Irish journal of medical science
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The SARS-Cov2 pandemic has caused considerable disruption to provision of routine outpatient care. This pandemic has necessitated a more modern and innovative approach to clinics, which could potentially change outpatient organisation and improve efficiency in the long term. Telephone clinics are the most practical way to deliver healthcare at a distance. ⋯ While virtual clinics remain a useful tool during the height of lockdown measures during the SARS-Cov2 pandemic, we did note a significant reduction in favourable responses to virtual appointments over physical ones upon easing of lockdown measures. Patients remained cautious in suggesting that outpatient appointments may be replaced by virtual clinics.
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Observational Study
Taking histories: joint working of disciplines in medical history scholarship.
While there is an increasing emphasis on the value of interdisciplinarity in scholarship in the medical humanities, it is unknown to what extent there is joint working between historians and clinicians in medical history. We aimed to quantify evidence of joint working in authorship of medical history papers. ⋯ Scholarship engaging both historians and clinicians is rare in medical history journals. Possible solutions include enhanced research collaborations between historians and clinicians, interdisciplinary educational seminars and cross-institutional knowledge exchanges.
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Sexual Assault Treatment Units (SATUs) provide holistic care, frequently including forensic examination, for people who disclose sexual violence. Storage of forensic evidence without reporting to An Garda Síochána (AGS), the Irish national police service (Option 3), was introduced in August 2016. This allowed attendees time to decide whether they wanted to report to AGS, without the loss of all forensic evidence. ⋯ In conclusion, the availability of Option 3 has afforded people the opportunity to access responsive SATU care including storage of forensic evidence which may have significant evidential value. This potentially provides further opportunities for comprehensive detection of a crime, even if reporting to AGS is delayed.
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Diagnosing the aetiology of interstitial lung disease (ILD) may require histology via a surgical lung biopsy (SLB). SLB is associated with significant complications. Transbronchial lung cryobiopsy (TBLC) can provide large, adequate biopsies with fewer complications offering a potential alternative to SLB. ⋯ TBLC aids the diagnosis of ILD in the appropriate patient and may be an acceptable alternative to SLB with fewer complications. Further work on standardizing the procedure is required.
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The purpose of this study is to compare maternal outcomes in patients with placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) when managed as part of a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) compared to standard care. ⋯ PAS is associated with significant maternal morbidity and warrants management in an MDT setting with specialist input, which is associated with improved outcomes.