Understanding sickness absence in the ambulance service

Ambulance service employees have high sickness absence rates compared to other National Health Service (NHS) occupations. The aim of this study was to understand factors linked to sickness absence in front-line ambulance service staff by determining whether there was an association between work and daily (non-work-related) stress, coping styles, demographic variables (health conditions, overtime hours,…Continue Reading Understanding sickness absence in the ambulance service

Primary care treatment of insomnia: study protocol for a pragmatic, multicentre, randomised controlled trial comparing nurse-delivered sleep restriction therapy to sleep hygiene (the HABIT trial)

            Introduction Insomnia is a prevalent sleep disorder that negatively affects quality of life. Multicomponent cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is the recommended treatment but access remains limited, particularly in primary care. Sleep restriction therapy (SRT) is one of the principal active components of CBT and could be delivered by generalist staff…Continue Reading Primary care treatment of insomnia: study protocol for a pragmatic, multicentre, randomised controlled trial comparing nurse-delivered sleep restriction therapy to sleep hygiene (the HABIT trial)

Electronic health records in ambulances: the ERA multiple-methods study

Ambulance services have a vital role in the shift towards the delivery of health care outside hospitals, when this is better for patients, by offering alternatives to transfer to the emergency department. The introduction of information technology in ambulance services to electronically capture, interpret, store and transfer patient data can support out-of-hospital care. We aimed…Continue Reading Electronic health records in ambulances: the ERA multiple-methods study

Evaluating follow-up and complexity in cancer clinical trials (EFACCT): an eDelphi study of research professionals’ perspectives

        Objectives To evaluate patient follow-up and complexity in cancer clinical trial delivery, using consensus methods to: (1) identify research professionals’ priorities, (2) understand localised challenges, (3) define study complexity and workloads supporting the development of a trial rating and complexity assessment tool (TRACAT). Design A classic eDelphi completed in three rounds, conducted as…Continue Reading Evaluating follow-up and complexity in cancer clinical trials (EFACCT): an eDelphi study of research professionals’ perspectives

Understanding how Eastern European migrants use and experience UK health services: a systematic scoping review

The UK has experienced significant immigration from Eastern Europe following European Union (EU) expansion in 2004, which raises the importance of equity and equality for the recent immigrants. Previous research on ethnic health inequalities focused on established minority ethnic groups, whereas Eastern European migrants are a growing, but relatively under-researched group. We aimed to conduct…Continue Reading Understanding how Eastern European migrants use and experience UK health services: a systematic scoping review

The Evolution Of British Gerontology: Personal Perspectives and Historical Developments

Ageing, it now seems, is everybody’s business. Wherever we turn these days, older people are visible in the British media: on television and radio, and in advertisements. Actors, celebrities and public figures are documenting their experiences and thoughts about ageing at a rapid rate of knots; others are writing or making documentaries about living with,…Continue Reading The Evolution Of British Gerontology: Personal Perspectives and Historical Developments

Suicide and probation: A systematic review of the literature

A narrative systematic review was undertaken of the literature concerning the health of people on probation. In this paper, we provide an up-to-date summary of what is known about suicide and suicidal ideation and probation. This includes estimates of prevalence and possible predictors of suicide and suicidal ideation. Searches were conducted on nine databases from…Continue Reading Suicide and probation: A systematic review of the literature

Ethical considerations in prehospital ambulance based research: qualitative interview study of expert informants

 Prehospital ambulance based research has unique ethical considerations due to urgency, time limitations and the locations involved. We sought to explore these issues through interviews with experts in this research field. We undertook semi-structured interviews with expert informants, primarily based in the UK, seeking their views and experiences of ethics in ambulance based clinical research….Continue Reading Ethical considerations in prehospital ambulance based research: qualitative interview study of expert informants

Declines in HIV incidence among men and women in a South African population-based cohort

Over the past decade, there has been a massive scale-up of primary and secondary prevention services to reduce the population-wide incidence of HIV. However, the impact of these services on HIV incidence has not been demonstrated using a prospectively followed, population-based cohort from South Africa—the country with the world’s highest rate of new infections. To…Continue Reading Declines in HIV incidence among men and women in a South African population-based cohort