British medical bulletin
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British medical bulletin · Dec 2017
ReviewSustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and their implementation: A national global framework for health, development and equity needs a systems approach at every level.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of global goals for fair and sustainable health at every level: from planetary biosphere to local community. The aim is to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity, now and in the future. ⋯ We need to develop systems wide understanding of what supports a healthy environment and the art and science of making change.
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British medical bulletin · Dec 2017
ReviewWho bears the cost of NICE public health recommendations?
In the UK, NICE issues guidance on public health initiatives. Failure to report which sectors of the economy are affected by their implementation precludes the appropriate accounting for the full opportunity costs, and has the potential to result in erroneous decision making and inefficient budgetary planning. ⋯ Future NICE guidance should report disaggregated costs across the sectors where they fall. Further research is needed to conceptualize the opportunity cost of financial burdens falling on non-health budgets before optimal decision making in public health is possible.
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British medical bulletin · Dec 2017
ReviewManagement of chronic pain through pain management programmes.
Chronic pain carries significant impact and is difficult to treat with limited success. Pain management programmes (PMPs) use cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)-based multidisciplinary rehabilitative approaches to drive functional improvement. ⋯ Participation may have more subjective impact than objective outcomes and merits qualitative research. With a (significant) minority of patients showing improvement, research into patient and treatment selection is essential alongside longterm outcomes and sustaining benefits.
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Since 2015, an epidemic of Zika virus spread across the Americas. This coincided with an increased incidence of microcephaly reported at birth in Brazil, with subsequent evidence of a causal association. ⋯ Follow-up studies of affected infants are vital to inform on prognosis and guide screening programmes of the future.