CP, February 2018, Vol 10, No 2

Considering human factors and developing systems-thinking behaviours to ensure patient safety

Medication errors are too frequently assigned as blame towards a single person. By considering these errors as a system-level failure, healthcare providers can take significant steps towards improving patient safety. …

Optimising the health and wellbeing of older people living with HIV in the United Kingdom

Care for people with HIV has improved, meaning that more people are living with HIV into older age with normal life expectancy. Therefore, there are various challenges and opportunities facing healthcare professionals when providing care to this changing demographic.…

Diagnosis and management of hospital-acquired pneumonia in older adults

Hospital‑acquired pneumonia increases the length of in-patient hospital stay and is associated with high mortality rates, particularly in older people. Pharmacists and healthcare professionals need to know how to diagnose and manage the condition, and be cognisant of the gaps in …

Naloxone nasal spray shows potential for opioid-overdose reversal

A study of nasally administered opioid antagonist, naloxone, has shown promising results…

HPV infection increases risk of reinfection, study finds

A study published in PNAS has shown that human papillomavirus vaccination does not protect against reinfection.…

Pharmacomechanical therapy does not lower long-term risks in DVT

A study in The New England Journal of Medicine has shown no significant difference in results following pharmacomechanical therapy for deep-vein thrombosis…

Fructose increases risk of childhood asthma, independent of obesity

A study of 1,068 mother-child pairs has shown that high fructose intake increases risk of mid-childhood asthma…

Cannabinoid treatment shows potential in obstructive sleep apnoea

The cannabinoid dronabinol has been shown to significantly reduce apnoea/hypopnoea index scores, but further trials are needed.…

Study provides evidence for continuation of annual influenza vaccination

Evidence for the continued use of annual influenza vaccination emerges following reports suggesting it may increase susceptibility during a pandemic.…

Dry mouth affects people with intellectual or learning disabilities, as well as older people

This letter relates to ‘Older adults at risk of medication-related dry mouth’. Dry mouth may be a problem in the ageing general population. But it can also present a lifetime difficulty for people with intellectual or learning disabilities. In general, people with intellectua…