Effects of self-monitoring of heart rate and additional sprint running on exercise intensity and technical performance during small-sided games in soccer.

The purpose of this study was to assess whether relatively simple interventions including self monitoring of heart rate and the use of targeted sprints for those with the lowest relative HR values (%HRmax) could be used to increase exercise intensity during small sided games (SSGs) in soccer. A secondary aim of the study was to assess the effect of these interventions on overall gameplay. Fourteen male semi-professional players performed SSGs (6 vs. 6) under four conditions including a control, a self-monitoring approach where players monitored their own HR via a wristwatch, and two sprint conditions where players with HR values below 90%HRmax performed sprints either during the game or during the recovery period between games. A linear mixed effects model was used to test for main effects whilst accounting for covariances between observations made on the same player. The results identified relatively small but significant differences in average %HRmax (p<0.001) and RPE values (p<0.001) between the three modified conditions and the control. No significant differences were found between any of the modified conditions for measures of exercise intensity. On average, the modified conditions resulted in a 3.7% increase in %HRmax values and a 9.3% increase in RPE. The results from this study demonstrate that exercise intensity of SSGs in soccer can be increased by relatively simple and practical manipulations, the most basic of which requires only the use of inexpensive HR monitors

Expansion of HCV treatment access to people who have injected drugs through effective translation of research into public health policy:Scotland's experience

Seven years have elapsed since the Scottish Government launched its Hepatitis C Action Plan – a Plan to improve services to prevent transmission of infection, particularly among people who inject drugs (PWID), identify those infected and ensure those infected receive optimal treatment. The Plan was underpinned by industrial scale funding (around £100 million, in addition to the general NHS funding, will have been invested by 2015), and a web of accountable national and local multi-disciplinary multi-agency networks responsible for the planning, development and delivery of services. Initiatives ranged from the introduction of testing in specialist drug services through finger-prick blood sampling by non-clinical staff, to the setting of government targets to ensure rapid scale-up of antiviral therapy. The Plan was informed by comprehensive national monitoring systems, indicating the extent of the problem not just in terms of numbers infected, diagnosed and treated but also the more penetrative data on the number advancing to end-stage liver disease and death, and also through compelling modelling work demonstrating the potential beneficial impact of scaling-up therapy and the mounting cost of not acting. Achievements include around 50% increase in the proportion of the infected population diagnosed (38% to 55%); a sustained near two-and-a-half fold increase in the annual number of people initiated onto therapy (470 to 1050) with more pronounced increases among PWID (300 to 840) and prisoners (20 to 140); and reversing of an upward trend in the overall number of people living with chronic infection. The Action Plan has demonstrated that a Government-backed, coordinated and invested approach can transform services and rapidly improve the lives of thousands. Cited as “an impressive example of a national strategy” by the Global Commission on Drug Policy, the Scottish Plan has also provided fundamental insights of international relevance into the management of HCV among PWID

Government funded travel and accommodation assistance : learning from inter-country research

Objectives: The paper explores the consumer experience with the New Zealand travel and accommodation assistance scheme, known as the National Travel Assistance (NTA) scheme, as detailed in findings from a recent study on relocation for specialist treatment in haematology. The study is set in the context of the research literature on Australian government travel and accommodation assistance schemes. The findings provide the opportunity for shared, inter-country learning to inform health policy, administration and service delivery. Methods: A qualitative methodology was used based on open-ended interviews with participants (n=62) who had relocated for specialist care selected from a database of patients and families maintained by the Leukaemia and Blood Foundation. Criteria included a representation of all major haematological diagnostic groups and location in the corresponding catchment areas of primary specialist haematological centres in New Zealand. The interviews were audiorecorded, transcribed verbatim, coded and thematically analysed. Results and Conclusions: In New Zealand there is a high levelof satisfaction with the NTA scheme. The process of information giving is active with health professionals, especially hospital socialworkers, providing the initiative to make sure patients and their carers are well informed and actively supported in relation to thescheme. The majority of New Zealanders interviewed indicated that they found the NTA scheme to be user-friendly with forms easyto fill in and submit, staff available to actively assist with the application process and a clear line of administration for easy approvals. The findings provide useful insights to inform health policy and service delivery in relation to government travel and accommodation schemes in Australian and New Zealand