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 “grey” 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 ‘ensure that patients, carers and the public have the information necessary to make decisions about their own treatment and care’ and suggested that the ‘NHS has a major responsibility to provide or enable access to relevant and reliable information’ (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: • What public sector based information services are currently provided to patients and carers in the North West and by whom? • 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? • 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 ‘map’ 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

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 Meniere’s Syndrome — A systematic review

Meniere’s 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 Meniere’s 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 Meniere’s 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 Meniere’s disease, including those in an acute phase and reinforces the importance of searching for published studies in the Chinese language

The synthesis of some acylglycines and related oxazolones

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