment for a positive preoperative urine culture, mid-ureteric stone location and female gender. Urologists should be aware of these findings to decrease the risk of emergency re-presentation after elective URS surgery.
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Tinnitus is a phenomenon that affects approximately 15% of the adult population. A minority of patients will experience chronic bothersome tinnitus that has a detrimental effect on their quality of life. Management of such tinnitus is challenging for healthcare practitioners. Primary care services are the first point at which patients seek expert medical advice about their condition and General Practitioners (GPs) must be equipped with the knowledge to appropriately triage and guide patients. ⋯ This study demonstrates there is wide variation in how tinnitus is evaluated and managed by GPs, which represents a gap in clinical care. We recommend further research, implementation of a service model for tinnitus, national clinical guidelines, training pathways for primary care staff and establishment of regional direct-access tinnitus clinics throughout Ireland.