Irish journal of medical science
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Planning for end of life (EOL) care has become an important consideration for doctors and patients in the context of longer life expectancy in most high-income countries. Advance care plans (ACPs) allow individuals to make plans for future healthcare practices for when they no longer have the capacity to make such decisions. It has been suggested that general practitioners (GPs) have the ideal relationship with patients to facilitate this process. However, the uptake of ACPs still remains low, prompting the need to understand the views of GPs regarding ACPs. ⋯ In order to improve their implementation, workshops and courses should be developed to increase GPs' knowledge and confidence. Additionally, the healthcare system should be adapted, supporting GPs to facilitate these important discussions to take place.
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Hip fractures are a common and serious orthopaedic injury. The principle of treatment for hip fractures in the "non-elderly" patient is to preserve the native hip. There is limited published literature in this area. ⋯ DHS remains the most widely used fixation technique in an effort to preserve the native hip. The use of THA has increased and surpassed the usage of hemi-arthroplasty in recent times. A high proportion of these patients will go on to develop complications requiring secondary surgery; therefore, they all need long-term follow-up.
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Gastric cancer is a common malignant tumor with an increasing death rate. MicroRNA can serve as a promising biomarker for the progression and prognosis of various cancers. ⋯ miR-3178 may be involved in the progression of gastric cancer, which provides new insights into the treatment of gastric cancer.
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Health literacy is considered a social determinant of population health, but also relates to making informed health decisions. Little information is available on the oral health literacy (OHL) among young adults, and this is crucial to inform targeted interventions on oral health and care. ⋯ Approximately, one-in-four third-level university students in Cork City have adequate OHL which is lower compared to the general Irish population but still significantly high in specific groups.
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The HSE "Vision for change", national service plan and other policies emphasise the importance of incorporating the views of service users and carers in the design and delivery of mental health services. ⋯ Involving POLL patients in audit provided useful insights to improve the quality of service. We resolved the issue of disabled parking access and have developed a service information leaflet and a discharge leaflet. We intend to focus more on psychoeducation and discharge planning based on the results of the current cycle.