298 research outputs found
The effectiveness of counselling with older people: results of a systematic review
In 2003 the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) commissioned a systematic review of the research evidence relating to counselling older people. This paper reports on some of the findings of this review, particularly those which address the effectiveness of counselling with this population. Electronic searches of the research literature spanned six databases and were supplemented by hand-searches of reference lists and key journals, along with an extensive search of the āgreyā literature. The location of papers testing interventions which fall within a definition of counselling set out by the BACP, with samples aged 50 years of age or above resulted in the inclusion of 47 relevant studies. Studies investigated a variety of mental health problems in older people, particularly depression, anxiety, dementia and the psychological impact of physical conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Of the 47 studies, eight tested counselling as a generic treatment, 15 tested cognitive behavioural therapy, 13 tested reminiscence therapy, and 11 tested various other specific approaches. The review concluded that counselling is efficacious with older people, particularly in the treatment of anxiety and depression and outcomes are consistent with those found in younger populations. Evidence as to the efficacy of counselling interventions in the treatment of dementia is weak
Do NHS libraries have a role in providing information to patients, carers and the public?
Ten years ago, the UK government outlined a strategy that aimed to āensure that patients, carers and the public have the information necessary to make decisions about their own
treatment and careā and suggested that the āNHS has a major responsibility to provide or enable access to relevant and reliable informationā (DH 1998). Given that one of the main
roles of an NHS Library is the provision of access and training to health information for NHS staff and that health librarians are skilled in accessing, using and to some extent understanding health care information, to some it may seem a logical step for NHS Libraries to be involved in the provision of health information to patients. This may not necessarily mean opening up the library to patients, but supporting other NHS staff to provide information to patients. However there are also issues about duplication, appropriateness and implementation that should be taken into consideration when examining the role of the NHS Library in providing information for patient care. This report describes a project that aimed to explore these issues by asking:
ā¢ What public sector based information services are currently provided to patients
and carers in the North West and by whom?
ā¢ What are the views of key stakeholders regarding:
o Whether NHS Libraries should provide information to patients and carers?
o Whether NHS Libraries could provide information to patients and carers?
o What type of services could be offered?
o What roles could NHS Libraries play?
ā¢ If NHS Libraries were to provide information to patients and carers, what would be needed to facilitate and/or support them?
By answering these research questions, the report aims to provide:
1. A āmapā of the provision of public sector based patient information services
in the North West
2. An overview of stakeholder views regarding the role of NHS Libraries in the provision of information to patient
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Therapies in the Treatment of Meniere's Syndrome: Illness Narratives
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Therapies in the Treatment of Meniere's Syndrome: Illness Narratives
Colonnade interior, glass wall, from above, depicting brise-soleil; The building today commonly referred to as the Old City Hall was the building that served as Ottawa's city hall from 1958 to 2000. Today it is officially known as 111 Sussex Drive and is owned by the Federal Government of Canada. The building is located on Green Island at the point where the Rideau River empties into the Ottawa. The International Style building was opened on August 2, 1958 by Princess Margaret as a member of the Canadian Royal Family. It is noted for the first building in Ottawa to be fully air conditioned. It was designed by John Bland of the firm of Rother, Bland and Trudeau and is considered one of the most important International Style buildings in Canada. Winning the Massey Medal for design in 1959, modifications were made by Moshe Safdie in 1992-1993. Today the building mainly houses foreign affairs employees. Source: Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page (accessed 1/10/2008
Exploring the evidence base for acupuncture in the treatment of Meniereās Syndrome ā A systematic review
Meniereās syndrome is a long-term, progressive disease that damages the balance and hearing
parts of the inner ear. To address the paucity of information on which evidence-based treatment
decisions should be made, a systematic review of acupuncture for Meniereās syndrome was
undertaken. The method used was a systematic review of English and Chinese literature, from
six databases for randomized, non-randomized and observational studies. All studies were
critically appraised and a narrative approach to data synthesis was adopted. Twenty-seven
studies were included in this review (9 in English and 18 in Chinese languages): three randomized
controlled trials, three non-randomized controlled studies and four pre-test, post-test
designs. All but one of the studies was conducted in China. The studies covered body acupuncture,
ear acupuncture, scalp acupuncture, fluid acupuncture point injection and moxibustion.
The studies were of varying quality. The weight of evidence, across all study types, is of beneficial
effect from acupuncture, for those in an acute phase or those who have had Meniereās
syndrome for a number of years. The review reinforces the importance of searching for studies
from English and Chinese literature. The transferability of the findings from China to a
Western context needs confirmation. Further research is also needed to clarify questions
around the appropriate frequency and number of treatment/courses of acupuncture. The
weight of evidence suggests a potential benefit of acupuncture for persons with Meniereās
disease, including those in an acute phase and reinforces the importance of searching for
published studies in the Chinese language
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Therapies in the Treatment of Meniere's Syndrome: Reviewing the Evidence for Acupuncture
- ā¦